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Met a red border collie for the first time today


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I was out hiking and met a man with a gorgeous red border collie he'd gotten from a pig farm in Oklahoma.

 

Just wanted to say I'd thought they weren't terribly pretty when red when I've seen pictures, but I think maybe I've just seen bad photos. Such a pretty dog. So maybe if you're looking for a border collie and you've mostly been looking at pictures, go meet some before you decide!

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I love the reds. I had a red foster for 6 months, but I have never had one of my own.

I don't choose my dogs for color (not even the gorgeous Dean Dog - I'm not a merle person, actually, although I think Dean is perfect), but I have a fervent hope that someday a future dog meant for me is a red!!! :D

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How many of your reds have faded?

 

I also would never pick a dog for color. But I've always been bummed when most of the rough coated red dogs I've seen have ended up somewhat dingy looking after being in the sun. The smooth coats have always stayed dark though! I have a potential litter (2 years away) in mind, and the parents are red smoothies, one tri. Not that I care about looks, but several half siblings have also had blue eyes. Ooh la la.

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How many of your reds have faded?

Quite the reverse, for me. I've had reds and red-tris that came in faded and after a few months of indoor life with proper food looked absolutely stunning. Take a look at the photos at http://azbcr.org/Adopt/AvailableBorderCollies/RescueDetails.aspx?rid=2247

 

Note the early ones where his coat was orangish and scruffy -- he came in as a failed Ranch dog. The later photos show his coat had revealed its true colour: glossy chestnut red. No wonder the nice lady who fostered him called him Dapper Dan.

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Bodhi was very faded when he was picked up as a stray. No one knows how long he was out on his own but he was very, very malnourished, which I'm sure contributed to the fading along with the KY sun.

 

As soon as he came into rescue and then to me (probably within about 3-4 weeks after being picked up) and started getting good, nourishing food (I switched him to raw soon after adopting him) he started getting darker and darker and darker till he reached a rich liver color with a nice red glow in the sun. If he's out a lot in the sun he might fade just a tiny but in the summer, but generally stays a nice dark brown.

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My red, avatar dog, goes from a dark auburn to what my ACK friends call liver, never looks faded or dry. The only other red I know fades very badly, but his nutrition isn't all that great. Both have a very intense no nonsense working attitude.

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Well my red dogs, who were also working dogs, but who lived in the house and were well nourished and well cared for all were a more orangey color. When they shed, their coats would come in darker, but over time they would fade. Maybe being outside more than the average pet made a difference, but they were by no means outside dogs or poorly nourished. (All three are in my sig line.)

 

J.

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Oh, gee, Julie. I was in no way suggesting that the dog who fade are left outside all the time or, especially, malnourished! I was just explaining what happened with Bodhi. I hope you didn't take it that way.

 

Bodhi really isn't outside as much as most working dogs are, even those who live in their people's houses. He doesn't want to be outside if I'm not out, and circumstances don't permit me to be outside nearly as much as I used to be, so he doesn't get all that much sun exposure.

 

ETA: "Orangey" very accurately describes the color Bodhi was when he was picked up. His coat was also very dry and brittle, in very poor condition, which I'm sure isn't the case with your dogs.

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No Roxanne,

I wasn't taking your comments that way at all. Besides you weren't the only one to make the diet/color connection. I was just pointing out that it's entirely possible for coats to fade even when dogs live indoors and are fed well! People who know me were used to hearing me complain about my orange dogs! (Because I love the deep liver color too.) :)

 

J.

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I was just pointing out that it's entirely possible for coats to fade even when dogs live indoors and are fed well! People who know me were used to hearing me complain about my orange dogs! (Because I love the deep liver color too.) :)

 

I'm a redhead and my hair goes from darker red in the winter to red-blonde in the summer, depending on how much time I spend outdoors. I live indoors and I'm fed well! ;)

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I only mentioned nutrition because the other red I know has such a nasty coat that I feel, in his case, nutrition has to play some part. My dog fades too, but his coat isn't coarse, dry, and brittle. His coat doesn't ever feel like it's sunburned This other dog has a much lighter coat even at it's darkest and it often feels burnt.

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I have a red dog. Something I have noticed is that heat and humidity seem to have more of an effect on his coat than the sun has. His coat only starts to fade when the heat gets over 100 degrees and the humidity drops like a rock. For Oklahoma that seems to be from late July to early Sept. His coat is fine the rest of the year.

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