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No mix. PB all the way. 95% of the dogs I have either sprung from shelters or fostered after they were pulled were wonderful. And there have been quite a few. I say, give it some very serious thought and get her. She looks lovely. If you click with her - do it.

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Yes. There are some breeds that don't do well at shelters. Border Collies seem to fall in that category.

If you are very worried, how about getting in touch with the closest BC rescue and seeing if they would be able to assist with a foster to adopt? It may help everyone?

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Goose is right. Some dogs don't do well in a shelter environment. Or maybe she's not leash trained. (Does well in her kennel but lies down when on lead.) If you purchase a puppy from a breed there's a chance the puppy might go through a fear stage. Do you feel you are able to help them through it? At 6 mos old she's still young but hopefully she's lost all of her puppy teeth by now.

 

If you don't mind the drive, go visit her. Do your own evaluation of her.

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Yes. There are some breeds that don't do well at shelters. Border Collies seem to fall in that category.

If you are very worried, how about getting in touch with the closest BC rescue and seeing if they would be able to assist with a foster to adopt?

 

This is very true. Many BCs tend to shut down in shelter environments.

 

You could ask the shelter if they'd consider a foster-to-adopt option, too. Some will. Keep in mind, too, that the "honeymoon period" that many people talk about w/ shelter and rescue dogs is often longer than the 2 weeks that many people claim. One trainer where I live says it's more like 6 months. One of my adult rescues was offering new behaviors (good ones, though, as he was coming out of his shell) for 6 months. So, if they will consider it, try to negotiate for as long a trial period as you can.

 

She looks BC to me, too . . . but at 6 months it's impossible to be 100% sure.

 

Exciting times! Janet is beautiful. :wub:

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Have you ever adopted one from a shelter that was so timid?l

Yep. Almost exactly 4 years ago, I pulled and fostered a pup who was even more shy than Janet is described. At the shelter, Marcie would tip over her water bucket so that she could hide her head underneath it. :( In the 2 weeks she was in our house, she blossomed into a wonderful, lively pup, one of only two fosters my husband has ever wanted to keep.

 

Marcie was adopted by the pilot who flew one leg of her Pilots & Paws transport and, last I heard, was doing agility and generally being a wonderful member of the family. Here is the story of her transport to Buckeye Border Collie Rescue. I will try to hunt up the wonderful video of her after she was adopted and add a link to that video so you can see her transformation.

 

ETA: Here is the video segment. :)

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I have fostered the occasional dog, and I concur that a BC that is timid in the shelter can blossom. You may need to take it slow in the beginning to gain their trust, but usually they want to trust you, and once they do, it is an awesome experience.

 

The flip side of the coin is that a rescue/shelter dog may at first be on its best behavior since it is unsure of his new environment. Once they feel comfortable, sometimes they may show some bad habits from before ---- but at 6 months of age, I think you should be able to fairly easily deal with re-training.

 

To help you understand what you may have to deal with (and suggestions on how to deal) when adopting a rescue dog, I HIGHLY recommend Patricia McConnell's "Love Has No Age Limit". It is a quick read (~60-70 pages) and only about $10 from her website.

 

Here is a photo of my last foster when he was in the shelter. He would stay in the back of the kennel and avert his face. He wasn't too sure about men - his reaction to men was to plaster himself on the ground and refuse steak treats. He was adopted by a male who was willing to go slow to gain his trust (although I could see it was a special bond from the first meeting when Moss would accept treats from his adopter). He is now a constant companion to his dad - riding in the truck around a 4000 acre cattle farm while his dad does chores. He was not adopted to herd the cattle (although he might be given a try), but just as a laid-back companion. Karma.

 

Jovi

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Thanks for the posts!

 

I just watched the Pilots & Paws video. What a story!

 

The trainer at Petsmart told me to ask if I could foster the border collie in Prattvile for a few weeks. She said she would asses her for me regarding the timidity and to give her a few weeks.

 

 

Gail

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That sounds like a great idea!

 

Many, many shelter dogs come out of their shell when they are safe and secure in a caring and understanding environment. Even a dog like our Megan, who was rehomed with us from a caring but unsuitable situation, quickly became a different dog once she had the right sort of home and attention.

 

A good rescue fosters out their dogs, evaluates them, gives them some training, checks suitability with kids and cats and men and other potential issues, and is good at making matchups. And is willing to take a dog back that just doesn't work out for whatever reason. They put the dog's welfare first.

 

Very best wishes!

 

PS - And if you fail fostering because you just can't let her go, better yet!

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Gail, are you on Facebook? There's a group called BC Rescue of Atlanta, pretty much a one woman show run by a great lady named Molly. She generally just posts the dogs, facilitates rescues, crossposts, etc. She also works closely with, fosters for, Phoenix Rising BC Rescue (in SC). If you are interested, contact Molly through the BC Rescue of Atl Facebook page, and offer to foster/possibly adopt Janet. She had posted both Janet and her sister (also in the same shelter), looking for fosters so that Phoenix could help them. Maybe that might be an option?

 

PS. Both girls looked all border collie to me, too.

 

ETA: PPS. If you look on the BCR of Atlanta FB page, you'll see two other beautiful BCs available in Anniston and Scottsboro, AL. Not sure if those are closer or not. Both males, youngish, but older than Janet.

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Sorry to drag this thread up again, but I just saw this adorable pup posted on FB. She's in Birmingham. I can't post the FB photo from my phone right now (and can't access FB at work), but she's even more adorable than the Petfinder photos, and those are pretty cute!

 

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26935620

 

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