brookcove

Because of legal considerations and trust me that applies in this case.

We had about 40 ewes on 20 acres a couple years ago. It was over 30 min away and I was the only one maintaining things so it was a royal pain. I set it up with automatic waterers and big bales so that I only had to check in every other day. They were behind high tensile electric fence and for part of the time there was a guard dog in with them. Still, I worried constantly and brought them back to my place when they got close to lambing - and I never took them back. I ended up culling the combined ewe flock down to what my place could handle. Not as many, but worth my while to feel like I was more on top of things. Yes, I'm a control freak. (c;

Actually, I've heard that the only problem that will ensure from this is that she will never again be a top agility or flyball star (or fill in the blank for your dog sport). If she was not active in a sport or a working dog before, most likely she will compensate to the point where you might not even notice her disability! Dogs are simply amazing. There is a three-legged, one-eyed sheepdog who not only ran well enough to where you never realized he only had three legs - he even won trials. I sincerely wish the best for your friend and her dog.

I hope so, since I use it on lactating ewes! I'm ordering pine tar from Premier, however. The flies have been just too much for Swat this year - I've got some kind of funky suicidal creature that goes right through it and makes big holes, yuck. My poor guard dog looks like a prize fighter, his nose all bloody and swollen. He licks the Swat off. I'm hoping he will leave the pine tar alone. Rebecca

The genetics are the same as for solid color, with regard to the white. Rebecca

One my pup's littermates has a blue eye. He is not deaf - except selectively! I'll have Jen BAER tested at some point, as well as my other dog. I'm interested to see how it's done.

I waited on my problem child until he was eleven and a half months old. Our hope was that the retained testicle would at least descend out of the abdomen, but that was where it stayed until surgery. It turned into a very invasive surgery as his was unusual in some way. That type, however, up in the abdomen, is indeed at highest risk for cancer, so I was very glad I did it. Not that I had a choice, he's got CEA too. Don't forget this problem is highly heritable. Poor Ben, if his family genes had it, he got it.

My 14 year old ate a twist-tie which got stuck in his gi. His liver values went up, but we only caught it when we did a full panel on him and then did an x-ray. He had some of the same symptoms as your bitch until he passed the twistie. Maybe just a coincidence.

Just a guess, not kennel club, ISDS. Adam Telfer and Meg, Old Hemp's dam. I know he shepherded in that area and it's where the foundation of the breed as we know it today was laid. Hope your dog is doing better.

Do not give your dog tylenol. Treat the wounds topically with neosporin tonight. I would advise a visit to the vet tomorrow for the puncture wounds - they must be shaved clean and possibly your dog will need a general antibiotic by then - bite wounds get nasty very quickly. I just had my old guy get a bad infection from one tiny bite on his face I didn't see happen. It happened literally overnight. At least the area must be checked to make sure you've seen and taken care of all the wounds - it's the tiny punture wounds that get yucky fast. Good luck.

Check out the USBCHA web site and locate the contact information for your district directors. Both of them are super-nice guys I can tell you. Check http://usbcha.com/upcomingtrials.htm for trials coming up in your area. I think the Northeast Border Collie Association "covers" Maryland: http://www.frontenac.net/~duke/nebca/

For many places, this would be a chancy thing. You're in an area though where if you're patient you could get a rescue dog raring to go out and work. I know of two rescues up that way that have people who can check prospects for potential, on sheep anyway. Check out Mid Atlantic Border Collie Rescue. There's a few terrific dogs on the site and I'm sure that there are dogs that are not listed yet as is usually the case with most rescue web sites. Good luck,

I'm not involved anymore so I don't know intimately how things are going now. I'm pretty sure looking on the outside that there's not much to complain abut even though the "system" is pretty higgley-piggley. It developed, much like the BC, to meet the needs of the local area and the form of each local rescue follows its function. Most revolve around a single individual and reflect that person's personality and philosphies. When I was in it, we'd warn people to look for the basics - a spay/neuter policy, a contract, and humane treatment of the rescues. What I hope to see from rescues nationwide is simple communication and cooperation. Check "territorial" notions at the door - the needs of the dogs should come above petty human egos. And it was usually the case, I remember, though some silly incidents also stand out in my menory. No need to change anything based on a few rogues, however. Right now there is at least one and probably a few Border Collie Rescue e-mail lists that connect all these people together and help them share information when necessary. Other than that, rescue is such an intensely local thing in my belief, that a national organization would be more of a hindrance and a distraction than anything else.

I woudn't want to see rescue overseen or "taken over" by the folks who run the registries or the Handlers' Association. These people have VERY different agendas to those who successfully rehabilitate and place the majority of Border Collies. There should be more interaction, maybe a commitee in charge of communication should rescuers need to contact these groups (well, maybe for the HA, the ABCA Secretary has always been delightful to work with, at least when I was doing rescue). When I did rescue I made it clear we had the same GOAL - the preservation of the breed as a working dog. We did our part by placing unwanted dogs appropriately and removing them from the gene pool. We also educated like crazy. We had connections to frisbee events, dog park events, the lowliest of the low scale pet events and put up booths there. It's difficult to imagine justifying these outreaches to the Board of the HA. Yet they were our most rewarding efforts because that's where people went who were the kind of people that adopt companion Border Collies AND some of them ended up becoming volunteers themselves! I'm a member of both the ABCA and the HA so I'm certainly not knocking them. And if they put their minds to rescue efforts that would be great - but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want to interfere with what's going on right now. If they did for some reason, the outcry would be pretty sharp - we Border Collie people are a stubborn independent lot, much like the Scots and Border folk that created this breed. Rebecca Brook Cove Farm, NC

One of my dogs could never eat lamb or beef kibble, yet can eat both meats raw with no problem. I have no idea why. He could also never tolerate funky things like tomatoes or beets or carrots in kibble but eats stuff like that every day ground up raw now. Go figure. Rebecca