Michael Parkey

As stated above, health and disposition first! But my aesthetic preference is for semi-long coats. Our two dogs (both rescues) are an interesting contrast. Buddy is an Aussie mix, with a very full but not terribly long coat. He looks great (to my eye) but his coat catches everything! Bur season here in Texas is a nightmare. Buddy's coat is very soft, fine textured, and shiny. Everyone loves to pet him, if he allows it. Levi is a border collie, and his coat is as long as Buddy's, but very different in texture and density. His guard hairs are longer and much more coarse, and his undercoat is less dense and much shorter. He has the attractive feathers and a very luxuriant tail, but his coat requires much less grooming than Buddy's. Burs don't stick to it much---for every bur Levi brings home, Buddy brings 20. I don't have enough experience with border collies to know what type of long coat is typical. But two coats of the same length can have very different grooming requirements. I much prefer Levi's coat.

I love the photo of them sleeping together. I've never had two dogs that liked each other enough to do that.

Our old mixed breed's full name on vet records was Charles Kirby Walter, but he was always called Puppy until he died at 16. (CKW was also the name on his ordination certificate as a minister, but that is another story.) I remember having a conversation with a similar age girl who thought the name Puppy couldn't possibly be right! She was NOT satisfied until I told her his real name was Charles Kirby Walter.

The reason I like herding breeds as pets is that I like smart, active, responsive dogs! I don't have any experience with AKC border collies (makes face) but I have been able to compare AKC and working Australian shepherds. AKC Aussies are hairier, bigger, dumbed-down versions of the the real thing.

Beautiful!

Owning a young border collie will definitely get you off the couch, LOL. We adopted 8 month old Levi a week after I had hernia surgery, and I was on my feet in no time. A rough start in life and the accompanying stress can suppress behavior normal for the individual dog. One thing I notice in the photos is the fixed gaze or "eye" typical of border collies. She even has one foreleg raised. Also her tail is held low in those photos; border collies usually hold their tails low when working, or thinking about working.

Thanks for adopting! She is a good looking dog. As to whether she is a border collie, behavior will tell you more than looks. If you aren't already familiar with border collie behavior, it is hard to describe LOL.

We are bored and anxious but otherwise OK. One good thing in our suburban neighborhood is the greatly increased number of people and dogs out walking (while maintaining social distance). Most dogs in our area are getting a lot more attention, including our own. But if we go out of the neighborhood, many people are NOT practicing the recommendations from the CDC. I fear that the pandemic will last longer than it must because people are not taking it seriously.

So sorry!

When I take my dogs for a bike ride, I try to start the ride somewhere they can be off leash for 10-15 minutes. This takes care of the initial excitement, after which they are happy to have their harnesses leashed to the bike and run calmly along side.

Thank you for rescuing him! Both of our dogs are rescues, and they are affectionate, smart, and very bonded to us. But I'm not biases!

He already looks focused.

Cute fluffy puppy!

Not a border collie, but our chihuahua mix rescue had a similar history. After years with an asymptomatic heart murmur, Bob developed CHF at age 10. (All ages are guesses since when we rescued him our vet estimated age at 7.) We started him on pimobendan and lasix. Pimobendan did not help and had bad side effects, so was discontinued. He lived a good life until age 17 when a sudden crisis left no choice but to euthanize him. The crisis actually seemed to be caused by his idiopathic epilepsy (occasional partial focal seizures) not his heart. I'm really sorry this is happening, and hope that you have many more years with Ziva.

Happy Birthday! I love the white highlights on her ears.