Updated for 2024

The Sheepdog Demonstrations at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival are always a crowd favorite. Festival audiences are amazed by the talent, skill, and ability of the handlers and their dogs. Come watch as they demonstrate their skills working in partnership to maneuver the sheep around the arena and through the obstacles.

Joining us again this year as a featured performer is Carla King from Davidsonville, Maryland. Carla began her career with sheepdogs about thirty years ago, when she got her first Border Collie, a lovely dog named Pride. Carla and Pride quickly became a wonderful team, and they soon became quite successful at sheepdog trials. Over the years, Carla has had continued success with Pride’s numerous successors, and she has competed in most of the major sheepdog trials in the USA. When they are not trialing, Carla and her dogs keep busy at home managing a large flock of sheep. We are very pleased to have Carla performing in the demonstrations at the festival.

Also performing in the demonstrations again this year is A J Hesketh-Tutton. A J was born in Winchester, England, where she learned about sheep and sheepdogs on her family’s farm. She now lives in West Friendship, Maryland with her Border Collies. A J also has a large flock of Katahdin sheep, where she and her dogs get daily practice doing chores and training for trials. We are truly appreciative of A J’s participation in the festival demonstrations.

For many years, Nancy Cox Starkey of Mt. Airy, Maryland, provided the commentary for the Sheepdog Demonstrations at the Festival. But again this year, she will be performing with her dogs in the demonstrations. Nancy has had Border Collies most of her adult life, and with the help of her dogs, Nancy manages a large flock of Bluefaced Leicester sheep. Additionally, Nancy competes with her dogs in sheepdog trials and provides sheepdog demonstrations at other festivals and events.

Sheepdog Demonstration from the 2021 Virtual Festival