Pearly's on the website!

Pearly's bio up on website

Pearly is shopping for her forever home. You can see her bio here.We've talked to a few possible adopters, but the more I talk to people the more I'm defining what would be a good match for her. Even though she's a puppy, still, she's bossy. So many dynamics to consider. I don't have a lot of experience with female dogs, even though my first collie was a female and she got along with other dogs, I don't remember her being much of a diva, although we were pretty much attached at the hip. We lived in the country where she was able to run loose, so she probably drained a lot of her energy.

Pretty much on a daily basis, Pearly and Brett get into a squabble. It's not serious, but one of them starts it and the other fights back, which is easily stopped by me, but it's still happening. They even do this sometimes at the dog park. It's just the two of them, no other dogs. Pearly gets along great with the other dogs. She loves to run and is absolutely joyous when another dog takes off running. She will come from the other side of the park to chase that dog if she sees a runner. Brett will then plow into her and she will lay into him. I don't blame her.

Thus, I have decided Pearly probably needs to be an only dog, unless the adopter is willing to work with this possibility. Having more than one dog is like having multiple children. They get into fights. My own to get into it once in a while, but not often. I have two males. I think two females in one house is more volatile.

Pearly is still a very sweet dog. She loves to half climb in my lap and will stay there until I make her get down. Snapped this picture last night of her and Brett, proving they do get along most of the time. She actually plays with Brett more than Woodson.

Dog Park test

Pearly's Big Day

Pearly is a lot like a human toddler. She gets into everything and wants something to be happening all the time, even if she has to make that happen. She pushes up against Woodson initiating play constantly. All three dogs will play, and when mine stop, that's when Pearly gets into other stuff. Yesterday she dragged the bathroom rug into the hall. She chewed up a bandana that said "Rescued by Love".

I needed to drain this restlessness out of her, but wasn't sure if she could go to the dog park, yet, with her spay being only a week ago. Her stitches are fine, she's licking, but no redness and she hasn't pulled any out. I was watching the Packers' game, getting up to check on her every so often, or when they were in the same room with me, I'm constantly saying, "stop it', 'enough', etc. Finally, it's almost halftime and the Packers have lost their back-up QB, and the back-up to the back-up just threw an interception in the end-zone. A college friend posted on his facebook page: Imagine coming to a Packers' game and being asked to play quarterback! I literally laughed out loud, jumped up and shouted "let's go!"

The dog park is probably less than a mile from my house. I layered up, t-shirt, Pullover and jacket, grabbed a hat and gloves, loaded the dogs, Pearly is almost jumping into the Jeep on her own, and actually did jump in for the trip home. I love that my dogs teach the fosters how to do everyday stuff. 

As I usually do with a new foster, I kept Pearly on the leash while Brett and Woodson took off into the park. Our dog park is wide open, completely fenced and I can see the entire area if I stand in the right place. I let Pearly off her leash after giving her a minute to access the area and she took off running. She was polite to the other dogs there and, of course, wanted to play. She dealt with Brett's obnoxious bossy roughness that I find annoying. Brett is an Aussie/Catahoula mix and he grabs while herding, and has no problem just plowing into another dog. Some dogs will turn around and start fighting with him, which, then, Brett fights back. He does better if I stand away from any groups of people. 

I've maybe said it before, several times, but I love watching the dogs at the dog park. Pearly was no exception. She clearly enjoyed herself. Woodson is always the first one to let me know he's done and ready to go home. After about a half hour of chasing and playing and once he does his perimeter check, he comes up to me and wants to jump up on me, then just kind of hangs around me, wandering off but coming back. Brett always goes off and comes back constantly. He'll go with Woodson on his perimeter check but always comes back before Woodson does. On Sunday, both Woodson and Brett were ready to go, but Pearly was still off doing her own thing, with no sign of slowing down. I was able to brush her out earlier as she's still shedding her undercoat. She finally came up to me and I said, okay, time to go. I was pretty cold after 1.5 hours. 

We got home and I thoroughly enjoyed the next seven hours of passed out dogs!

Pearly Update

Pearly Update

Pearly's spay surgery slowed her down big time. I took her in Monday morning and picked her up Tuesday afternoon. She was so happy to see me, and was so annoyed by her stitches. Got her settled in at home, with instructions for KJ to keep an eye on her and headed for the pool. She acts like she's trying to run away from herself. She keeps darting to the other end of the house, then sits down and starts to lick her incision. Which we have to stop her from doing. I have a cone I can put on her, but she's fine so far. 

As we were leaving the vet on her exam day, we were in the lobby setting up her spay appointment and a man came in with his mom and her cat. He was probably in his 20's. Pearly about ate him up, acting like he was her long lost friend. His mom asked me if her previous owner was a man, and I said, yes, actually, which then made perfect sense why she was so excited. I've never had this happen before.

I took this picture of her last night about 15 minutes after giving her a pain pill. I noticed her trying to stay awake, tongue hanging out a bit. She plopped over right after taking this.

I will be getting information to the bio person and taking more pictures. 

Notes: 

• Pearly is a very sweet dog, but definitely still a puppy at a year old. She's housebroken, but has had a couple accidents, which is more my fault than hers. I have to be very patient with her when we're outside. She can take a long time to do her business at times. There are times when I can't wait, thus the accident. That said, she is getting quicker as we settle into our routine. Being young, there is just so much to investigate when we're outside and she is more interested in what's going on, than she is in going potty.
• Very tender and loving when receiving attention.
• She definitely needs to be crated, at least for now. I've been feeding her in the garage, away from my dogs. She shows no aggression when I set her bowl down. I will put my hand in her food and mix it up in my fingers just to show her I can do this and it's nothing to worry about. When she's done eating and I haven't let her back into the house, she gets into stuff. Little stuff, like pulling a plastic bag off the grooming table, or digging in an open box. I crate her when we're gone and won't even test her on being loose at this point. She'll dip into a wastebasket right in front of me.
• She would probably chase motorcycles or buses, if she was off-leash.
• She needs leash training. Can pull pretty hard and very determined to get her way about getting to where she wants to go, not where I want to go.
• Loves to play with my dogs!
• Possessive of the bone she came with. I put it in her kennel, so she has it and my dogs can't steal it from her. 
• Extremely interested in the cats. She will try to corner them and chases them if they run, but hasn't been aggressive toward them. There are times when they allow her to be nose-to-nose with them.
• Friendly with strangers and thinks everybody wants to be involved in her fabulousness.
• Tolerated brushing.

Hannah Update

Hannah update

Hannah has been in her new home for a week now and they sent this update. The first sentence is exactly how she was when she first arrived at my house.

Hannah pretty much acts like she's lived here all along!  We have one sofa that she naps on, and have purchased a large crate for the bedroom.  We have allowed her to lie on the bed if one of us is there sleeping in.  She loves that.  Like most dogs I've had, she likes to have her belly scratched, and will roll over and wait for that.  We've taken her for several walks around the couple of cul-de-sacs here.  She is very interested in all the new sights, smells, and sounds.  Especially other dogs.  She does like to communicate loudly when she hears or sees another dog.  She certainly has a deep bark.

She likes our yard.  We've taken her out every day and get her excited and running in circles.  She is a speedy girl and loves to play!

We've also introduced her to several of our neighbors.  She greets all with a tail wag, and a happy smile.  She really does love seeing people.  We had her on her leash on Saturday during Trick-or-Treat in our neighborhood.  She thought all of the kids and adults coming and going was pretty nice as she was fascinated by the different costumes.  Our Vet stopped in with her two boys, and they and Hannah did play.  She was very calm with them (ages 7 & 5), and showed no signs of agression of any kind.  She also seems very interested in TV if there is any kind of action on, especially if it involves animals or dogs.  We had the Animal Planet on the Sunday after we met you, and she saw some puppies.  She cocked her head from side to side, and then began to bark at them.  Very funny!

We did take her to our vet last week just to have bloodwork done to establish a baseline, and to check on a possible urinary tract infection.  We thought she may have a UTI because she was frequently licking herself.  But the test showed no UTI, so her licking must just be a habit.  She does have elevated liver numbers about 3X normal, so we've started giving her a milk thistle tablet, which the vets all say can stabilize the numbers.  Hopefully it will help lower it.

She has settled in pretty well, and is getting used to our habits and our house.  I think she'll enjoy being here.  I know we are certainly elated to have her.  The year without our dogs was a pretty lonely one, so her presence has really filled that space.

Pearly's First Day

Pearly's First Day

Her full name is Pearlyhawk. Does anybody know where that comes from? If it's a character from something I'm not aware. Her coloring is so close to Woodson, I'm going to have trouble telling them apart when looking from behind. She's very sweet, gentle and friendly. Already discovered a few things.

• She gets carsick
• She's bone aggressive
• She will most definitely chase bikes

She started her life in Minnesota a full year ago, moved to Iowa, and then moved back to Minnesota last spring, to a horse ranch. The ranch already had two dogs, and Pearly, of course, figured it was her job to herd the horses, since the Golden Retrievers were not.

Terry drove to Mankato, picked her up and then drove her to my house. We were concerned about Terry wanting to keep her, as she has been a transport failure before, but Terry's house is full, and she drove straight to my house, not stopping at home. Terry discovered Pearly had returned her breakfast in several places in the back of Terry's car.

I walked her around the park a bit, then brought her in to meet the boys. Brett and Woodson are so welcoming to these fosters. I haven't had one yet, that wasn't welcomed with a 'who are you? C'mon in!" I kept her on the leash for the first few hours. She is housebroken, but there are so many smells and places to explore in a new house. And she hadn't taken care of any business outside. She did do that on the next walk, so I then let her off the leash and so far, so good.

I have a chew bone that the boys share. Pearly is NOT interested in sharing. So that has been put up for the foreseeable future.

During halftime of the Packer/Viking game, I took her out again, and was walking her down the sidewalk when the local Morman boys came down the sidewalk on their bikes. Pearly let loose barking furiously. They apologized. I apologized. She settled back down. I told KJ later to make sure you have a good grip on the leash when you walk her. She's better on the leash than some new fosters are, but she pulls, and is really used to being loose, I'm sure.

She's going to be crated while we're gone, for now. We'll see how things go. She hasn't had any vetting, ever, so will be starting from scratch on that. They sent a huge bag of the dog food she's been eating, so that's really nice. I'm hoping she can make it into someone's family by Christmas!

Hannah Adopted and Foster #21

Hannah adopted and #21 coming in this weekend

I'd been talking and emailing potential adopters for Hannah the past several weeks. They'd been out of town, and then driving back from the east, so we planned an Oct. 19 meeting in Eau Claire. Through our conversations we had concluded it would be a good fit. They previously owned a sheltie, and while Hannah is a collie, she has some personality traits found in shelties, such as circling and being a bit on the hyper side. While talking to an MWCR volunteer at a coffee meeting earlier in the month, she felt that was also common in female collies. My first collie was female, which was a really long time ago, and all my dogs since have been males, so I'm really not very familiar with female traits anymore.

Back to Hannah. I don't like to pressure any adopter into feeling they have to adopt my foster dog. Because of the traveling, I told them they had a choice, after meeting Hannah. I'd be prepared to let them leave with Hannah, or give them the usual 24-hours thinking time. Or I was perfectly fine if they decided, after meeting her, it wasn't a good fit. We want the adoption to be a successful one. 

Hannah gets out of the car and does her usual scoping the area to see if she needs to regulate anything. J. calls her name and she leans up against him for pets, then before I even noticed, she was begging S. for the treat she was getting out of her baggie. S. makes doggie biscotti. She gave me some to take home that I had to label dog treats in the fridge, because they smelled so good. I'm pretty sure they came to the meeting planning on adopting Hannah and she definitely solidified that with her begging! When it was time to leave, Hannah jumped right into their truck, sat down and was ready to go! Heartwarming.

Over the weekend, we were working on bringing in an 11-month old from Mankato, and it looks like she will be coming into the rescue. I have a very small picture. Her name is Pearly. She's on a farm and herding the horses. Belongs to the son, who has moved back home. That farm already has two goldens  that don't herd. She will need to be spayed and have some updating for shots. Will probably get her Saturday or Sunday.

Hannah update

Hannah Update

Just a quick update on how Hannah is doing. I'm trying to connect with a possible adopter, but schedules have not lined up, but they will.

Hannah continues to do well. I'm leaving her loose in the house when we're gone and so far so good. We keep the garbage locked, and as I type this, I'm realizing I forgot to lock the pantry cabinet, so hopefully nobody gets in there, as I also left Woodson loose today. He chews shoes, so we made sure no shoes were left out. They can't grow if we don't give them chances, eh? My old collie, Thor, was so good in the house. I'd like to get Woodson to that point. I think it was Jazz who would nose open the pantry door, as there is no actual latch. We put a child lock on it and that keeps it closed, but I didn't lock it this morning!

Hannah also continues to do well at the dog park.  Still haven't met a dog she doesn't get along with. My other dog, Brett, can play really rough, and they had a bit of a squabble, when Brett got too rough and Hannah let him have it.

I've been brushing her when I can and her coat is getting really soft. She doesn't like the backend brushed, so I try to swipe it a few times when I can.

Hannah's Bio

Judy McCalla does a wonderful job of writing up the bios for the collies. I send her a summary of what I know about the dog, how they've been at my house and quirks and personality of the dog and she goes to work. Here's what she's written about Hannah. It's perfect! Sorry about the formatting, weird line breaks in the copy/pasting process.

---------------------------------------------------

Do you like NASCAR?  Do you also like Collies?  If so, we have the perfect Collie for you.  Hannah

is  a shorter Collie (compact and low to the ground, just like a race car) who loves to do high-speed laps

around the the picnic table at her foster home.  She also enjoys showing off her speedy moves at the

dog park where she is clearly queen of the track.  Her foster mom calls her NASCAR doggie.

Hannah came to MWCR as an owner surrender.  Her family loved her very much and took great care

of her, but when they were faced with some health issues, they were forced to move into a smaller

dwelling.  In their new home, they felt that Hannah didn't have the space that she needed and wasn't

getting as much exercise as she should, so they made the heartbreaking decision to give her to MWCR. 

Hannah is a very sweet and well behaved girl who is fully house trained and crate trained.  In fact,

she loves her crate, and when she knows her foster family is going out, she will open the crate door,

go in and wait for the treat that she knows is coming.  Hannah rides well in the car and is pretty good

on her leash unless she sees a squirrel – then all bets are off.  Perhaps she thinks that the squirrels are

challenging her supremacy as the fastest creature on the block.  Hannah will bark to alert her family of

any strange sounds or when people pass by the house, so she makes a great watchdog. 

Hannah gets along nicely with everyone she meets.  She is currently living in harmony with a cat and

gets along well with the resident dogs.  She loves the dog  park and when she approaches she barks

furiously as if to alert the other dogs that the queen of the track has arrived.  Once there, however, she

is not at all bossy or aggressive and plays happily with the other dogs. 

Hannah will fit beautifully into almost any family.  She is energetic, but not hyperactive, and enjoys

walks with her family and trips to the dog park.  She loves just about everyone she meets with the

single exception of squirrels, so it might be better if her forever home did not include small rodents

like rats or guinea pigs.  She is a happy, healthy, loving girl who is hoping that her forever home will

include either a race track or a picnic table where she can show off her moves!

Pictures

A few pictures

We spent almost two hours at the dog park this afternoon. Hannah loves it there as much as my dogs. She hangs out with us, wanders off on her own and even chases other dogs and plays. She does a few NASCAR puppy runs, too.

Oh, and she's quite the beggar!

Dog Park Success!

Dog Park Success

I usually wait until the foster dog has bonded with my dogs for a week before I take them to the dog park. I feel like it gives the new dog a bit more security when they enter the park. Not to mention bonded with me, so they don't just wander off without any sort of guidance. But with Hannah, my instincts told me she would be okay right away.

We went early yesterday to beat the heat. There were several people there and as we walked toward the gate Hannah started barking with enough alarm to make me wonder if this was a good idea. I continued into the entryway, unleashing the dogs and opening the gate. Off they went! Hannah was fine. She was wagging her tail and doing all the proper greetings. She also LOVED the place. She took off running all on her own and looked so happy. I love watching the dogs run. It is a vision of pure joy. Hannah even went with Woodson on his perimeter check (something he has to do each visit).

Today is much cooler so we plan to go again this afternoon. I'm hoping KJ can get some decent pictures.

Hannah is doing great. She's a very well-adjusted dog. Fitting in perfectly. She's more than a little obsessed with squirrels. I have to hang on tight when we're going down the driveway and in the park. The little rodents are everywhere right now. The babies are grown and they are gathering as many acorns as they can.

It's nice to have a foster who is used to being on a leash and knowing the main reason we are outside. especially when it's raining!

I wish I had video of the incident last night. Hannah is short and I'm guessing can't see the top of my bed. She freely jumps up onto the bed, by the way. Lily (cat) was sleeping on the corner of the bed when Hannah jumped up very close to her. Lily went straight up (as only cats can do), flipped over and landed on the floor. It was so funny!

Hannah's Arrival

Hannah's In The House!

Just got home with Hannah and it looks like she's already playing with Brett and Woodson. They have run back and forth from my room several times. I walked her in the park before I brought her in the house where I learned she LOVES squirrels. I'm lucky I keep a tight grip on the leash. She also does some major scratching after she pees. Pretty funny. Brett does this a little, it's when I know he's done, cuz sometimes he goes, walks a bit then goes again. Hannah scratches for about six feet away.

Her owners were really sad about giving her up, but it's gotten really hard for them to walk her and she has a lot of energy. They seem like really great people. Have had so many dogs and cats in their lives. Have been previously involved with Northern Lights Greyhound Rescue. I was able to stay for a bit and talk to them, but I needed to get home and get Hannah settled in before I left to pick KJ up from work.

She's well-trained, used to a crate, in fact, loves her crate. She will lay down when you tell her 'place'. I'm trying to get some pictures now, but she's very busy checking the house out.

She's been spayed and doesn't need shots until next June. She has a microchip but I will need to get it scanned to get the information. Such a sweet girl. Small, especially when she stands next to Woodson. She's half his size, but a healthy, thick mahogany coat. Her nose looks short, too, compared to Woodson's, but he has a really long nose!

I'll get some pictures this weekend and post them asap!

New arrival

Foster dog #20

Hanna is a small 5-year-old rough sable and white female collie.  She is spayed, up-to-date on vaccinations, and is micro-chipped.  She is being surrendered because the couple who own her both are disabled and they feel bad for her because they are not able give her the care or exercise she deserves.  It breaks their hearts to give her up but they are thinking of her.

Hannah is a good dog who has had a couple levels of obedience training.  This small collie (40-45 lbs) is friendly toward people and ADORES children.  She is good with both dogs and cats.  She walks very nicely on a leash and rides well in a car.  Hannah is used to being around someone who uses a cane.  She does not chase cars or bicycles.  Her owner does not consider her a barker; she barks but not a lot.  Grooming is tolerated but she can be finicky when you brush her back-end or hit a snarl.  If loose in the yard she may leave the yard to go visiting especially if she hears or see children nearby. 

Hannah has no health issues and no fears/anxieties.

She's close by, too, so no transport needed. I'll get more details tomorrow and will probably be able to pick her up this weekend, if they're ready. 

Update on Lady: she's had her test for Addison's disease and it was negative! She helped her human brother move to college this past weekend.

Lady Update

Lady was adopted on Sunday by a wonderful family who is absolutely the perfect match for her.

There was some turmoil leading up to it, as she had a post-surgery complication that made the vet think she has Addison's Disease. He had to pump her full of steroids so the stimulation test for Addison's can't be performed until those leave her system, and her new family is going to follow up on this. 

They sent two pictures of Lady on their deck and an update, saying since their house has all hardwood floors except for the third level of their home, they had to carry her upstairs the first night, but that she's adjusted quickly to the bare floors. This often happens with dogs who have never been inside. At my house I have flooring in my entryway, bathroom and kitchen. She got fairly used to the entryway, but avoided the other two spots.

Looking at these pictures I wonder what the chances are of her becoming a water dog??? I've never known a collie that was, though. We'll see.

Camera-shy!

What is it about dogs with cameras. Some love it when you point the camera at them as if they know they want to show you their best look.

Others dip their head as if you're scolding them. 

KJ took a couple pictures of Lady the other night out on the deck and that's exactly what she does. She really is one of the friendliest dogs I've fostered. You just can't tell by her pictures!

Some notes I compiled last night:

Wants to be with people. Will steal food if you're not looking. She's thin. Boney actually. Was hoping to fatten her up a bit but I don't think she's gained any weight. She's petite, 56 pounds, but not a diva. Tomboy. Plays pretty rough. But once she's spayed will probably gain some weight.

Has a high prey drive. Chases my cats if they run, but doesn't hurt them. I think she'd go after my rabbits though. She tries to take off after squirrels and we have these ground hogs or wood chucks in the park across the street. Maybe they're big gophers or baby wood chucks. Wild rodents that tunnel through the park. But man, she hears them chirp and if loose would be gone.
She's good on a leash except when she sees something she wants to chase. A little training and she ll be fine. She's smart. She flows when she moves. Pretty head and holds it up like a show dog. She responds well with a quick tug of the leash.

Her coat is better but still dry. I've brushed her a lot and it looks better each time. It's been trimmed in places which will grow out.

Has good recall when in the house. Can bark a lot and whines when I leave, but settles down.

Not bothered by storms.

Lady's 'in-season' winding down

Finally! If you've ever been around a dog in heat, you know what I'm talking about. This was my first experience. Lady was supposed to be spayed yesterday, but the vet called and wanted to delay it, to make sure. I haven't Googled it to find out why, but they don't want to spay when they're in heat. The humping has finally calmed down in the last day or so. Even though Brett and Woodson are neutered they were still trying their best, and it's been going on for four weeks. I can't take Lady to the dog park, but I did take Brett and Woodson there this morning. It's been too hot to go all this past week. But today I finally have three dogs all sleeping at the same time. I think leaving Lady home while taking the other two, she was anxious enough to wear herself out while I was gone.

So, Lady is scheduled for surgery Aug. 2. Then will be ready for adoption. If she gets adopted quickly and/or locally, I'm hoping I can hand her over before she needs to go back for the removal of stitches. Otherwise I will have to kennel her when we go on our trip as it will be cutting it close.  

Yesterday

 

Lady's favorite look-out. I'm afraid she will jump right off sometimes, but hasn't so far. She's had a bath and several good brushings. Still shedding that under-coat. It looks like certain areas have been cut away, probably where burs were. I believe she will always be light-colored, but this is also sun-bleached from being an outdoor dog, so it's possible her coat will grow in darker and it matures. She has enough markings to be considered white factored, which makes sense, as I was told one of her parents was all white.

A Presidential Legacy

A Presidential Legacy

Mary Hickerson took over the reins of Minnesota Wisconsin Collie Rescue (MWCR) eight years go when the rescue was a mere two years old. Under Mary's watch MWCR has grown into one of the top breed rescues in the country that adopts out an average of 100 collies a year. She has been a leader, foster parent and mentor to many. She steps down this month as president but plans to continue her involvement with the rescue. 

Mary worked quietly and tirelessly behind the scenes ensuring the well-being of the collies while also working as a professor and Associate Provost at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. There have been many ups and downs of the growing rescue, and Mary was always willing to listen and bring in outside help when needed. She often traveled from her homes in southwestern Minnesota and eventually the lake country in central Minnesota to all parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, participating in transports or other rescue-related events and meetings. She presided over the Annual Dinner every fall, often traveling through the inclement Minnesota weather, and the Collie Frolic every June. She was always quick with a smile or comment making everyone feel welcome. Her dedication was and is unsurpassed.

Stepping up as President is Terry Libro. Terry became a member of MWCR in 2005 when she adopted Mindy. She began volunteering with the Events/Fundraising Committee a year later and currently serves as Chair for that committee. She was appointed to the MWCR Board of Directors during the summer of 2010 filling in as Secretary and was eventually elected to that position in 2012. 

Since adopting Mindy, Terry has adopted five MWCR collies, giving homes to the often hard-to-adopt senior collies. She currently has Folie (10) and Molly (8), along with two cats, Bunny (18) and Stubbie (16), whom she adopted after their elderly owner died.  

Terry worked in the healthcare field her entire career and now works part-time for a social research firm in St. Paul. Thank you Terry, for graciously accepting this appointment!

Pet-A-Palooza!

I love this event. It really is one of the better pet events in the metro. It's growing, too. They don't charge the rescues to have a booth, it's outside, it's free admission and free parking and just about everybody brings their dog. We saw one white rat, too. It was a steady stream of people all day. 

I couldn't get the boy out of bed at 8 a.m., but he had a long Friday with summer school and then working an 8-hour shift, so I let him be after three attempts. 

It started out cloudy with a threat of rain, but the sun won and it was a gorgeous day. Nice breeze. I was going to bring both Woodson and Lady, but with just me, I decided to bring Lady as she seems to love people. As we left the car and walked to the booth, I was having doubts. She pulled me in all directions and circles as she tried to take in everything at once. 

At the booth she wanted to jump on everybody, so all-in-all it was a good training day for her, too. We had so many visitors to the booth and several collies, which we don't see very often besides our own. We hear a lot of comments from people saying they had a collie when they were young. I think most people don't think collies make good city dogs. It's my opinion that any dog can be a city dog, it's all about exercise and training.

I didn't get any pictures at the event, Lady kept my hands full, but I was able to grab the first picture of my own of her on my deck. She was pretty wiped out for the rest of the afternoon after we got home, but got her second wind in the evening. I'll also post a link to the video I took of all three dogs playing. Lady would play with Woodson on the deck, run inside and play with Brett, then run back out to play with Woodson. She can get pretty rough when she plays.

Lady is on the left.

Video on facebook

Bunker's owner sent me a picture of him (on the right) with Kelly, a new dog they are keeping for a few days on his way to Minnesota. Looks like they like each other!

Lady's First Night

Not a whole lotta sleeping going on.

I walked and walked Lady after getting home yesterday evening and she didn't take care of any business. Inside, I kept her on the leash and when it was time for bed we tried the outdoors again w/o success.

About 1 a.m. she actually woke me up which I promptly ignored as she had been trying to play with Woodson keeping me from falling asleep, so I was just drifting off when she poked her nose at me. Five minutes later I heard the whiz. Jumped up to find she had pooped, too. Great. I got after her, took her out, which since she had already gone, didn't make much sense, but . . . cleaned up. Back to bed and she was fine the rest of the night. Got her out right away this morning and she peed in the grass! Here's hoping she figured it out that fast. She's a smart dog.

Backtracking

I arrived at the farm about 7:00. Lady came running up with that collie smile on her face. She really does love people. She's a little rugged, but doesn't stink. I thought she was going to smell like a farm dog, you know. She moves really well, just floats across the ground. Light and springy on her feet. 

The tipping point for surrendering her was apparently the other day she wandered over to a neighbor's house and helped herself to their BBQ. But c'mon, they left it out on the grill all by itself!

Note to adopter: don't leave Lady alone with meat on the grill!

She needs a good bath and brush and will be fabulous!

She's having some trouble in my entryway on the laminate floor, but should get used to it eventually.

She's over-interested in the cat.

She wants to run up to everybody she meets.

Needs a lot of leash training.

Lady - #19

Lady - #19

Lady is a 1.5 year old collie coming from a farm that is being surrounded by development and Lady loves people so she wanders. My first collie, Kelly, would wander and be gone for hours at a time, but that was rural w/o any urban sprawl then.

Her owners are worried that she will be hit by a car as they don't have a fenced yard and she is used to being loose. She will be spayed and ready for adoption quickly. It's my guess she will go fast!

Brodie's (formerly Buddy) visit.

I'm in the middle of my week with Brodie. His family went to California. We've been to the dog park three days in a row between showers, probably won't go today as it's raining. Again. Feels like it's been raining ever since it stopped snowing. 

I was able to brush Brodie and Woodson. They are both shedding, so it's nice to do this at the dog park where I can just let the fur fly. The birds love to pick it up, too.

I haven't taken any pictures. I think KJ got a bunch yesterday. Will have to see if he can get them off the camera and send me some.

The Collies Will Frolic!

Mark your calendars!

 

The next Collie Frolic is Sunday, June 9, from 11am to 3pm at the Stone Mountain Pet Lodge in Blaine, Minnesota.

 

We'll have good conversation, fun games, yummy food, door prizes, several vendors sharing their products, and plenty of indoor and outdoor space for our dogs to play.  Watch for more details.

 

The event is free and open to the public, so invite your friends.  Registration, which helps us plan for the meal, is now open at www.MWCR.org under "Upcoming Events."

 

Looking forward to seeing you next month!

 

MWCR Events and Fundraising Committee

 

 Collie wannabes also welcome!

Dog park, vet, new home!

I'm really going to miss this dog. I told his new family I'd take care of him anytime they needed it.

I'll be taking Buddy to the vet this afternoon, then run him out to his new home. I'm excited for him, but will still miss him.

KJ and I took all three dogs to the dog park yesterday. There were some muddy spots, but overall it was dry. Buddy did really well. We let Brett and Woodson loose in the entryway, so they just run in and take off. I kept Buddy on his leash at first just to see how he does. It was crowded. He did well enough to let him off pretty quick. He was going up to strangers and asking for attention which is new. Maybe it's when they come to him first that brings on his shyness.

At one point he had wandered over toward the entrance, so I called him back to me and as he's trotting toward me, Brett goes pell mell to him and literally slams into him head on. Buddy was stunned and was limping a bit. Wow. 

He walked it off and was okay, but geez, Brett. Woodson knows through experience, to stop and turn when Brett charges him. I'm guessing Brett thought Buddy would so the same. That can't have felt good for Brett, either.

Adopted!

Buddy's visit last Saturday went really well. He met Tessa, a British Lab and would-be sister. They got along  great. Mom had white collies growing up. I could tell they really wanted him, but having a dog is a big decision, let alone having two and two young dogs at that. Buddy is actually one of the most mellow puppy I've ever had. He will need to adjust to Tessa's playing style which is a bit more rambunctious than Woodson, but he will. 

They decided that yes, they want to adopt him. I have to take Buddy back to the vet to finish removing stitches from his surgery on Monday, then the plan is to take him out to Minnetonka.

Here's a link to Buddy's bio page:

http://www.mwcr.org/2013/buddy-2013.htm