In January of 1991, I was at a Collie Club function at Bonnie Young’s house and I overheard Sharon Holden talking about the blue puppies she had. I had one collie left at the time and had not been real active for a few years. I cornered her and found out that she had three blue girls, one was sold to a pet home (sight unseen) and Bonnie and Joyce Berk were taking one as their pick. I asked if I could please come to see them and starting that Saturday, Sharon saw me almost every weekend. I sat on her kitchen floor with puppies climbing all over me, but one particular blue girl caught my attention and I believed "picked" me. I had to wait for eye checks and then the long process of waiting for Bonnie and Joyce to pick their puppy. At one point I even hauled Loretta (Sunara Collies) out to see her.

One day at Bonnie’s we were watching a video of the puppies and Bonnie said that "my" puppy was the one they would probably take, my heart went to my throat, my fearful eyes met with Sharon’s and she shook her head yes. I wouldn’t give up and I kept visiting. Finally at a meeting at Sharon’s house she told them they had to pick their puppy from the two girls that night. Bonnie put Joyce on the spot, telling her to pick, Joyce kept looking and saying how she hated picking puppies at that age (they were a bit over two months old) and finally she said: "I guess we’ll take this one because that one has a funny bump on her nose right now." I couldn’t grab her and take her home fast enough!

That night started a strong, and all too short, relationship with a very special dog. I didn’t get much sleep, as "Wanda, the witch", as Sharon called her, did not want anything to do with being in a crate. Sharon had called her "Wanda, the witch" because she was always beating up the other puppies and in general being a brat. She shortly became "Daiquiri". I show trained her; the "bump" on her nose went away, and at the age of nine months I took her out to her first shows. She won the first day and was reserve the next. I was approached several times that weekend by a collie person that wanted to buy her for another person who wanted a "blue bitch" show dog that was ready to go. I declined, saying that she was staying with me. Her "show" career was short, as she never "coated up" enough. Instead, she was the ultimate brood bitch and she presented me with three beautiful litters and was a great mom.

In 1994 I started herding with her after she showed interest in some goats that Bonnie had (she had a very bad experience as a puppy and thought she wasn’t supposed to do that). We did ducks, and with the patient help of Bonnie Daley, we finally started to get the idea. Finally, I entered in one of our local clubs' herding tests. Bonnie D turned her head because she wasn’t sure she could watch, she turned her head back and it was over, 1 minute, 38 seconds and her first PT leg. I then took her to her only "out of area" trial in Oregon and she qualified for her 2nd PT leg. She was on her way!

In 1995 we made our debut into the obedience ring, with three qualifying scores in a row, the last leg at IECC (Inland Empire Collie Club) Specialty, for her CD title. I hadn’t been in the obedience ring for 18 years, I was a nervous wreck, but she held it together.

That spring and summer we were back out herding again and she earned her Herding Started title with a High In Trial and two Reserve High In Trials along the way. I had been watching agility and other club members were involved in it and I thought, this looks like fun, I wonder if "Daiquiri" would like it? So off we went to classes in 1997.

Even though she was six years old, she learned to jump very easily and soon we were entered in trials. She sailed to her Novice Agility title easily coming in under time in 1998. Also that year we had started tracking, another sport that other club members were involved in and looked like fun. We made it into the trial here in Spokane on Mother’s Day 1999. I was a nervous wreck, but true to her normal self we went out on that track and she made the first two corners without even a look back, the third corner she checked slightly and at the fourth corner, she was circling and noticed that two people were behind us (she was a very social dog) and she watched them for a moment, but went back to work when I told her to "go find" and she found the glove and laid down saying "here it is, Mom, not a problem". The judge said at the awards, that she went out with "this is the way you take corners" and kept right on going! She made history that day, as she was the sixth collie to have earned a title in all the areas open to collies. What a wonderful Mother’s Day that turned out to be!!

After that we started working towards her tracking dog excellent title. In August of the same year, we entered the agility trials here, and she qualified both days to earn the last two legs of her Open Agility title. The very next weekend, we were again at the herding trials here looking for that last intermediate leg for a title. She earned that leg at the IECC trial on Labor Day, making her now a Herding Intermediate dog--THREE TITLES--in three different areas, in one year!!! In the spring of 2000 on her very first agility run of the year (after five winter months off from agility) she qualified with an Agility Excellent leg. That run kept her nationally ranked in the top ten collies for Excellent A through September 2000.

We then went to the IECC Specialty in April having entered her in Veterans and Brace (with "Banjo") obedience. She worked very happily scoring a 193 in a class of four, earning 1st and High Scoring dog in Non-Regular classes. The Brace team was in top form that day also and took 1st place in a class of three with a score of 192.

In July 2000 IECC put on its first AHBA Ranch Dog Level 1 trial, and even though we didn’t normally work sheep, she understood "chore" work so I entered her. She did a nice job moving the sheep from the start to finish, and earned her first leg with a second place. She ran in her final agility runs in October of 2000, we never earned another excellent leg, as she had been injured a couple of times (at home) and was just a little too slow, but had perfect runs. At the time of her death she was one of only eight collies in the US to have acquired an AKC title in all of the areas open to collies.

"Daiquiri" kept all of the dogs "in line" and trained puppies and newcomers early on exactly where their spot was and SHE was the TOP DOG, and I was HER’S. We had a joke around here, that "Daiquiri" was never more then ten feet from me when we were out on walks and her son "Banjo" was never more then ten feet from her. She was my shadow, she always knew were I was and responded immediately. She gave me her best always and always figured out what I wanted her to do and would do it. She helped me with chores with the ducks, dog broke many ducks for me, help start other dogs in herding. Most of all she gave me everything she had, and then some, all of the time. She was a very special friend and one that has gone far too quickly, but will always be in my heart. My once in a lifetime, do it all collie.

Thank you Sharon for "Wanda, the witch", thank you Bonnie and Joyce for not taking her as your pick puppy. As I did this article, I realized that she blessed my life for tens years exactly, she came home and left me in February. I miss you greatly, Daiquiri and I know that you are watching and waiting from the Rainbow Bridge.