YOU & Dogs

[Root Beer]

First dog as a child:

 

A Husky/Collie mix named Ski

 

First dog as an adult:

 

Sammie - the black and white dog in the picture in my signature

 

Why a BC?

 

We had Sammie for a year when we decided to get another dog. I saw a Border Collie in a pet store and it reminded me so much of Sammie that I had to have one. (Not from a pet store, though)

 

Did you do research?

 

No.

 

First BC:

 

Speedy

 

What made you want to get another?

 

I love everything about owning a Border Collie. I love their vivacity. I love their intelligence. I love their qualities that are unique among all types of dog.

 

I also like the way they interact with one another, and I wanted Speedy to have another Border Collie "sibling" as much as I wanted another one for myself!

 

What have you done with your dogs?

 

A lot! I'll just focus on training, though!

 

Speedy (the first dog I started to train): Basic Obedience, Agility, Clicker Training, Fearful Temperament Rehab, Rally Obedience (Retired from Competition), Sheep Herding (had to quit because it made his arthritis act up too much), Musical Freestyle (Currently Competing). Speedy also enjoys hiking, swimming, and going to Border Collie Camp.

 

Sammie: Intro to Agility, Intro to Rally Obedience, Clicker Training, a little bit of tracking. Sammie also likes hiking, swimming, and going to Border Collie Camp.

 

Maddie: Agility (Currently Competing), Rally Obedience (Retired), Clicker Training, formerly a Therapy Dog. Maddie enjoys hiking and going to Border Collie Camp.

 

Dean Dog: Rally Obedience (on hold for now), Sheep Herding (introduced and he had potential, but we quit since I have no interest in pursuing it seriously), Agility (getting ready to compete someday), Musical Freestyle (Currently Competing). Dean LOVES swimming. He also likes hiking and he also enjoyed Camp.

 

How many BC's?

 

Over the summer I had 3 purebreds and 2 mixes since we had Mickey, the foster.

 

How many do you have now?

 

Two purebreds, two mixes

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Speedy is a "look at me, but don't touch" sort with strangers. He'll actually try to charm people and then pull away when they try to touch him. Dean wants to give everyone a hug. Maddie wants to cuddle most of the time. Sammie likes to explore the entire world with his nose!

 

City dog or county dog?

 

Country dogs

 

Would you ever get another breed?

 

I don't plan to. I like my mixes, though, so I wouldn't mind having a mix in the pack most of the time.

[Guest SweetJordan]

First dog as a child: Black Lab Mix

 

First dog as an adult: Jordan-Mixed Breed (She's my lifetime dog)

 

Why a BC? I like having a dog who I can do a lot of activities w/.

 

Did you do research? Yes, I researched then researched some more. I read info. online from breeders/rescuses/other sources, books, talked to other BC owners etc. Picked a different breed first then finally made the decision to get a BC. After realizing that I was ready for one and after realizing that my first adult dog had many BC traits including the brain and the energy level. After living w/ one I don't have any horror stories.

But my research scared me away for years.

 

 

First BC- Riley- will be 2 in Jan. Came from a rescue, adopted in the spring of 2007.

 

What made you want to get another? Well I can't take another yet. But I want another one as Riley was suppose to be great w/ dogs. She is w/ the ones she knows well, but is fear aggression w/ strange dogs which means I can't take her to performance events.

 

What have you done with your dogs? Agility, Frisbee, Herding(just started), Biking, Walking/Hiking, Dog classes(agility, obedience)

 

How many BC's? one (but hey I'm young there's still plenty of time)

 

How many do you have now? Two, other than my BC my beloved labby.

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Don't all BCs have them? What kind of a question is this? lol And labs while they aren't weird.

 

City dog or county dog? City (suburbs) but want to move to the country to live on a small hobby farm.

 

Would you ever get another breed? Yes. I love labs. Hope to get one related to my labby. I also like beagles, and GSD mixes. And I love mutts esp. one mixed w/ BC and/or lab. Would actually really like a BC/Aussie mix. And of course I'd take another BC. I do like to keep the pack at two or three dogs at a time. And I like to keep one mutt around.

[Kayleegator]

First dog as a child: A dear old Boxer

 

First dog as an adult: Sneaky, a Doberman Pinscher.

 

Why a BC?: My heart dog growing up was a BC mix named Lucky. We were close friends.

Did you do research? Yes. And I only showed the best parts to my DH, who was wary...

 

First BC: Lucky, BC with a bit of spitz? She had a curly tail.

 

What made you want to get another? Lucky was a brilliant, loyal, loving dog, and when I was finally able, this year, after a long time dogless because of life and rental situations, I wanted to have that level of canine relationship again. Also, my DH, long before we got together, had two BC mixes as heart dogs. My dog before this was a lovely Rough Collie, who was gorgeous and great-hearted in her prime, but sadly, lost her vision and two years later, her hearing, and had to be put down at age 7. Bad, backyard breeder. Her coat care was more work than I want to take on, again.

 

What have you done with your dogs? Kaylee is just six months old at this point. Our trainer will be starting an agility class next summer: we'll see how she's doing then. I'm not interested in competing, just in helping my girl find wonderful ways to move. We live in the mountains, and will always be hiking together.

 

How many BC's? Just one. I'd love another, but realistically, our space and time is pretty full with one BC and three cats.

 

How many do you have now? One

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? She's full of quirks. She fixates on moving shadows and reflections, seh wants to herd cars, she pulls the fuzz off tennis balls... but my favorite is the very silly rubbing-the-back-on-the-floor thing she does, while smiling widely and making a loud, contented braying sound. Sometimes she'll chase a back leg or a tail at the same time.

 

City dog or country dog? Small town, with access to mountains and rivers.

 

Would you ever get another breed? It would sure be a tough sell! I adore the BCs, but maybe when I'm a little old lady, I'd have a little old mutt...

[Pippin's person]

First dog as a child: A terrier/poodle mix called Little Bit--my parents got her when I was 4 and she lived until I was 20.

 

First dog as an adult: Renzo, our mutt

 

Why a BC? We played flyball with Renzo and were taken by the BCs--funny thing is the BC we got wouldn't play--which led us to other roads.

 

Did you do research? Some--mostly watched those on our flyball team and talked to their owners about them.

 

First BC: Pippin

 

What made you want to get another? Grenzehund saw Tansy on a rescue site and couldn't get her off her mind.

 

What have you done with your dogs? Flyball, learning agility, learning stockwork. Love doing companion "tricks" training with all of them; they also serve as my treadmill substitutes.

 

How many BC's? Five.

 

How many do you have now? Five.

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Since it's their quirkiness that makes me love them, it's hard to list them off.

 

City dog or country dog? Small-city dogs for now.

 

Would you ever get another breed? Probably only of the mutt variety.

[Borderco1]

First dog as a child: A border collie Missy

 

First dog as an adult: I was 17 when I got MacIntosh, so I will say my beloved Jack.... both Border collies

 

Why a BC?: I grew up with them and I like a working dog

 

Did you do research? Yes I have reserched the breed since we got missy when I was 5 years old

 

First BC: Missy. MT pound puppy was supposed to be a little lap dog, turned out to be 4 week old border collie. Great dog and great teacher.

 

What made you want to get another? While I love many different breeds and will always own some different breeds, I enjoy border collies for the amount of training and activities you can take part in with just the one dog. So I will always have at least one.

 

What have you done with your dogs? What haven't I done. Search and rescue is their main job, but when Jack was alive he did everything from SAR to gun dog work to agility to flyball. He had pretty much had some level of training in every dog sport and had been on sheep a few times. Mac has done lots as well, but mainly sheep. He has bad ankles now so no jumping for the old boy.

 

How many BC's? Right now, just Mac. I lost Jack at age three to kidney faliure. I am on a list for another puppy, but the bitch hasn't been bred again yet and last time she didn't produce enough males. So alas I wait. I hope to get two in the next year or so. I need two so they can work different jobs. I think two is my max for border collies so I can have room for other dogs as well.

 

How many do you have now? One

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? All of mine have been pretty much one person working dogs. Friendly with others, but focused on work not making friends. They have all been great with any animal I bring into the house. Which I think speeks well for a dog with so much prey drive to understand which cats, rabbits, etc are ours and need to be left alone and which are not and can be chased.

 

City dog or country dog? CT country if there is such a thing, but I do hope to move somewhere more rural within my next pups lifetime. (I want Sheep!!!! and washington state sounds like my kind of place!)

 

Would you ever get another breed? Yes I love working breeds. German Shepherds (working lines only) and german shorthaired pointers have made my interested list. I think the GSP would be the first non BC I get. I also love other herding breeds, Shelties, corgies, and aussies (both shepherds and cattle dogs)

[MJWPG]

First dog as a child: GSD

 

First dog as an adult Border Collie

 

Why a BC? After owning GSD's up until I was a teenagers my parents decided to get a smaller dog and ended up with a BC cross and out of all the dogs we've owned that's the dog that stood out in my memory and I always vowed to get another one when I grew up.

 

Did you do research? Yes

 

First BC Haley in 1997, we bought her from a cattle farm a year after me & my husband bought our first house, she's 10 now and still runs around like a puppy!

 

What made you want to get another? Wanted to get a companion for Haley. The rest came after I got into flyball and Haley had to retire so I got 2 more to keep playing the sport.

 

What have you done with your dogs? Haley has done Flyball, herding (but she had to drop out she was also way too hard on the sheep and her own paws) some agiiltyand swims.

Willow has tried all of the above but hates all of them and I've done skijoring with her which she tolerates. She does love running on the treadmill and swimming.

River swims, flyball, a little agility, and runs with me during the summer and during races I do and she'll be starting herding this winter, skijoring and she also loves the treadmill.

Nova herds (he just started this spring and won 3 place in 2 of his runs and won best started for the weekend, flyball, swims, runs with River and me as well, has done some agility & also loves the treadmill.

They all love going to the park and running free through the bush!

 

How many BC's? 5

 

How many do you have now? 4

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Haley loves to herd the cats, and sings along to the theme from Sex in the City and Star Trek.

River gives kisses without licking, she hordes all the toys under the coffee table and then rests her head on them, she howls when she meets new people or arrives somewhere. She also carries my shoes around and puts them with her toys so she can rest on them as well. She's mommies girl . When you give her a kong and if it has kibble in it she'll go up onto the couch and drop the kong off it so the kibble will fall out.

Willow lays on her back on the couch and chuffs at us when she wants attention or she'll lay on the back of the couch. She'll also kick off all the cushions on the couch with her nose. If she hears you talking about her she'll dart her eyes back and forth and it looks like she's thinking "I heard my name, why are they talking about me, aaaahhhh"

Nova likes to let River drag him around while they play tug, he plays the corpse, lol. He also loves to snuggle under long hair. Every time he eats while I'm preparing their food he whips his favourite toy like he's killing his supper before he eats it, he's such a big hunter.

 

City dog or county dog? City, but our yard backs onto a park and I'm 5 min's away from a nice rural dog park.

 

Would you ever get another breed? I will always have Border Collies but I wouldn't mind getting a Greyhound or Whippet later on.

[RaisingRiver]

First dog as a child: BC mix female named Topaz. She had puppies with my grandparents' Old English Sheepdog when I was about 4, all the puppies found homes. She went to live on a farm when I was about 4.5 because we had to move to an apartment in another town that did not accept dogs. I later in life found out she went to the humane society, not a farm.

 

First dog as an adult: Jaida, my current non-BC, I was 25. Got her at 5 mos old from shelter. Hubbie wanted a golden, so we ended up with a gold colored dog.

 

Why a BC? May have something to do with having Topaz as a kid, always liked BCs. Plus my signature quote that I read in Clean Run shortly after I got River really summed it up: "I wanted a breed I could put 100% into and get that back in return. - Marcus Topps"

 

Did you do research? Yes. I also waited 5 years after getting Jaida before getting one because I wanted to be sure I was ready to own one. Helped that I was doing agility - so I knew I'd at least have some sort of outlet if I ended up with a challenging BC.

 

First BC: River, got her at 8wks. She was also my first and so far only puppy I've had.

 

What made you want to get another? I live on 5 acres. I have a large home. I have a wee bit of spare doggie time. I knew I could provide a great home to another dog. (#2 BC (Diesel) is dog #3).

 

What have you done with your dogs? Agility training with all three. Jaida no longer trains. River & Diesel will compete regionally when ready and on the few spare weekends my kids aren't already hogging up with their activities

 

How many BC's? 2

 

How many do you have now? 2 BC, 3 dogs total

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Hmmm, not so much a quirk, but I find it amazing that all three of my dogs get along completely perfectly all of the time (once each new dog settled in).

 

City dog or country dog? Country dogs on the edge of suburbia.

 

Would you ever get another breed? Not likely.

[Chesney's Girl]

First dog as a child: A Sheltie, Starburst. We had her for 14 years. She was a great dog.

 

First dog as an adult: Chesney I got him when I decided to transfer schools and knew I would be living in my own apartment.

 

Why a BC? I wanted a dog that would give me everthing I asked for at 110% but also have the nerve to question and think for themselves.

 

Did you do research? Lots. I researched Kelpies and BCs. BCs were available first so thats what I went with

 

First BC: Chesney. He's everything I could have asked for in a first Border Collie. He's taught me so much.

 

What made you want to get another? I like the atmosphere of having two (or more) dogs. They bring different qualities to the table.

 

What have you done with your dogs? With Chesney I've done just Herding. I was thinking about agility, but thats about as far as its ever gotten. I just have way to much fun being outside with live stock to give that up for jumps and teeter-totters

 

How many BC's? I have only had one. Plan on getting more though

 

How many do you have now? Just one

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Intense staring at reflections and lights if given the chance. Doing everything at 5000MPH then thinking about what he's done after. Cat gazing, he will stare and watch them for hours on end if left to his own devices.

 

City dog or county dog? 9-5 city dog, country dog on the weekends and on school year breaks

 

Would you ever get another breed? Yes. A Kelpie, I think, wll be the next addition to the pack, I would get a Dobie, Mal, or a Pitty What can I say I like high drive dogs lol

[SoloRiver]

First dog as a child: none -- my childhood pets were fish and hamsters (RIP Billie Jean, who used to ride around in my pocket and do tricks for food).

 

First dog as an adult: Harley the rescued Pomeranian. I got her when she was 15 months old, and I was 21 and "on my own" for the first time. Harley was the Best Dog Ever. She had it all -- beauty, brains, wit, grace -- everyone loved her. She was as dear to me as Solo is, but without that "the world is against us" factor that makes my relationship with Solo so intense. Solo is a flawed dog; Harley had no flaws. She died at the age of seven from lymphangiosarcoma, an exceedingly rare cancer in dogs.

Why a BC? Not any good reason -- Harley died suddenly, I was bereft, I started applying to rescues (of various breeds) at random, and Solo was the first dog available. He was essentially dumped on me by an independent "rescue" guy who never asked me for an application, never did a home visit, never called any references, and was not particularly interested in helping when I almost immediately started having problems with Solo. If Siberian Husky rescue had gotten back to me first, I would have a Sibe now. If Aussie rescue had gotten back to me first, I would have an Aussie now. The only thing these dogs all had in common is that they are not Pomeranians -- after Harley, all other Poms looked like lame imitations of her to me and I could barely even look at them.

Did you do research? Not really. I was a dog freak already and pretty well versed in all of the standard caveats about Border Collies. Of course they were very appealing, but I didn't think I was active enough to keep up with one. When I wrote to the guy who dumped Solo on me I said something like "I am not a marathon runner" and that I would be interested if he had a Border Collie that was "anomalously mellow." Solo is pretty mellow now as he moves into late middle age, but when I got him he was anything but.

 

First BC: Solo.

 

What made you want to get another? After a while I thought Solo might benefit from having a canine buddy, and I wanted a trained dog to learn more about sheepdog handling and take some pressure off of Solo, who I was probably pushing a bit too hard in my newfound zeal. Also, my trainer said something like, "Your relationship with Solo is weird and codependent, and you both really need another dog." So then, there was Fly.

What have you done with your dogs? agility, obedience (for the CGC test, not formal obedience), flyball, rally, hiking, and of course stock work.

 

How many BCs? two

 

How many do you have now? two, both eight years old (Fly will be nine on Christmas)

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? The intensity of the relationship and their responsiveness to me. The eyes always following me. You know, standard stuff.

City dog or country dog? City -- I have lived in the middle of a city, with no yard, the entire time I have had Border Collies.

Would you ever get another breed? I used to think I might want an auxiliary dog but honestly, probably not. I would prefer to have fewer dogs than more dogs, so any non-Border Collie would just be taking up a Border Collie space. I did not have good luck with my last auxiliary dog (Skeeter the Papillon) and don't want to end up in that situation again. (He lives in Modesto now with another Papillon and is much happier.) That said, never say never.

[smileyzookie]

First dog as a child: I didnt have a dog till I was 19

First dog as an adult: Rottie named Tyler

 

Why a BC? I didnt know anything about BC's. Riven was there, I knew she was meant to be ours, and found out later she was BC

Did you do research? obviously not lol

 

First BC Rivendell

 

What made you want to get another? Not sure I want another BC unless its a lower drive

 

What have you done with your dogs? Advanced Obedience and Agility

 

How many BC's? One.

 

How many do you have now? One.

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? They all want to sleep with me but thats dogs in general I think

 

City dog or country dog? City

 

Would you ever get another breed? Probably. I'd still like a pug or boxer. Hubby wants an english bulldog (blah lol)

[JohnLloydJones]

First dog as a child: Zip, a BC mix. He was a couple of months older than me, so we grew up together. When I was 13, he developed phlebitis and I sobbed my heart out when he was PTS.

 

First dog as an adult: Border Collie

 

Why a BC?: I grew up in an area with (lots of) sheep, so there were basically two sorts of dogs: sheepdogs (pretty much all BCs) and "other breeds". That, plus the imprinting from early childhood, didn't leave any possibility of considering anything else.

 

Did you do research?: Yes, but more as a way to justify my decision.

 

First BC: Zip. He was a mix, but had all the smarts of a BC plus a bit of fighting spirit from his bull terrier side. Awesome dog to grow up with.

 

What made you want to get another?: Probably because the thought of having a home without a BC would feel strange; it's the raport that develops between yourself and the dog that I am thinking of. Hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it,but your dog starts anticipating you and you end up thinking like a BC.

 

What have you done with your dogs?: Agility

 

How many BC's?: Always just one.

 

How many do you have now?: One.

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs?: Umm, this is what we call personality -- BCs have lots. Odd little things like drinking water at the edge of the water bowl (to maximize the spillage); placing a paw on my arm or leg when we are relaxing together; the ability to project guilt into my wife while she is eating even when sitting quietly the other end of the room. turning sumersalts while greeting me.

 

City dog or country dog?: We live with houses on one side of us and fields on the other, so half and half. At least, as long as it lasts.

 

Would you ever get another breed?: There are other breeds I like -- e.g. aussies, McNabs -- but when it comes to the crunch, I think it's always going to be a BC.

[ZoZo]

First dog as a child: Duke, a black lab

 

First dog as an adult: BC

 

Why a BC? A happy accident, our first BC, Shelby, came with the first house we bought back in '93. We went to look at the house and we remarked to the owners how we loved their dog. "Oh, you can have her! We'll throw her in if you buy the house." How could we say no to that? She was a rescue that they had for about a year- they just weren't dog people at all. She was a great BC, she lived to be about 16 years old.

 

Did you do research? No, we had no idea about BC's.

 

First BC: Shelby.

 

What made you want to get another? Shelby was great, not so much with other dogs, but a real sweetie with people. She was so smart and loyal.

What have you done with your dogs? Flyball, cycling, hiking, frisbee.

 

How many BCs? 2

 

How many do you have now?[/b] 1

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Border Collies seem to be perfectionists, I find that an interesting trait.

City dog or country dog? City.

Would you ever get another breed? Never! BC's are so much dog in one package, we could never go back to a regular dog. Zoey may be getting a new friend in the next couple of weeks as we're trying to adopt another BC through a local rescue group.

[Laurena]

First dog as a child: Clancy a male p/b German Shepherd .

 

First dog as an adult: Heidi

 

Why a BC? I had always admired the breed . I wanted a compact active intelligent dog that I could do a variety of activities with .

 

Did you do research? Yes .

 

First BC: Heidi

 

What made you want to get another? I am happy with just Heidi , I don't think I could handle more then one bc at a time .

 

What have you done with your dogs? I wanted to do dog sports (agility , flyball) but unfortunetly we haven't really been able to . Heidi is my walking , running , camping , hiking buddy . Hopefully one day we'll try her on sheep .

 

How many BCs? One

 

How many do you have now ? One

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? She loves to pull the fuzz of tennis balls , dances to music , her whole lower body wiggles when she wags her tail you think she's going to break her back .

 

City dog or country dog? City

 

Would you ever get another breed? Hmmm, I have really fallen in love with the breed I couldn't imagine having any thing other then a border collie . I grew up around northern breeds and shepherds though and they hold a special place in my heart . I would possibly consider a husky , malamute , gsd or a belgian malinois in the future .

[kajarrel]

First dog as a child: None. My brother was allergic to animals.

 

First dog as an adult: A lab-Newfoundland cross pup.

 

Why a BC? When the pup (above) died, my distraught housemates decided to get me a new puppy. Cindy (my BC) bit one of them when he stuck his finger in her cage at the shelter, and he knew she was the dog for me :-)

 

Did you do research? Not before, but I have in the 28 years since I first got Cindy . . .

 

First BC: Cindy

 

What made you want to get another? Moved to farm in the country, got sheep (lifelong dream), and needed dog.

 

What have you done with your dogs? Everything and nothing - they're farm dogs. They work my sheep.

 

How many BC's? 7 total

 

How many do you have now? 5

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Nothing out of the ordinary.

 

City dog or county dog? My first was a city dog, raised in W. Philadephia for most of her life. We currently live in the country.

 

Would you ever get another breed? Sure, why not? We have and had other breeds of dogs. But not to herd sheep.

[Gary M]

Blank template

 

First dog as a child:

 

First dog as an adult:

 

Why a BC?

 

Did you do research?

 

First BC:

 

What made you want to get another?

 

What have you done with your dogs?

 

How many BC's?

 

How many do you have now?

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs?

 

City dog or country dog?

 

Would you ever get another breed?

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Thanks Gary!

 

First dog as a child: Not allowed pets - played with best friend's OES "Tiger" and later "adopted" my horsey friend's Aussies

 

First dog as an adult: Maggie, Finnish Spitz mix (she'll turn 14 tomorrow - Happy Birthday!)

 

Why a BC? Is there any other dog to work sheep? (Sorry Kelpie folks! )

 

Did you do research? Yes - thought the "Collies" mentioned in overseas literature were Lassie type, until a friend enlightened me

 

First BC: Ben, pictured in avatar, will be 12 in Feb 2008

What made you want to get another?One is not enough, and a really cool puppy became available through my rescue

 

What have you done with your dogs? Obedience, disc dog, agility, flyball, and working stock of course - sheep, goats, ducks, geese, cattle, and even pigs!

 

How many BC's? I've owned nine personally, but have worked with many foster dogs and working trainees.

 

How many do you have now? There are five resident BCs here, one away on lease, and one rescue/trainee

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? I've never known a BC that wouldn't sell his soul for a predictable routine. It leads to all kinds of wacky manipulation if you live with multiple BCs - simulaneously going into a tailspin because they know what's next!

 

City dog or country dog? Live rural, but all socialized heavily to urban environments, too - stores, cars, sidewalks, parks, even elevators and hotels.

Would you ever get another breed? I already have two other breeds. There's so many other types of dogs I'd like to work with I could easily end up one of those crazy people with 200 dogs all living in the bedroom. Picardy Shepherd, Spanish Water Dog, Croatian Sheepdog, Leonberger, purebred Finkie, Havanese - I could go on and on. Life's too short unfortunately, and I haven't really even scratched the surface of the one little area I dabble in, with the Border Collies I have - so I regretfully restrain myself.

[Gary M]

First dog as a child: That I can remember, Lassie type collie named Sassy. She "went to live with my uncle on the farm" when we had to move to Ohio in the early 60's. I was 5 then.

 

First dog as an adult: Buffy. Possibly Finnish Spitz mix. Dumpster dog - had her for 15 great years. Went to the bridge in 1998.

 

Why a BC? Fate

 

Did you do research? After the fact. That is how I found these boards. When we can put aside our philosophical differences and concentrate on our common love and devotion to the breed and the same they in turn give to us, there is a lot of knowledge on this board. And all in all, a pretty great group of people.

 

First BC: Baby Girl. Rescued as a stray in December 2002, lost tragically too early in October 2007.

 

What made you want to get another? I am masochistic in nature. Seriously, soon after we got Baby, something just "clicked" with DW and I. The intelligent, independant, confident nature of the breed seems to make them easier to live with than most of the others we have had as forever dogs or fosters.

We saw a lot of that in Nisa, brat that she is, which is why we picked her. She has worked her way in well and I think much of that is that same BC background. I have noticed that most of the BC's I have seen in public, at trials, etc. are generally if not more accepting of other dogs and breeds, are more tolerant. Except for "trip over" dogs like toy poodles and such, which I think they view in much the same way as a squeaky toy and would like just as much to rip the stuffing out of them if Mom did not stop them.

 

What have you done with your dogs? Frisbee and retrieval type stuff mostly. Travelling companion, walks in the neighborhood, that kind of thing. Nisa is more active than Baby was, not a good "off" switch yet, so will do more activities with her probably.

 

How many BC's?2

 

How many do you have now?1

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? If I could even begin to list all of that, I could write a best seller

 

City dog or country dog? Most of ours started as city / suburban dogs, but we are rural.

 

Would you ever get another breed? Since ours is a pet home, and a rescue home, more often the dog picks us, so breeds vary. But I don't think that I will ever be without a BC again.

 

Other pets Lots of cats downstairs, 3 upstairs. 8 house dogs - Nisa, Bernie, Chloe, a lab, a cocker, a chuhuahua and 2 poodles. If you don't count Tasha, our current Aussie foster

[sweet_ceana]

First dog as a child: We did not have a dog when I was a kid. My Grandma had a red long haired duachsen mix name Susie LALA. After Grandma passed away Suzie stayed with us for a few months until my mother met an old couple who loved her and needed some company. Susie's place in life was an elderly companion.

First dog as an adult: Ceana

 

Why a BC? Chris has always wanted a BC. When i first started dating him I did not even know what they were. LOL

Did you do research? TONS!! I reaserch everything and Ceana was no different. I spent months making sure I knew what we were getting into. Reaserch is how I found this site.

First BC: Ceana

What made you want to get another? We wanted Ceana to have another dog to be a dog with, plus how could you not want two?

 

What have you done with your dogs? Basic obedience, we play lots of frisbee & lots of Soccer. ( Ceana and I are working on passing the ball as we run... but sometimes she gets carried away) We hike & would eventually like to try our paws at hearding and agility. We have a few possible health issues that have to get cleared first.

How many BC's? Today- One, as of SUNDAY TWO!!!!

 

How many do you have now? I am so excited for Sunday when Poco comes home!

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Ceana has incredible consentration, and will actually turn down food if a frisbee or ball is near.

City dog or country dog? City dog currently, but wait until we can buy another house...

Would you ever get another breed? Not intentionally, but sometimes a dog will find you so I will never say never.

[kelpiegirl]

That'll get you a LIE DOWN, THAT'LL DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Why a BC? Is there any other dog to work sheep? (Sorry Kelpie folks! )

[GoldenCollie]

First dog as a child: A cross breed. A mix of many breeds, but one of the best natured and loving dogs.

 

First dog as an adult: Leo, My yellow Labrador.

 

Why a BC? My partner has one, although its a cross, but the BC in him stands out much more. It sparked my interest and things developed from there i guess! Also, being an active person, i felt i could give a BC a good, active life.

 

Did you do research? Yes, and lots of it!

 

First BC: Meg

 

What have you done with your dogs? I done the KC cit awards with my lab, plus a little gundog training and some other things...Currently i also have an application in for him becoming a PAT dog. As for Meg, she does her Flyball and hoping to get her into agility around Easter time. Apart from that i do regular training with them in the field out front.

 

How many BC's? One (and a half, if you also count my partners cross )

 

How many do you have now? Same as above. Still have them both.

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Meg is so cheeky! She always gets what she wants, and she absolutely knows how to play me to get it! She always HAS to be center stage and will bring out every trick in the book to make sure she has it!

 

City dog or country dog? Country (Am a keen hiker & hillwalker so don't think i could live anywhere else!)

 

Would you ever get another breed? Whilst growing up and living with my parents things were inside-out... We had the farm living INSIDE not outside So experienced living with quite a few different breeds.. I do love the labradors... However, after getting Meg and experiencing living with a BC, i honestly don't know if i'll ever get another breed. I have completely fell for them. They have absolutely everything in one package!

[Maralynn]

First dog as a child: Frisky, a GSD mix, was our family dog when I was growing up. She was dropped near our house one December and never left. We had her for 14 years and and she was an awesome companion for us kids while we were growing up

 

 

First dog as an adult: Missy. I got her when I was 22

 

Why a BC? Because I had sheep! I had wanted my own dog for several years and had been attracted to GSDs and Collies. But our friends with sheep had 2 BCs and after watching them work I decided that that was the breed for me when I was able to get one.

 

Did you do research? Somewhat. I knew they were high energy dogs who needed a job to do and that I could provide an outlet for that energy

 

First BC: Missy

 

What made you want to get another? I was at the point with Missy that I had accomplished everything with her training wise (and actually much more so) that I had wanted another dog to train.

 

What have you done with your dogs? herding (of course!), obedience (for CGC), therapy work, SAR

 

How many BC's? Two

 

How many do you have now? Two

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? I think I'pass on this one as it would take me a while to list them all...

 

City dog or country dog? Country

 

Would you ever get another breed? I would consider probably a half a dozen or so other working breeds - mostly shepherd type dogs.

[notailabigail]

First dog as a child: Zoe, a little terrier x. We found her when I was 10 and she was 3 and she died 10 years later from heart failure.

 

First dog as an adult: Abby, the rescued nutty mutt. She is a *lot* of "first dog".

 

Why a BC? After getting used to Abby's style, I wanted another dog that was as smart and intense and willing to keep up with me.

Did you do research? Yup, lots of research including fostering BCs.

 

First BC: Ryan, a rescue puppy from TDBCR.

What made you want to get another? I don't have another one yet but someday I will.

What have you done with your dogs? Abby and I do agility, flyball and rally-o. Ryan does rally-o and is starting agility soon - right now we're working on some foundation stuff. He's also been put on sheep once and I'd like to bring him back as often as I can.

How many BC's? I like having 2 dogs.

How many do you have now? 2 in mind but only 1 in body.

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Ryan likes to play with bones as if they're other dogs - play bows and spins and everything. Abby is just very quirky in general.

City dog or country dog? City dogs. When I've visited friends in the country and they've been set loose they just wait by the door. They don't know what to do with the freedom!

Would you ever get another breed? The only purebred I'd ever have is a BC or a Kelpie, probably. I love mutts that are so muttly that you can't tell what's in them (ie. Abby).

[sunshian]

First dog as a child: Samson the Old English Sheepdog who was very proficient at herding cattle.

 

First dog as an adult: Cedar BCx

 

Why a BC? It wasn't b/c he was BC rather he was the most unwanted pup at the shelter (5mnth resident) and I was a sucker for that look in his eyes.

 

Did you do research? Yes, I tried to figure out why no one else would want this perfectly abnormal dog. Thank goodness I finally found this place where abnormal is actually normal!

 

First BC: Cedar .5 BC

 

What have you done with your dogs? Keeping him mentally & physically stimulated on a daily basis. He wasn't socialized when I got him at 10mnths old so....alot of energy has been put into coping with the fact that yes...there are other dogs in the world and I must say that after a year...he is doing AMAZING!

 

How many BC's? one

 

How many do you have now? one

 

What "quirks" have you noticed with all your dogs? Unlike me...Cedar is always on time! His internal clock never ceases to amaze me.

 

City dog or country dog? City dog that gets to visit family in country on a regular basis.

 

Would you ever get another breed? It's all about a dog's personality.

[JohnLloydJones]

... as long as I can have a whacko BC, I don't see the point in having a normal dog!

Well I was brought up to think that BCs were normal dogs and it was the other breeds that are odd.

[1sheepdoggal]

First dog as a child- a yorkie (rescue dog)

 

First dog as an adult- Golden Ret.

 

Why a Border Collie- Needed a dog to work stock, and had already tried the Aussie and Aust. cattle dog. Both were a dissapointment to me in so far as my expectations of what I wanted in a stockdog. The BC was just the next logical choice.

 

Did you research- Yes and still got one.

 

First BC- Dirty Harry Calahan RIP 1995- 2005

 

What made you get another- Dirty Harry Calahan

 

What have you done with your dogs- worked stock.

 

How many do you have now- BC's 6, GSD 1, Std Poodle 1, LGD 1, mixed breed 1

 

What quirks- They are workaholics. Im not, so that seems quirky to me.

 

City or country dog- Country

 

Would you ever get another breed- Absolutly, but as long as I have stock to work, there will always be a couple of BC's to get the job done.