Carson & Donna

Hi Sue Yes I will. As soon as I have a little bit more information, I'll start taking reservation requests. with kind regards Donna

Camping at the 2007 Finals : Camping will be available to the Handlers, Volunteers and Spectators ( we are asking that spectators take out a dog sponsorship in order to camp on site) I will be taking requests for reservations soon and asking that you include the type of rig you have and size in the reservation, ( ex: Class A 34' 2 slideouts; 16' pop-up trailer; tent; do you need a pull through site; etc. ) If you are a Handler, Volunteer or a Spectator? Dates of arrival and departure and also any special needs. I could also use a couple of volunteers to help me at the finals, directing campers to their sites, checking the sign up board for water or sewage needs of the campers and coordinating services for them or any other needs that may come up at the last minute We will have water fill up and sewage service available to all the campers as well for a fee. Please remember that there will be no hook-ups available at the campsites. You can reach me at nrsnan@nc.rr.com for further information. with kind regards Donna Cox

oh Becca, I am so sorry that this has happened to Ben and you. There is nothing worse in my opinion. Carson and I are volunteers with PRBCR and will definitely be on the lookout for Ben for you. Also, we will check the local shelters here for any sign of Ben. I hope that this nightmare is over soon for you and your family and Ben is home safe and sound very soon. with kind regards Carson and Donna

thanks! All pictures welcome see you real soon! with kind regards Carson and Donna

great pictures! Thanks for sharing...they are all awesome! maybe we'll get a chance to see ya'll at a clinic one day soon! with kind regards Carson and Donna

I have dogs who get so excited when you say those magical words " do you want to go out?" that they rush the door in an attempt to beat the other one out the door....so I started to ask for a lie down and a "wait"..( so I wouldn't get trampled in the stampede!)....that was until I recently got Jade *smiles*. Jade, being a wonderfully finished working dog, heard the "lie down" ( which she did ) and then the "waaaaaaait"...so being the good girl that she is...she took a right flank around the kitchen back to the door! I choose my words a bit more carefully now! with kind regards Donna

I just saw it for the first time today too...good timing too lol...as the cats had decided that they wanted to redecorate the tree, Bet is using the tree as a way to scratch her back ( can we say " leaning tree of Piza"? ) lol and the others just jump on the bandwagon of fun! Our house wouldn't make it on the cover of "good housekeeping", but it is a home...where there is fun and love. Poems like this remind me that that is more important then a clean and tidy house. (kind of like the fingerprints on the wall poem for kids if anyone knows what I am talking about )

Tis the day before Christmas, And all through the house, The puppies are sqeaking an old rubber mouse. The wreath which had merrily hung on the door, Is scattered in pieces all over the floor. The stockings that hung in a neat little row, Now boast a hole in each of it's toes. The tree was subjected to bright-eyed whims, And now, although splended, it's missing some limbs. I catch them and hold them, "be good I insist!" They lick me, then run off to see what they've missed. And now as I watch them, the thought comes to me, That theirs is the spirit that Christmas should be. Should children and puppies yet show us the way, And teach us the joy that should come with this day? Could they bring the message that's written above, And tell us that most of all, Christmas is love **author unknown**

although I had visited the littlehats website before, I must have missed the chat forum. I have now found it, although it doesn't seem to be very active at the moment, I have read through many, many pages of "ask the expert" . What a world of knowledge there! Thanks for bringing that forum to my attention ! The working stockdog forum is also an absolutely fantastic site, full of good advice and friendly people Of course, I also feel that this board is outstanding as well, great people again with great advice! So many great sites! So many wonderful people! Being absolutely and irreverseably (did I spell that right?) addicted to all this, I just cannot seem to read enough! While we are on the subject of forums etc, I want to take the opportunity to thank all that take the time out of their busy days to answer all the questions us new folks have. I, for one, very much appreciate all of you. with kind regards Donna

thank you Julie for taking the time to do that for me with much appreciation Carson and Donna

Hi Julie I tried to find the workingsheepdog list on Yahoo, but haven't been able to find it there...do you have a link for the group handy. Thank you with kind regards Carson and Donna

I agree with everything that has been said here so far, but I did have a teensy idea ( maybe not a good one *shrugs*) that I thought I would throw out for discussion. Animals in general will respond to low ( and high) frequency electrical changes or pulses when we as humans cannot detect them. For instance, they can detect weather changes, storms coming, earthquakes etc way before we have the ability to sense it physically. The reason I bring this up is the fact that it is a "4am" happening and not other times or random times of the day. Perhaps there is an alarm system or an electrical fence or whatnot that is "on" at that time in the wee mornings and not at other times? THe "dew" factor "shorting" out something? It may or may not be a "cause" but a contributing factor? I have seen serious changes in behavior before under these circumstances. Perhaps a look around to see either what is going on in your house or a neighbors that might be a culprit to this change? *shrugs* Whatever the cause, I hope it resolves quickly for you and your dog and I wish you the best *throws my two cents in the pot for what it is worth and leaves quietly* with kind regards Donna

Since I have posted this question, I have continued to browse the web for more information on this med...it looks like it may not be totally safe for BC's, or rather all BC's. Here is the first URL that has a story related to immodium in BC's ( pertinent info copied here: Kaopectate used to be bad for dogs but ok for cats, and pepto is and always has been bad for cats. Vets issued a warning last July about kaopectate because they changed their formula to reduce the lead content, and it is now toxic to cats. Just so you know.... if a cat needs a pain killer acetomenophin (tylenol) is usually given in very small doses, because aspirin is toxic to cats. However, anything containing the same ingredient as tylenol (acetomenophin) is toxic to dogs, which is why aspirin is reccomended for dogs. Kaopectate is now safe for dogs, but not as safe as pepto bismol. Immodium is fast becoming the drug of choice for pets and people, I don't know why for people, but for pets, it is because it does not contain salycitates. Immodium works fast, slightly sedates a pet, and has really no other side effects. BUT , and this is a BIG BUT..... the medication in immodium, and also ivermectin, a wormer, CAN be dangerous to collies and any other breed related to them. Here is why... Collies with ivermectin sensitivity have been found to have a mutant gene for what is called the "P-glycoprotein." The P-glycoprotein has been studied largely because overexpression of this protein (i.e., having more of it than normal) results poor function of chemotherapy drugs in the treatment of cancer. The P-glycoprotein appears to be involved in keeping drugs out of certain body tissues. Having excess P-glycoprotein keeps chemotherapy drugs from reaching the tumor; having a mutant/non-functional protein fails to keep medications like ivermectin out of the central nervous system. In other words, Collies (and their cousins: Old English Sheepdogs, Shetland Sheepdogs, Australian Shepherds, etc.) have less P-glycoprotein than normal. Having less P-glycoprotein means certain drugs gain access to protected body tissues more readily. This phenomenon is responsible not only for ivermectin toxicity in sensitive breeds but also loperamide toxicity. Approximately 35% of Collies appear affected by this condition. It is probably best to avoid loperamide in Collies and their relatives. Loperamide is the drug in immodium. So.... even though I used Immodium for Dancer, and there was no problem, it cleared it up immediately, I won't use it again now that I know this. Live and learn I guess... the URL for the above is: http://www.oes.org/page1/dog-wormer.html thes second article I found relating to Immodium and BC's is written by a veterinary pharmacologist and can be found here: http://washington-state-magazine.wsu.edu/s...gsanddrugs.html in part of the above article it states: Even common over-the-counter drugs can be deadly. In clinical tests, normal collies that were given the standard dose of the anti-diarrhea medication Imodium? did fine. Collies with the mutation, however, began to stagger and become comatose. All the dogs in Mealey?s study recovered after being given an antidote, and were later adopted by area residents. Unfortunately, she says, many dogs nationwide were not so lucky. *end* I am not absolutely 100% sure the cause of my BC's diarrhea, but I am pretty sure as this happened once before, same food item, same symptoms. Our dogs sometimes get after dinner "tidbits" off our dinner plates and the night before this started he was fed a small piece of steak that was marinaded in "dales" sauce ( a compilation of soy sauce and spices etc) He has a pretty sensitive stomach to begin with, so I feel that is the cause of this "bout" he is having. (side note, this marinade seems to have the same effect on my mother!) If these articles are true, it would seem like a risk to give the immodium to a BC, however, and I wish I could know this for sure, if they do not have the "mutated gene", would it then be safe? Not knowing anything about this when we got our first BC and totally relying on our vet for what was right for him, he had been on Heartgard for the past 3 yrs (which the vet prescribed for him) It wasn't until this past month that I questioned whether or not it was dangerous, that they said " oh absolutely! and they switched him to Interceptor. (kind of makes for a wee bit of mistrust with my vet at the moment so I haven't posed this question to him yet about the immodium) Sorry for the length of this post and thank you for helping me here. with kind regards Carson and Donna

Is Immodium, to treat diarrhea, safe for BC's? I have in the past heard of giving dogs pepto bismol or kaopectate ( dogs in general not BC's in particular that is)but have never heard of them receiving Immodium. A quick google search did reveal that some give their dogs this OTC med, however, I want to make sure it is safe for BC's before I give any. Does anyone have any information regarding this? Thanks in advance with kind regards Carson and Donna

BC's are the most incredible dog in the world! Yes, they take time and dedication, but so does everything and every animal if you want to do things " right" for them. I have been in love with this breed for decades, but till about 3-1/2 yrs ago, I had only admired then from afar. I watched them in agility trials, obediance trials, herding, flybal etc and they excelled above any other breed I watched. I thought them to be an extremely intelligent, athletic, willing, talented and a loving breed. (and have found since that they are all that and much more !!) I have seen the most incredible bonds with their handlers/owners again, to me, much over and above any other breed. I was and am hooked! now here I was with this incredible dog, but what was I going to do? I had no clue. Should I try my hand at agility...flyball...something? Would he be happy just to be part of our family? I even went so far as to purchase some agility equipment! Well a couple of years go by, this loving dog at my side, becoming my life and I his, I wanted to do something for him as he had brought so much to my life...so I called a local trainer and went out for a herding evaluation. BAMM~ I am hooked! *grins* Never in my wildest imagination did I think that this would happen! Not only that, but my husband is hooked as well!( our two kids are too!) We are ready to sell the house, buy a farm and some sheep now! ( we've got this bad ..and no, I am NOT going to any 12 step program! lol )We have gone from zero to mach speed in 30 seconds! lol.. I share this with you because you just never know where this wonderful dog will lead you in your life if you allow it...it has brought me full circle, dedicated to keeping this breed what it is ( working and wonderful) learning new things along the way. This forum has oodles ( is that a legitmate word? ) of information from so many knowledgeable folks, read as much as you can, get involved and get your family involved..its a great way to spend quality time together the rewards are so worth it. I would imagine many people here that are now successfully trialling or active in other dog sports started out getting a BC for a "pet" not knowing the full potential they had before them. Everyone starts somewhere..and if you keep focused on their health, mentally and physically, you just might find your new pup to be the best thing that happened to you and your family!