2010 Sweepstakes Judge

Sonja Donaldson
Cordillera Border Collies, California

Thank you for having me judge Sweepstakes at the Kentuckiana, I am so looking forward to putting my hands on your wonderful dogs – it is a real privilege. I have owned Border Collies for 17 years, but only started competing with them about 6 years ago when my wonderful Puck came into my life and the breeders asked that I show her as a condition of purchase. I have since trained, shown, and trialed Puck and my two young Border Collies, Beckham and Tatum, in conformation, herding, agility, and a bit of obedience. I have recently acquired sheep so I am able to more regularly train my dogs on stock. I have shown my three dogs to their conformation Championships, and I am currently working on a Herding Ch and MACH with Puck, and started level herding and agility with the youngsters.

I breed Border Collies under the affix Cordillera, a tribute to my profession and the importance of a strong backbone in a breeding program. I have friends throughout the Border Collie world (working/sport/conformation), and I respect and admire them and the dogs they have chosen to share their lives. I am particularly interested in pedigrees and health issues and enjoy educating the public about responsibly-bred dogs. Someday I hope to be both a herding and a conformation judge.

I train, raise, and evaluate canine candidates for the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. In my professional life I am a geologist and the Director of Environmental Affairs for an aerospace manufacturing company. First and foremost I enjoy spending as much time as I can with my husband, 14 year-old daughter, and of course - our dogs.