Hello, I thought perhaps some insight from the potential owners of your pups may help.
I?m new to this board but I am not new to Border Collies. I got my first Border Collie about 12 years ago when my husband (then boyfriend) brought home a beautiful Blue-eyed, blue-merle puppy. I had warned him against getting a BC because back then all I knew is that they were ?insane? dogs with a propensity to get in trouble. My father was a handler and judge so I grew up traveling with a carload of terriers to many AKC shows, I was not new to dogs just this breed. Well I fell in love with Mac anyway and learned just what wonderful dogs they could be and that was before I read ?Eminent Dogs Dangerous Men? by Donald McCaig.
Mac came with a supposed working pedigree, a Welsh, imported dad and mom from working lines in North Carolina. Sire was a merle and the dam was a traditionally marked black and white. The breeding was done just for similar reasons as you describe. Well we did right by Mac and took him to obedience classes and taught him a ton of cool tricks that he did with great flare, he even won some classes in Frisbee competitions. At the time I worked night shift at an emergency vet clinic and he went to work with me daily. We all brought our dogs but he was by far one of the favorites, in fact, at times I only think they kept me around because of my dog. All dog owners know what I mean when I say he was a ?once in a lifetime? dog.
Now for the kicker, Mac?s first problem was two retained testicles. Following a massive, invasive surgery to remove them Mac woke up quite hard from the anesthesia. We watched him carefully and he recovered. Life went on until Mac came up lame in the rear after a Frisbee competition so we x-rayed him immediately. I can not tell you how my heart sunk as we looked at the pictures of his hips. The vet?s exact words were ?I?ve never seen hips this bad?. Mac was only 2 years old. So now I?m faced with a dog that has all the drive and heart in the world and a body that will not sustain it. FHO was recommended. I talked to many vets and got many personal stories and pretty much drove a lot of people nuts trying to decide if we should do this very scary operation. In the end I did let an orthopedist perform the surgery.
Mac took over 24 hours to wake up from the surgery. Turns out he also had a shunt in his liver. Despite very careful rehab Mac developed scar tissue and was never sound again. The way to fix that would have been more surgery but alas because the shunt in his liver anesthesia was no longer an option, oh and except for natural remedies medication to alleviate pain from his hips would no longer be an option either.
Mac lived to be nine years old but they were heartbreaking years, constant blood draws monitoring his liver function, episodes in the hospital when his numbers got out of control and watching him live with the pain of his hips. Now I?m not a keep a dog alive at all cost person (I worked emergency) but as much as Mac hated the medical procedures Mac loved life, really. Due to the liver problems we had to watch the steady decline of his mind over the years. He became like an old person with altzeimers but even in the end he would still do the things he?d learned in the beginning of his life in his own demented way. I still don?t think he?s forgiven me for putting him to sleep that last day. He could only walk in circles to the right and was having siezures but when you looked in his eyes the lights were still on and his tail was wagging-he wasn?t ready to go but his body was done.
The point of this story, Madison?s mommy and daddy is that I realize you are probably going to breed your special girl no matter what we say. Please become informed about white-factoring, recessive genes and what pain it could deliver not on you but to the potential owners of special puppies of their own. In my vets opinion all of Mac?s problems were most likely genetic.
My story, much to my husband?s dismay, does have a happy ending that involves 4 more BC?s, 12 acres and a flock of sheep. When my poor hubby grumbles I can only laugh and tell him it?s his own fault he is the reluctant farmer. The pleasure I have gained from trying to learn this art of herding is immeasurable. The bonus is that I?ve not only gained a true appreciation for this special breed of dog but I?ve also fallen in love with a special breed of sheep (not considered the best for herding but I?ve managed to work it out). Because I have a young family trialing is not an easy option for me right now, but I?ve learned so much from managing my own flock of sheep with my dogs that one day I hope I am lucky enough to share what I?ve learned on the trial field-that?s assuming I can ever get over the huge dose of butterflies I have whenever I do get to the post
Sorry this was so long but I couldn?t figure any other way to tell my story,
Kristin
