Three years ago today a special litter of border collies from working lines was born under a porch on a cattle ranch in Klamath Falls, OR. The rancher later kept two of the pups for himself and negotiated with a local vet hospital to have the mother of the puppies spayed, with the agreement that he would give the remaining pups in the litter to rescue.
It is not unusual to have ranchers allow their dogs to breed, pick out a couple of them to raise and train, then 'cull' the rest of the litter. Thankfully that unhappy ending was averted in this case.
At eight weeks of age the five remaining puppies were transported to their new foster home in Moses Lake.
A short time later I adopted the little monkey from an amazing foster home, she got sick, survived and well, you know the rest of the story.
Brynn is a happy dog, like the rest of her litter she is thriving. They are some of the lucky ones.
Too many dogs are unwanted, cold, hungry and neglected. Many do not know what it is like to play, or chase a ball. For some all their energy goes into survival.
They do not know the kindness of a gentle touch. The warmth of a hand on their head. To look in a human's eyes and hear the words "good dog."
The feeling of a full stomach, and warm bed is unknown. It might be a cold kennel, a wire cage, or a dirt bed beneath a tree.
I thank doG in that I share my life with these amazing dogs. All of my dogs (until Bea) were rescues, and I do not regret a moment. Mikey, Elmo & Katie, who crossed the bridge, to Ranger, Beth, Bonnie & Brynn each one has brought happiness. They may not work like champions, but they certainly have won every award my heart could bestow.
They bring me more joy and peace than I ever thought possible. Maybe one could do the same for you and in turn you can share your home & heart. Check out your local rescue and see if you can't give a home to an unwanted animal today.
"Cappy's litter was bred by a rancher in Twin Falls, Idaho. When this rancher feeds his pups he just puts out cans of Alpo with the lids removed. Cappy got his head stuck in a can at the age of 6 weeks and was left that way for about 12 hours until the rancher found him. Cappy is now blind due to a lack of oxygen while the can was stuck on his head.
The Rancher was going to shoot Cappy. A kind family took him in to save his life. Now Cappy is in foster care with the Idaho Domestic Animal Welfare Group.
This is a bright, confident pup, not at all 'disabled', no baggage. He is happy and outgoing, yet careful, loves other dogs and adores people. He will need a safe environment and other dogs that are tolerant of his puppy antics. Also, a human that is patient. We are certain this little pup can learn anything if given the opportunity. He is very smart and happy. We are estimating his date of birth as 04/19/09."
See Cappy's video. It is amazing watching this to think this little guy is completely blind. This brought tears to my eyes...
To think that today I complained about the traffic, prices of tomatoes, my pants not fitting, my feet hurting (because I am too fat)...then I watched that video.
Watching that little guy so happy, running around playing without a care in the world, completely unaware of any disability or disadvantage...it is simply humbling.
I wanted to share with everyone the link for the PNW Border Collie Rescue Blog. This blog has multiple contributors, foster homes and independent rescuers across the Pacific Northwest.
The purpose of this blog is to share adoption updates, interesting stories about the dogs, additional information that may be of use to potential adopters, and success stories from adoptive families.
If you have adopted a dog through Pacific Northwest Border Collie Rescue and would like to have your 'adoption success story' included on our blog please email it to me along with any pictures you would like to share at bcxfour@yahoo.com
We are also collecting links for our resource page. If you have a link of a Pacific Northwest herding or agility training facility, please put it in a comment below so I can include it on our links page. (THANK YOU!)
Pacific Northwest Border Collie Rescue is dedicated to placing lost or relinquished border collies into working or active homes. Please visit our site and see the many dogs we have available for adoption in Washington, Oregon, Idaho & British Columbia, Canada.
I think I am riding the slippery slope from hobby herder to obsessed herder. Yes, I have succumbed to the magical pairing of handler and dog. I wake up at night muttering "away", "go-by". I don't count sheep - rather I see them dashing through the field being trailed by little black dog.
Since Bonnie is still to young to train seriously I have been laying awake at night plotting ways to steal Beth from John. Perhaps getting rid of him entirely - so I can have her all to myself. Maybe that is going to far. I wonder if I would get Beth in a divorce? Hmmm...that is a possibility. On second thought, I wouldn't be able to afford the cost of the classes without his income. *sigh* That means I need to encourage him to work MORE overtime! Yeeehaaa! That'll do it!
Given this obsession I am heading down to Fido's Farm for more practice this afternoon and tomorrow. We won't be able to go Saturday, since we have a fantastic class through PNW Border Collie Rescue we are attending at Packworks
I finally got the video put together of me working with Beth last week. As you can see we are still beginning but things are starting to come together. She is much further ahead than me and we are working on our communcation. We had a few wobbly moments but in general they turned out okay. I would love to hear what you think of it...and any suggestions on things I may be missing or need to focus on.
And finally, just for Sheepkelpie over at I Love Lucy & Friends I put together a video of one of my first lessons with Chris Soderstrom and her Kelpie Rosie from December. (Due to the snow storms we were in the arena working).
I realized this morning when I was getting ready for work. My pants are loose. My shirts button. Even my shoes fit better!
Then it hit me. I can bend over to tie my shoes now without holding my breath!
What is going on, you ask?
It is very simple really.
I adopted three border collies.
The Border Collie Weight Loss Plan
Exercise Program: Daily aerobic walking is the foundation of this exercise program. Rain, shine, sleet or snow – you will be walking. You must walk your Border Collie everyday or they do things like rearrange your furniture. Combining brisk walking with the use of a Chuck-it will strengthen your upper body, tone your arms and help reduce the dreaded back fat. Picking yourself up off the ground shortly after your face meets the dirt (due to being tripped by a dog lunging at the ball in your chuck-it) also helps to increase upper body strength – akin to push-ups.
Three dogs (plus one foster) equal four tons of dog flops to pick up daily – bending, stooping, & lifting – excellent for core strengthening. Schlepping large bags of dog food hither and yon (weight bearing exercise) helps to increase bone density and fight osteoporosis.
You must find your Border Collies jobs (or they find their own) such as sheep herding or agility. Agility requires running, jumping and bending. Herding involves, walking backward, running and falling. Both Agility and Herding are excellent aerobic exercise programs that assist in improving coordination & flexibility. Added incentive to improve quickly or face weeks of compounding humiliation increases mental alertness.
Food Program: Try eating a whole meal without a dog face in your lap – it won’t happen. Don’t leave your food unattended, it will disappear. If you are eating and you dare put the border collies in the yard – they will engage in retaliatory landscaping. Your Border Collie will remind you to share your meal by targeting your elbow thus making you spill whatever you were going to stuff in your mouth (particularly risky with hot liquids). They work this technique in teams. One nudges your elbow suddenly and quickly (like a rattlesnake strike) the other waits to snatch the dropped piece of food. This results in reduced caloric consumption due to depravation and followed eventually by acceptance.
Remember: You have been placed on this earth to feed your dogs – not yourself.
Over time this effective diet program results in improved cardiovascular health, lowered cholesterol, looser pants, and general feeling of wellbeing.
A healthy lifestyle brought to you by Border Collies. Adopt one today!
Yesterday we loaded all the dogs up and drove 3 hours to Everson, WA to visit my parents. The dogs had a great time! My parents have a large tree farm behind their 'farm' where everyone had several good runs and exploring. The neighbors have sheep - so we had some fun with that too! (shhh...don't tell the neighbors)
Since we didn't cook dinner this year we were both missing the left overs - so John went to Safeway last night after we got home and bought a turkey. I wasn't expecting him to find much...but he came home with a 22 pounder! So we are cooking a huge turkey today! Leftovers anyone?
Oliver our new foster dog is doing wonderfully! The first night he was here he snuggled with me on our bed all night. He was a bit scared and didnt want to sleep in his crate. Who can blame him, he has been shuffled around quite a bit over the past few weeks. He now is sleeping through the night in his crate and he is 100% house trained! What a good dog ... someone is going to get a magnificent dog when they adopt him!
Here is a link to Oliver's listing on the rescue page. http://www.pnwbcrescue.org/show_bio.php?ImageSize=2&DogId=2709" (can someone please tell me how to get links to show up on this silly blogger??)
This is what Oliver looked like when he was first picked up in Oregon next to a freeway (they suspect he had been dumped)
This is Oliver today!
I made a little video of him too!
He has such a sweet face! I love to kiss him on the head. He has a nice big meaty head which is just perfect for hugs!
His first foster mother is the one who brought him through the worst of it. He had pneumonia, was emaciated with a horrible skin condition. Lane County, OR Animal Shelter saw the potential in Oliver and chose to give him a second chance at life (THANK YOU) and was put into foster care. Oliver had been adopted by another family then returned. They said it was because he was 'agressive' when he 'air-snapped' at the mother. No matter how much rescue tried to explain to them that it was somewhat typical border collie behavior - she didn't care - the family returned Oliver after only being in his new home for about a week. *sigh*
All the better for the family that chooses to adopt Oliver! There isn't an agressive bone in this dog's body.
What am I thankful for? My health, my husband, my children & family...and of course my dogs. My life would be sad, lonely and empty without any of you.
That is Millicent in Kennewick, WA. Here is her actual listing (copy and paste it into your browser - I still cant figure out how to be a link to show up on this blogger) http://www.pnwbcrescue.org/show_bio.php?ImageSize=2&DogId=2703
Now look at Bonnie
Spooky eh?
For a moment there I was thinking about sending an email to Millicent's foster mom about adopting her. But I thought twice... There is a reason why we call Bonnie the Speckled Monster AKA 'Bonster'. I cannot imagine having TWO OF THEM!
Egads I just found this shot...it is SUMO BONNIE! (she really isn't that fat!) Wow, that is a bad angle huh?
Doesnt Ranger look like he's had a bit to much to drink?
I love sheep
She loves sheep too.
We are heading off to Texas Thursday. The pups will be boarding at Fido's for the weekend. Bonnie seems to have a slight cough, so like any paranoid mom I hauled her to the vet today. He thinks it is a 'doggie cold'. Dr. K is going to check her out again tomorrow when she is in day boarding (still healing from her spay surgery). Lets hope that is all it is...he also said it might be a little bit of "Swiffer Duster" stuck in her throat from their Pantry Raid yesterday.
Maybe I will be one of those strange old people who don't speak to other humans but live with hoards of animals shuffling around a single wide trailer in the middle of nowhere.
*shudder*
Or I am just slightly nuts and just love dogs?
Hopefully neither - but I am seriously thinking about bringing another dog into our home. (My husband on the other hand said he will kill me if I bring home another dog - nah...he wont be mad for long). Afterall there are so many dogs that need good homes. And we have room for one more, in our home and hearts.
That said (questions of my sanity still looming) I am going to meet a lovely dog tomorrow from Border Collie Rescue - however this little guy is an Aussie. His name is Tre and he is one of those few Aussies who was lucky enough to keep his lovely tail. He came into rescue with two if his litter mates from a breeder who was unable to find them a home. His brothers were adopted.
Here is his listing http://www.pnwbcrescue.org/show_bio.php?ImageSize=2&DogId=2678 (copy and paste it into your browser - I havent figured out how to insert a link yet that will show up)
Maybe if we are lucky enough to adopt him (only if the fit is PERFECT and I feel that little 'zing' that says this is right)...maybe we can pass him off as a border collie???
She was alone in the kennel. I noticed the sign hanging on the kennel door. Large red letters written over her vital statistics said “CHICKEN KILLER”.
DOG: Spayed Female
NAME: Katie
AGE: 10
BREED: Border Collie
COLOR: Black, Brown, Tan and White
Katie June 2001 age 10
Her eyes were bright, yet anxious. She licked our fingers through the wire. My heart melted. When I asked the woman who escorted us back to see the dogs if we could visit with her, she sighed and said “Today is her last day here.” That startled me a bit…I asked if someone adopted her. The woman said, “No, if she isn’t adopted today she is at the end of her stay”. She was due to be euthanized the next day. Senior dogs do not stand a good chance of being adopted. Katie had already been in the shelter for over two weeks. Her time was up.
We visited with her in a small room. She loved my son and gave him a thorough face washing. Katie was absolutely beautiful and I was completely in love.
When we were filling out the paperwork I asked them her history. They said if I would like they would contact the family who surrendered her and have them call me. They did the next evening.
Katie came from a farm where she helped tend the sheep. The mother ran a day care in her home and Katie was a happy dog with a job. Then the farmer sold the sheep and the mom quit the daycare and went to work outside the home. Katie lost her job. All that was left were the chickens. Katie like any good border collie without a job, found her own work. She made it her job to kill the family dinner each night. They found chickens on the back steps, nicely plucked of most of the feathers. They tried tying her up, kenneling her, keeping her in the house. Nothing seemed to work. So they surrendered her to the humane society. As the cliche goes...their loss was my gain!
Through the years Katie had been my shadow. She never needed a leash when we walked. She was a true ‘velcro-dog’ rarely straying more than 5 feet from my side. She was my steadfast companion while my life turned upside down.
She was there through divorce, cancer, foreclosure, moving (twice), remarriage, building our new home. She was the neighborhood dog, everyone knew her and loved her. The most friendly dog in the world who would never bite, growl or jump. The dog with the ever wagging tail and smile on her face.
Katie started to slow down over the years. When she was 15, I debated over adopting another dog. Would it hurt her or help her? I knew I wanted another border collie. I understood the neurotic, seemingly insane border collie behavior, endless need for exercise and stimulation. Although she has mellowed...as an elderly dog Katie was still obsessive, persistently nudging a toy into your hands, even as she grew blind and her hearing began to fail.
Would Katie like to have a companion? We had lost our other dog Elmo a few years before and she seemed lonely at times. I also knew given Katie’s age that the inevitable would happen soon. For selfish reasons I wanted another dog before that point – thinking it might make the loss easier for all of us.
I stumbled onto the Pacific Northwest Border Collie Rescue site and started to read it every day. Looking for just the perfect fit. After many months of reading we found Ranger.
Ranger joined our family on Dec 26, 2007. Katie seemed to enjoy him (to a degree). He was still a bit of a puppy and perhaps to rambunctious for her. I think I was struck by border collie fever because two months later we adopted Beth.
Beth is like Katie, obsessive, neurotic, endless energy & drive, affectionate yet fiercly independent.
Beth, Ranger & Katie
We started training at Dogs World Training and Agility Center in Sumner, WA. Obedience & later moving into agility. We also started herding at Fido’s Farm in Olympia, WA.
Bonnie has grown into a lovely dog. While the hope was Bonnie would eventually be able to work sheep, it was not in her make up. Bonnie is happy as a companion dog & in training as a service/therapy dog. Sheep are just not in her future.
Over the months Katie slowed more and more. We saw the vet countless times. Katie was 17 now. A miracle, in a sense, for her to live such a long life. I hoped that she would live forever. She was slowly becoming paralyzed due to a neurological disorder in her spine. Dr. K said it was only a matter of time. Maybe weeks. She stumbled and often fell. She was blind …but she was still so happy!
Friday, November 7th, 2008, at 17.5 years old Katie told me it was time. She was not able to get up, she had quit eating several days before. The light was going out of her eyes. I didn’t want to believe it, my heart was breaking. I called our vet.
I held her in my arms on my lap when she passed. My husband John and friend Vicki where there with us. I wanted to scream NO! But I needed to let my best friend be on her way…she was with me, steadfast, through all the changes in my life. I needed to let her pass surrounded by love and peace.
Shortly after she passed and her body relaxed we all heard a frog croaking outside the window. Vicki said “Whenever you hear a frog croak from you will remember Katie”. I sobbed.
John and I drove home. I walked through the door and stood in the kitchen holding locks of Katie’s hair crying quietly. Then I heard it…another frog was croaking in our back yard. John and I looked at each other. It isn’t often you hear frogs croak in November. We both smiled.
Later we decided to take the dogs for a long walk on the river, one of Katie’s favorite places. Frogs were croaking all over. Maybe it was the warmer unseasonable temperatures - then again maybe not.
I believe Katie was telling me she was still there, by my side…with legs that worked and eyes that could see clearly. Happily running after the ball with the other dogs, feeling pain no more.
It is hard to believe a house could feel empty with three dogs, but it did.
Bea's Father is Riggs, the 2010 National Finals Open Champion, run by Patrick Shannahan. Bea has made a wonderful addition to our pack and we can't wait to watch her grow up.
A big happy family.
Two adults, five kids, four border collies + Ranger (who is in a class all by himself).
