silhouettestable Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Well I took the leap and did it yesterday. I've been looking for a border collie pup or border mix, but always in the past I've bought pups or adopted privately. This time I went to a shelter. The pups were listed as border collie/australian shepherd mix and I brought home the both boys that were available. They were the last two there and it seemed a shame to separate them after all they've been through. I don't know too much about their background, other than that they came from New Orleans all the way to Canada through a puppy rescue. I had been considering 2 pups anyways, so I decided to keep them together and adopted both. They're settling in well with our other two dogs, everybody's happy and they had a good first night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggs Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Congratulations! How wonderful for them that you could take them both! As I always say...pictures please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyrasmom Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Have fun!! While "twins" can be three times the trouble, I absolutely adored raising a pair of siblings, they are so bonded and yet so different. It was a very new experience for me and one that I never regretted....even though we no longer have any working sprinklers. Maria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fooshuman Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Yeah must show pics or it never happened Oh and congrats on the new editions in your family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Congrats!! I wish you the best with both of them!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 I tried taking pics but my digital camera isn't a very good one and they didn't turn out well. I'm going to try again but this time adjust the light settings so you can actually see the pups! This will actually be my 3rd time raising siblings, although it's a first for becoming a 4 dog household. :eek: My mom (a one dog owner) thinks I'm crazy, but my husband and daughter are both completely supportive. The most we've had at a time before was 3. It all started when a friend I was buying a collie from offered me a 2nd one and so I raised the 2 sisters. That was the end of ever being a single dog home again. When one of the collies had to be put down due to old age, my husband decided he's like a great dane. Enter a brother and sister dane, and talk about Trouble! Everything I read warning me about how destructive border collies can become in the wrong environment made me laugh because I've been there and done it all with the danes! Of course, when my other old collie was gone I had to have another one of them, so add an 8 week old collie pup to the mix of two 6 month danes and then see what fun you can have. 3 puppies in the house, 2 of which are giant breed. Eventually though as they matured things did settle down. The danes are no longer with us, (they're not a breed with a long lifespan), so now it's just my collie and border/lab mix and the new pups. At this point I figure, how much harder can having 4 dogs be? The 2 adults I've got now are well trained and well behaved, and just generally everything I want a dog to be. Raising the 2 new boys should be a piece of cake (btw, never remind me I said that it just might come back to haunt me!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Awwwwww.... how great! I can't wait to see pictures. Good luck with that..... I have enough problems with one pup and one adolescent. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miztiki Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Please allow me to express my happiness for you also! Congratulations!! I agree, we need pictures ASAP, and a detailed desciption of each of the dogs and how they are fitting into their new pack. Did I mention pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Congrats!! Being my parents' only child, I can't imagine making Kessie share me with another dog, but I know that's a whole lot of ****! Have fun with your pack! Btw, pictures would be very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 I want pictures too!!! I don't care if they are blury, dark, washed out, only a dog butt is in the picture, or just a bad picture......I want to see those little guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Congratulations and best wishes!!! I think you are wonderful for giving both these pups a loving, forever home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 Okay, here are the pics. These guys were listed as border collie/australian shepherd, but check out the colours! I know the merle is typical of the aussies, but what about the black & white? Don't you love his grey legs with white polka-dots? He's my daughter's favourite and she named him Flash, and called the merle Thunder (to go along with our other boy Lightning). Thunder is a very outgoing pup, checking out everything, but Flash is a little more reserved and takes his time making up his mind about things. They're both settling in wonderfully, already playing tag around the living room & kitchen with Lightning and tug of war. A few times Flash tried to curl up next to furry Noah, but Noah wasn't ready for that yet and jumped up and left. He'll come around, he was the same way when Lightning was a pup and now they wrestle and chase each other all over the place. These guys are also all good together at feeding time. The pups would love to eat Lightning's food instead of their own, but he doesn't do anything and I keep steering them back in the right direction, or move his bowl until they're done. We're well on our way to being one big happy family. Flash Thunder Tug of War Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 Oh WOW what adorable little guys!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggs Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 No way I could have taken just one home either, and left the other at the shelter. Extremely cute, and they already look right at home! It also looks like you're well prepared with the toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 Those pictures make it obvious why you had to take both! There's simply no other option. How cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal & Mad's Mom Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 They are too cute!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 Originally posted by muggs:It also looks like you're well prepared with the toys. Actually I wish I could give them some smaller, lighter toys to play with when they're little, but they wouldn't last with Lightning, he destroys pretty much everything except kongs. So we have the king size black kong (it was actually bought when we had the 2 great danes), a kong ball, and a dental kong for in the house and some other outside, throwing toys. There's also that whole bone collection in the one picture. I occasionally get the dogs new smoked bones (again, I always bought the really big ones to be safe for the "power chewers"), but they also like to pull out the old ones sometimes so I don't usually throw them out (unless they become unsafe). I buy the rope toys too, but Lightning shreds them to bits, so for the pups I decided to just raid the rag bag and gave them a whole bunch of old socks with knots tied in them. They had a blast tearing around the house with them, playing tug-of-war, and trying to catch Lightning with his. They also like to snuggle up on Lightning's old coat that was his bed when he was still using a crate. It's like his security blanket and he drags it all over the house. When the pups get on it he sometimes tries to pull it away from them and they go for a ride on it. Noah just stays out of their way or barks to cheer them on when they get playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahAnn Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 NOW WHAT??? My husband and I recently adopted a 3-year old male Border Collie. We have been Laborador Retriever snobs for 20 years -- believing that the only dog worth his feed was a Lab. We have two elderly Labs who are in poor health, arthritis, etc. On a recent visit to our Vet, he showed us this BC and it was love at first sight. This dog is extremely gentle and intelligent and has blended into our home beautifully. We have one major problem -- he hikes his leg on EVERYTHING. There isn't a shrub in our yard or a blade of grass in our neighborhood (we've been walking him on a leash to acclimate him to the area) that he hasn't marked. For that reason, we can't let him in the house because he also wants to mark the furniture, plants, etc. He's been with us for three weeks and doesn't seem to be improving. We know very little about his background except that he lived on a farm; he seems to want to come into the house. Is he not house-broken, or is he just nervous because of his new environment and trying to establish his territory? One of our Labs is a male and we suspect that this is an alpha-male issue. We have an enclosed, heated utility building where the three dogs sleep in their own open kennels. Your advice will be welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo&Tex Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Congrats! They are darling. Where did you find them? I'm just curious. There is a litter of bc pups in town right now and I'm having trouble resisting them. Looking at the pics of your two hasn't helped. They are beauties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobh Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 OH MY Goodness How lucky you are ! And How Lucky are Thunder and Flash to have you and your Family! Enjoy ! bobh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal & Mad's Mom Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Sarah ann Dal was house broken when I got him but, he did mark a few things the first few days. My mom has 3 males and he marked their table twice. Embarassing. I scolded him and yelled outside and took him out. As far as outside I think with a male they will pee on anything to mark their territory. Today I saw my female marking the fence line since the neighbors dog got loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Originally posted by Jo&Tex:Congrats! They are darling. Where did you find them? I'm just curious. There is a litter of bc pups in town right now and I'm having trouble resisting them. Looking at the pics of your two hasn't helped. They are beauties. They were listed on petfinder.com by the Clarington Animal Shelter in Bowmanville, Ontario. The pups were actually brought up to Canada from New Orleans though, and apparently were about to be euthanized when they were pulled out. As I said in my earlier post, they were listed as Border Collie/Australian shepherd mix, but upon further discussion with the lady at the shelter, it turns out they really don't know anything about their history (I suppose they made a guess about the breeds). When I was inquiring about them before adopting, I thought they were from the same litter but it's possible that they're not even brothers. 10 puppies were rescued and they sorted them into what they thought were 2 litters based on size. Thunder is larger than Flash, and they have somewhat different coat types, although at this point it's all puppy fur and it's hard to say what it will turn out like. Anyone have any guesses as to what their mix might be? Here are some more pics to help you with your guesses. As you can see, under the couch is their favourite quiet place to be, and to hide toys where the other dogs can't reach. Lightning used to love it under there too, back when he could fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbies_mumma Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 oh how adorable!!!!! I want I want!! Sorry i dont know what mix they could be. Its quite possible they are BC X Aussie or they could be BC X cattle dog. Its hard to tell but im sure you'll have lots of fun with them whatever the case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted March 30, 2006 Report Share Posted March 30, 2006 Hmmmm...they look like they could be border collie crosses, but since they come from Louisiana, I wouldn't discount the possibility of catahoula in there somewhere. They are certainly adorable! J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted March 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2006 I wasn't familiar with the catahoula dogs, but I looked them up quickly, and from their colours they certainly could be a possibility. I liked everything I read about them anyways, so if they're part of the mix I wouldn't be unhappy. Here are a couple new pics, showing Lightning and Flash sharing bones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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