Dances With Ranger

"Hey Finn" says Ranger "They told me to wait over here for my dance partner"

"Hey Ranger" replies Finn "I was told to wait here for my partner too!"

"Dude!" Ranger gasps, "They gave me YOU as my partner?"

"Which one of us is going to lead?  NOT YOU!!" shrieks Ranger indignantly.

 After getting a whiff of Finn's breath, Ranger says "Listen, two words...BREATH MINTS!"

"Seriously, you are not gonna find a girlfriend with dragon breath." Ranger offers advice to his dance partner as they practice intricate footwork.

"Work with me Ranger, quicker steps, your frame is off...this just doesn't feel right!" observes Finn.

Brill approaches and says "Len said straighten your frame!
You have got to have a STRONG FRAME!"

Brill adds "Bruno wanted me to tell you he is just so happy two boys are dancing!
He said GO FOR IT Darlings!!"

"DUDE!  I bite your face! You TRIPPED ME"  Finn growls.

Ranger darts to the side and says "Carrie Ann is going to take points off for your foot being off the ground!"

"Wrong way Finn, this way...get with the program...keep up!"

"Practice, practice. quick step, paso, quick step paso..can't decide...doesn't feel right..."

"Lets Tango!" suggests Ranger.

"How about the Paso Doble?" asks Ranger "I like the ending....."

"I dont know it, show me." says Finn.

"Here we go!  Getting ready for the big finish!  Did you know at the end of the dance  one dancer dies when the other one pretends to stab them like in a bullfight?" asks Ranger.

"Ta Da!  You are Dead!"  Ranger yells as he leaps over Finn's lifeless body.  

"Oh, look it is the host of the show, Kael Bergeron" mutters Finn.

"What was our score?  Were the judges kind?" asks Ranger.

"Bruno thinks you two are cute." Says Kael

"We are already working on our dance for next time...the Foxtrot"

Wii + Border Collie = Bad News

Did you know if you have a group of teenagers playing the Wii in your living room, bouncing around & in general having fun - that this will make a border collie (who was before this point rather calm and happy) very agitated and upset?

Friday Night: John and the kids were playing Wii baseball. Finn & the other dogs were excited and bouncing around the living room with them. Then Finn suddenly nipped John hard in the back of the leg. John corrected him and Finn backed off. Then Grace took a turn, Finn circled around the chair and nailed Grace in the leg from behind. John corrected Finn again & they stopped playing the Wii and found something calmer to do.

Saturday Night: The kids were playing the Wii again. I let the dogs inside from the backyard. Finn came flying into the living room and bit Zach so hard in the leg that it broke the skin through his pants. Then he went after Evan.

I understand border collie behavior & why Finn was lunging and nipping. He is a herding dog, it is his instinct. I decided to work with Finn Sunday. Shaping his behavior with positive reinforcement, by marking the behavior hopefully modify Finn's reactions - basically desensitize him to the kids movements with the Wii. I had all the kids start playing the Wii again. Then when Finn ignored them, I clicked and treated him. He responded beautifully. After several sessions throughout the day Finn started to ignore them and looked to me for direction.

That was reassuring to me. He is trainable.

Later on though he started growling at our 10 y/o Grace and showing some aggressive behavior to the other kids when they would walk by him. That sealed the deal...

I could not trust him with the kids - which is not unusual for the breed. Finn is a young border collie who is very trainable. However he needs more than I can provide him in our home and he should not be around children at this time. Between the separation anxiety (cannot leave him alone & we haven't slept through the night in a week), and the biting I had to send him back to Bob (the breed rep for rescue). Bob has the experience, endless knowledge, patience and facilities to work with Finn. He can give him so much more than the very little I can...

I made arrangements with Bob to meet him this afternoon.

Finn cuddled at my feet all morning - I felt like such a traitor. That feeling lasted until Bonnie walked into my office & Finn started aggressive resource guarding - in a split second he shot out from under my desk and refused to allow her within 5 feet of me. *sigh*

I knew I made the right decision - Finn needed to leave. For my children and dogs safety.

I feel terrible....Finn has so much potential - but it seemed the more comfortable he was getting in our home the more aggressive he was getting.

It isn't his fault. I should have been paying more attention and not allowed Finn to be in a situation where he could fail like that.

Oddly enough...I am going to miss him. However I am REALLY looking forward to snuggling with my hubby and sleeping through the night - we get our bed back! YEAH!

Goodbye Finn

Introducing Finn the Fantastic!

Who needs socks! I have a new footwarmer!

You too can have a new footwarmer! This footwarmer is soft and silky and even comes with a toe washing feature that turns on automatically on those days your tooties are a bit funky.



Power out? No problem! This footwarmer only needs love and groceries to keep on warmin'. He is versatile and ready to serve...following you everywhere (including the bathroom) ready and waiting to warm your toes all over the house.

You too can bring this special footwarmer home with you!



On Wednesday I received a call that there was a intact male border collie in a shelter in Bellingham. Bob, the BC breed rep with Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue was already at the shelter, there were three border collies and he only had two crates. The timing was perfect, there was a nice break in the 'blizzards' and the major roads were passable - so we hopped in for the three hour drive to Bellingham.

After getting stuck in over 16 inches of snow three times we finally made it to the shelter. Where we met Mr. No-Name 1 y/o Intact Male Border Collie.



We named him Finn. This gorgeous little 39 lb boy was a stray, found wandering the streets of Whatcom County.



Finn is your typical hyperactive insane young border collie - but he also plays very well with others and settles down nicely when praise and treats are offered. (Finn is the 1st butt on the left)



He is sweet and loving to the other dogs...(for now). That may change as he gets more comfortable with our pack dynamic.



The first day out on our walks, we tied a 20 ft soft cord to his collar (so we could grab him easily) on the off chance his recall wasn't reliable. We have since removed it, his recall is spot on beautiful, reliable so far with distractions. He was a stray - and I find it a bit difficult to believe that he left his home on his own - my guess is... he was abandoned. Finn will not let any of us out of his sight, indoors or outdoors. Then again who knows...he may have succumbed to the urge to find a girlfriend.





He is housebroken, he will need to be neutered ASAP as he did mark the first day in our house (he has since learned the err of his ways and stopped it). Someone trained him the basics before they abandoned him. He would make an awesome agility dog! Today he hopped backward up the stairs. (*sigh* I have been working with Ranger on that for over a year and he still doesn't have much rear end awareness) Finn is sharp, fast and watches EVERYTHING!

We are going to put him on sheep the first chance we have after the snow melts.

The only issue I have seen so far: Finn has .... the dreaded SEPARATION ANXIETY!!!!

The first night home....he didn't sleep, neither did I. As a matter of a fact, no one in the entire house slept. Finn hates his crate. He howled, barkscreamed and freaked out most of the night. I couldn't take another night of it...so he is sleeping with in our bed for now (I know, I know...this may be a big mistake) I just couldn't do it to him (or myself) another night. We will work on slowly exposing him to the crate over time. I am glad I have the next week off from work to take time with him.

There is one odd feature. Something happened to Finn's tail somewhere along the line. It seems to be missing about 5 inches. He has a little scar at the end too. My guess is - accident.



Finn is the long haired version of Beth. Beth is relieved that Finn understands and respects her position as the ultimate "Ball Queen" and doesn't challenge her possession like Oliver did.



Ranger thinks Finn is cool. Finn thinks Ranger is cool too.



Finn has figured out to stay out of Bonnie's way when she looks like this...



What a motely crew....I dont know if I will be able to let this guy go!