Besseghini 7th at NWS

MEEKER I Sandra Besseghini and her dog Mik of Meeker took seventh place out of 41 contestants in the Intermediate Sheepdog Trial at the National Western Stock Show in Denver on Jan. 26.
After volunteering at the Meeker Classic for 18 years, Besseghini said it is really fun to be on the other side of the game, albeit not at the level of the Classic. She said Mik, an ex-trial dog who came into her life 18 months ago, is teaching her to be a handler.
“We compete with huge enjoyment and, frequently, minimal success,” Besseghini said. “Like me, Mik is old. He’s keen on sheep but very kind to them — unlike some of what you may have seen at the Classic last fall.
“We would do very much better in the trials left to us if we could rent five sheep to practice on for a half hour twice a week, or a place to keep some,” she said.
With a non-classic appearance, Mik doesn’t look like most border collies as he is a classic smooth coat, prick-ear border collie out of Amanda Milliken’s stock.
“Mik had lived in a four-foot by four-foot concrete kennel all his life and didn’t know house pet things like how to walk up and down stairs,” Bessighini said. “He learned quickly.”