Border Collie puppys in South Carolina??

[CoachB]

Does anyone know of a reputable Border Collie breeder in Columbia, South Carolina or the surrounding area?? My family is looking to purchase one for our kids for Christmas. Would you recommend a male or female? I have very active twin 7th graders, whose Lab passed away last year. Thanks for your help!!! We have a lot of space to roam.

[sea4th]

You'll receive many responses, I'm sure. Couple of things that jump out at me. First, Christmas is not the best time to bring in a dog into the household as a member of the family. Secondly, "room to roam". That phrase sends up red flags. "Room to roam" implies that the dog will have plenty of time to roam and explore on it's own without supervision. A dog left to its own devices can spell disaster and failure. All dogs, especially border collies, thrive on human interaction --- if you don't have the time to provide that stimulus, then keep looking. A border collie isn't for you.

 

Thirdly --- have you considered a rescue dog. With a border collie from a reputable rescue, you know exactly what you get. You eliminate a lot of work and surprises, many of which can be unpleasant.

 

Above all, have you done your research?

[CoachB]

You'll receive many responses, I'm sure. Couple of things that jump out at me. First, Christmas is not the best time to bring in a dog into the household as a member of the family. Secondly, "room to roam". That phrase sends up red flags. "Room to roam" implies that the dog will have plenty of time to roam and explore on it's own without supervision. A dog left to its own devices can spell disaster and failure. All dogs, especially border collies, thrive on human interaction --- if you don't have the time to provide that stimulus, then keep looking. A border collie isn't for you.

 

Thirdly --- have you considered a rescue dog. With a border collie from a reputable rescue, you know exactly what you get. You eliminate a lot of work and surprises, many of which can be unpleasant.

 

Above all, have you done your research?

[CoachB]

Vicki,

Sorry for the confusion on the roaming. We have a huge field behind our home for our kids to play with them. We took our lab with us everywhere we went and walked through the fields and lakes near where we live. The dog will not be let out to roam but will be very busy. Yes I am very familiar with the breed. My Mom is from Glasgow, Scotland and we had two growing up as a boy. Both were from outside of Edinburgh in Scotland near where my Mom grew up and my grandparents live. He, my grandfather, had sheep and they had four. Yes we have researched rescue's and I know of several here in SC. Phoenix Rising in Charleston and one in NC. There is to much baggage and insecurity with a lot of these dogs and there are very few puppies. I have several friends who have gone that route and were very disappointed. I know their temperament and how bright they are. They can be very mischievous if left alone. I don't plan on using it for herding. I want to have a puppy we can train.

The problem is there are some suspect breeders and I am fully aware of problems with the breed. By no means am I an expert as you and others maybe, but I am very familiar with the dog. Hope this clears the air for you and others.

[Rave]

I happen to know a rescue with CBCR named Daisy just had a litter of puppies. No baggage with babies!

[aljones]

CoachB,

 

Welcome to the boards; while I don't share your low opinion of rescue dogs, living with three of them myself, I do appreciate that you are here asking for advice instead of just purchasing the first border collie puppy you and your family come across.

 

Have you had an opportunity to read this sticky and its associated links? Seeking information about getting a Border Collie? If not, that may be a good resource to review to help point you in the right direction.

[Rave]

oh look and so does PRBCR.

[ejano]

Easy folks...it seems the OP is looking for a nice well bred pup so that his children can share in some of his family's history and traditions. The dog might never see sheep, but it will surely be doing something interesting every day with 13 year old twin boys! Don't come down on him because he's choosing to not to go to rescue for a dog in this instance.

 

Liz

[Rave]

When someone writes there are very few "puppys" in rescue, I feel the need to educate. Just a little research (about 60 seconds worth) shows there are indeed plenty of pups in rescue right now.

[ejano]

When someone writes there are very few "puppys" in rescue, I feel the need to educate. Just a little research (about 60 seconds worth) shows there are indeed plenty of pups in rescue right now.

 

I understand...there are so many good dogs of all ages in rescue -- I've had (ETA adopted) several myself, ranging from 6 months to four years, and nary a problem with any one of them. It's just that I've been reading back through the past few years worth of posts looking for information on various topics and it seems that new names pop on, get "educated" and leave just as quickly....

 

Liz

 

(ETA- Ladybug is a rescue - she's 10.5 years old, and will be with us 7 years this Christmas and she is easily the best dog we've ever owned - yes, we brought her home from the SPCA the day after Christmas. If I could have gotten there, I would have brought her home on Christmas eve so she wouldn't have had to spend one more day there.)

[jdarling]

Yes, there are reputable breeders out that direction, and I'm sure someone on these boards that's familiar with that part of the country will be happy to help you find one.

[CoachB]

Listen I am sorry if I offended anyone in regards to the adoption of rescues. I am sure your dogs are great, but as someone mentioned in an earlier post we want to hand select the right puppy for our family. Most of the sites I have gone to the average age for a rescue is about 2 years or so. Part of the reason we want a puppy is we want to raise it from infancy. Surely no one has a problem with this. It is for my kids and I suspect most people feel the same way when selecting their dog.

Rescue organizations are terrific and god bless them for their work with these dogs. I hope they all find a good home, but like a house or a car we want to pick what is best for our family. As far as being educated trust me, I have scoured and researched the ones in our area but we will find one that is right for us. So please don't judge me or anyone who is in pursuit for the right dog!!!!

Enjoy your dog and god willing we will find the right one for us. Again we are looking for a reputable breeder!!

Thanks EJano & JDarling and you others!

[aljones]

Again we are looking for a reputable breeder!!

Yes, I think your question is very clear. That is why I recommended the board sticky to which I linked above. You may notice it, in turn, takes you to this specific link: Tips on Getting a Border Collie. Most of that material describes how to search for a reputable breeder, with an extensive list of red flags that will be signs to look elsewhere for your new dog.

[Journey]

I cannot think of a reputable breeder in your area but if you pm me I know of litter coming in FL. As for a Christmas pup, really bad idea.

[muttlycrew]

Just wanted to add (and most people know this anyway): puppies can be a huge gamble. Even hand selecting the right one (testing, meeting parents, etc) doesn't guarantee anything about how it will turn out. I also like to skip the whole chewing/potty training stage anyway and jump straight into 6+ months. That's just my .02.

 

Good luck in your search.

[Maralynn]

If you want to get a pup for a Christmas present for your family, I'd suggest getting all the supplies you need and wrap those up for your kids so they know what is coming, then get your pup after the excitement of the holidays has settled down.

 

While you might find a pup in that time frame, most likely you're going to have to wait a bit longer for a well bred pup.

[Alchemist]

CoachB, please forgive me if I'm reading too much in your posts. I'm getting the impression that you have a vision of visiting a litter and selecting "the pick" to bring home. Maybe putting it through one of these "puppy temperament tests" in hopes of selecting the pup with the best score for your family's needs.

 

If this is really a vision that's important to you, then you will probably have to make some compromises. Well-bred litters are often bespoken before they're even born. You may be lucky, and find a litter that has one or two left after they're born. More than that? Doubtful, very doubtful, especially as the pups you describe as your ideal are already several weeks old. Your chances of finding an entire litter from which to choose increase astronomically the worse-bred they are. (There are reasons why people aren't lining up to get pups from that breeder, and they are not good ones). If you do find an entire litter available, chances are the breeder is whelping ten or so litters each year. The probability that they're able to devote time to socializing the pups during the critical "imprint" period with that many litters on the ground each year is, frankly, slim to none.

 

Personally I'd invest the effort in finding a really well-bred litter from a reputable breeder, or else to consider selecting a pup from rescue. (Pups in rescue tend to be bespoken pretty quicky as well, though). Don't limit yourself geographically. If you do wish to buy a pup and find a reputable breeder, they'll be very helpful in selecting a puppy that suits your needs, and to ship it to you.

 

My last two Border collies have both been the last-picked pups in their respective litters. I can't have asked for better temperaments in either one (and they were both awfully good-looking dogs to boot, though that really wasn't a concern of mine).

 

And I'd like to second the recommendation to check out the "stickies" if you're not sure how to get started in looking for a pup, as well as the suggestion to consider a pup from rescue.

 

(I like Maralynn's suggestion, too!).

[Sue R]

Welcome! You've gotten some great advice. I'd love to hit the "like" button for several of these replies, but especially the last two, but there isn't one.

[Rave]

Yes the average age for a BC in rescue is a young adult. That doesn't mean there aren't any puppies. I could care less what the OP gets, just pointing that out for him/her and others that which was incorrect, and should have been obvious if any research was indeed done. Just like any litter, with a rescue litter sometimes you can find a pup with the criteria you want, sometimes you can't and you move on.

 

If the breeder is reputable, they may not let you hand select your own puppy. A good breeder will get to know you and your family and help you get the right pup, whether they pick it for you or guide you towards that selection. After all, the breeder is with them 24/7 and knows the pups. No matter what tests you may do, it's just not the same. Beware the breeder who will let a pet home just pick whatever puppy they want or just gives them whatever's leftover.

[jfaircloth]

I have the name and contact info of a breeder in SC that I can give you if you want to PM me. We always rescue, never going the breeder route, and I can only recommend her because our current rescued BC originally came from her. I've spoken to her on the phone and corresponded with her, and she seems to really care about the breed. She made an effort to get in touch with us when she found out one of "hers" ended up in rescue and she wanted to make sure he was OK and getting the care he needed. She also sent us pictures of his litter and his parents. If I were ever going to buy from a breeder, I would call her first.

[WildFlower]

Hello CoachB,

 

Welcome to the boards. These boards are a wealth of information. You have already received some excellent advice.

 

Please do consider the fact that getting a puppy during the thick of the holidays is perhaps not the best time for you or the pup. I too like Maralynn's idea of getting all the puppy "stuff" for the kids and wrapping that.

 

Also, as Alchemist mentions, a good breeder may not have a litter on the ground right now and even if they do a pup may not be available as many times pups are already spoken for.

 

Please, be patient and if you are truly looking for a well bred border collie puppy do not fall victim to the "puppy available right now" that perhaps is not from such a good breeder. It will be worth the wait!

 

Good Luck!

[Liz P]

Organizations that raise pups as service and working (police, arson, etc) have found that puppy temperament tests are a very poor indication of how they will turn out as adults with training and socialization. I've found this to be true in my own experience as well. As a result I tell people to take the pup that appeals to them (from a responsibly bred litter!!!!). The one time I took a pup who did great on a "temperament test" but didn't immediately pull at my heart I ended up selling her as a 2 year old. No matter what I did we never bonded.

 

My most recent puppy purchase I had to trust the breeder to choose one for me. I was in KS, the pup in PA. I drove 3/4 of the way out to get her when she was 9 weeks old. The first thing she did when she saw me, a stranger, was scream and run away. She HATED to be picked up for the first few weeks. Now at a year old she loves everyone and doesn't understand why some people would not want to fawn over her. We have an amazing bond and I wouldn't trade her for anything. I knew her parents had excellent temperaments and I knew her bloodline consistently threw them, so I was not at all worried that first night when she ran away from me.

 

I owned a dog related to her until last year. As a pup he would bark at strangers, back up and make a big deal over new people. One he grew up he had the most rock solid temperament of any dog I have every owned.

[Laurae]

I also couldn't care less what dog the OP gets. But it is annoying to constantly hear people (like the OP) claim there are no puppies in rescue so therefore they must get one from some random breeder they know nothing about and don't even know where to find, even after it has been pointed out to them that the very rescues they'd love to get puppies from if only they had puppies do in fact have puppies. It's willfully disregarding what they don't want to hear. (Because they've got children--duh! So nobody better question their motives to get a puppy from a breeder!)

[PSmitty]

I also couldn't care less what dog the OP gets. But it is annoying to constantly hear people (like the OP) claim there are no puppies in rescue so therefore they must get one from some random breeder they know nothing about and don't even know where to find, even after it has been pointed out to them that the very rescues they'd love to get puppies from if only they had puppies do in fact have puppies.

 

Yes, this. I also know that one of the TN rescues, I forget which one, has wee puppies coming up for adoption. I'm watching them get bigger every time I see 'em on FB. Puppy fever!

 

I'm not even going to get into the joys of skipping potty training and other "fun" puppy stuff by getting a 6-12 month old rescue, because I understand people just want puppies. I can't fault that. But there ARE puppies in rescue. One must be patient, however, since you can't order them for Christmas.

 

Having said that, I really, really like Maralynn's idea of wrapping the puppy accessories, and then picking out a puppy from a reputable breeder when a litter comes available. Good luck with your search, CoachB.

[in2adventure]

Grady was a breeder turn at a rescue. I got him at 5 months. Still very much a puppy, yet old enough to know what his temperment was going to be like. EVERY pup in that litter was completely different in personality and the only way to see it was watching them interact at 3-4 months old. I would recommend a bit older than 8 weeks if you are involving children. 4-5 months is still a puppy.

 

Grady has NEVER had a bad interaction with a child and has been exposed to tons of them, but has a huge fear of little people and will do everything in his power to avoid them. I know for a fact he was handled by kids before I got him and it doesn't make a difference. I would hate for you to have the same "issue".

 

I also second the opinion about a puppy as a Christmas present. I see that only bringing heart ache. Settling on a puppy because it needs to be under a tree would be a bad choice.

 

Whether you find your pups at a breeder or in recsue, good luck. These boards have a TON of info to learn from. Also, keep in mind, a good breeder sells working dogs not pets and stay FAR away from sport bred BC's. If you have no intention of serious agility, flyball or sheep, I would stay away from this type of breeding all together. Find a good 4-5 month old pup so you know what you're getting.