ShellyF Posted January 30, 2019 Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 As a regular user of these boards and very appreciative of the ongoing help I thought a little different sort of post might be in order. Merlin is 9.5 months now and these are the things about him that I love: - the way he closes his eyes with bliss as he licks away at his kong - his joy at every bit of snow and ice that he finds; like a kid who’s been given unlimited access to vanilla ice cream - the way he crinkles up his nose when presenting a toy to tease you into chase - his perfect collie pose as he lies down, watches and waits to see where the ball will get tossed - his hugs; the real ones only happen when he’s tired (but not too tired) and all the stars are aligned but for a few minutes it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world Thank you everyone - admins and regulars - for keeping me on track with my little guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted January 30, 2019 Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 I couldn't begin to name all the positives that I have experienced with my dogs but I have to say that I am very grateful to have shared a lifetime with dogs, and particularly with the Border Collies that have graced my days. They make me smile. They make me laugh. They comfort me when I need comfort. They help keep me active. They have been partners in working on our cattle farm. They have guided and guarded me as a child (and sometimes, as an adult). They can frustrate me and I can frustrate them. But at the end of the day, they are devoted and I love them. Thanks for the reminder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy1961 Posted January 30, 2019 Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 As a new dog owner and not having had experience of living with a dog since I was a teenager, I knew that from the day we got our puppy Harry, our lives would change. I love the way he drops a ball at me feet then runs away, the way he likes to lean on my feet to get my attention. The constant looks he gives me when we are out walking, as if to say “am I being good, mum?”, and then when we get home he waits for a treat and will not move till he gets one. Friends and family were surprised when we announced that we were getting a dog as we enjoy going out and lots of foreign holidays, but now we are happy staying in, and the last thing we went at the moment is to go away on holiday without Harry. Infact I can’t wait to go on holiday with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted January 30, 2019 Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 What a nice topic! Thanks for suggesting it. I love border collies in general because they want to DO things with their human, be part of that team. And because they are so flippin' smart ~ makes training easy. Love the quirkiness, or most of it, at least. Gibbs and his 'yodels' crack me up. He loves puppies and smaller dogs and is quite good with them. He's a one person dog, but he's willing to get petted by just about anyone. Since I acquired a male roommate who really likes dogs and is good with him, he's much more comfortable around men than he was before. Previous beasts: Samantha was one of the sweetest dogs EVER. I had a couple different dog-savvy folks tell me if they could only have one dog, it would a dog like her. And she loved kids and babies. Shoshone ~ my squirrely girly. She had this look/attitude when something displeased her, "This will NEVER do!' And she meant it. She went through a pretty harsh time as a young dog, and was likely made a bit more quirky from it. Buzz ~ the dog who loved EVERYONE, and was glad to demonstrate whenever he got a chance. I could go on, and might in another post. Ruth & Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellyF Posted January 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 Lovely replies - thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Parkey Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 Dogs do so many wonderful things, it is hard to know where to start. Most recently, we've marveled at the friendship that has developed between 13 month Levi and 9 year old Buddy. Buddy did not have a good start in life, and has never been very social with other dogs. When Levi came into the house at 8 months, he accepted Buddy as the senior dog. But he never stopped asking Buddy to play, and Buddy finally gave in. Now they play many times a day, and Buddy has loosened up about some other things, like meeting strange people. Buddy is definitely more relaxed and more active because of Levi. We can't believe how well it has worked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgirl Posted January 31, 2019 Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 One thing which several of my BCs do, and which I find in equal parts annoying and endearing, is if they think I am paying too much attention to my phone , and not enough to petting them, they will put their paw on my phone and push it down, not hard enough to knock it out of my hand, but enough to say, "Stop looking at that thing, I am here, love me!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellyF Posted January 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2019 Lol! Merlin doesn’t mind me being on my phone as he then knows he can go off duty but if I try and take a photo of him he wants to get his face up close and personal to the lens haha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush Fan Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 The way she lays in my lap with her eyes aglow in anticipation when I pick up a bag of treats. The way she coaxes other dogs at the park to chase her, then runs so hard away from them and zig zags at full speed. The way she slowly crawls up and gently licks my face when it's past dinner time and I haven't fed her yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellyF Posted February 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 5 minutes ago, Rush Fan said: The way she lays in my lap with her eyes aglow in anticipation when I pick up a bag of treats. The way she coaxes other dogs at the park to chase her, then runs so hard away from them and zig zags at full speed. The way she slowly crawls up and gently licks my face when it's past dinner time and I haven't fed her yet. Ah yes! My guy does that too haha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevTheDog Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 What a lovely topic! I got a little teary reading this because it reminds me of my family's bc Pelle, who passed away as an old man a few years ago. He was one of those very special dogs, soulful and kind. Now I have Kevin, the young man, and he does things that remind me of Pelle, along with having his own way about him of course. I love, first of all, the fact that I'm sure I laugh *significantly* more since bringing Kevin home than before I had him. I love the early morning sweetness he has, when he's not quite fully awake yet but wants all the snuggles and belly rubs. Relatively speaking, I feel like his personality is only just beginning to really come out since he's still pretty young at 5 months and a week or so, but he definitely has humor and quirkiness and kindness to basically everyone (which Pelle struggled with when it came to strangers, having been abused in his life before my family). It's nice, when we can sometimes be so worried about all the things there are to worry about, to come back and focus on the things that are good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 This topic reminds me of a group I belong to that is composed of owners of the type of very small camper that I own. Occasionally, people have written posts wondering why they should even consider this camper because all everyone ever does is post about their problems! Not quite true as many posts are showing photos of enjoyable camping trips but many posts are about issues. A wise person pointed out that the issues are not what the majority experience or, if some of them are, they are generally readily dealt with as long as you have the information that you need for you to know what to do to remedy the situation. And, sometimes, the problem is one of the poster's own making because they didn't know any better. That's often what happens on these boards - no one starts a post in the "Health and Genetics" section that their dog is in wonderful health and has no genetic issues that they are aware of. But a person posts because they have a concern or problem and would like advice. And so it goes - many posts are looking for help because that's what a collective group does, helps and advises each other and especially newcomers. But let's face it, we wouldn't all be here if we weren't fans of these dogs, as working partners, as sports partners, as active companions, as therapy dogs, etc. It's just the nature of a board. And so it's very nice, every now and then, to visit the topic of "what we love about these dogs and how happy we are with them" to remind others, if not ourselves, just what great dogs they are. They, like children and other creatures, just need to be understood and guided in the right direction to reach their potential, and that's where people here try to help each other and the newcomers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellyF Posted February 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Thanks @Sue R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawgirl Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Let's be honest, it is really the way that your BC looks at you, like you are their whole world, that makes your world just that little bit better every day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted February 6, 2019 Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 My old dog Celt has always been very devoted but since he has lost much of his hearing in the last year, he does not like me out of his sight. Before this, I could move around the house and with his keen dog's sense of hearing, he knew where I was (and probably what I was doing). He no longer has that reassurance and some days, he wears himself out following me around as I work around the house. It can be inconvenient at times but I always remind myself that one of these days, he will not be there underfoot, and I will miss him terribly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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