Inquiring minds want to know...

[fooshuman]

I got Frisbee from a working ranch. The breeder wasn't sure on selling one of his dogs to a "pet" home. After a strange interview, he agree'd to sell me a pup.

 

Frisbee was my first BC. I saw one in a movie (down and out in beverly hills) and looked into the breed. Everything i read, or was told made them more appealing to me. What can i say? I'm not right in the head!

 

Frisbee was a wonderful dog! She was a natural at herding. (Something i promise i'll look into this time around) Her frisbee skills surpassed mine! Up until our accident she wow'd them all! We even disrupted a fun run trial! But for all her wonderfulness (if it isn't a word, it should be to describe my Foo!) she had her quirks.

 

Ack sorry strayed :eek:

 

It is well known *i think* that I bought Zag from a ByB. He was the last pup left, 1st pup I looked at since Frisbee's passing, and isn't registered. Not one day passes that I reget buying him. *I admit i was lucky* He is everything i could ever ask for in a border collie.

 

His dam was a pet, his sire a chained up farm dog. I met the dam, she was one heck of a dog! His father was chained up, only let off to herd. He was unsocailized.

 

Was I wrong for buying Zag? He'll never see the inside of a shelter! He will recieve tons of training. He'll get a chance to try out herding, agility, flyball, and frisbee. He has been neutered, and is current on his shots. And most important he is the member of a loving pack. We all know what could've been his fate.

 

I can't say the family i bought Zag from are evil, just uneducated. I hope the discussion we had sinks in.

 

Before you ask, i don't know why? In my heart i just needed a puppy! He and his puppy antics helped me thru Frisbee's death. And in his own way he helped me decide to adopt Sydney!

 

Sydney has bonded with me and I with her! She cries when i leave without her. She is such a sweet girl! Her and Zag are best friends! I really couldn't of asked for a better dog! I will suggest adopting rescues, and brag on how wonderful it has been personally for me.

 

I can see why someone wants a pup over a rescue. I can see why getting a rescue over a pup is so important. I can see where buying from a breeder (any kind)is logical. Same as adopting a rescue/pound pup! To me it's not a black and white issue. It has as many shades and colors as our dogs do.

 

*I am dead tired so if this comes off like jibber jabber i am sorry *

[Dal & Mad's Mom]

I dont know really how to come into this discussion except to say for me I was always getting a BC pup and I was getting a black and white but, I happened across Dal first and he needed a home so I got him and waited on the puppy. I'm sure I horrified my husband who was expecting a 7 pound bundle and here I come with a full size dog. Oh well he lived.lol

 

Maddie is planned to do herding trials Dal is a pitiful herder. He has other jobs.lol

[Rainierlass]

Originally posted by MrSnappy:

I don't begrudge someone buying a working pup from a reputable breeder if they want one.

 

 

RDM

Thank you for your support Mr. Snappy as this is exactly how it went for me - I appreciate that statement

 

Roz did NOT come from a puppy mill if anyone thinks so - - she was the first litter this family has ever had and just happened to come from great working lines - and that is what I was looking for - - -

 

I commend all those rescuers in the world and if I would have found the 'right' pup in rescue I would have gone that route - so many of the rescue groups are adamant about a fenced yard - and with over 2 acres of dense forested property I was never able to supply that -

 

It is great that we can have a discussion on potentially 'sticky' subjects and still stay civil to each other - that is what makes the world go round!!!

 

Maggie, Tess and Roz

[Beth G]

Originally posted by AWQH:

The reason we get puppies is because it is the absolute best way when your dog is to be a full working dog. We choose our pups from working parents. For a dog wo work full time herding the bond must be strong between the dog and the owner. When you get a puppy, you can build that bond. Older dogs do not always bond so well. Yes, definately some do, but not all. We do not want to take that chance of getting a dog who will not bond.

 

 

Dianne

I have had a few adult dogs that I rescued among them a ex-racer greyhound and a mix breed. And my experience and thought is that sometimes the adults, bond even tighter than pups!!

[IronHorse]

Originally posted by kajarrel:

I don't really have a problem with people buying responsibly-bred puppies. After all, responsible breeding is necessary for continuation and improvement of the breed (meaning working dogs). What I do get frustrated with is messages from people saying, "I need to get rid of "Fly" because she herds cars, my cat, my kids" or "because she takes too much time or needs to live on a farm." IOW, I get frustrated with people who discard dogs that are simply being border collies, or dogs for that matter, with "problems" that could be "fixed" with some basic training. If people rescue, great! But I don't think that people should feel guilty about buying a puppy and caring for it for life.

 

Also, don't forget that this is an international forum with over 5,000 members - I'm surprised we don't see more "puppy" announcements.

 

Kim

 

You pretty much worded what my response would be to this post.

[Dixie_Girl]

Well, for me, puppy wasn't the main objective. If I could have gotton a 6mo, 1yr., 2yr. what ever dog out of Hope, I would have taknen it! In fact, I have had 90% of all my dogs as strays and they were not puppies. This is a specific dog for a specific reason. It is probly the last pup I will have. Now, as far as taking a rescue dog, no prob. But, I really wanted this lineage. Nothing more than that.

[Odin's Momma]

I know for me it was like this: By the time I knew the difference, it was too late.

 

Sadly, I think it's like that for alot of people (in general, not necessarily on the boards).

 

You want a pup.

You buy a pup.

The pup drives you crazy.

You search for help online.

You find a board like this.

You get educated.

 

But it's too late.

 

You can't turn back time, and even if you could you're already in love with your animal.

 

Some people remain blissfully ignorant, but others like myself just carry the burden of knowing that even though you adore you dog and you give him a good home, you have nevertheless contributed to the suffering of many deserving dogs, some that haven't even been born yet.

 

Sometimes I selfishly wish I were blissfully ignorant too, but then that would be one less voice in the world to speak up against pet shops and irresponsible breeders. So I carry my guilt and try to make up for it by speaking up.

[smileyzookie]

Odins mom!!! I havent seen you in forever!!!! How you doin??

[SincereArtisan]

I think one of the reasons why so many new-comers are puppy-owners, is most of them are trying to do the right thing and researching as much as they can about their pup....then voila! They run across this site, just like many of us did in our search for the answers to all our BC questions.

 

While I fully support rescue and adoption as opposed to buying a new pup, I'm glad these new puppy owners are filing in, as they're more likely to become the more knowledgeable portion of BC owners through this board and do right by their dogs.

[HCBell]

OK as one of the Newbies with a pup. I will chime in.

 

I wanted a pup/dog did not matter, I wanted a border collie, but considered aussie as well.

 

A coworker had adopted an austrailian shepherd from the shelter, but she had heartworms that she was advised to treat before spaying.

 

Mom's story: Quoted from an email

 

"My boyfriend adopted Merlee for me from the Shelter in mid December of 2005. She had heartworms and also needed to be spayed. We were told to treat the heartworms first....little did we know she was pregnant!!! The vet was convinced it was a false pregnancy...he sure did look stupid when she gave birth to the first pup in my car on the way home from the vet office, then 9 came upon arriving at home!!"

 

 

My sister and I each adopted one of the pups. I was looking for a dog to replace my Border collie/irish setter? mix that I had for over 12 years. Rusty passed away in January of this year. (He was adopted from a shelter in College station)

 

I consider my pup to be a rescue. My coWorker was not a Back yard breeder. She did not set out to have puppies. She was under advice of a vet on treatment. He advised her to wait on the spay.

She found homes for all of the puppies, and all of the puppies have been spayed now. The Mother is also now fixed.

[muddy bob]

I've always considered it appropiate to adopt a rescue to atone for my other dogs being purchased as pups. They don't always work well but they always have a place here. But I did purchase a great pup to increase the odds I'd get a worker.

Even the rescues that are tested can be iffy.

By the way, I did not realize how close some of you are to me. Graham and Eatonville. Nice.

muddy

[Meg's mum]

For me it was similar.

I had two BC's in my life, both rescues. Long ago when a rescue was the ASPCA and a border collie wasn't an AKC breed, and there was not internet and every book told me that a tri-color farm dog may be called a 'Border Collie' in the UK.

 

I cared enough not to find another dog like GirlDog when she died at 12 until I could have enough land and money, support and stability to give her a good life. Even then I looked at rescue and fought with myself about it until the day before I was to pick Meg up having already paid the breeder for her. By then I was already in love. I can barely look at pictures here and on BC sites without falling in love.

 

Husband wanted a cat and a dog, having lost both (and his goat Peter) in his last marriage to his wife's neglect. We believed that the best chance we had to have the cat and dog get along was to have them together in as early a period as possible. Cat came from a rescue at 4months, puppy came from a breeder at 7 weeks.

 

I found a breeder that participates in agility and herding and was against AKC, owned sheep in an area that has a high concentration of herding dog activity. She has one to two litters a year. I had found this site among all the others but not the 'boards'. I thought they were for herding and stockpeople. Information signal to noise ratio. If you aren't part of the culture, even just 'dog' culture, your awarness isn't honed enough to recognize the 'signal'.

 

But it was a process.

 

I did find this place, and the information available on the web has become richer and more targeted...or perhaps my search algorithm has become more subtle and capable of yeilding the quality I need to make better decisions.

 

I'm trying to figure out a way to participate in a better solution on the web. Of elevating the information in a way that people like myself can apprehend the 'full picture' as they go about making decisions.

 

It is my regret that I am partly responsible that there will be a dog in a rescue someday that came from the breeder whose well intentionned but misguided breeding caused a dog untrial-proven descent to be born and then abadonned without proactive followup to 'whomever'.