Farm406

farm406 44 Australian Shepherd It was purely by accident that Betty Williams purchased her first Australian Shepherd. "I had blue heelers before. Then, my husband was in an accident, and while he was healing in the hospital, his dog died," explains the Lewistown, Mont., rancher. "I wanted to get a puppy for him before he got out of the hospital, so I bought an Aussie from a breeder in Harlowton (Mont.). Then, I fell in love with them." Betty says she likes the Australian Shepherds' eager-to- please attitude and their build which allows them to get into the brush with ease. "They work for and want to please people," she explains. "Then, when they are done working, they are content to be in the house, lying at your feet. They'll work their tails off for you." Betty has been breeding and training Australian Shepherds since 1985. She currently has a litter of pups that got their tails docked at 3 days old. "Some of the pups are natural bobs," she explains. "By bobbing their tails, you have less burs to clean out and it helps prevents injuries from cows stepping on them." Williams competes in and judges stockdog trials across Rancher Betty Williams pets two of her Australian Shepherd dogs, Jake and Ty, who has blue eyes and was born in Germany. Williams has been raising and training Australian Shepherds for 32 years on her Lewistown, Mont., ranch. Australian Shepherd Jake stares down a herd of black Angus cows, daring them to step out of line.

• Cover