How did you come to love Border Collies?

[BorderlineCrazy(:]

Hi there. My name is Adri; I'm 16 years old with a passion for all animals, but mostly Border Collies.

I just joined, and thought I'd introduce myself and ask everyone...

How did you come to be a fan of Border Collies?  I'd love stories and pictures (:

My story;;

I had been trying to convince my mom to let me get a dog. She was iffy on the idea, so we ended up fostering a dog for the my local SPCA. The lady in charge of foster care brought out the Border Collie; I'm pretty sure it's because she was the only cat-friendly dog at that time. We took her home and she fit right into the family. I did a lot of research on the breed during our foster stage with her, and that's when I started loving them.

A year later, here we are with the perfect foster girl we ended up keeping. When we foster litters of kittens, she acts like their mother. She has no desire to chase a tennis ball or frisbee - only other dogs. Her herding instincts are soo strong.

She's new to sheep herding, she's only been at it for about a month or so. She has her fourth lesson on Sunday, which I'm pretty excited about.

So, what's your story?

[Tea]

Hum, my story.....long tangled, lovely and sad.

 

 

 

But the thing that caught my heart

 

 

 

Was watching Sweep the Broom run out for me at Wessels. (This is a trial that I probably should not have entered!)

 

 

I know....I know......we didn't finish the run.

 

 

 

But I just today looked at the photo of him and I before I sent him.

 

I am tired and it shows.

 

 

 

But Sweep, the Broom he is happy.

 

 

 

And my Pete is behind us watching.

 

And it is a glorious day.

 

 

 

And the folks there were so nice!

 

 

 

And he went and brought me the sheep.

 

 

And when we went home

 

 

 

he got up the next day and worked.

 

 

 

Oh Broom.....How you hold my heart and ask for very little.

[geonni banner]

I saw a picture on Petfinders. It reached out and grappled my heart with hoops of steel. I thought, "It's a picture - a happy coincidence of pixels that you think you like." I went to see the dog. The feeling in my heart was the same. The fact that she was a Border Collie didn't come into it, except that I had heard how high-maintenance they were and I was a bit nervous about that. She is, and she isn't. (High maintenance) And I've had dogs that I loved dearly, but not like this one. Is it because she's a Border Collie? I don't know. But when she goes on, that is what I'll start looking for.

 

And I'm also in love with Betty Gillis's Stella. Though I've never met her. It isn't just that she's incredibly beautiful. It's what I see in her eyes.

[G. Festerling]

1985 (yes I am aging myself a bit here) I met a Border Collie named Vic and his annoying (although quite lovely) side kick Ben the Australian Shepherd. Being that they lived on a ranch and cutting horse operation they where great help with the cattle. Although working on opposite sides at times! Or so it sometimes seemed. Two wonderful souls that were totally game for anything.

My most favorite memory was me taking out one of the young fillies for a "run" in the ditch. Miles and miles of wonderful level and safe (this was way in the country in Alberta) stretches where you could simply let them go.

Vic would come along, give me that "you ready?" look and just wait for me to open her up. And off we would go.

I still think of that dog often. That happy smile when I would pull up and we would stroll home. Tired and happy.

[brady's mom]

My grandpa owns a cattle farm and one day when he dropped by to visit us he had this little black and white pup he named Augustus (the rest of us just called him Gussie or GusGus). This dog was the sweetest, brightest dog I have ever met. My grandpa is old, and, even though he says he got Gus to help with the cattle, we all know it was mostly to have a companion--he lives all by himself out on that ranch. Gus was his best bud--he went with him EVERYWHERE. He even rode in the front seat of his pick-up; would /refuse/ to ride anywhere BUT the front seat. One time he got lost and when he and my grandpa were reunited, Gus wouldn't stop howling out of joy for a good thirty minutes.

 

Unfortunately, we lost Gus to a very tragic, unfortunate accident after her turned about two.

 

But, he's the reason I wanted to get a border collie.

 

And I found Brady through a very lovely breeder.

 

I don't think I'll ever have a non-border collie dog again--I'm hooked! <3

[BorderlineCrazy(:]

I love the stories (: And I love that picture of the pup chewing on the towel.

Kristi; How sad about Gus, your grandpa must have been devestated. He sounds like he was a wonderful dog.

 

I don't think I'll ever have a non-border collie dog again--I'm hooked! <3

 

I feel the same way! I foster kittens and dogs for my local ASPCA, but I contacted the Border Collie Rescue of Northern California, and I'm going to be fostering for them when I foster a dog again. Once you have a Border Collie, all the other breeds just seem so...dumb. Still love them, but they just can't compare! My last foster was an American Staffordshire Terrier, and it took me a whole day to teach her how to sit consitantly. Compared to my dog, who learned it within 5 minutes when I got her, they just can't match up.

She did love soccer, though. (:

[bc4ever]

My first experience with a Border Collie came when my mother was dying. My brother drove in from Colorado to visit and brought his dog, Buddy, with him. I knew he was bringing him but didn't know what to expect. I was immediately drawn to him--the eyes, the obvious intelligence, the way he carried himself. He was here for three days and was the perfect house guest (better than some humans who've stayed here!)

 

Then, when our mom died a few months later, my brother came back for the funeral and again brought Buddy. He was so sweet and gentle and well mannered. He seemed to sense what was happening and what each person needed. He would make the rounds, sitting quietly next to someone who was crying, moving on to the next person and doing something to make them laugh. Having him here was such a comfort to everyone. When they finally left for home, I walked up to Buddy, bent over and said goodbye, and he gently kissed my face, like I knew he would. I was hooked. I missed having him around. I had to know more about this breed and where I could find one of my very own.

 

A year later, almost to the day that mom had died, we found our boy Scooter. He was everything we could have wanted, and more; bright, intuitive, goofy, intense, gentle, loving, focused, energetic. The whole package. Sadly, we lost him to a brain tumor in February at the age of six, but he will not be our last Border Collie. Once you've lived with one of these amazing animals, no other breed will do.

[D'Elle]

I used to think I would never want a border collie. All I had heard about them was that they were hyper and demanding and crazy.

 

Then, many years ago now, a dog got dumped on me and I had no choice but to care for her. I did not know what she was, thought maybe a German shepherd cross. I "knew" she couldn't be border collie because she was red and white, not black and white. I found out she was the smartest dog I had ever had, and learned everything lightning-quick. Figured things out on her own, and was reliably a good dog.

 

One day I caught an agility trial on a friend's TV. I had never heard of agility before. I watched the border collies tearing up the agility field and was in awe! There were red and white, merle, all black, spotted and tri-colored dogs, all border collies. I looked at those dogs and said, out loud, "I need one of those dogs!".

 

Just then, my red and white dog walked into the room. I looked at her and said, "Oh my gosh. I HAVE one of those dogs!!". I have never looked back. True story.

 

 

--D'Elle, who has four border collies at her feet right now, two my own and two foster dogs.

[bc friend]

1983 - I had just moved to Houston and had located a vet for my cats. The vet was newly licensed and had been brought into a long-established large animal pratice to take care of the suddenly growing dog and cat business. She had a border collie which came to work with her every day. The dog (and the vet) were both from the Hill Country of Texas and she had the dog when she went to vet school. I fell in love with the dog who was slightly reserved, smart, biddable, etc. - everything you would want from a bc (or any dog). I waited to get a bc until the circumstances were right because I didn't want to leave the dog in an apt while I worked 12-14 hrs a day. When my life slowed down, my late Sara was a gift from the vet and Sara was one of Crystal's grandchildren. (And the vet still takes care of all of my pets!)

[OurBoys]

It took me 4 yrs to get over the death of my GSD mix before I felt I could let another dog into my heart. When I told DH I was ready we did our research and decided we wanted a Border Collie. We then decided it had to be a rescue and it had to go to obedience classes. (I loooove intelligent animals and even though the dog would have gone to obedience classes anyway from what I read I got the impression they needed it.) So along came JJ. As it turned out, his foster mom also taught obedience. She taught us a lot as did JJ. And then my mom got sick.

 

DH & I moved my mom in with us in Jan '06 when she left the hospital. When she was finally able to do her radiation treatments, I took JJ with us. While she was back in the back, I would walk JJ down the halls practicing his obedience. The first 6 months of dealing with mom's recovery was ovewhelming to say the least; all the doctor's visits, tests, scannings. I handled everything so all mom had to do was concentrate on getting well. We were constantly on the go. I was living on autopilot. After her last radiation treatment, it was like someone suddenly put the brakes on. I went from waking up each morning thinking "If mom made it thru the night, where do I take her today?" to "Did mom make it thru the night?" That's when I decided I needed a 2nd dog so along came Jake. He was my lifesaver. He took Basic, Intermediate and Advance obedience classes like JJ. DH wasn't able to go to all the classes with me like he did JJ and at first I wondered if I could do it. I worried for nothing. Jake was amazing. Once during his Basic class a lady told me he was too smart to be there. DH was able to make it to class when Jake graduated from Intermediate. DH told me later a woman told him while we were doing our exercises her dog would never be THAT smart! On the night Jake graduated from his Advance class we did our routine then took our place back in the training area. That's when the instructor told the rest of the class "That's why if you are trying to place in an obedience competition and there are only 5 slots and you are the only one there without a Border Collie, you aren't going to place".

 

Not only do I love this breed for their intelligence, this forum taught me something else. JJ and Jake are both rescues so I don't know anything about their breeding but if I had to guess, I would say JJ came from AKC lines and Jake came from (somewhat) working lines. JJ was a total terror during his classes until DH realized he was bored so I had to step up his commands. They both get bored with too much repetition so I taught JJ some tricks to keep him occupied during class. Jake was more focused on me. Jake also has some herding instinct whereas I don't think JJ does. Our Josie is 1/2 Aussie and 1/2 Border Collie. I know her sire is ABCA registered but all I know about her dam is she was PB and small. I have a feeling she might have more herding instinct and eye than Jake. In some ways, she's smarter than JJ & Jake. I don't know if I will ever have a dog that I know comes from working lines but I hope I do. As smart as my guys are, I can't help but wonder if the more herding instinct a dog has, the smarter they are. One thing about this breed, they keep you wanting for more.

[G. Festerling]

It was late when I wrote last night.

I would like to then skip to skip forward several years to the time I was apprenticing in TX. My boss had a dog called Penguin. Border Collie of course who was wonderful but not sure how usefull. I had been begging for a dog of my own just to be turned down many times. Penguins breeder was moving and on his way by he stopped with this tiny black and white blob in his arms. He showed me the mom working and handed me this fluffball telling me that she had already eaten and was mine!!!! Think he heard me whining enough???

But I told him that I could neither afford her nor did my boss agree. He still handed me the papers and drove off telling me that he had cleared it with my boss. Did he? To this day I don't know. Jack told me he had no clue when he got home...???

Either way, that little dog was my Gem. I learned a lot from her and she was the one that started the lifelong love affair with this breed and the working dog for real. I still have a great granddaughter and a great great great grandson (hoped I counted the greats right here) of hers that are my family away from home.

[MrSnappy]

My neighbours had 3 border collies when I was a teenager and I was completely fascinated by them. We lived in a suburban area next to a green space and their dogs were so intense and energetic and fun to watch. They also used to take their dogs to work stock and invited me along one time and I couldn't believe how cool it all seemed. I wasn't allowed to have dogs when I lived at home with my mother, so as soon as I moved out, I bought a 5 week old border collie puppy off a guy in the park (ohboy. How much I have learned). That was my first border collie Abi. When she was about 2, I got Briggs AKA Red Dog, and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

 

Like so many other people, I moved to acreage for my dogs. But not so I could get livestock ... rather so that when I tell people how many dogs I have, I can quickly follow it up with the sentence "I live on 10 acres." This reduces the number of open-mouthed stares and thought bubbles that say "crazy lady" above their heads Somehow people think having lots of dogs is okay if you're on acreage - even though I live in a house smaller than many apartments out there ;-)

 

RDM

[judedog]

I had always grown up with mutts. Never really knowing what they were, they were just dogs. Then I joined the Army, lived in the barracks and traveled a lot, and couldn't get a dog. Then I got married when I got back from Iraq, and after a year, decided we needed to add to the family. Of course, no kids for me yet. I wanted a German Shepherd, because I had heard they were so smart and wanted something to protect the wife when I was gone. We found an awesome shelter in Enoch, Utah online.

 

I was browsing dogs, and found this big mess of a dog with the biggest, happiest grin on his face. Black and white dog named Frankie who was found wandering the streets. He wasn't the guard dog I was looking for. But he was a pretty cool looking dog. I found some others, and found a Mastiff mix on their site as well. We decided to drive down and take a look at their dogs in person.

 

We got there, and looked at all the other dogs, taking some of them out to the front to get to know them. Some couldn't care less about us and wanted to sniff and wander around, others were crazy and jumping on us and licking. I was getting disappointed. But then, we looked at Frankie. In his kennel, the same mess of a dog sitting and looking at me, smiling with that white feather tip tail wagging so fast, I thought he would take off.

 

So we hooked him to a leash and took him out front. He looked up at me the whole time, watching where we were going to go. When I stopped, he sat, and looked at me. When he smelled the rabbits in the field, he looked and pointed. (He has the spots on his front legs and chest, so I assume based on his tracking and pointing he is mixed with Pointer)

 

My wife and I both fell in love instantly. We knew we would be taking him home. My wife then decided she wanted to look at the cats. So we took Frankie into the cat room. He couldn't care less (although the old grumpy cats weren't too thrilled he was there).

 

So we decided on Frankie and Rascal, a tabby cat, who are now known as Jude and Penelope. We loaded them into the Jeep and drove the 5 hours back home, without any issues.

 

Jude has been the best dog. He gets into mischief, but he always has that look on his face that lets you know you can't be mad at him for long. He's been my best friend, loyal, loving, strong, and brilliant. Some of the best times have been had with this dog, from sleeping next to me on the couch on a lazy day to hiking for days in southern Utah, we try to do everything together.

 

He's my best friend, and can't wait until we get our new house and can get him a new friend that he can train to be just as awesome as he is.

 

 

[nancy]

In 1967, when our first kid was ~6 months old, we got Vamp - a lab-shepherd mix. She was the best dog for us as our family grew to 3 kids. We were devastated when we had to give up on her in 1982 when she had her final stroke - with kidney and liver failure, heart problems, and all.

 

Then, in 1995, DH took "a bridge" to retirement from IBM on the day we flew to England for a fortnight. London, Winchester, Avebury, Nottingham - and then Dalton, outside Thirsk ("All Creatures", anyone?) We stayed on a farm right in the tiny village. They had horses in the barn, hens in the garden, bullocks (DH learned that they were not cows!), pigs out back, and sheep in the fields. And a border collie named Fergie. It was love at first meet. And then we went to the North Yorkshire Dales - and saw more working border collies. We were hooked.

 

But I didn't want to buy a dog. And I was more interested in a mix as I'd done some research and heard all the scare stories about "pure-bred border collies"I checked all the local rescues. By phone, back then. Got a line on a 5-week-old litter. But my husband's parents were in Florida and it was time for our annual trip and we'd need to board both our cat and a new pup within 2 weeks. I called the vet we used for our cat. They really didn't recommend boarding a dog that young. But the vet tech knew of a litter out east. Would we be interested when we got back. Sure, if we weren't committed.

 

We got back from Florida, and the vet tech drove east to bring back 4-5 pups - the last to be adopted from the litter of ~9. Mom was a border collie. Dad was thought to be a lab. But only Mom knew - and she wasn't talking. We met them all in an examination room. And fell in love with Fergie.

 

We had 15-1/2 wonderful years with her. When either of us meets a border collie now, our heart breaks. I find myself thinking, "when Fergie comes back..."

 

If we ever feel ready for another dog, she will have to be a border collie. Yes, probably another mix or dog of dubious origin. But we're hooked.

[Root Beer]

When my husband and I got engaged, we decided we would get a dog when we could. I had never even heard of Border Collies. I was a Lab fan. Almost one year into our marriage, my husband decided it was time. I didn't think we were ready, but he was set. I asked where he wanted a dog from and he said "the pound", so off to the SPCA we went. Although I wanted a Lab, we thought a Lab would be too big for our living situation, so we decided on a dog that would be "medium sized". I saw Sammie through the gate at the SPCA, asked to meet him, and we decided to adopt him. We had no idea what he was, just that he was a mutt of some kind. He was about a year old at the time.

 

Sammie, almost 2 years old:

 

 

We knew next to nothing about dogs when we adopted him, but we loved him and had so much fun in our first year with him that we decided to add a second dog about a year later. I was in our local pet store one day and I saw a puppy that looked almost just like him. I asked what kind of puppy that was and the salesperson said "Border Collie". He brought the puppy out and let me hold him and I was amazed at how much he looked like Sammie. I went home and told my husband that I wanted a Border Collie.

 

He hunted up a breeder and off we went and we fell head over heels in love with one of the puppies. That's a story in itself, but suffice it to say we brought Speedy home that day. This was actually taken a couple of months after we brought him home. He was about 4 months old here.

 

 

I came to love Border Collies because of Speedy.

 

Another Border Collie mix and two more Border Collies later, it's a party!!! Tessa, our youngest, is in the front to the left, Dean is the merle, Speedy has the stand up ears, Maddie (Border Collie/Lab mix) is the one behind Speedy. Sammie is not pictured, but we still have him, too!!

 

[juliepoudrier]

Um, it looks like Jude is now outnumbered by felines. I think you need to rememdy that!

 

And thank you for your service to this country.

 

J.

[judedog]

Oh, I'm doing my best to remedy that as soon as possible. Once we get into our new house, we'll be starting the process. I've really got my eye on Kruz and Tazor at the AZ BC Rescue.

[skiba]

I had wanted a dog of my own for a long time, but my parents had always told me no. That I wouldn't pick up after it and all that goes along with owing a pet, that it would be their dog to take care of. Finally, for my 17th birthday I was told yes. I scoured the internet and found an add in KSL of a lady looking to sell her Border Collie/Lab mix puppies. I looked no further, I called her and the next day we went to pick up Oliver. Looking back now, I wish I would have adopted or rescued also the fact that the puppies were 5 weeks old and I got first pick is a red flag of sorts.

I was young and didn't do my research, but I wouldn't have changed anything. I love my dog. He is so smart, affectionate, and beautiful. I was told his mother was half BC and half Lab, while his father was purebred BC, and to be honest I could care less. Oliver turned 2 on the 19th of this month and I baked him a cupcake and bought him some Frosty Paws and sang to him. My friends think I'm nuts, but they don't have a dog of their own. (Also, being 18 you wouldn't expect a teenage girl to love her dog more than boys and whatnot. xD)

After I got Oliver I started to do more research on Border Collies and fell more and more in love with them. Watching them herd is mesmerizing and the extent to which they understand you is amazing. I started teaching Oliver neat little tricks - which he picked up in 5-15 minutes every time. When I move out of my parents place I intend on rescuing a Border Collie, I've found my breed of choice. To me, no other dogs can compare. They're beautiful, brilliant, athletic, always ready to go, and to my surprise very, very loving. He's my shadow at home and goes everywhere with me. After /walk/park/play Oliver is always either sitting at/on my feet or on my lap. He doesn't play fetch endlessly, which I was bummed about at first, but I don't really care now.

I'm glad I got him when I did, when I was old enough to know what it meant to care for something. Paying for vet bills, food, toys, and also caring for them. Grooming, exercising, and training. I'm almost 19 now and he's 2, and we start agility this fall Oli has taught me so much, and as much as I would love to have a 'purebred' BC, I wouldn't trade my boy for the world.

 

Every Border Collie I've ever met is always so in tune with their owners. I love the fact they're a one person dog, it makes the bond that much stronger. Where ever we go Oliver is always right there with me, never going too far ahead and always waiting to see what we're doing next.

 

[Nansee]

When I was 20 my ex-husband and I lived/worked on a Cutting Horse ranch near Chico, CA. They had two Border Collies, Murk and Emily. Murk was the work until he dropped type and aptly named for his constant swimming in the water trough to cool off. Emily was a young pup who really wasn't all that into herding anything. She was more into loving people and wriggling into laps.

 

I didn't realize the value of such a quality working dog until one morning some really skittish calves broke loose of the pen and started running down the road. I didn't have a horse saddled so I couldn't catch them. I sent Murk on an epic lift and fetch, I went and set gates and within 30 min we had every calf back where they were supposed to be.

 

While I was in college I joined up with the student stockdog club. At the time I had a dog that we suspected was part Coyote. Poor Drew was 10 years old and we figured what the heck, after all the instructor had worked with coyotes before and I think taught one to work around sheep (this was Al Viera). I made lots of friends and wound up herding very few sheep. But a few months later I brought home a little black furball from the humane society. Shelby was a Sheltie/Border Collie mix and super smart. Horrible at herding (the whole flossing with wool was more fun) but great at Obedience, Agility and Flyball. She was my best friend for 12+ years until she was tragically hit by a car.

 

Now 4 years after her passing I've got Leila, a rescue pup who came from somewhere in the CA Central Valley. She's 4.5 months old, smart, hilarious, and we are going to have so much fun with her!

[BorderlineCrazy(:]

All these stories are so touching!

My dog was actually with me in a couple pictures in one of my photoshoots (: She pretty much just comes with me everywhere I go.

 

Love her to death. I can tell everyone here loves their dogs to the end of the earth and back. And I think almost everyone agrees that once you have a BC, no other breed can really compare (:

[bn_here_b4]

Tea, I wish I could say so much with so few words.

 

 

Hum, my story.....long tangled, lovely and sad.

 

 

 

But the thing that caught my heart

 

 

 

Was watching Sweep the Broom run out for me at Wessels. (This is a trial that I probably should not have entered!)

 

 

I know....I know......we didn't finish the run.

 

 

 

But I just today looked at the photo of him and I before I sent him.

 

I am tired and it shows.

 

 

 

But Sweep, the Broom he is happy.

 

 

 

And my Pete is behind us watching.

 

And it is a glorious day.

 

 

 

And the folks there were so nice!

 

 

 

And he went and brought me the sheep.

 

 

And when we went home

 

 

 

he got up the next day and worked.

 

 

 

Oh Broom.....How you hold my heart and ask for very little.

[beachdogz]

I first had German Shepherds. I took them to obedience class and, of course, it grew into dog shows, and more dogs for over 25 years. When the last one died, I decided no more dogs and we were dogless for about 3 years. I decided that if God wanted me to have a dog, he would bring one to me. So I had a client that was boarding a mix with me that she was going to get rid of when returning from vacation. In those two weeks, we fell totally in love with Stormy and I was convinced that he was meant to be with us. Stormy is by far the smartest and best dog I have ever owned (and I have owned a lot.)

 

A few years later I was boarding a BC mix with a fabulous personality. It reminded me of how I used to love watching BCs in obedience. I started to go on line (although I insisted I was just looking and NOT interested in getting one.) I had my own criteria: female, spayed, about 1-1/2 years, some kind of registration (in case I wanted to get back into dog sports) and "classic" black and white markings. Like I was gonna find all that! So one morning I went on line and there she was...a courtesy listing with Rescue with everything I wanted. Divine intervention again, it seemed. Made a phone call to the owner and picked her up a week later. It was a very long road to this dog adapting to us for many reasons, but she now realizes that she owns us. Kylie is not a hyper BC...she is calm...but very quirky...and I realized that I loved that quirkiness. Plus, I just love just looking at Border Collies.

 

About a year later, and many views on the Border Collie Boards, I decided that my next dog should be a split face. Then, I realized I also liked the red dogs. And so I thought a red and white split-face would be perfect. Had been looking off and on for one....thought I would like a puppy, but did not want to go the purchase route. Plus, I had two dogs and a full time job, and didn't know if I had the time to add a third. So one day my girlfriend calls and says the dog of my dreams was on a local Shelter website. I had lost my job earlier this year and so I was home all day. He was neutered and a red and white split face...about 2 or 3 yrs. old. Yep...the dogs of my dreams always seem to find me. Rusty has been at our home for two weeks now. He is very laid back (and that may be just transition) and has blended with the other two quite well.

 

I can only hope that I don't decide that I really like tri's...or merles...or smoothes....or....well, you know what I mean. These Border Collies can be ADDICTING!!!

[BorderlineCrazy(:]

I can only hope that I don't decide that I really like tri's...or merles...or smoothes....or....well, you know what I mean. These Border Collies can be ADDICTING!!!

 

Oh my god, hahah isn't that the truth. I have a thing for red BC's. Probably just because my girl is red, but I think they're exceptional (:

Unfortunately I can't have any more pets, no matter how badly I would like a second BC...We already have two cats and one kitten, along with my dog. We just don't have the money right now for a second dog, as my mom is saving up for her wedding, and just got a new car. (I get the 11 year old van..yay....) And by the time we'd be able to afford another dog, I'll have moved out. But I've decided that I want to transfer to TCU(a Texas school) after two years of JC, and take classes on ranch management. And then live out there in the country. And as a bonus on all that, my best friend is doing almost the exact same thing, and her family is moving out there to Texas. They have a guest house five minutes from the campus where I could live with my dog I'm pretty excited about it all.

Then I won't have to worry so much about resisting the temptations of Border Collies, when I'm living out on my own sheep farm.

[arf2184]

We always had mutts growing up. The first dog I remember was a "Benji dog" named Max, then we brought home a puppy, Lady, who grew up to be an high energy, overprotective black dog (looking back, I think she was part border collie), then red dog Lucy who was my best friend for 13 years, and black dogs Matty and Bear. It was with Matty that I got into training and started getting interested in dog sports. She did weight pulling and Frisbee. She was too big and slow to come close to competing against the Border Collies in Frisbee. Thats when I first was really introduced to Border Collies.

 

Then I went to a party at a friend's house and met his Border Collie, Panda. She was just an awesome dog who followed me around the whole time I was there (probably because I was the one willing to throw whatever toy she brought me).

 

Dad and I were watching an agility competition on TV and he mentioned how he would like another Border Collie and he told me about his dog that he had growing up who would run alongside his bike and went everywhere with them. After that, it was pretty much decided that our next dog would be a Border Collie.

 

Last year it was the right time for another dog and so I went looking and found Meg. She is awesome! I love having a dog that wants to go everywhere and will do just about anything (though sometimes she gives me the "you first" look...lol). I think at this point I'm pretty much stuck on Border Collies and can't imagine seeking out a dog that isn't a Border Collie in the future.

[PSmitty]

Welcome, Adri. Your Nelly is beautiful! I've really enjoyed reading everyone's stories.

 

I've always been a dog lover, but oddly enough, my husband is the one who first fell in love with a border collie. We were taking our lab mix to obedience class, and my husband adored the instructor's border collie. So when we decided to add another dog to the family, I searched Petfinder for border collies and found a cute BC mix puppy, and we adopted Jack. At the time, I belonged to another message board community and was befriended by Laura Carson, who had a beautiful smooth coated border collie. She invited me here, and I became super interested in all things border collie, including working stock. A few nice people encouraged me to try Jack on sheep and I've been sunk ever since. Jack is both a huge challenge, and yet his brains, instinct, energy and enthusiasm showed me just enough of what a border collie is, that I wanted more of them. I've since rescued two more and if I could talk my husband into it, I'd have another. It's hard to put into words sometimes, but once you have a border collie, you just get it.