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Historical Photograph of flock in Metchosin circa 1900
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| There have been flocks of
sheep grazing the Metchosin pastures and following the trails here
since 1843. Today Metchosin is home to one of the largest commercial
flocks in British Columbia ….the Parry Bay Sheep Farm flock belonging
to John and Lorraine Buchanan. These sheep may be seen on some of the
most beautiful pastures on the Island … with the Juan de Fuca
Straits and the Olympic Mountains in the background. They are moved
around from pasture to pasture and through their various barnyard
routines by competent border collies, whose ancestors have been doing
the same tasks for 200 years …. away in the Borders in England,
Scotland, Wales and Ireland, in Australia and New Zealand, throughout
North America, all over Europe, wherever there are flocks of sheep and
shepherds tending them. So when the combination of a large flock
of sheep and their acquiescing owners along with the availability of
the beautiful Metchosin pastures became a reality … it was an
opportunity which Vancouver Island sheep dog triallers could not miss
and the Metchosin Trial was born in 1992 |
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