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Stray Border Collie...What to do?


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Hi all,

 

I'm new to the boards and wanted to seek some advice. My parents live in Arkansas and have seemed to have been "adopted" by a stray border collie. He showed up one day out of the blue. My parents just retired last April and this is their retirement home. They live on top of a mountain and have about 11 acres of property mostly wooded. About a month ago this male border showed up and started to hang around outside the house on the deck. There are a lot of windows on the back of the house and he seems to just want to stare inside at my parents. He's very timid if you walk up to him but if you kneel down he will come right up to you and let you pet him and lick your hands and face. He's an incredibly sweet and very smart dog.

 

During Thanksgiving, many of the family showed up and were worried about him since it was about 27 degrees, wet and windy that night so they tried to let him in the garage. After about a 2 hour struggle to coax him in, they gave up and then just left the deck door open. He slowly came in and then plopped right down on the rug in between everyone and took a 2 hour nap like he'd lived there his whole life. They were then able to pick him up and put him in the garage on a heated pad. My parents gave him a ball and he loves to play with it himself. He won't chase it if you throw it, but he loves to throw it himself and then chase it. He has a little pile of "important" things he keeps on the deck. The ball.....a bone my mom gave him....and when he was inside he very carefully picked up a matchbox car and took it to his pile where he gently plays with it from time to time.

 

My parents are about to leave for a month long journey and do not want a dog at this point in their life. Also, they can't seem to find anyone who will take him in. I live in New Jersey with a wife and 2 small boys (4 and 6). I would love to take him, but I worry about how to get him here. There's plenty of room for him to run/play with lots of friendly neighbors and dogs for him to socialize. I lived with a roommate who had a Border for a couple of years in college and I loved that dog.

 

He is an incredibly sweet, gentle dog, but he's very timid. We know nothing of his past, but believe he's house broken and possible crate trained (advice from a farmer who's had borders in the past). He would be loved and given lots of attention in my family here in Jersey, but how do I get him here? Will the journey be very difficult for him? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My parents leave right after Christmas, so I have less than a month to find a solution.

 

Sincerely,

Zach

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You may want to post for transport help in the rescue section of this forum or the transport section of the BC Rescue forum.

 

If you do bring him east, please plan to keep him leashed at all times (or inside a secure fence) until you are sure he knows he's your dog and has a good recall.

 

J.

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I'm so glad your parents are taking care of him, and that you're considering adopting him. There is a group called Pilots N Paws, who fly "rescue missions" to take dogs to rescue or new homes. I'm not sure if that would be an option, or if an actual rescue group has to be involved. You could check out their website for more information. http://pilotsnpaws.org/ Unfortunately, I don't know of any rescue groups in that area to reach out to, either. Julie has a good idea idea about posting to the rescue board. Best of luck!

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I would have your take him to a local vet to check for a microchip before bring him here just in case someone in that area may be looking for him. Unlikely after all this time, but still a good thing to double check on. And if he isn't chipped, get him chipped/registered to you at that time.

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Wow, that's a little gift from heaven.

 

I agree with Mara. Definitely check him for a microchip and make every honest effort to find his owners, if he has any. My only advice about transport is to crate him during the trip for everyone's safety. Keep him leashed at all times, when not crated, and be extremely diligent. Even a well-adjusted, confident dog can spook and bolt at new sights and sounds. Nothing is guaranteed.

 

Good luck.

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What a sweetie! Do look into the pet transport/rescue options - if there's a bc rescue group in New Jersey, they might be able to steer you to someone who can help.

 

Please take everyone's advice to heart about keeping him on leash, microchipping him, etc. Do have him taken to the vet soon. I'd think that, at a minimum, he'd need a rabies certificate and maybe a kennel cough vaccine before he'll be able to be transported by a rescue or commercial dog transport. And see if your parents can take care of this soon, so he'll have time to settle again before his trip.

 

Yes, it will be stressful for him to be taken from one home to another, but it will be waaaaay more stressful to be taken to a shelter and left.

 

Thank you and your parents for looking out for this wonderful boy! And think about bringing him to you sooner rather than later. Please keep us posted.

 

Ruth

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Before agreeing to attempt to transport this dog to you, make sure the dog is tested around kids. This dog seems a little timid but obviously wants a real home. The problem is, if the dog freaks out around kids then he won't do well in your home and they may need to try and find a more suitable home.

 

They should try to find a rescue that would be willing to take him or help with transport.

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I agree on the vetting and testing around kids before making the move. Also, one last ditch effort to see if anyone is looking for him.

 

As for transporting we didn't use a transport but my older collie rescue was found running wild in Colorado and my friend drove him and his brother cross country to Maryland. He handled the trip like a champ and settled down pretty quickly, aside from a major double take when he saw the Atlantic Ocean for the 1st time lol. My younger girl Poe was rescued from Alabama and we drove her back up without a problem (about 14-15hour drive). We just made sure that she was leashed at all times and we were very careful about getting her out of the car because she was a bolter. Both of my long-distance collies have really settled in pretty well aside from Jackson's dislike of swimming and Poe's intolerance to cold lol.

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