What other dogs were you considering before you got your first BC?

[Maralynn]

I saw my first BC doing a herding demo when I was about 12, at a local fall farm festival. When I was 13, I got my first sheep. By the time I was 16-17 I had about 20 sheep and knew I wanted a BC. It wasn't possible then because our family dog needed to be an only dog. It was about 5 years after that when I finally got Missy. She was well worth the wait, and I can't imagine not having her in my life.

 

I love serious working dogs, and someday, if I find myself without sheep, I could see myself with a Malinois, or other working shepherd type dog. But for now, I'm hooked on BCs.

[bcnewe2]

What wonderful stories.

My first dog as an adult was a terrier mix. He was wonderful but more DH's than mine. He lived to the ripe ol? age of 18 and was still around when I got my first BC.

 

I remember growing up and visiting my great uncle's farm where he had 2 bc's. he also had coon hounds, GSD's and toy poodles. I was in love with his BC's so for my birthday about 10 years ago DH and kids surprised me with my 1st BC. Loved her to death but she was tragically hit by a car before 1 yr old.

Got Jazz (a byb bc) started working sheep, got the second bc and the rest is history. It took quite a while for me to understand the dif. between working dogs, foofoo?s or non working BC's. My first few were not foofoo but BYB nonworking dogs or rescues of the same type.

 

I finally hooked up with some working dog savvy people and never looked back.

I do rescue, and fostering for any bc but I would never have anything but a working dog from now on. Not to say you can't rescue a good working dog. But, you do need to know the difference! I still have the byb bc?s, I just wouldn?t want to own any more.

 

I just rescued a very nicely bred working girl who had her first go with me on stock yesterday and today. All I can say is?.Why would anyone not have wanted this beautiful wonderful working dog???

 

BC's are the only dog for me, but when I get old and if I'm ever unable to work stock....I've always been enchanted with Greyhounds.

[INU]

GSD. I almost got one through GSD rescue the day I got Jazzy by impulse. I am so glad I didn't get a GSD now.

[Spike's Bitch]

My old dog before Spike was a BC/Lab/Staff mix - he was thirteen when I adopted him and seventeen and a bit when he died, and I - well, any individual dog is irreplaceable, but I couldn't be walking around dogless. All I knew for sure was that I wanted an active, intelligent dog that I could do stuff with, an interesting dog that'd keep me busy and give me a reason not to turn myself into a 700lb couchpotato.

 

I told the shelter I needed a gundog, herding dog or mix thereof under two years old that had to be good with cats - Spike was the first dog they got in who fitted that description and he happened to be a purebred BC. I went to meet him and boom - love at first sight like a lightning bolt.

 

I'm just lucky he decided to keep me

[Geoffrey]

Well, I don't have a BC (but I like them)...

 

But, for my *next* dog I have considered a TON of breeds; BC (obviously), border terrier, wire fox terriers, another lab, pointer, aussie, ACD, german shepherd, great dane, belgian sheepdog (all varieties are nice), and various others I can't remember.

 

Since I'm really in no position to get another dog, I am free to be fickle . If I were actually activly looking I'd probably be more selective.

[bc friend]

I had other breeds and enjoyed them. Then well over 20 yrs ago I met Sara's grandmother - incredible bc who was the whole package, a working dog with beauty, brains, personality. It was 9 yrs before circumstances allowed me to have a bc of my own - and Sara is her so much like her grandmother in appearance, skill and personality, it's amazing. I have other breeds as well that are loved but my bc's are the most special breed I've met.

[jay7347]

I had had a white shepard earlier in my adult life, a cocker spaniel and a sheltie when I was growing up. The dogs I had when I was a kid were bad experiences resulting from conflicts with my mom. The Shepard was a great dog and an awesome friend.

 

When I went to the shelter I was just looking, and not even seriously. Then I passed by this 65lb B&W Border Collie by the name of Willy. He gave a little muffled woof, I turned, and he rolled over on his back throwing his stomach against the cage wall for me to scratch. Both ways, it was love at first site. When I asked about him at the front desk they said he's a Border Collie, what kind of lifestyle do you have? I said I ran about 40-50 miles a week, worked from home and they smiled... Willy went home with me the next day.

 

The experience with Willy wasn'nt always easy. He took a lot of work and training. But after about three years when he was six, I realized he was the best dog I ever had and I couldn't be more blessed. Since then I confess to being a total BC snob. I would never want another breed. I love even their quirks. I've gotten two more since Willy passed away at 12 about a year and a half ago and they are both really good dogs.

-jay

[Beth G]

I too had considered a GSD as I have experience with that breed. I also considered an Aussie as well as a BC, but my husband took the decision out of my hands when he got me my BC, Popcorn.

 

I instantly fell in love with the breed's sense of humour, their affectionate nature, and their high intelligence. I loved Poppy so much then we then rescued Pepper from some bad circumstances a month later.

[Dog Lady]

I have been wanting a companion dog for my GS for years, but dh has refused. I was searching the dog ads, as have done for years, and came across a Border Collie and gave it a call, then called my husband who said "no, not until GS is dead and buried". I just didn't like his answer so phoned and told the bc owner I was on my way! Now I am looking for a 'red' one.

[RaisingRiver]

My first dog growing up was Topaz. Now I realize she was probably a BC mix. She was the coolest dog ever and though I was very little and barely remember her, my mom said she was super smart and awesome. Unfortunately, we had to give her away when forced to move into an apartment that took only 'small' dogs.

 

Me & Topaz:

 

I had one other dog growing up, a black Cocker Spaniel/Lab mix that our family took as a puppy when my uncle's friend didn't want her (she was a gift). We had her 10 years until her natural death.

 

After getting married, we agreed not to have dogs until the kids were at least 2 years old (big enough to not be knocked over and such) well, 3 kids later, the last child was finally 2! Now somewhere in my life I fell in love with the BC. I don't know how or why, but I did (maybe it was Topaz). I knew they were smart and would require a lot - and I didn't think I was ready. So we rescued a dog from the humane society, Jaida at 5 months old. She was choosen because she came to the front of the cage all wiggly and ears back when I said 'hi honey' - my heart melted. After that I kept my eye open for GSD mixes since Jaida was so awesome. After getting into agility with her, I realized that I finally have an outlet, a venue for owning a BC. So, last year I specifically looked for a BC and got River the week before my 31st birthday. After 30 years, I was finally ready (experienced enough as a trainer & had a specific outlet to 'work' her) to own a BC. What a privilege. I'll never get any other kind of dog again.

[DebC]

I never thought of myself as a 'dog' person - I was cats all the way. When I was growing up, my dad had 2 Brittany Spaniels (one after the other) and they were not house dogs. He wanted to hunt pheasant with them, but didn't really have the time. They had dog runs and houses outside. My DH is a 'dog' person. Our first dog together was a Basset Hound - disaster!! We had to give her away when we moved into an apartment. Then, when I was pregnant with son #2, he brought home a yellow lab rescue. 'Boys need dogs' he said. She was a great dog. After we lost her, we went a few years without a dog. I have to say I never would've thought about a BC if my brother hadn't gotten one (then 2, 3 and now 4!!). I am now a certified BC nut. Bo is an awesome dog!! We are so fortunate to have him, and I would have another in a heartbeat.

[Carson Crazies]

Ginger (a mix of who knows what) and I had lived together for about 3 years when we "met" and married Chuck (although I had known him since I was about 8 years old). On our honeymoon Chuck and I ran across some "Free Christmas Puppies". At the time I was pretty ignorant, and it never occurred to me that getting a pup that way was a bad idea. Anyway, we went in, and saw this black & white ball of fluff stumbling around. We were told her mom was a lab mix, and dad a Blue Tick Hound. They had a male intact BC also. We decided to take her home, and Chuck named her "Bree".

 

At any rate, I wasn't looking for any breed in particular, just entertaining the idea of another dog, and having Ginger a new friend. So, this sounded like a good idea to me. We brought this pup home, and realized quite quickly that we had bit off more than we could chew. All the sudden this good idea seemed like a VERY bad idea indeed. I had brought home a puppy on speed that was laying a path of destruction in my house.

 

After I realized that it was likely their Border Collie that had sired this pup, I came to these boards. I think probably my first 30 posts were some kind of panic.

 

THEN, I met Becca & her dogs. I realied I actually *loved* Border Collies (just not Bree, apparently - although we've worked that out now). Thank you Ben, Doug and Jen. Not long after that came June, and now Nick. I believe I'm quite doomed actually. So this is basically my long way of saying I sort of fell into Border Collies by accident - never even had any real desires for other breeds. Oh yeah, my ship sunk hard and fast - and I never even had a chance.

[Pat W.]

I grew up with and Eng. Springer Spaniel when I was very small and dont remember, then my beloved mixed breed I named Chicklets after the tiny multi colored pieces of gum and then our miniture schnauzer. I wanted a GSD when I was older, and when I was living in London my then BF got me what we suspect was a bc/belgian shep mix. Kipper was my heart dog and passed away several years ago at age 15. In that time in the UK I was infected with the terminal disease Border Collious Dedicatus. Watching all the herding trials kindly aired by the BBC only succeeded in

firmly entrenching in my mind and heart that I wanted one of these incredible dogs. Returning home after 2 1/2 yrs I went in search of one. This was pre-internet and totally uneducated in the ways of puppy mills and petstores. Got my 1st bc from a petstore and totally lucked out both the temperment, health and personality departments. When it was time for another addition to our home I wanted to go the bc route again the bug still firmly entrenched in my blood stream. I looked and looked, now more educated I went online and searched rescues primarily. I wasnt able to just what I wanted in a bc so ended up with an Aussie from a breeder that was getting rid of her dogs. Riley is at the opposite end of the spectrum as Ashe as far as drive and noise goes. More vocal, single minded (read hard headed LOL), driven to do, and thinks that I am the sun, moon and stars when we are NOT on an agility course...then Im just extranious material. My husband then decided he would like to play agility and again I got on the internet for a rescue and thanks to MABCR ended up with Meg now my daughters agility partner. We also welcomed Rush into our homes when he was left to my daughter in his former owners will when he passed away. A sweeter, more gentle loving dog you would never meet. We were his fourth home and only shared it with him for 4 short years as he recently crossed over the bridge at age 13..god it will be a week tomm night since he left us. So sometime next year we will be looking for a member from BC rescue to help heal our hearts. I may downsize in the future to a Pembroke, but I will never have anything else other than a herding breed.

[painted_ponies]

I really never wanted a border collie. I thought they were hyper and too preoccupied with their own agendas to really bond with a person. I wanted a more reflective, contemplative type dog. In other words, a chow.

 

I actually got one, too - a year old male Hurricane Katrina refugee. Sadly, he flipped out upon arrival, climbed my fence, and spent two months living in the woods on my farm before disappearing entirely. Tried everything, up to and including having as houseguests the ladies from the rescue who'd lived with the dog for four months to see if they could lure him back to civilization. Nothing worked.

 

So a friend had a border collie she'd taken in as a stray almost a year earlier, that she wanted to place but not badly enough to send her to a stranger. She asked me how I'd like to have Violet come stay for the weekend.

 

Six months later, she's still with me. In fact, she's changed my life in a lot of ways. I now volunteer with a BC rescue (see my sig), and, through this board, we found out about herding. We've been to a trial and have decided that's something we're going to pursue over the winter. In the spring, I hope we'll have our own tiny little flock.

 

I can't imagine ever having another breed now.

[PSmitty]

Wonderful stories, everyone!

 

I don't technically have a BC, but...

 

When we rescued Lilly, we had no desire for any particular kind of dog, we just wanted a youngish rescue. God was smiling on us that day, since I could never have asked for a better dog. She will always be my "doggie soul mate" (for lack of a better description). Anyway, a few years later we decided she needed a brother.

 

I wanted a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and my DH wanted a border collie, although he didn't really care, he'd have been happy with any dog. So I applied to Ridgeback rescue, but after waiting a couple of months with no dogs matching our needs, I started looking at Petfinder. One day I came across "Ace", a pitiful looking pup labeled as a bc/lab mix. We met him a week or so later, and he's a perfect fit to our family.

 

Now, I know there's dispute about his parentage, but I believe he's got a lot of BC in there, and I'm afraid I'm hooked for life now!

[hoku's mum]

These are great stories, all.

 

Paula, we have a lot in common! We didnt go out to get a BC, he found us. Our old best-dog-in-the-world Spencer crossed the rainbow bridge at 16 1/2, and we though we would never get another big dog, as they would never live up to Spencers memories. But 3 years later, we were decided we were ready and started checking the local shelter and pet finder to rescue a dog. I wanted an adult, my sweetie wanted a pup. Hoku popped up in the local shelter, and when we saw his pic, sweetie said "THAT'S OUR DOG!!! WE have to go get him out of the shelter, NOW!!!!!" So we did, and he turns out to be our soul-mate dog, just a great guy. Luckily I discovered you all, (thanks again for all the great help in understanding this quirky and wonderful boy), and I am hooked on the BC ..... even find myself thinking about sheep....

 

Interesting that a lot of us just fell into BC's

 

Kristin, Hoku the happy, and Gussy the great

[shelb'smum]

I'd Have to say, that I did not on any circumstances want anything to do with the Border Collie Breed lol.

 

I was looking for a GSD, Rott , Or a mixture of the 2. I rescued and re-homed one (GSD/Rott mix) at one point in time, ended up having her for six months and fell in love with her.

 

But I always saw B/C's as snobby dogs. their attention is always on theirs owners and never really on other dogs. And the thing with the Frisbee?s and Balls !! GEEZ! i just didn't like them, they were scrawny and bony looking and just BLEH!

 

and then Shelby walked into my life and COMPLETLY changed my mind. lol. SHE told ME that her and I are meant to be together and that I wasn?t leaving without her. .I now have SO much respect for this breed and would honestly only have the B/C or an Aussie from now on.

[Lunar]

Oh and to add to my story... After being on this forum for years and now knowing much about BCs I decided I really couldn't handle a "real" BC - I got lucky with Oreo, she's a mix (even if she looks pure) and doesn't act like a "real" BC. (She's a lazy one.)

 

I moved in with my hubby and quickly found out that german shepherds were NOT for me. I needed my own dog. I intentionally sought out collies or shelties or maybe even a golden retriever. Something about Oreo's size.

 

I fell in love with Zoe's picture, she was a pup, listed as a "collie." I now know that if she is not a BC she's probably mixed with Sheltie - and she stopped growing at a mere 29lbs. And she's more than likely at least half BC too. Go figure. Maybe our hearts just know? Well whatever she is, she is all mine and I just adore her.

[shelb'smum]

Interesting note. Reading back through the posts I see alot of people mentioning GSD's

hmmmm

[2 Devils]

Growing up I had a beagle/basset/something or other mix. He was wonderful. We also had a pekenese/pomeranian mix. She was wonderful and after she died, I was devastated so my family let me pick out my next dog. I picked a mini poodle. She was a great dog too. I had some other mutts as a very young adult but was not very responsible at that time. I rehomed them. Then I got my GSD (yes another person who loves GSDs). I was unable to keep her because of where I was living. I was broke and could not afford to move and she caused my friend' daughter to have asthma attacks. I gave Meesha to my ex-boyfriend who cared for her greatly. He had a GSD too.

 

Then my husband and I moved in together and later adopted a shepherd mix who became very ill and had to be put down. She was not even 2 at the time. The vets could not find the problem and recommended euthanizing her. I was very upset so my hubby finally let me get a new dog but he said it had to be an acd (our neighbors had one). So went to a farm that had a litter and we came home with my acd, Foster. Then Becca conned me into a bc/mix pup she had in rescue (boy hubby was not real happy at first but she was wonderful). I still miss Charlotte. Anyways, we both grew up with poodles so we got ourselves a toy poodle (he was born on our wedding day so I had to have him). So now we have 3 high energy dogs in a townhouse. After we moved, Charlotte became real sick and was diagnosed with cancer and was euthanized at the age of 4. She was soulmate so my hubby agreed that I could get another dog to help ease the pain. So in come riot my borderjack. He is probably my favorite. He is the most like Charlotte. Then back in December I heard about a bc litter (thanks Laurie). I conned my hubby into looking at pics online and then convinced him to just "look" at the pups. Tempe came home that night

 

Sorry for rambling but I love to talk

[katendarby]

When my 8 yr. old boxer/mastiff mix died quickly from cancer, I knew I couldn't go long without another dog for companionship. I started researching dog breeds while Ginger was still alive, showing her pictures to see what she thought. She knew she was going, and I believe she didn't want me to be alone. When she died, I had it narrowed down to B.C.s, and Norwegian Elkhounds - how different can you get? My sister had a B.C. who is still the sweetest dog in the world and very funny, so that swayed me. When I think about the future and having to let go of my pals when the time comes, I think I want a small dog. Even though they think they can be lap dogs, 2 B.C.s weighing 60 and 70 pounds each can be a bit much for anyone's lap! Having a JRT now in the mix has made me appreciate the little dogs and how nice it is to have one on your lap and in your arms, without staggering under the weight!

[LaurieB]

I've always had Goldens. After a while we deciede on a black lab...Brewster, who recently passed, he was 12.5yrs old and the best dog ever. My Goldens were also wonderful dogs. Then one day at party we met a BC and my HUBBY, not really a dog person, said lets get one. I had heard of them and knew that they are "high Maintance breed", so naturally I researched and explained to my hubby and family...took about 5 months to find a puppy...my Casey girl...we now have her sister, Dallas, from a later litter, and Jake, who's 5 months. So we have 3 BC running amuke, wouldn't change it for the world. they have added so much to our lives!

[Skye]

I grew up with Airedale terriers as a kid .. we had three in succession and I really liked them. But when I was on my own as an adult, I rode horses a lot. Then when I couldn't afford to do that as much (time-wise or money-wise), I wanted the next best thing ... border collies! I got my first from the SPCA, Kip, but he met with a tragic and premature death that still haunts me to this day (hit by a car after he bolted and got away from me unexpectedly - I had only had him for 2-1/2 months, and losing him devastated me).

 

Then some time later, a friend encouraged me to get a pup. That was BK, who is now 13+ and still with me. I got Brodyn as a pup (now 11+ years old) about 18 months later. I've never owned any other breed, but am about to adopt two Great Danes! *g* I am as sure as I can be that I'll have at least one border collie in my life as long as I can manage it, but I'll also have other breeds since I'm interested in a couple of others (including Danes). BC's are absolutely amazing dogs.

 

Skye

[SoloRiver]

My first dog, Harley, was a rescued Pomeranian. She was brilliant, athletic, vivacious, engaging, and very popular. Harley saw me through half of grad school and became the anthro department mascot for all time. She was always with me, in class, at parties, on vacation, everywhere. When she died, way too young, of a very rare cancer (lymphangiosarcoma), I was devastated. Harley was my heart's dog.

 

 

Since Harley was an impossible act to follow, I did not even consider another Pomeranian, as they all seemed like lame imitations of Harley to me. I thought I wanted to stay with a smaller dog (the convenience factor is huge, and small dogs are welcome many places larger dogs aren't), but in all honesty there really aren't many toy breeds that appeal to me. I thought I might stay with small spitz or pariah types and looked into Shiba Inus and Basenjis. At some point I realized that these were ~20 pound dogs and so technically not small enough to sneak into places in a shoulder bag, as I'd used to do with Harley, so I started thinking about larger dogs. I thought Sibes were very attractive and applied to a Sibe rescue. I probably would have adopted any spitz-type mix that appealed to me. I had no idea what I wanted, clearly.

 

In the back of my head I remembered hearing that Border Collies were supposed to be really smart and trainable, but I also thought there was no way I was active enough to handle one. Still, I emailed a rescue contact (I was emailing lots of rescue contacts in lots of breeds at this time) I found on the Internet, Carole Presberg of NEBCR. For some reason, instead of sending me to any of the reputable rescues near me (I was in Philadelphia), she gave me the name of an independent rescuer who lived outside of Philadelphia. I emailed him. He said yes, he had a Border Collie available and I demurred, saying that I'd never even seen one before and didn't know if I really wanted one or could handle one. He said, well, why don't I bring the dog to the dog park near your apartment so you can at least meet one and think about it, so I said heck, why not.

 

Solo was much larger than I thought a Border Collie was supposed to be, and not interesting to me because he was the wrong sex (I had my heart set on another female dog) and definitely the wrong color (I did not even know Border Collies came in red and thought it was rather unattractive). Solo paid no attention to me and wandered around sniffing things in a very detached manner. (I now know that he was shell shocked from being through at least five homes in the prior two months). I talked to the foster guy and as the conversation went on, it started sounding like he expected me to take Solo with me right there, which confused me. I had not filled out an application, given him any references, or had a home check. Experimentally, I said something along the lines of "I don't have a leash or collar that will fit this dog." The guy answered that I could take the ones Solo was wearing.

 

I knew something was really wrong with this picture, and was about to say "no thanks" when I literally heard a voice in my head. It said,

 

Just let this happen.

 

So I said OK and took the leash.

 

I asked if the guy wanted to do a home check because my apartment was only three blocks away. He said no, he could tell I was a nice person and that it would be fine. He handed me a copy of Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men by Donald McCaig, got into his car, and drove off.

 

About six hours later I started to realize why the guy had been so eager to be rid of Solo. As I prepared for bed, Solo began to pace and whine. When I tried to go to sleep, the whine turned into a full-fledged howl. Now I realize that Solo's separation anxiety was so bad that he feared being alone while I slept. For three weeks I had to sing to Solo to get him to settle down at night and close his eyes. Eventually I would fall asleep myself and stop singing, and Solo would wake up and start pacing and crying again. I didn't get any real sleep for three weeks, nor did I leave Solo alone because he could not be left without freaking out. I either brought Solo to classes with me or skipped them. He would lay on the floor tied to my desk, staring blankly and drooling, while I taught lab to freshman bio students. This was before I realized he had problems with strangers; at the time, he was so catatonic (when he wasn't panicking) that it was impossible to tell he had any such problems.

 

Obviously, Solo has come a long way since then.

 

 

As time went on I fell in love with Solo. He became my soulmate. I have been lucky enough to have two heart's dogs in my lifetime. I realized that many of the things I loved so much about Solo were Border Collie qualities. A few years later I added Fly. She is a very different dog from Solo, but is of course all Border Collie and special in her own right.

 

I don't know what I will do when Solo is gone. There will never be another Solo. I do know that I will never not have Border Collies. I also doubt I will ever have any other breed of herding dog because if it isn't a Border Collie, I don't see the point. As much as I'd like to pretend it will never happen, when Solo is gone I will adopt another "problem" Border Collie because I know how rewarding these dogs can be. And when I become old and frail, I'll adopt old frail Border Collies and we'll putter off into the sunset together.

 

I ramble.

[Malvie]

Growing up, my Mom had Toy Fox Terriers (multiple) and Dad had a GSD and a pointer. We had a Beagle for 17 years as well.

 

My first dog was a Toy Fox Terrier (told that story on another thread), because I was going to live in NYC for the foreseeable future.

 

I had actually not been too keen on BC's. My brother had one, and I always found his personality a bit "prickly". I moved back home and was able to spend a lot of time with the prickly BC. After a bit, it occurred to me that he was a really, really cool dog---very intelligent, almost human (don't tell him I said he's "almost" human, he'd get upset with me and there'd be hell to pay).

 

I've had my BC's now for several years, and I'll never have a plain vanilla "dog" again.