Sheep & Dogs
This year’s presentations will be conducted by Wayside Farms
Gene Sheninger and his wife Teri of Wayside Farm are Border Collie handlers, trainers and breeders as well as full‑time sheep farmers, raising sheep, chickens, ducks and geese. Many of their sheep spend spring, summer and fall grazing solar farms. It is a very practical way for the providers of “Green Energy” to keep their site mowed without using machines that require petroleum products.
Gene began training and trialing Border Collies in 1986 and, today, he and his dogs regularly compete in sheepdog trials throughout the east, Canada, and overseas.
Gene was one of the 5 handlers chosen from all of the handlers in the U.S. to represent the U.S. on the 2008 World Team for the World Trial and again in 2014 at the World Trials held in Tain, Scotland.
When Gene is not at a trial, he is usually busy giving demonstrations at fairs and other outdoor events with both sheep and ducks. One of his better‑known demonstrations was in the spring of 1992 when he assisted with the closing act for David Letterman’s 10th Anniversary Special. The segment was so popular that Gene was asked to repeat it in March of 1994 at the Ed Sullivan Theater and again, in 2003 to escort sheep down Broadway, into the Ed Sullivan Theater,
At their demonstrations Gene and his wife Teri work several of their professional dogs to demonstrate their skills working both sheep and ducks. Teri’s dogs are:
- Rudy, a 3-year old smooth-coated, prick-eared, black and white dog imported from Wales.
- Zuben, a 5-year old medium-coated tri-colored dog also imported from Wales.
- Teri has placed in many Open trials all up and down the east coast – From Florida to Upstate New York.
Gene’s dogs are:
- Aron, , a 7-year old smooth-coated, black and white dog imported from Wales.
- Pele, a 6-year old smooth-coated, prick-eared, tri-colored dog also imported from Wales.
Order of Working Sheepdog Events
Working Sheepdog Demonstrations – To Be Determined