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ejano

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  1. Hello, thank you for asking. They have adjusted. We've been playing games to teach them how to work together and they seem a bit happier. I went through a pretty bad time last week but I know its not the right time for a pup. I've signed up for a pup out of a litter to be bred next spring. I will hold out that long and then see what happens... Hugs to you and your little terrier.
  2. Thank you D'Elle. Yes, all happy memories. I have to say he was one of the happiest, bombastic dogs I've ever seen. Brodie and Gidget are simply lost... without him, they don't know how to play. We're back to our silly pet tricks sessions every evening. They like that. They will be 14 in March (littermates to Robin). I expect they will live another year at least. Ladybug (the small girl on the right) was 17 and a half when she died. She told us it was time to let her go and we did. I was prepared for a slow winding down but not this sudden angry attack on his body. He must have hid it for awhile...I noticed that he was having difficulty swallowing and was only eating wet food... I thought he had a problem with his teeth and then the vet found the enlarged lymph nodes that were pressing on his throat and esophagus making it difficult for him to swallow and to breathe. Nothing could be done but palliative care. I signed up for a pup from an expected breeding next spring. Lots could go wrong and the breeding might not happen; I might not connect with one of the pups (I get second pick) but it keeps me from going to the pound and scooping up a dog that will be totally unsuitable for me and it gives me time to come to terms with what I want -- and something to dream about. The breeding is a working dog line but I'm kind of hoping there will be a tri-color (black/white with a bit of tan). We'll see That is why I am interested in any research on lymphoma... certain lines etc. might influence my decision. Thank you again.
  3. It's been three months and my heart is still breaking with the reality of not having Robin in my life. Old-timers may remember that I joined nearly 14 years ago to talk about my puppies - Robin and Brodie. and our sweet Ladybug who died at 17 1/2 two years ago (the three dogs in my whatever you call it.) I was bruised and broken from some pretty tough surgeries including a knee replacement and lung cancer. I was lying in bed, high on painkillers, looking for information about my soon to be pups. Well, we waded through puppyhood, through sheep (We still have 10), and fourteen years later, here a I am again - this time there are are no painkillers for the pain in my heart. When I signed up for a puppy, I was in the midst of lung cancer surgery. In my grief-stricken moments I feel like Robin took that cancer from me and carried it until the burden became to heavy for him. There are some treatments for lymphoma but given Robin's age (13 and a half at the time), it seemed better to give him as many good days as were available to him and when the day came that wasn't so good, well there's the heartbreak. For Robin, every day was a good one. He never, not once, failed to great me with his usual happy grin and his big white paws on the edge of the bed. Of course he slowed down, but he was always there, always ready when I looked for him. That last day I looked out of the window and watched him, knowing he couldn't see me. He was tired - running on the love in his heart - and he laid down half way across the lawn, head on his front paws. That night was the first night he ever left my bedside. I laid down with him in the hallway and he turned his head. I knew I was making the right decision. It was time but his heart wouldn't let him go easily. Because of the lymph nodes swelling against his throat, he couldn't eat anything except the softest foods and the steroids we were giving him to buy some time were making him so hungry...his final meal was ice-cream which he ate with gusto but it eventually made him sick. So we went on a short ride to see a very kind and compassionate vet; he died in my arms; I buried him at the end of the sheep pasture above the creek. There's a stone on his grave and someday when I feel like I can, I will go sit on it. ETA The time his cancer metastasized to his death was less than three weeks. The reason I am posting this in Health in Genetics is I want to know more about the genetics of lymphoma in border collies and its early warning signs. Have there been studies done on the genetics of different lines? I also want to point out in the picture below that Robin (my beautiful red dog of course) had his ears standing straight up. This picture was taken a little over a year before his cancer metastasized... His ears went all kinds of ways most of his life - mostly one ear flopped and another ear forward (I have pictures if anyone is interested). This last year, his ears were always on alert... we laughed and said he was imitating his sister (on the left of the picture - she came back to the breeder and then to us after her previous owners died.) but looking back I now believe that his constant pricked ears had something to do with the lymphoma moving into his lymph nodes.... has anyone ever heard of that? I would prefer no Monday morning quarterbacking on the end of Robin's life. I made a decision that preserved his dignity. He was horrified and ashamed the few times he was sick in the house... he preferred to be outside but it was getting so cold...he was nothing but fur and bones. The cancer robbed all of the nutrition I could get into him. I miss him so much that it is nearly unbearable at times. We have sweet Brodie and Gidget, but Robin was my everything - He was always there for me - and now he's not.
  4. I watched a NatGeo program on Sunday evening about service dog breeding and training. I think much of the program was filmed in Britain. One of the tests done early on was to observe the dog to see which front paw it moved when it started to walk, suggesting that dogs are strongly left or right pawed. It was explained that a right pawed dog was the better choice for a service dog because they are thought to be more emotionally stable and more of a "people dog". It was added that dogs whose hair goes in counter-clockwise swirls are also chosen above dogs whose hair goes clockwise (I think I have this right but it might be the other way). So....first thing I did was check my three. All are strongly left pawed. All of my dogs are very stable in regard to noise, motion. Lady likes men, but not women. Brodie loves everybody - I take him into my mother's assisted living complex and he visits with men, women, old, young (staff), including stroke patients and the learning disabled residents. He's been to nursing homes as well and doesn't react to plastic gloves, those floaty dr gowns, wheel chairs, walkers, IVs and carts rattling down the hall. To him it is all part of the scenery. He brings a great deal of comfort to people. A man who rarely talks or shows emotion whistles and smiles when he sees Brodie and Brodie runs to him. Robin likes certain people really well and tolerates others. He shows no preference for men or women but rather focuses on those who seem to really like him. He doesn't react well to people who are learning disabled. He is also the dog that really, really, *really* likes sheep. Brodie likes sheep too but he has his own off switch; he'll look then walk away. Robin needs to be called off, repeatedly until he is out of sight of them and headed somewhere interesting - like the creek. (Brodie and Robin are littermates by the way) I thought I might train Robin in some assistance skills during his first year when I was quite ill. I had specific things in mind - to be able to carry a pack, to pick up things (laundry and whatever else I dropped.), to open handicapped doors, and to help me balance by walking very close to my left side, the direction I tended to tilt. I took him everywhere that I thought I might want to go when he was a pup - even the library, which is one of four buildings in my town that actually has an elevator. He did well with going out, was great with walking once he learned to heel (that was a battle!), and took to a pack with grace. I decided to not risk socks, etc. when he was young because he was a chewer of some regard. I did teach him and Brodie to pick up their toys and put them in a basket; very handy when it comes time to mow the lawn. I thought that Rally might be "my thing" with Robin. It moved at a slow enough pace that I felt I could do it. I realized partway through the first class that he wasn't loving it at all. He would do the moves for me quite well but he was only doing it to please me - his heart wasn't in it. We tried agility. I wasn't loving that too much - too expensive to do, I thought. All that equipment to buy or build. One day I was at a friend's who had a fenced ring, practicing my rally moves. She and a friend were doing a lesson with their Border Collies. Robin came alive; really alive. I saw for the first time how focused and happy he was when he was doing something that he was bred for. Looking at him, I remembered the Border Collies of my childhood and how they effortlessly and beautifully they worked and took such joy in what they did. I sat down with my dog and made him a promise - that we would do that. So we did. Robin still helps me with things. We continue to work on doors, going out in crowds and visiting different stores. He walks easily on a leash when I push the cart. Sometimes I let him pull the cart. He's not a mouthy dog, except for his toys - having been corrected more than once for chewing as a pup. (I think that will be Brodie's job. He's actually much more trick oriented and quicker to learn than Robin.) I've recently realized that Robin orders my life. He has recently decided that 6 AM is a good time to be rising and when he nudges me I know that it is five minutes to the hour. He's also woken me at night when I've been thrashing about in a nightmare. 10 PM is bedtime. He shows marked concern when I stay up late grading papers. While he's flexible on his feeding time, about 3 PM (but only on weekends) he starts in talking about "going to the farm" because that is when we feed on the weekends. The other two dogs do not exhibit these clock watching skills. Scotty, the dog I lost, did to the 9th degree. Dinner was served at the same time every night and when it was time to go out, he sat in front of the television until someone moved. So, my dogs are not service dogs by definition but they do preform jobs and could learn more. The thing is, it isn't what makes Robin and Brodie the happiest. They do what we ask and as the bond has grown, offered some behaviors because they love us. What they love to do, is sheep, cows, chickens... I think a Border Collie could be trained to do just about anything - but you really have to ask yourself. Is the dog's heart really in it? Though you can control some variables, a single pup from even the best bred litter is a crap shoot regardless of how it is raised. You might want the experience of breeding/raising your own pups, which many people do. I would have loved to have a pup by Robin or out of Ladybug - but what would have happen to the other five or six in the litter? You have to ask yourself - is it for you - or them? Will the animal - be it a dog, a horse, or a frog - , be fulfilled in what you want it to do? What will you do if it washes out? We don't have many choices in life, but we do have the choice about what kinds of animals we bring into our lives, what we do with them, and how we treat them. What will you do if the animal washes out of its expected work? I think it is fair to categorize me as a pet owner. Any animal that I own means a commitment for the natural life of that animal. With nine sheep, 3 dogs, and a cat, I'm pretty well booked up for the next 10 years or so. I won't be bringing so much as a goldfish into this house - and I have to say that when you go from two dogs to three, it's a whole 'nother country. If you are serious about being fair to the animal you want for a service dog, get one that has a better than average chance of being able to do the job you want. Get a Border Collie to work sheep. I guess this is my swan song on this board....not that folks will really miss me but I'm going to gain back an hour or two a week that I spend reading these bickering threads....there's just something fascinating about a train wreck but I think I can do without it.
  5. Four years ago I thought I might want a few Shetlands because I thought they were cute. Somehow I ended up with 4 big sheep - Clun Forest Tunis X and two very cute Shetlands. We added two Shetlands last year and one Tunis ewe lamb this year. Nine sheep seem to be about at the tipping point. I think if we had even one more, "fun" would become "work." It has been a good experience, though more expensive than I thought it would be initially. We do not breed but I do have the fleeces of the Tunis X Clun made into yarn and this year, for the first time was able to sell all of my product to a local yarn store where it is being well received by customers. Last year I was able to consign about half of it. And, honestly - how much does golf cost a year? I could be doing something that had no return on investment. I have learned to spin and play with the Shetland fleeces, which I send out to be processed into roving. This year I have also sold some roving. I have met my initial goal of paying for processing of all that wool with the sale of the yarn (keeping the Shetland for myself) and now need to balance out profits/expenses. I've bought just about everything I need to operate save for two small investments; those being a heated hose to draw water from the well in the winter and a second modulator for the electronet fencing so I can have one section on the solar charger and one up by the barn, plugged in. I've learned to give my own shot, administer deworming and to trim hooves. Shearing is best done by a professional. It seemed to me that many expenses are associated with poor condition or lambing. I feed them way too well but it keeps them healthy and again, we don't breed so knock on wood, no big health issues. Some of you may recall that when I started out on these boards with my Red Dog, then a Red Pup, I posted a picture of him, saying proudly that he'd been chosen as "Puppy of the Month" on a website devoted to pet dogs, most of them pocket-sized. It was a cute photo and he was definitely a candy-coated dog. Among the comments, someone said, " Well, we know where this is going to end up." Actually, no-one knew where I was going to end up, especially me. I was quite ill at the time, dangerously so and the thing that got me up and kept me going was thinking about what I could do with my puppy if I could only get well. We've gone places I didn't dare imagine back then - not as far as I would like in terms of training or trialing, but we've done our best to become a team and the sheep are the best thing that we (that is my husband and I) to help us focus on things besides doctors appointments. We still have a great time with them. They are tame enough to have their own personalities but in mixing them up and not working them too often, I get a chance for different training opportunities. We enjoy watching their interactions with each other and the hierarchy they've established. I see two of the big ones that any sensible person would have culled for their attitudes but in a flock this small, they can be managed and their wool is wonderful. They have a healthy respect for the dogs, which is an important factor in handling them. Four years later, I can call Robin a "started" dog. He is almost too dedicated to his task in that he simply cannot stay away from the sheep when he is at the farm. He might do a lap in the field, then head right back to the gate again. He will work until he drops. He's got his sides (as do I!) , an outrun, lift and fetch. He still goes hell-bent for leather, so we're working on taking time. And who knows where we'll end up? The best thing about the sheep is being able to interact with them and the dog. I was at a lesson last week, watching the trainer do some work with Robin. He fell into line immediately with her and I thought - how beautiful and purposeful the communication between them. It truly is what these dogs were made for and it is a rare privilege to be a part of it.
  6. Adorable! Robin's ears did this at about the same age. I was positive he was going to be prick-eared at that point but he is are always sideways now.
  7. It depends a great deal on the dog's prey drive, I think. I had one who tolerated kittens to the point where my little orphan Tiger Lily would curl up in his tail and they'd both take a snooze. As an adult cat, Tiger Lily teased the pups when they came but as they grew she started to recognize them as potential pals. Imagine my Robin's surprise when she tried curling up in his tail while he was sleeping! He didn't hurt her but he about hit the ceiling in surprise. Brodie has been pretty tolerant as well. I think the boys would have left Tiger Lily completely alone if she had not taunted them into chasing her when they were pups. She'd smack them then take off across the yard for one of the fence posts, scramble up and laugh at them jumping about her. She stopped doing it when she realized they were no longer fat little puppies and could outrun her. Now she is very careful to not trigger a chase response when she slides by them. She and Robin occasionally snooze near each other but not on top of each other. Ladybug had obviously been taught to not chase cats before we got her. Now at 14, she sometimes forgets and starts to stalk Tiger Lily but she never harms her, though I get the feeling she would have been a devil with cats if not for her training as she is a grizzly bear when it comes to small - and not so small furry critters such as squirrels and bunnies. In her salad days she even caught an adult turkey by snapping its legs when it rose up in front of her to try to fly away. She shook the daylights out of a baby woodchuck earlier this year and yesterday she tried digging her way through the car floor board yesterday when she saw another woodchuck by the roadside. If only I dared let her have a real go at them I might have a garden! We've had BCs who would "stalk the wild woodchuck" but they can really hurt a dog and Ladybug is an old girl now, though she's in pretty good shape.
  8. Lamb Chops 1, or maybe 2 or 3 - Robin Zero. When Robin goes into his head, Lamb Chops attempts to head butt or catch him in the side. He's made some hard contact a couple of times, the latest this morning. Robin's method of dealing with this is to run around behind him and boost him into the right direction by startling him and Lamb Chops moves when Robin comes up from behind but sometimes I don't want him to do that. Lamb Chops darn near flattened me the other day and it would be really helpful if the dog could get between me and Lamb Chops and really teach him a lesson about playing games with people before he ends up mutton. It has to be Robin's methods because Lamb Chops doesn't play these games with Brodie who does have a "bite". He goes into him with his jaws snapping like an alligator (but no contact). I've never heard Robin do that. He's given a warning growl or two when an inquisitive lamb has come up to him but otherwise, he's all push. They see him coming and they move except for Lamb Chops who tries to challenge him. How do I put a controlled bite into this dog? Should I even try? He's not a mouthy dog - he doesn't carry things, he doesn't "take" anything except food.
  9. I was referring to the military service dogs. It is heartbreaking to see what they and their handlers go through - then to be separated at the end of a tour - or worse, when one is injured. Back then, the most popular dog in our area were farm collies and hound dogs (beagles, hunting hounds). Times have sure changed.
  10. My aunt's boxer has been diagnosed with an allergy to some kinds of grasses -- his feet/legs break out in hives at its worst. The first symptoms were intensive leg/foot licking.
  11. :) Ladybug brings Ken toys when he's snoozing - thinking maybe he'll play with *this* one. I wish I knew more about Ladybug. She wasn't our first BC but she is the only one for whom we have no history. She was so well trained - it took us years to ruin her and still the only thing approaching misbehavior that she does is point her nose at the cat now and then. I'm still learning new things avout her - when I try something new with the boys, she says "Oh, I know that.." I did try to teach them how to fetch shoes and she got this wary look on her face. "We never touch shoes, dear..." Somewhere along the line - as a puppy perhaps, she must have been a chewer. As far as what I should have known - more about training a herding dog. We could have come much further, much faster if I'd studied the whole thing more seriously before we started. Thankfully, Border Collies have a forgiving heart. I also would have done more math (never my forte) and realized I could have taken a heck of a lot of lessons, and traveled to trials for what I've spent on my spoiled sheep. But then, what would Ken and I do with all that spare time
  12. In the years my mother worked for the state health department, the largest numbers of reported dog bites involved labs. That said, it could be possible to separate the working Labs from the every day ones you meet on the street. They really are victims of bad breeding and bad handling. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blog.timesunion.com/dogs/files/2011/12/bomb-dog.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blog.timesunion.com/dogs/category/military-dogs/&h=440&w=600&sz=60&tbnid=tAQ6kGkNFLvyIM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=123&zoom=1&usg=__SbkG7fySw1VGB8eRBAlzZDu4MkQ=&docid=nW42lTmT_U9uJM&sa=X&ei=u-zzUfe1AoTB4AOJ64H4Bw&ved=0CDMQ9QEwAg&dur=614
  13. Do you think the itch has evolved into a bad habit? The only other possibility I could think of is some kind of mite? Or, perhaps - have you deep cleaned your carpets/floors lately? Maybe a floor cleaner is triggering it. All that noise and the heat besides....entirely too much of a burden!
  14. This is the shampoo I used - though I paid 2x as much at the local pet store -- on the other hand, they were open when I needed it. More recently, I also switched out their food to Blue though Brodie refused to eat it and is on a food called Source from Tractor Supply. I will probably switch them all to it once the Blue bag is gone as anything that keeps Brodie happy foodwise, makes the rest of us happy. What is it about mosquoitos and people eating certain foods? Perhaps fleas are the same way . ETA - if nothing else is working, perhaps some allergy meds i.e. benedril to stop the itching? I had to resort to this to get them calmed down after the Advantix episode because they just wouldn't stop itching. Kinda annoyingly funny, really because Brodie sleeps under the bed. Scratch, thump all night long. After I got the itch stopped, I used the shampoo to hopefully keep fleas/ticks away for the month until I could dose them again and it worked out pretty well.
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