The Story of Aurora Ranch

Kate and George lived in the mountains of Colorado. One Sunday they skied together and on the top of the mountain he kissed her.... so begins the story of Aurora Ranch.

Kate's dog, Persephone, looked just like a Border Collie. Kate had always loved dogs and thought the Border Collie very interesting. It was her favorite in her parent’s book of dog breeds.

Planning to build a boat and sail around the world, Kate and George moved to Massachusetts. But Kate wasn't sure how her sweet little dog would manage on a boat (or herself, for that matter). So instead of sailing the high seas, they moved to a farm in Royalston, Massachusetts. Later they bought land in Royalston that had once been a farm. They cleared away the trees and built a barn. Next they built a house and later a sheep barn. In the beginning, they had two Jersey milk cows and a few beef cattle. They raised a few pigs each year.

They were given four Romney sheep and so the flock began. As time went by, the flock increased in number. A good sheepdog was needed! After Persephone died, George gave Kate a Border Collie pup for her birthday. Kate named the pup Happy Birthday, Happy for short. They had no idea how to train her. A fellow from New Zealand who sheared the flock told them to “just put her in with the sheep”. Well, that wasn't such a good idea. So Kate and George went to clinics and trials and worked with knowledgeable handlers to learn how to properly train a sheepdog.

Pippin, a blond border collie, joined the growing Aurora Ranch menagerie. He worked both sheep and cattle. Kate trained Pippin and ran him in sheepdog trials. Not to be left out, George bought Kyp, a black and white border collie, and trained and trialed her. Today, both Kate and George continue to train and trial their sheepdogs, and George has become a well-regarded judge of sheepdog trials.

Forty-four years after the kiss on the top of the mountain, Kate and George have numerous border collies of varying ages and stages of training, a flock of pedigree Romney sheep known for their soft fleece of many colors, cheviot/texel sheep for meat and training, grass fed pasture raised cattle and free range chickens.