B eau came into our lives when we went looking for a chore dog for the ranch. He proves to be one of those Aussies that learns his chores quickly and does them without much training. He adapts quickly to each situation and has proven he is truly a "useful" dog time and time again. I can send him out alone to bring in the stock and to bring them all the first time with minimal stress. He is a powerful dog, but uses his power sensibly, turning it on and off at the appropriate times.

Beau has an excellent sense of group, reads his stock well, and is a powerful, quiet and fair worker. He works cattle confidently and efficiently, working both ends equally well. He heels low and quick, turning his head out appropriately. He also hits heads and then backs off the pressure and allows the stock to move on. He does not body bite or rip ears and doesn't launch mindlessly into the air. He keeps all 4 feet on the ground and works authoritatively and thoughtfully. He shines when working large groups, doing so with minimal effort and little wasted energy. I often find myself stopping to watch him do his chores and taking a moment to enjoy the view. In my eyes, his ability to manage stock, especially cattle, is breathtaking.

Beau has a super temperament. He's wonderful with children and is our resident "puppy raiser". He's "mothered" rejected lambs and orphan fawns and cleaned the faces on the bottle babies until they sparkle. He's been an excellent playmate for my children and has tolerated their pulling and poking and squeezing with no complaints. He's a ball fanatic to the point of obsessive-compulsive behavior. He's got a great sense of humor and lives life to it's fullest. He has nice structure, a strong, level topline, clean gaits and efficient movement. He has a keen sense of smell and we use him quite often to find lambs and track cows through the brush.

Beau finished his WTCH in 21 runs....6 Qs on cattle, 6 Qs on sheep and 9 runs on ducks (3 nonqualifying) with multiple placements along the way. We trialed under some pretty tough judges and on respectably challenging stock. I retired him from trialing because trying to combine trial work with his jobs on the ranch created stress between us. Beau and I have a beautiful working relationship. It shows through when doing practical work together, with minimal direction from me and efficient output from him.

Beau is the yardstick by which we judge all others. He is definitely one of a kind - irreplaceable!