I Had The Pleasure
I Had the Pleasure: Remembering Donald McCaig
By: Tresa Laferty
In November 2018, our sheepdog community lost one of our most beloved handlers. A community voice, trial host, award-winning author, and friend, Donald McCaig, 78, passed away at his Virginia home on November 11, 2018. As the social media posts quickly started appearing and the long list of comments flowed—not to mention the extended obituaries in the New York Times and Washington Post—it was apparent that Mr. McCaig was very highly regarded and will be missed by many around the globe.
Donald Robert McCaig was born on May 1, 1940 in Butte, Montana. After serving two years in the US Marine Corps, he received his BA in philosophy from Montana State University and taught briefly before eventually keeping a crazy schedule as a national advertising copywriter.
In 1971, Mr. McCaig and his wife, Anne, decided to move to a 280-acre farm in western Virginia, a lifestyle change described in the Washington Post as “re-inventing himself as a farmer and writer.” The state of the farm was said to be rather primitive, with no running water in the house and no fencing. He and Anne spent the next 47 years making it their home and sharing their experiences with others. Over those years, he and Anne opened their farm to the “Highland Occasional Sheepdog Trial,” where those who attended were met with their generosity, along with Mr. McCaig’s humor and indelibly humble attitude.
While Mr. McCaig spent his whole life writing, his 1984 book “Nop’s Trials,” was considered the book that put him on the map as a novelist. With a border collie as its central character, this book found its way to the shelves of almost every sheepdog owner around the world. It wasn’t just a story about a border collie; it shed light on just how deeply our emotions run in relation to these dogs. He wrote eloquently about the border collie’s devotion to their human companions, and many handlers have said, “this book changed how I look at my dog.”
More books about sheepdogs followed, with “Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men” published in 1991, followed in 1994 by “Nop’s Hope.” In 2004, a limited edition of “A Useful Dog” was published, then more widely published again in 2007. In the spring of 2013, his book “Mr. and Mrs. Dog: Our Travels, Trials, Adventures and Epiphanies” was published. Midwest handlers were delighted when he showed up at the prestigious Bluegrass Classic trial in Lexington, Kentucky with a box of these books, signing them at the trial’s HQ (dubbed the “White House”) for any handler that asked. At the time of his passing, Mr. McCaig was still receiving letters and emails from fans and sheepdog handlers from all over the world about how his books changed their life.
He was just like the rest of us when, with his trusty dog by his side, he stepped to the post, a place where a healthy dose of humility is good policy. He loved having a good laugh with that quirky sense of humor he had. Mr. McCaig enjoyed pretty much all aspects of trials, training and living with border collies, and general farm life. But perhaps most of all, he deeply, deeply loved his dogs. When he stepped into our community, he brought with him strong opinions, a great talent for writing, and the courage to fiercely love this lifestyle. Mr. McCaig enjoyed seeing new handlers step out on the trial field and made the effort to support them in any way he could. One of his most endearing qualities was that he always made time for fellow handlers and enjoyed discussing pretty much ANYTHING related to border collies.
Over the years, Mr. McCaig was honored far beyond our small sheepdog community, being featured in People magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and numerous other publications. He was a regular contributor to the NPR program “All Things Considered.” Since he was such a common fixture in our sheepdog world, we often forgot his importance and recognition that spilled out into the rest of the world.
Upon his passing, I spent time reading through the hundreds of posts and comments that peppered my social media accounts. I took note that almost all of them started with the sweet phrase “I had the pleasure…” The memory of Mr. McCaig brought forth so many adoring comments from handlers and admirers. Here are just a few of the common phrases:
“kind man,” “a friend,” “true gift,” “gave so much of his time and energy,” “loved these dogs,” “strong advocate of the working sheepdog,” “kind and generous,” “I’ll never forget his kindness,” “respect,” “distinctive man.”
When we lose a member of our community, it causes us to pause and look at our own lives. Are we happy? Are we living the life we want? Are we making a difference? How will people remember us? Like Mr. McCaig, we all can make a positive difference in the lives of others, especially in our community of sheepdog handlers, including those in your own neighborhood as well as all over the world. We can watch videos, share comments, and connect with many people, from world champion handlers to those stepping to the post for the very first time, and all of us in between. At Mr. McCaig’s passing, what better way can we honor such a memorable man than carry forth his own deep passion for this lifestyle?
The next time you are at a trial, read a post online, or see someone struggling to find their place, keep in mind the kind, generous, and respectful Donald McCaig. We should all be so lucky to end our lives with everyone uttering the phrase “I had the pleasure…”
During a 1994 broadcast of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Donald McCaig said: “I do not believe you can work with animals – certainly you cannot train them – without deciding that if humans have souls, dogs do too. And if there’s a heaven waiting for me, Pippy’s already in it.”
Pip and Donald are now most certainly reunited.