MrRipley Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 Hi, I've been a longtime lurker and since I finally got a BC I figured I should join! I have 2 other dogs, an 11 year old Lab mix named Anna and a 6 year old Sheltie/BC mix named Sadie. Three months ago, I adopted Ripley from the SPCA in a rural area northwest of Philadelphia. He's young, probably under 2, and since he was a stray I don't know much about him. The funny thing was, in the shelter he was listed as an Aussie, and supposedly Aussie rescue was in there and said he was an Aussie. When I first brought him home, I too thought he was probably an Aussie mix. He had a very thick winter coat, giving him a stocky appearance. I believe he's either a purebred border collie or at least a good majority BC. His personality is that of a BC. I have put him on sheep and I think he works more like a BC. Most BC people I know think he's all BC, though some folks disagree. A lot of people around town think he's an Aussie, I guess because of his coloring. He's not a merle though, he is just heavily ticked. He's a sweet boy and I'm having a great time with him so far. I got him to play agility with, but I am also enjoying the sheep so would like to pursue that to some degree as long as he continues to do well. I can't believe a dog like this ended up at the shelter as an unclaimed stray. He loves all people including children, gets along well with other dogs. He's toy crazy too. He could have run away from a farm. He was not neutered. Or a foreclosure dog? My herding trainer thinks he may have been on sheep before too. Here's a video of the first time I put him on sheep (was also the first time I was on sheep, so don't mind me looking silly in the middle): What do you all think? Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy in AZ Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 I'm no expert, but I think he absolutley looks all BC, a red with ticking... and gorgeous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshine Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 I have a dog named Ripley too...yours looks all bc to me, and very handsome, Love the ticking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth77 Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 Welcome to you both, what a handsome chap he is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody & Duchess Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 I volunteer at a shelter. You would not believe the most incredible dogs that end up needing a home. Most of the time they end up looking for a new home through no fault of their own. Thank you so much for opening up your heart and home to Mr. Ripley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 He works more like a border collie than an aussie I think. Aussies tend to have a lot of bounce and bark. It's quite possible he's all border collie. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRipley Posted May 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 Thanks all! I don't really care WHAT he is, it's just that people ask, I want to know what to say I get funny looks sometimes when I say he's a BC, but only from people that are unfamiliar with BC's. Anyway, he's a great guy and I know we're going to have fun together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted May 19, 2009 Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 Ripley is sure a gorgeous fellow! Welcome aboard. I hope we'll see more of him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaylock Posted May 19, 2009 Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 I think his face looks Border Collie for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted May 19, 2009 Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 I don't see anything Aussie-ish about him. Like Julie said, he works more like a Border Collie. If he were mine, I'd call him a Border Collie. Very handsome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 I get funny looks sometimes when I say he's a BC, but only from people that are unfamiliar with BC's. Might as well get used to it. You can have a border collie with a known pedigree going straight back to Wiston Cap, and people will still come up at random to tell you what its breeding "really" is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRipley Posted May 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 I should take new pictures of him. He blew all his coat this week, and he looks like a different dog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Stein Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 Looks totally like a border collie to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerfulgazelle Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 What a striking dog---beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurelin Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 I just have to say he's gorgeous! And if you take more pics I'd also love to see pics of your bc/sheltie mix too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sassy Girl Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 Oh I love his ticking!!! Gorgeous! I agree he looks all BC to me! But then again - does it really matter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRipley Posted May 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 Lauren, twist my arm Hope it's ok that I'm posting these here rather than under the Photo section on the site, but here are some photos of Sadie, my sheltie mix. I actually did that DNA test on her, and the results came back as mostly sheltie, some border collie and a little malamute! She is tiny -- 16" and 23 lbs. I'd describe her personality as 100% sheltie. Smart as a whip, but quirky as hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninso Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 She is very pretty! What a cool color! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurelin Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 She's just gorgeous! She sounds like a fun dog, though I know what you mean about shelties being weird... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 I know Sadie. Sadie is ADORABLE. I totally wanted to steal her back in the day! Ripley is very handsome, but you know I am partial to red. Did you know that Rip is the name Solo came with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urban Borders Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 OMG, small world. Just joined, too. Also just realized that the lucky owner of the gorgeous red BC and the lady who I talk to about building rentals are one and the same person. And you are incredibly lucky, finding such a smart and beautiful boy at a shelter...I tried to find another BC to do agility with, on account of Mer's hips and other medical problems, but had an unfortunate experience with rescue and decided maybe it was not meant to be right now. Oh well. Mer's having a good spell right now, and we have our first trial this weekend (yippee!). Nice to meet you and Rip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Sadie is TOO cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRipley Posted May 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Did you know that Rip is the name Solo came with? Actually, Melanie, I think it was Leslie told me that recently! Maybe not the best name at the time for Solo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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