ToffeesDad Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Adopted or Purchased? How did you aquire your furry kids? I adopted. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary M Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 By purchased I am assuming you are talking about directly from a breeder. The 5 we currently have now plus the 20 or so we have had over the last 20 years have been a combination of kill shelter rescues, road side rescues and ones we fostered and decided to be their forever homes. Since at this time I never see myself needing a purpose bred dog (i.e BC from working lines to work stock) I don't see a reason to consider buying from a breeder when there are so many wonderful animals just waiting for a forever home to take them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wolverine Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Missy, my mixed-breed (Border Collie/Belgian Shepherd) came to us in a "rescue" situation at roughly 13 months old, although she was incredibly well cared for. Her owner was dying, and worked through a rescue group to find his baby a good home. Missy is now 11 years old, and is a cancer survivor, as well as having survived reconstructive surgery at Boston Road Hospital in Springfield, MA to completely rebuild her right rear knee. Her owner's faith in us was well-placed; we have stood by this dog through every trial, as we have with all our dogs, regardless of the cost involved. In fact, I think our vet was able to open her new hospital based on what we have paid her through the years...LOL Annie, our Border Collie, was purchased from Eye Spy Border Collies in Niantic, CT. She is now 5 months old (today, in fact). I could not have been more pleased with the transaction, and the e-mail support that Anne Devine has provided after the purchase in continuing to supply advice and guidance when needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Red Dog: some random, not-very-good breeder in ID gave him to me when he was 5 months old. She said she couldn't sell him so I took him. He is almost 8 years old now. Tweed: I adopted Tweed from BC Rescue in WA State. He and all his siblings were born in rescue. He was 2 weeks old when I picked him out and 6 weeks old when I got him. He is a very, very strange animal but we like him anyway. Tweed will be 5 in the New Year. Piper: Piper was a stray at a local shelter when she was 4 months old. They asked us to take her into rescue because she was so cute she was generating interest, but she was also generating the wrong kind of interest. So I collected her as a foster dog and, um, failed fostering. Piper turned 2 last week. I don't think I will ever buy a dog, simply because I don't have to. We get oodles of wonderful dogs in rescue and since I don't make my living working stock, I can't imagine why I would ever need to spend money on a purchased dog. RDM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 My male BC, Jazz (5 1/2 yrs) was purchased and is the love of my life. He comes to work with me and is just one cool fellow. Zachary, my miniature schnauzer, I adopted from the shelter where I'm on the board...he had lived with his family for 6 years when they decided 'he barked too much'...the vets refused to de-bark him, so he wound up at shelter. Since I'd been looking for a companion dog for Jazz, he seemed a good choice..small and sturdy. I've had him for 3 1/2 years...and have never regretted it once. Yes...he still barks alot - Yakkety Zak is his nickname Finally, my female BC, Cricket. I acquired her...sort of accidently. I had been asked to help the couple who had purchased her from a 'breeder' - I will use this term VERY loosely The couple, both disabled, were having a heck of a time with a busy 5 month old BC. She was a nervous wreck.. you could not even sneeze near her without her acting fearful. Needless to say, I fell head over heels for this sweetie...so after working with her for about a month...I paid the owners what they had paid the 'breeder'. Part of Cricket's problem...she had severe hip dysplasia which had been originally diagnosed as panosteitis...so a very expensive surgery later...she's doing very well. She still as many issues, but we're working on them. I guess in answer to your question...I'd look into a shelter/rescue first. There are alot of wonderful dogs that need homes and will give you all the love you can possibly want! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 In the order that I got them: 1. Indy, border collie x aussie, 10, from the Pet Assistance League (they take dogs off death row in kill shelters) at ~18 months. 2. Willow, border collie, 7, Appalachian Mountain Border Collie Rescue at ~2 years. 3. Farleigh, border collie, will be 6 in December, adopted from owner's widow after owner died (i.e., private rescue) at 18 months. 4. Boy, border collie, will be 10 in March, given to me by his former owner as my beginner trial dog (Willow being the other beginner trial dog) at age 5. 5. Twist, border collie, turned 3 yesterday, bought as a puppy from a working bred litter and brought home at 7 weeks. One of my working/open trial dogs. 6. Jill, border collie, 8, retired from trialling (open level) by her former owner and given to me as a "schoolmaster" trial dog nearly two years ago. My other open trial dog. 7. Kat, border collie, 4, bought as a trained dog (except for needing to learn to shed properly, which we are working on) this time last year. My open ranch trial dog. And as if I didn't have enough dogs, I am on a list for a pup from a "litter to be," which hasn't yet been bred. This will be another working litter so that I will have a youngster to bring along once Kat moves to open and Jill retires. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 I don't have furry kids. I have dogs. That said: Solo: I acquired him from a shady "rescue" person who handed him over to me with no background checks and without looking back. This is a story that has been told many times now so I won't go over it here. He was 16 months old then and is five years old now. I've put enough money and man-hours into him to have afforded a pretty nice dog -- a trained dog, not a puppy -- but you know, it was worth it, especially since it looks like he got me a job (more later on that). Fly: I purchased Fly as a trained sheepdog when she was about three years old so that I could learn to handle and compete in sheepdog trials, and so Solo could have a well-adjusted buddy. I decided on a trained dog because I had to know that the dog would be good at working sheep (I do not have the time or space to keep getting more dogs if one doesn't work out) and because the trained sheepdogs I knew were the most stable, sane dogs I had ever met. She turned out to be exactly what Solo needed and I've had so much fun with her that I don't care that it took a year to pay for her. She will be six years old on Christmas. Skeeter: A friend of mine took Skeeter off the hands of his second owner, who was having a hard time dealing with his activity level (and it's high, no joke, even by Border Collie standards) and penchant for resource guarding. She thought he would make a good agility dog and asked me if I was interested since I used to have a small dog. I guess you'd call this a private rescue. I've had Skeeter for a few months now. Yesterday he turned three. I am going to try to maintain a rescue/buy/rescue/buy pattern as much as possible in the future. I will definitely buy more well-bred working Border Collies (pup or adult) but will also always have rescued dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Well I only have one BC-type, but we have quite a few animals... Oreo, my loverly BC-mix, was "purchased" from a schoolfriend whose dog had a litter. *sigh* I was in elementary school at the time. Oreo's now 9, and my true heart-dog. Tessa, brother's lab-rottie mix, was adopted from a rescue in WA 8 hours away. He picked her out and then waited a few weeks to get her when she was 8 weeks old. She's now 9 months old and a complete doll. Zeeke, fiance's crazy german shepherd, we adopted at the beginning of this summer from a local shelter. They estimated his age at about a year, and it was flatly obvious why someone gave him up: he has huge amounts of energy, a dominant personality, and was never given training in manners. (Who trains their dog to sit and lay down, but doesn't train them not to bite or jump on you??) And the cats... First one arrived in our carport 15 years ago, as a little black bundle of fur. Mom said, "No way," dad said, "We'll find the owner." Instead, we found out someone had dumped a litter of kittens, and he found his home with us. Second one I brought home in grade 12. Friends at school had found a litter of kittens at the side of the road when they were camping in the boonies. They grabbed the 3 they could reach (there were more who wouldn't get out of the hole they had wedged themselves into). Two of them were being kept by friends, the third friend's mom said NO WAY. I went over to her house, fell in love with the little grey spitfire, and brought him home. He's 5 now. And the last cat, I got in August. I was helping out at a cat shelter all summer, and I fell in love with this one. Months later, after watching me mope for months, fiance suggested getting a cat. So I did. I ended up bringing him back to my parents' with me for my last year of school. He's a very unique personality, that's for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
border_collie_crazy Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Happy(BC) I got from Weskys Kennels, a seemingly nice border collies breeder, but once you get to know her you find that she has some sort of brain malfunction or something, I swear, she bred Happy, but hates her because she exeded her expectaions! see she decided when Happy was a little puppy that Happy would NEVER be a flyball dog, well Happy ended up being the BEST flyball she ever bred, well she hates to be wrong, so well she hates Happy because she is good at what she was bred for :confused: lol I dont quite understand her logic. Misty(BC) I got from a cattle ranch in weyburn, her mom works cattle for a living, her grandsire was an agribion winner, her sire is owned by Luke Ellingson, and works cattle in various places during the rodeo circut, so I was not able to see him when I got Misty. Ripley(mix) and Perky(JRT mix) are from the shelter, and swapped jobs lol perky was to be a flyball dog and Ripley to be a pet, well Ripley is a fl;yball dog and perky is a pet, well perky also does musical freestyle, and is entering her first compition soon(video entry) Blair(pyrshep) is from Happys breeder, he was given to us as placment because he was not a "typy" pyrshep and the breeder did not want to send him anywhere as an example of her dogs lol we felt sorry for him so we took him. he is the most annoying dog on the planet, not to mention the dumbest lol the annoying part is because he is so dumb lol that dog forgets what game he is playing in the middle of playing it, I dont mean he decids to stop, I mean he gets halfway to the toy stops, turns around and looks at you with this blank look in his eyes, you try to tell him to do something and you get this reponce like "huh?" :confused: lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Kennels Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 I normally refer to mine as my four legged kids. I guess since my two legged one grew up and left the nest. Levi - He is my five year old merle purchased from a breeder when we moved out to the farm. Turned out he has little instinct to work but still has our hearts. He will bring the sheep in from the pasture or hold them in the barn but becomes bored very quickly once he feels the job is accomplished to his satisfaction. He is great with the frisbee and has entertained our frisbee throwing friends often. Shy - She is a 5 year old private rescue that came from great working lines but was never started. She is an awesome dog with tons of attitude. Abby - 13 month old female from Shy. She has recently started training on stock and is going to be an awesome working dog. Jet - 7 month old male puppy purchased to train on stock for trialing from a great herding line. He has a shining personality and is always a joy to be around. Scrappy - 7 month old private rescue. He has a lot of interest in stock and I look forward to seeing him begin to train. Two puppies from this litter went to working homes. Trip - 8 year old purchased open trial dog. If I had to pay for him per lesson he has taught me it would run in the millions. I am crazy about this guy! When he finally retires he will spend his days laying around the office and his nights sleeping in my bed - but I am sure we have several more years together in the trial field. Gizmo - little Shih Tzu found on the side of the road. I could have purchased a pure bred registered show quality dog for what this little guy has cost! He is a trooper that tags along to every dog trial and never complains. His attitude is such that he is so glad he rescued me! I spent several years in rescue before I moved to our farm and started purchasing dogs from known working lines. I would not trade a moment I have spent with any rescue or personally owned dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airbear Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Originally posted by ToffeesDad:Adopted or Purchased? Bear - approx. 8 year-old Aussie mix adopted from Vancouver SPCA in 1999. Best $80 EVER spent, greatest dog ever, my once-in-a-lifetime heart dog and buddy (how's THAT for over-the-top): Wicked - almost 4 year-old borderline collie adopted from RDM and TDBCR in 2002. Second best dog ever, loves to cuddle, loves to bark, loves life in general, crazy agility dog, never fails to make me laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaelinTess Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 In addition to Tess, I have two cats. They were kittens when I got them from a rescue. They are now both 6 years old. I got Tess from a responsible breeder just over a year ago; no rescue would give me the time of day because I didn't have a fenced yard. Allie & Tess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glittergirl1970 Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 i adopted dixie from a senior dog rescue group in cleveland. the $90 adoption fee was the best money i ever spent! dixie is truly my "heart dog". when i got her she was pretty sick (she has cushing's.) but her treatment has gone really well and she's the picture of health now. treatment is expensive, but she's worth it. she looks to be pure bred border collie, so i've enjoyed coming to this board to find out more about the bred. now i know why she tries to herd the cats! i just adopted a 2nd dog named griffin. he's also a rescue. i thought dixie needed a younger man around, LOL! griffin is a big terrier mix and they think he's about 5. he's black like dixie and about the same size, and as soon as he walked in she seemed to recognize him. i also have 4 cats that were all rescues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 I was trying to figure out how to say what Melanie said about the "furry kids" term until she went ahead and said it. Thanks. I adopted my first four dogs and my first three cats, the cats being all rescues of my own. At that point I co-founded Carolina Border Collie Rescue, after several years in general animal rescue and helping out with an out-of-state Border Collie group. I also acquired a farm, and realized that to run a farm, one didn't need a dog that "herded", but one that actually had specific skills appropriate to the stock and one's operation. I heard about Rick from his breeder - his owner didn't want him anymore and wanted to return him. She had bought him as a pet but couldn't control him. His breeder wasn't exactly what you'd call a role model for breeders of Border Collies, but she did have some nice dogs. Rick was related to a dog I really admired and it sounded, from his owner's description of him he took after him. He's an Open trial dog now in addition to being our main work dog. My next dog I got from the owner of the dog I admired - she was a grandpup. I got her at seven weeks. For my husband we bought a partly trained dog from our trainer - that's Doug the Dog. My next pup was just born, actually sired by the dog I liked, out of a female that goes back to some similiar breeding to my Ben dog (one of the rescues). In future, any pet dogs I get will be rescues, but I'll get working dogs from trainers I know, and lines I know, will work here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Kennels Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 What - would ya'll prefer the affectionate term be changed to "hairy kids"?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 No, hairy kids would be young goats - Angoras, maybe. Which my dogs love to work. They are stinkers when they grow up, however. The Angoras, not the dogs. How 'bout "pups", beasties (my favorite), or the technical term, "furkids" which I still dislike but has kind of become a part of the vernacular. "Dogs" is good too and highly respectful of their position as working partners in my operation. I wouldn't call an employee "boy", "honey", or "sweetie", after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea4th Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 Maybe it's my upbringing, but I think it's more of my life's experience that I can think of no more a term of respect to call my dogs, dogs. They are not my kids. I'll call them stuff like "sweetheart", "baby", but when I talk about them to anyone, they are my dogs, and anyone who knows me, knows that is a term of respect in itself. It's too bad that in our society, dog is a derogatory term and if someone wants to call their dogs their furkids, furbabies, that's OK too. At least it shows they care for them. If someone, and it's happened, makes snide remarks about how I regard my dogs, then I'll let them have it with both barrels. Maybe, if out of 100 jerks, someone rethinks how they regard "dogs", because of their encounter with me, then that's all the better. In the meantime, my dogs are my dogs, beloved and not children in fur coats. Vicki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Kennels Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 It's interesting to have this topic as we were just talking at the trial this weekend about the things we call our dogs - some might not have sounded so sweet if it was not known in what affection it was being said. It was interesting to hear one handler call hers "Doodles" at the pen. I think that kind of thing is cute. I know I have called Abby by her nickname "Baby Bop" while working. My trainer cringes. I cannot think of a person of which I have more love, respect for than my son (two legged version). When I call my "four legged kids" such it is said with much respect, love and yet still preserves every bit of the dignity of my working partner and companions. Anyone that knows me well enough would more than confirm this statement. My dogs, despite what they are called, still walk with their heads very high. If I need to be hit over my head for refering to my dogs as part of the family - anyone can go ahead. But I can assure you that I will not judge anyone for whatever they decide to call theirs. BTW - I have never actually called them "Hairy kids". That sounds like a small monster of sorts - cannot find the affection in that one.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 Vicki - I don't think it matters WHAT you call them, at least to me - it's how you treat them, love them, that matters. I call my pets my fur kids/babies... partially because I DO feel like a mother to them - I'm not a very motherly person, I don't like human kids very much, so this is as motherly as I get sometimes, lol. And partially I call them my kids so people understand how much they mean to me. When my relatives come over and say, "Why do you let your DOG inside?" (Yes, my parents have to physically hold me back sometimes at some of the things relatives have said)... well, calling them my babies means it's more likely people will refer to them with respect when I'm around. I'm not making a whole lot of sense, am I. That's what I get for spending two whole days staring at computer code without much breaks. *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 I don't have "furkids" (which I admit I find cloying cutesie). Rather, I have monsters, as Piper proved in her rampant sheep-murdering attempt in the Rookie class today ("Look mum! I can make sheep FLY!!"). Sometimes I have @$$holes, like tonight during the playoffs of the Championship Lip Lifting Competition between Red Dog and Piper. I also own a Sneaky Bastard ("I took the bone away from you for a reason, TWEED, so leave it the $%#@! on the table where I put it!") But furkids, I do not have. I don't feel like they are my children. My trials, my crosses to bear, yes. Children? Not so much. RDM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 I am laughing as sometimes my children seem like trials or crosses to bear depending on behaivor and moods. While the dogs seem relatively easy at certain times too. Having witnessed said sheep flying exhibition today, I will add that it was more impressive than just Luke's demonstration of "Look Mom, I can hold them on the fence, Look at me!" Caroline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrokath Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 I got Whisky from a breeder. She is an Australian dog bred for showing, so she is one of the 'Barbie collies' so many of you speak of, but she is a lovely dog. The breeder was very responsible - saw our family, asked about our circumstances, insisted on Whisky being spayed, kept in contact via email and so on. I went to the pound to try to rescue a dog, but the majority were Rottie or Staffie crosses, and I was told that they rarely had Border Collies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabreur Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 I found Turbo abandoned on the street in front of my office. I adopted Merlin from a family that couldn't keep him anymore. MR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 Duncan was purchased and brought home at 6 weeks Starr was purchased and brought home at 3 months (if I remember correctly) Moss was purchased as a fully trained open dog Gyp and Rae were "made" Jody was purchased at about 8 weeks Peg was purchased as a started dog at 1.5 years Jasper was adopted Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 Mark, what do you mean that Gyp and Rae were "made"? Nutmeg (a female Red Bone Coonhound) and Arwen (a female Airedale Terrier) - purchased Beau (a male Bluetick Coonhound) - purchased Jet (a mature male Aussie, retired stud dog) - purchased Kate (a mature female GSD, retired producer of service and police dogs) - rehomed with us Ebony (a mature stray GSD female) - showed up in our barn one morning, starving, and kept Jiggs (a mature male Airedale) - rehomed with us Eagle (a young male Aussie dumped along the roadside) - brought home and kept Pup (a Border Collie pup, dumped along the roadside) - brought home and kept Rocket (a Border Collie/Aussie cross pup, who became a great stock dog) - given to us by a western NY farmer MacDougal and MacLeod (Aussies, 8 weeks old) - purchased from a western NY farm family that bred purebred working Aussies. Skye (purebred working Border Collie, 7 weeks old) - purchased from Karen Lacy Celt (purebred working Border Collie, 7 weeks old) - given to me by Karen Lacy when Skye died Megan (purebred working Border Collie, 9 months old) - rehomed with us We've bought dogs for a purpose, have picked up roadside strays, and have taken in dogs that needed a new home. We've loved them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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