Wiet comes from Enschede, a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and about 3km from the German border. Enschede was granted city rights around 1300 which were confirmed in 1325 by Bishop Jan III van Diest and henceforth was allowed to protect itself with a wall. Because a stone wall was too expensive, Enschede had a system of ditches, palisades and hedges instead, which is still reflected in the street names Noorder-hagen and Zuiderhagen (North Hedge and South Hedge, respectively). The city was a large production center of textiles, especially the manufacture of bombazijn (a mixture of cotton and linen), until the 1970s when competition from Asia decimated the industry. Disaster struck again on 13 May 2000 when a fireworks storage in Enschede exploded, destroying the entire neighborhood of Roombeek and killing 23 people, including 4 firemen. This catastrophe is known in the Netherlands as the Vuurwerkramp (fireworks disaster).
While at school, Wiet started helping friends train Siberian huskies. Another friend owned a border collie and it is from this friend that she started to learn about border collies. After a stint in Turkey working for a dog hotel which cared for the dogs of military personnel stationed at a nearby NATO base, and a foray into theatre technics, Wiet decided to try her hand at working with horses. This saw her move to Germany and become immersed in the world of international show jumping.
In 2004, Wiet decided to return to her roots in Enschede and start afresh. Not long after she moved home, her faithful shepherd-cross dog died and Wiet decided no more dogs. That thought lasted all of two weeks, and then she happened on an advertisement for a border collie. That’s when Blue, a blue merle border collie, came into her life and started her down the path of working sheepdogs. Together, Wiet and Blue learnt their trade and made it to Open competition level. Wiet had the bug. From not wanting another dog, to getting one...and now having 7 with 110 sheep, Wiet has come a long way in a relatively short time frame. Wiet now works as a self-employed shepherd taking care of city greens. In addition, she teaches newcomers to the sport, trains dogs and gives herding demonstrations.
Wiet’s second border collie, Buff, is one of the two dogs she will run at the 2011 World Trial; the other being Blaze. Wiet says Buff is a difficult dog to run. He can be explosive and hard headed and yet, with a lot of practical work he can be an excellent dog too.
Blaze, Wiet’s third dog, was purchased from Louise Liebenberg, and he is everything Wiet likes to see in a working border collie. He is her “once in a lifetime” dog who has terrific sheep sense, power, a good listening ear, and a huge desire the please. In addition, Blaze is a happy dog – always in a good mood. These are all traits Wiet likes in a dog, and as well, she likes natural outrunners, good drivers and a dog with nice flanks.
Asked if there is any person who had an influence on the way she trains and handles dogs, Wiet feels she has been influenced not by one person but by the many triallists she has watched over the last few years. She says she is a very good spectator who watches and learns from others. She’s still watching and learning, and importantly, recognizes that no dog is the same so she has to modify her approach to best suit the dog.
This is Wiet’s first time competing at a major sheepdog trial. She will be making sure her dogs are in peak physical condition. For Blaze Wiet does not feel he needs any special training: “just stay in good balance with him.” But for Buff, Wiet will be making sure he will be strictly exercised to deal with the English sheep. He is a pusher type and needs to keep calm with the sheep. Good luck Wiet, Blaze and Buff!
