Pascal Bourdon hails from Grémévillers in the region of Picardie (Picady). Picardie is considered the cradle of France’s Gothic architecture. Amiens is the largest cathedral in France, and Beauvais the tallest. Built between the 12th and 16th centuries, the many cathedrals, churches, and Gothic chateaux of Picardie reflect the economic and demographic growth of this area forming the link between Flanders and Paris.
Picardie is perhaps just as well known for the location of the First World War battle lines. During the First World War, Picardie was seen as the country's shield. If Picardy yielded, then Paris would fall a few days later. The region valiantly and loyally took on its historical responsibility as a bastion for peace. The rose is the region's emblem; a symbol of fragility and softness, a symbol of refound peace, a symbol of renewal.
Picardians have a saying “A tertous on n’sra mi d’trop” (All of us together would not be too many). It exemplifies the kindness and modesty for which Picardians are renowned. Pascal is no exception. He is a modest man, yet passionate about his dogs and sheepdog trialling.
Along with his wife and two young daughters, Pascal has a small farm with 70 ewes and 15 cows with calves. In addition to managing his own farm, Pascal sells and maintains milking machines. He purchased his first sheepdog 18 years ago and started trialling at the age of 12.
Pascal’s first dog was a Scottish bred bitch called Chipie. Chipie learnt her trade on cows with calves and pigs, as Pascal had no sheep on which to train. The work was hard as the cows and pigs had never been moved by a dog. But Chipie was obedient to command – if she that the command was the right one! The dearth of sheep did not deter Pascal and Chipie from participating in sheepdog trials.
The dog Pascal is running at this year’s World Tria is Vickie. Vickie is a daughter of Smile, a bitch Pascal competed with at the 2008 World Trial. Pascal says Vickie his favourite dog. Vickie, like her mother, is a dog that loves to drive. She is an exceptional work dog with plenty of courage and confidence, and a dog that gains the respect of the animals she is moving. In addition to natural drivers, Pascal likes dogs which are athletic and obedient to command, but not overcommanded. Because his work involves both cattle and sheep, Pascal likes a general purpose dog that can do a day’s work on the farm, but also participate in trials. According the Pascal “Sheepdog trials enable me to improve [as a handler] so as to be much more precise and effective in my work on the farm.” Pascal personifies the saying “There is no good flock without a good shepherd and no good shepherd without a good dog.”
Pascal has had help over the years from a number of fellow sheepdog enthusiasts, first from Stanislas Grzybwski who introduced him to sheepdogs and subsequently from Patrick Leroux, Aled Owen and Bobby Dalziel.
