Stash
National Cattledog Association
2013 & 2014 NCA National Finals Open Champion
2016 NWSS Open Champion
Secret Stash ABCA 335751 Blue Merle Female
Stash is a blue merle female border collie now owned by Twin Pines Border Collies.
Stash came in for training at a year and a half and she has so much try, work, and speed that I have never sent her home. She is a granddaughter of our own Luke and goes back to Laura Hicks of Allen South Dakota's Dutch and Nell.
She surprised me and everyone by putting in an excellent performance and the 2013 National Cattledog Finals in Steamboat Springs Colorado. This was the inaugural year for the National Cattledog Association to host a National FInals, and the trial was a great success. The finals Championship was based on the cumulative score of two preliminary runs and then the top twenty combined scores get to go to Final round and add their previous scores to a Final round score to decide the National Champion. Even when she completed the course in the Final round I really didn't think that her high score would hold up to win 
trial. As each subsequent dog struggled at different points of their runs, and even Oscar and I fell short of completing our run with just the exhaust left to go, Stash remained in the lead.
Stash ran very well the first day of open, finishing with a full point run that was slower than many of the other dogs. The second day Stash dropped 15 points on the course but combined with her first day score went into the final go in ninth place. At that point her kennel mate Oscar was second in the competition, and my thoughts were focused on winning with Oscar and hoping to get Stash in the money. I did not at that point imagine that she would end up winning the competition. Stash repeated her performance in 2014 with another championship, proving that her success the first year was no fluke. She has continued to run well collecting prizes around the country in very limited showing. She has also produced well with good quality pups of both genders.
Stash is looser eyed, extremely fast, and never ever quits. While she is not as assertive with her teeth as I would like her to be at times she is persistent and always sticks with the job. She has a positive attitude and has learned to pace herself. Stash will bite a nose but will not heel.
Stash placed fifth i the nursery class at the 2012 USBCHA National Cattledog Finals. .
While her color attracts attention I like her in spite of it. What I appreciate most about Stash is her beautiful outrun, speed, and work ethic. She rates the speed and distance of her flanks very naturally and lets her stock flow.
