lucieluv

I get REALLY mad at people when they start laughing at Lucie and call her fat, sometimes I have even found myself the people who say those things to my poor baby, "I wonder how you would look if you took 200mg of Prednisone and Azathioprine, you'd blow up too." Then, when those same people realize how sweet Lucie is, I don't let them pet her!!!

Mattie has a "I'm bored, play with me" bark, as well as a "You better give me the bone/toy that you are chewing on" bark. She is only 8 or 9 months old, so the bark is still pretty high pitched. My three labs, which is what I have always raised, usually gave into her just to make her stop barking and go away, until I realized what she was doing to them and what they were doing. Now, I have to redirect her puppy energy. I either have to find Mattie her own toy, or find Mattie her own bone, or I need to run around the yard with her, or if all else fails she has to sit in puppy time-out...afterall she isn't going to get her way all the time!!! Thankfully, around 10pm she has worn herself out for the day!!! And, a few weeks ago, she FINALLY started sleeping through the night!!!!

Can I go to Canada with you??? I love Canada!!! I'll babysit, if it means I get to visit Canada!!! Did I tell you I love Canada???

Dog Lady, Everyone here has given you some really good advise. I am the proud momma to a BC-mix puppy that I rescued back in December. But, had I rescued Mattie ten years ago or even five years ago, I think I would have been forced to find her another home because I would not have been able to handle her. Between her "issues" and the simple fact that she is a BC-mix, she causes me heartburn, but that doesn't mean I love her any less. It just means my other dogs trained me on how to handle Mattie. As a matter of fact, just the other day, while I was home and in the house, she chewed up the vaccum cleaner cord because she was bored. It only took her about five seconds. And I don't think I agree with a house being too small for a dog. I live in a small dog house and we do just fine. I sometimes get covers on the bed. Put your foot (or paw) down and stand up for what you want. After all, sometimes in the end it may be you and the dog left standing.

Before Lucie got sick and could get on my bed with no problems, when I would return home from trips, she would look (or glare) at me and then pee on my bed. So much for people saying dogs don't hold things against you!!! FYI...She doesn't do that now.

I moved last June from Kansas to South Carolina. (And I still really haven't met any friends other than my vet!!!) Anyway, it was very hard on the dogs, and I only had three at the time. I put one in each car, well one in my car, one in my mom's car, and one rode with my dad in the cab of the U-Haul. We had to stay in hotels for four nights which made things even harder. Pepper does not handle change well at all, but the vet gave me medication just in case he decided to have a mental break down. One of the things I did before I left Kansas was wash all of my bedding the day before I packed it, so I could still sleep on it one more time and it would be clean when I unpacked it in South Carolina. The dogs being able to smell the same scent helped by the time we got into the new house. I also took my blankets and pillows and their blankets and dog beds to the hotel so they had their own stuff and scent. I didn't wash their toys before we moved either. As for the door issue, I didn't have a doggie door where I lived before, I just left the back door open and they could come and go. I still have not solved that issue. My dogs are not outside dogs, they go outside to potty and then come right back in, they go nuts if they realize they are outside by themselves and I am not outside with them and they cannot get back in themselves. I'm still working on that issue.

I have always used throw-away cameras. I saw nothing wrong with them. Then, I woke up one day last week and decided I wanted to grow up and buy a camera. So, I did. Got a good deal too. Now, if someone could please tell me how to use the thing I would be really happy. The manual for the thing is bigger than most of my text books from college. I got a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H1 5.1 Mega Pixels and then it also says 12x Optical Zoom. What does that mean? I just wanted to post pictures of my dogs like everyone else. Maybe I should have stuck with the throw away camera!!!!

Pepper, my lab, and Mattie, my I have no idea BC mix, play like this also. My favorite line is, "Pepper, Mattie's head may fit in your mouth, but that is not where it belongs." He will instantly let go, as he is a good boy. But then Mattie goes for the cheap shot, usually the back leg, and its on again. I usually get a look from Pepper to make sure I know that he did not start it.

Pepper ate a frog once, after I told him not to do and saved the frog from his mouth, he went back, found the frog and ate it. He was so sick by the middle of the night that he pushed out the screen in the window to get outside. I took him to the vet, which he HATES and tries to eat, but his belly must have hurt so much that he just laid down and let her give him a shot. He hasn't tried to eat another frog.

Does anyone in the Carolina's know anything about a Roper Mountain Festival in Greenville, SC, this weekend? I'm new to South Carolina and just heard about it on TV (When the cable company messed up my NHL CenterIce and I had to watch regular TV!!) But, I saw that there was going to be Border Collie stuff. Since I'm also new to the Border Collie, I thought about going and maybe taking Mattie. But I don't have anymore information... Thanks Liz

Mine have always ate Science Diet. The three older dogs are now on Science Diet Senior 5+ Large Breed. I lived in Topeka, Ks for about 5 years where Hill's was and one of the Vet's I used was a Vet there. She would bring me "trial" stuff and the Senior 5+ has worked wonders with Lucie. As for puppy Mattie, I tried to feed her puppy food. She refused to eat it. The other dogs loved it, though. She wants the Senior 5+. Due to her injuries, I don't feel the least bit bad about feeding her the Senior dog food because of the added stuff in it. My new Vet even said its okay also. But, just to make sure she gets what she needs as a cute puppy, I mix it with puppy food.

I live in a dog house. My dogs, except for puppy Mattie, have free run of their dog house. Mattie is in a crate during the day while I'm at work. At night, they are nice enough to share their very large queen size pillow top dog bed with me. I do fight for my fair share of the covers and at least half of a pillow. Ellie usually hogs the pillow and ends up sleeping on my head. Mattie usually sleeps under the covers. Pepper feels the need to sleep right on top of me. Lucie, at 120 pounds, takes up the end of the bed. She doesn't stay on the bed all night because she gets too hot. She'll end up in the bathroom to sleep on the floor.

ugh...this now means that Mattie's middle-of-the-night potty break will come at 1:48am instead of 2:48am.

I just moved to Gaffney, SC about 9 months ago. Not real sure about where to go for training and that sort of thing around here. I'm only 45 minutes from Greenville. More than willing to travel to a good trainer.

I've been lurking for awhile and made a few posts, one that got a few good laughs. But, what I really want to know is... How do I raise a Border Collie??? The short recap on how I got Mattie, I was at the vet and I EPC'ed (Emergency Protective Custody)a puppy with a broken leg. I had planned on finding her a good home. The good home turned out to be mine. Do I need to find some sheep for her to herd? I don't know if there are any sheep in South Carolina. Will cows work? She herds Pepper. Does that count? But, she nips at his back legs. Why does she do that? Why is she all black? Why does it look like she's turning red in the sunlight? Is she supposed to chase birds? Or did she learn that from Pepper? What books can I read to help me learn more about Border Collies???? Can she be trained to be a service dog/therapy dog? Thank you Liz

Thanks everyone!!! I'll try just about anything at this point and ordering something has got to be cheaper than putting in hardword floors, although I'm not against that!! Liz

Thank you for explaining Lucie's condition to everyone. I didn't want to even try!! All though I have a good understanding of it now, I don't feel that I could explain it to anyone else. Lucie has the immune-mediated hemolytic anemia type, and it really was just speculation that the vaccine was the cause. However, she was health prior to the vaccine and now if she is given so much as a Heartworm pill she becomes ill. I'm always looking for new treatments for Lucie. The current treatment and usually the treatment of choice can be just as harmful. But, due to all of this, my dogs get titers now, not yearly vaccines. (Except for what is required by law!!)

Thank you for explaining Lucie's condition to everyone. I didn't want to even try!! All though I have a good understanding of it now, I don't feel that I could explain it to anyone else. Lucie has the immune-mediated hemolytic anemia type, and it really was just speculation that the vaccine was the cause. However, she was health prior to the vaccine and now if she is given so much as a Heartworm pill she becomes ill. I'm always looking for new treatments for Lucie. The current treatment and usually the treatment of choice can be just as harmful. But, due to all of this, my dogs get titers now, not yearly vaccines. (Except for what is required by law!!)

I live in a dog house. Considering I live in a dog house, its a good size dog house with three bedrooms. I share this dog house with four dogs. They are nice enough to let me have my own bed, but I have to fight for covers at night and sometimes get pushed to the edge of the bed. I am potty trained. Ellie is potty trained. Pepper is potty trained. Mattie, the puppy, is getting there. Lucie, well she's potty trained, but she takes medication that makes her drink lots of water and pee a lot, so she's also potty pad trained. But, sometimes she doesn't always make the potty pad. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the smell out of my dog house? (Other than taking up the carpet and putting in hardwood floors???)

I'm sure no one wants to hear this, but I'm posting it anyway. My lab Lucie, who is 7 years old, became extremely ill two years ago about two weeks after she had her yearly shots. When I realized something was wrong with Lucie, it was the weekend so I called the Emergency Clinic. I explained that she wasn't acting right and I wanted to bring her in. After a little arguing I brought her in and they did blood work and we were sent home. By the time we got home, the Clinic had called back and said I needed to bring Lucie back as soon as possible, she was extremely sick. This is what I was told...the vaccines that she received did what they were supposed to do but they also began killing her red blood cells, which was making her sick. I'll leave out everything that we have been through over the last two years, at this point I'm happy that she is still alive and a happy dog. She continues to take medication everyday and will for the rest of her life. The cost of her illness has been greater than $12,000. The company that produced the vaccine offered me $500 to help with her medical expences. She was trained to be a therapy dog and I was in my last year of graduate school for social work. I had planned on she and I working together with children. She can't work anymore and she doesn't understand why. She still has the greatest personality and is one of the most lovable dogs, it breaks my heart that she isn't able to share that love with children. Liz

I'm sure no one wants to hear this, but I'm posting it anyway. My lab Lucie, who is 7 years old, became extremely ill two years ago about two weeks after she had her yearly shots. When I realized something was wrong with Lucie, it was the weekend so I called the Emergency Clinic. I explained that she wasn't acting right and I wanted to bring her in. After a little arguing I brought her in and they did blood work and we were sent home. By the time we got home, the Clinic had called back and said I needed to bring Lucie back as soon as possible, she was extremely sick. This is what I was told...the vaccines that she received did what they were supposed to do but they also began killing her red blood cells, which was making her sick. I'll leave out everything that we have been through over the last two years, at this point I'm happy that she is still alive and a happy dog. She continues to take medication everyday and will for the rest of her life. The cost of her illness has been greater than $12,000. The company that produced the vaccine offered me $500 to help with her medical expences. She was trained to be a therapy dog and I was in my last year of graduate school for social work. I had planned on she and I working together with children. She can't work anymore and she doesn't understand why. She still has the greatest personality and is one of the most lovable dogs, it breaks my heart that she isn't able to share that love with children. Liz

Here's a little bit more information on Mattie, as it was late when I found this site last night. I have raised and trained labs. I know almost nothing about Border Collies, other than they are wonderful dogs. When I brought Mattie home from the emergency vet the first day, she slept on my bed. She did this for several nights, slept through the night as well with no accidents. (I considered myself lucky since I figured she was only 8-10 weeks old but she was also on pain medication.) After about a week she began sleeping under the bed, with her small little puppy tail sticking out from under the bed. This went on for a few weeks until she began sleeping next to the bed on one of many dogs beds in my bedroom. Then, she decided she wanted on the bed but she wasn't big enough to get up there and her cast prevented her from trying to jump. So, she let me pick her up and put her on the bed. She slept at the very end of the bed, far away from me. This also went on for a few weeks. Now, at bed time, she dives under the covers and snuggles with me. So, progress has been made there!!! Its pretty much the same story with the couch, she now will get on the couch if I'm sitting on the couch. I put a dog bed in my computer room for her and whenever I'm on the computer, she's in the bed next to the computer. When she's not chewing on Pepper's ears or back legs, she follows me around the house. Just recently she started coming up to me and letting me put my arm around her and she'll sit down (briefly). So, in four months, Mattie and I have made lots of progress!!! Today, she picked up her first frisbee and gleefully ran around the house with the frisbee. I have no idea how to teach Mattie how to play frisbee. My labs were born with tennis balls in their mouths!!! Liz

I solved the ripping the stuffing out of toys problems by buying the hide-and-seek toys. Although, it created another problem. My dogs like the toys inside the toys more. So, I ordered a case of refills for them to play with.

I was at the vet in early December last year, when a mother and her teenage son came in with a small bundle wrapped in a towel. I saw a bit of black fur sticking out but didn't think much about it. Ellie, one of my dogs, and myself were put in a room next to the mother and son, and I got an earful. The mother was yelling at her son, telling him everything was always his fault and he always caused problems, and she didn't have any money for whatever this was going to cost. The vet came into their room and I heard her say that the puppy's leg was badly broken and if they could not afford to care for the puppy, the right thing to do would be to put the puppy down. The mother began yelling at the son again and said she was just going to go home and shoot the dog. The mother and son left the vets office with the puppy. I left the vet's office with the address of the mother and son and puppy. Four mouths later...I now have a healthy Border Collie puppy. She shattered her hock joint on her back left leg and I had been advised to have her leg removed. I said no and she is just fine now. She has two speeds, fast and faster. For the most part she gets along great with my other dogs, except Lucie, who wants to eat her. Lucie is special. The story I was given when I took Mattie was that she had been hit by a car. However, when I took her to the specialtist, they pointed out bite marks on her leg. But, she gets along great with my other dogs, which are labs. She even tries to play with Lucie, who tries to eat her or sit on her. Remember, Lucie is special. This is my problem. She is scared of everything. My parents came to visit last weekend. They had not met Mattie and had not seen my dogs since last October. Mattie got scared when she saw them, cried, and ran under the deck. When she finally came in the house, she would back away from my parents if they tried to approach her. She flinches anytime someone tries to touch her. She'll flinch if I pet her from behind where she can't see me. She runs away if you try to pick her up. (She had to be carried a lot when she had her cast on) Noises that she has never heard before send her over the top. Strong winds blowing the trees causes her to get scared. One day she was chasing Pepper, another one of my Labs, and they knocked over a patio chair and I thought she was going to get scared out of her fur. She came running back to me, ran behind me, and then barked at it for ten minutes. Then, she slowly walked back up to the chair and barked some more at it. These are just a few examples. I've always raised Black Labs. We have just recently figured out the Mattie is a Border Collie. She is solid black, but she is certainly all Border Collie. I take her places to help socialize her, but I'm afraid I'll put her into shock if I enroll her in puppy classes. I just don't know how to help her! ***Lucie is special because she has an autoimmune disorder and the medication she is on makes her grumpy***