donna frankland (uk) Posted November 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 hey guys! thanks for all the wonderful suggestions, though i still cant decide! i have a fairly long bus ride with lil pupper on my lap before we get home (i have a thing for dogs and cats having a name before they get home!) anyhoo a little about him..... this year, unless i wanted a top isds registered dog (would be nice, but i dont have £450) it has been a nightmare trying to find a puppy from a person i actually didnt feel bad about handing money to! there are some right pillocks out there this year! i cant get a rescue as they wont home to me as i work and dont vaccinate. i tried private rescue, but the dogs that would have fitted into my household all snapped up before i got there. so the search for a decent litter locally ensued. oh my gods!! i found an add for 'border collie puppies beautifully marked ready 24th october'. i phones around the 11th when i was in the next town. i asked if i could pop over that evening as i was already nearby, the lady said that would be fine, how long would i be? i said i would get the very next bus and perhaps meet her as the directions were complicated and i have the sense or direction of a dead lettuce. all ok meet in around 3/4 of an hour. sometimes its just fate that you catch people out eh? i walked down the high street and get to the bus stop and spy some TINY weeney black and white scraps wobbling and shivering around on the raised lawn there. my guess is 5 weeks old, and i just KNEW they were the pups i was going to see. i guess she missed the bus that would have got her and the pups back home before i started out to meet her? we all get on the bus, and at this point i havent said anything, she has no idea who i am yet. her and 3 friends and an entire staffy type sog and a tiny baby and push chair get on the bus. puppy pass the parcel ensues. all seated, i then get on and sit in the seat behind them all. these puppies were still shivering i asked one of the lad where everyone was getting the collie pups from as i was looking for one, and was told FROM THEIR MUM! frantic glances between the woman and him told me she guessed who i was and then it was all, ' yeah they're fab dogs. no papers but you can tell they are pedigree, you can just tell cos they're so nice, look at them etc etc etc'. i told him i knew good pups when i saw them and i would wait till i was the rest of the litter and mum before i made any opinion. yes that right they brought half the litter out without mum! spot on!!! as we walked home i got chatting to the woman who owned the mother. how come she had 5 week old puppies out? early socialisation? vet appointment????? she wanted to make sure people knew she had them so she could find good homes because the last litter one bloke had a pup and let it run stray and when the kennels picked it up they gave it kennel cough! i asked if the parent worked, and was told dad worked cattle (ok) and mum would be a great worker because she herds the horses up!! wtf??? we got back to the flat, and of course mum wanted nothing to do with me, she was frantic for her pups, the pups i hadnt seen yet wanted nothing to do witn me as they wanted their siblings, and the onse i had seen wanted nothing to do with me as they wanted food and mum! everytime they went to suckle, mum was called off. remember staffy dog, he kept trying to chat up mum, who got told off when she told him she wasnt interested get the hell away from my pups. i asked their age querying the ready on the 24th. oh they could go sooner than that they are eating solids. i asked where dad was and was told he had been sent away for a bit because they didnt want mum getting pregnant again???? i enquired about a tri smoothy boy and was told they were keeping him and one of his sisters. but the price would have been £150 for the dogs £200 for the bitches. (the amount isnt relevant as yet, but remember it k?) i left saying i would pop back when the puppies werent cold and hungry. i saw her last week in town and said hello to mum, and asked how the pups were. they had one left was i interested. i said i had no money, but enquired about the smoothy tri out of interest (fear not there is not a snowball's chance in hell i would have handed over money). they had sold him for £90. the next day she asked me if i would be interested in taking the last pup and just giving her some money towards food etc, about £50. i gave her my phone number and told her when she needed him gone to ring me, but i wouldnt pay. you never know, she may ring... if she does, i'll find him somewhere safe. i feel really mean that it wont be with me, but i need a pup who has a good chance of being a good working dog, as my sheep are arriving next month (oh yeah, i'm getting sheep again) the good news is, i was chatting to the man in the pet food shop and he told me of a farmer not too far away, with a litter that would be ready soon. a phone call a few days later and i learn that he has decades of sheepdog experience, mum and dad are both his and both very good workers. he asked if i had had collies before, and was very pleased that i wanted a pup to train. when i asked about the pups he didnt go for the sell, but asked me if i would like to come and see for myself if the right puppy for me was in that litter. so i went to see, mum is adorable, dad proud and aloof (in the 'i know i'm stunning and i will grace you with a glance, but you're not my dad so dont expect much more than that). but the thing that got to me the most? if dad was blue merle, he would be identical to tikki's dad. i know that is completely the wrong reason for choosing a litter from which to get a pup, but i suck at sensible at times and when little squish sat in front of me and did the kitten wiggle and wagged his lil tail at me so hard his head wagged too..... done for! i paid my deposit and said i would be back hopefully this weekend to pick him up! sorry for the ramble! 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donna frankland (uk) Posted November 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 lpease forgive my apparent lack of ability to write properly today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickkers Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 what a sweet sweet story. It seems like things are certainly working out for the best then, yes? I wish you the BEST of luck!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 Hey Donna!! I'm not too much help w/ names either right now but I just wanted to say its good to see you again. Hope things are going well for you and congratulations on getting a new pup. Try not to be so much of a stranger now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK Lass Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 I always love browsing this website for ideas. http://www.bordercollies.nl/enames.shtml?q...=0&num=alle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna frankland (uk) Posted November 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2008 my man to the rescue!! puppers name is ........ Pilot! i'll be setting off in a bit. expect a gazzillion pic this evening! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted November 8, 2008 Report Share Posted November 8, 2008 Pile for short! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 8, 2008 Report Share Posted November 8, 2008 Great story, Donna! I'm glad you did not get fooled and give your business to that horrible woman. Poor dogs and poor pups in her household. I love the name, Pilot. Not all good breeders are well-known. Some are just good, local folks. Very best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna frankland (uk) Posted November 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2008 pilot has landed!!!! he is adorable!!!! (remind me i said that in a few weeks time ok? lol!) i would take pics, but he's fast asleep behind the sofa right now ::sigh:: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 Lately, I've loved the name "Tater." Someone I know has a little, brown, round pug or puggle named Tater, and it's SUCH a perfect name! I also met a dog named "Boo" last week, and instantly regretted not naming my Buddy "Boo." It's a perfect name for a shy dog. Also literary. I think our Boo was named after Boo Radley. So, there, Tater and Boo are my latest wannabe names. In fact, wouldn't they make a great pair of dogs? Tater and Boo. Boo and Tater. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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