Oaktree Border Collies Interview by Jan Simmons From: April 2004 "Stockdog Magazine" |
I was able to sit down recently with Tom & Ruth Hines of Oaktree Border Collies and ask them a few questions about their past and the future of Oaktree. 1. Tom, I must ask you right off how you came to be in the wheelchair? Jan, when I was 23 years old I had a massive stroke, Ruth and I had only been married 3 years, but the Lord blessed me with a lady that took her wedding vows to heart, they were not just words she repeated after the pastor. Up until my stroke I was a full time student at Northeastern State University at Tahlequah, OK. and I raised and trained (QH) race horses with my father. 2. Tom, you and Ruth just came back from Houston, Texas where you put on an exhibition for the Cattle Dog Trials at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. What was that like? Three words, "it was awesome"! Larry (Innerarity), Skeeter (Sitton) and the whole cattle dog world should be so excited by the way we were accepted in Houston. There were times it was standing room only. I have been to fairs before and you get a rotating crowd, what I mean by that is, people will watch 4-5 runs and then move on to other things, but for the most part the folks in Houston were in awe of the control the handlers had on their dogs and how they were able to use the dogs to move the cattle through one obstacle to the next. I have a friend who was filming the trial, and she told me later, there were times she would stop filming the trial and film the expressions on the audience's faces.---pretty cool huh? I was there not just to watch some very good cattle dogs, but also by invitation of the East Texas Neuro Support Group to try to help gain awareness by the general public, that just because we are in a wheelchair doesn't mean we have to sit on the sidelines any longer. Thanks to the efforts of groups like the ETNSG, they are able to reenter folks with disabilities back into the mainstream of activities. I would like to thank the ETNSG for hooking me up with Mr. Monty Woodford of Texas Mobility who provided me the use of the Extreme 4x4 wheel chair during my exhibitions. I did 2 exhibitions were I worked my dog Jack with my Message Mate and I feel like Jack worked very nice from my device and he put on a good demonstration for the crowd. The trial was beyond words, I think it will become one of those things where you can say, I was there when cattle dog business took it's first really big step! 3. You mentioned a special device that you use to make the calls to the dogs will you tell us a little about what happened to you and why you need the device? When I had my stroke in 1977 it not only left me in a chair, but also unable to speak or make audible sounds. In 1999 I had the good fortune to meet Larry Innerarity at my first LSCDF. We talked (with the help of my wife) about a number of things and I was able to share with him my dream of competing and the kind of device I thought it would take. I went home after the futurity and figured nothing would come of it, but little did I know God was using Larry & Todd to answer my prayers. Larry turned my request over to Todd Petershagen of the ETNSG and when I came for the 2000 futurity they told me they had found what they thought would work for me, it was called the Message Mate. I came home to Oklahoma and called the representative and he brought one to my house for me to see, as they say, it wasn't Memorex quality, but we felt like it just might work. The Message Mate is a device that records sounds for children or adults with speech problems to help them communicate with others. I just put the sounds on the device to be able to communicate with my dogs. :) It is a small square box about 4 by 12 inches and about 2 inches thick. The model I have has 10 minutes of recording capacity. I have 4 layers of 40 squares and I can put as much or as little as I want in each square, as long as I don't go over the 10 minutes. I use one layer at a time when I work a dog. I have different voices and whistles on each of the layers, so depending on what dog I want to work, I pick the layer that they need. 4. How did you get started working with Border Collies and cattle dog trialing? In 1998 I got my first BC from Jerry Carte with the intentions of training her to pick up things I had dropped, and to be a help to me around the house, but that never happened. We started going to trials to watch Jerry work the dogs and that old competitive bug was still in me, I wanted to be out there working the dogs! In 2001, Reba and me put on an exhibition at the LSCDF using the Message Mate. That was a very special time for a number of reasons, but little did I know it was my last dance with Reba, because I lost her shortly after the futurity. I'll always be thankful to the LSCDF for letting us have that last dance. I'm finding out the stronger the bond I have with the dog, the better they do on my device, but that's probably true for everyone. In 2002, I became the first person to compete in the LSCDF from a wheelchair (with Kelli). I think we were 44th out of 90 entries, so that wasn't too bad for the first time. This year, 2004, me and Jack exhibited at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Jack is my buddy, there are tougher cow dogs, but we have a friendship where we both overlook each others shortcomings. At Houston we saw the return of Chuck Thibodeaux, Chuck had a spinal cord stroke and it put him in a wheelchair also. Chuck did a super job! 5. Your kennel name is 'Oaktree Border Collies', are BCs the only breed of dog you (personally) use to herd cattle? We only use BC's. I do have one Australian Shepherd, but her only purpose is to make us smile! She "waddles" when she walks. But she has become the kennel babysitter, she just loves the puppies and is so good with them. We use her to get the puppies started taking long walks. They tend to want to follow Penny, so it gives the momma a break from the puppies. :) 6. Your wife, Ruth, participated in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this year didn't she? Yes, and she did a great job with her dog Kelli! Ruth and Kelli had a perfect score, but their time was not fast enough to place them in the top three. How long has she been working with the dogs and participating in trials? Just about a year and a half. This is a lady that grew up not owning a single pet, not even a gold fish. I've seen her run the goats & sheep over the top of herself, because she had no idea where to stand or what the livestock would do when the dog pushes them. If you want to talk about starting at the very bottom, then that's Ruth, but she has made remarkable progress in such a short time. If we can raise the right dog, I predict there is a LSCDF winners circle not too far down the road for her. 7. I know you are raising some future champions at your kennels, what else do you foresee in Oaktree's future? Our goal is to have 4 or 5 really nice stud dogs that will meet the needs and wants of everyone. I like to work cattle the best, but I know some folks like to work sheep best. I'm trying to get lines in my dogs that will work and do a good job on both. To my knowledge there has never been one dog to win the LSCDF and the National Sheep Finals, I want to see the first dog to accomplish that, sired by an Oaktree stud. If it never happens, as long as we have fun and make a lot of friends, then that's all that really matters. 8. I admire you for doing something you so obviously love, but I have to ask - Where do you get the courage to get in a ring with a bunch of cows? and, in front of so many people? Have you ever heard the term "Dumb Okie"? 9. I have some inside information that you and Ruth did a very nice thing for a young girl in Texas on your way to Houston. Will you share that story with us? A little girl (Rachel Krueger) lost her BC and God just happened to use us, so He could answer her prayer. (On their way to Houston, Tom & Ruth met Rachel on the highway and gave her a pup that she named 'Texas Star'.) For all my friends, disabled or not, I'd like to leave you with this quote Live, Laugh and Love each and every day. Hold on tight to your Dreams... and one day...... Those Dreams may in fact, become Realities...... Tom and Hatsoff Jack get in a little practice before heading off to Houston, for their exhibition at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Penny AKA Miss Waddles |
Tom & Jack leave the arena after exhibiting their herding ability. The audience sat in silence as Tom and Jack maneuvered the cattle around the arena from his wheel chair & with the use of his Message Mate. Charlie Martin (above) and Todd Petershagen (below) of the East Texas Neuro Support Group. Monty Woodford of Texas Mobility Tom & Reba (with Larry Innerarity) 2001 Futurity Exhibition Tom & Reba as a pup. Ruth & Kelli |
Tom & Ruth Hines |