My name is Brent Azevedo. Thank you for visiting my site.
I was raised in the country of Gustine, California, a.k.a., small town USA. I left the Westside to pursue a degree in English Literature and landed myself smack dab in the middle of 5 million Bay Area folk. Upon graduation from San Jose State University, I found myself working in technology as just another cube-rat surrounded by cement, cars, and the strange hum of internet traffic. During my 70 minute commute, to go 12 miles to work, I would watch goats grazing hillsides for fire and weed abatement and so became interested in this as a business opportunity.
After a few years, I decided it best to get back to the country roots where I belong, and chase this dream of running small ruminants for targeted grazing. In 2008, a sheep rancher put about 600 head of sheep on the surrounding property at which I lived. He also had 3 Border Collie pups running around the place, though they’d never come near me. Boy, were they spectacular! I would sit and watch their mother take them across the field with a couple other dogs and then let them get halfway back before she would turn and burn to beat all the dogs back to the barn. She was something, alright.
One day I was digging a drench and tossing dirt into the air when one of the pups could no longer resist the action. He stayed for an hour staring, then biting into the dirt coming out of the shovel. The next morning he was waiting on the dirt mound for me to come out and get to work. We have followed each other ever since.
One morning I came out and the pup’s throat was swelled up and full of pus. The Peruvian sheepherders were content to let him die, so with a quick exchange of some cash, I went to the expensive and prolonged task of finally having a foxtail pop out of the dog’s neck. The journey was no small feat, but it has been worth every moment since. So in short, the dog took a chance on me and I took a chance on him. His name is Chance the Dog, and he has made all the difference.
They say, “Never teach a Border Collie something you don’t want it to know for the rest of it’s life.” I say, “Let a Border Collie in and you’ll never be the same for the rest of yours.”