"Good Shepherd"- a beginning story of one amazing Aussie

It was late Winter of 2004/5. Finally, Friday! I looked outside the window longing for any signs of long-awaited Spring.
Instead, I saw only scattered patches of old, grayish-looking snow which covered endless fields and pastures that softly embraced our cozy ranch house in Indiana. When I opened the door to head for work, I was greeted by a black, bear-like looking Aussie that was just about to leave his paw marks on my light blue jeans and beige faux sheep coat. "Down!", that was the only command that came out of me.
It worked like a charm and the culprit froze in mid air on his rear legs just a few inches away from my face and my spotless attire. "Good Certik!", I praised my boy and gently petted his head thanking myself for every minute I spent on obedience training with him.

I locked the door and headed for the car to go to work. Certik kept his paws down but started to dance and circle his female master. "Why is he so wound-up?", I asked myself hoping to get some quick answers. All I got back was anxious whining and wagging the stub, the leftover of what once used to be a tail. I am not an expert on reading what dogs try to tell us, but I thought I could read pretty well a dude that was by my side more often than my husband.
Certik's antsy behavior was not normal, something happened on the farm while we were sleeping. The look and expression on his face convinced me to go back to the house and exchange my black-leather shoes for rubber boots that had more mud on them than the tires on my car.
I knew something had happened on the farm, but I was not sure what exactly it was. Did my husband forget to shut the door on the barns and more than 10,000 turkeys escaped from their housings? Or maybe Echo whelped a bunch of tiny puppies overnight!? "Maybe!", I sighed.
I do remember seeing her digging a nest behind the kennels a day or two ago.

"Oh, No!", I gave a deep sigh as I walked towards our back pasture that used to be a happy home to our cross-bred beef cattle. Not seeing any cows at all, I knew what my black farm dog had been trying to tell me. The cows were gone! Help!

Not really knowing what to do, I decided to walk through the pasture in hope to pick up some dropped hints from the escapees. Unfortunately, all I picked up was broken wire that used to be part of our cattle fence.
Both of us, Certik and I, started walking East and following the creek. Not being very successful in our search operation we turned slightly South towards our neighbor's farm just to get disappointed again.
In vain we walked miles in different directions. Being exhausted and frustrated, I was ready to give up the wild goose chase, get changed, and go to work. I was already late.
As I was reaching for my 1 year old eager helper, I got paralyzed by the look on his face and sparkles in his eyes. "What is it? What do you see, Certik?", I tried to pry some answers out of my fervent pooch. Staying focused on something that I was not able to see, Certik lowered his head and walked steadily towards the woods spreading ahead of us. All of a sudden, and before I was able to take any actions, my dog took off and disappeared. I stood helplessly, frozen and wondering if I lost not only the cows but also my best friend. "I bet he smelled a bunny!", I said under my breath and regretted that smart idea of mine to take the rabbit-chaser along.
My thoughts got interrupted by barking that followed by "moo-moo" sounds that seemed to get louder and more raucous. I had only a couple of seconds to step back and avoid being trampled over by a herd of cattle that was racing towards me. I quickly realized what was happening and acted promptly to position myself in front of the disgruntled herd with my incredible and amazing cow dog behind. Yes, it was our cattle that was hiding in the woods. Certik drove the cows through empty fields and naked pastures back home while making sure they stayed close together and right behind me.
How did my shepherd know what to do and how did he manage to bring runaway cows back home? Well, it was a mystery to me for a while. Later on I realized that I had a very special dog that was not only a wonderful friend, but also an indispensable working and trial companion.

Adriana & Turkey Run Australian Shepherds