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Congratulations on the new edition to your family. Bear looks a great dog I hope you have many years of happiness with him
My daughter adopted a border collie from a rescue home but he would not behave and in the end bit my daughter so badly that he had to return him to the home. Eve was so upset at having to do this but could not keep the dog for fear that he would bite a child. She has four small children living next door to her and the dog had twice jumped the high fence into the neighbour's garden. The rescue home said they were not surprised to see him back but promised that he would be kept there and loved for the rest of his life along with other dogs who are not suitable for re-homing. I'm glad to say this was very unusual for a border collie and had only happened to the dog because of how he had been treated as a puppy.
Big hugs for Bear as soon as you get him.
Hugs Jane.
:dance: I know, I know! I feel so lucky and unworthy and blessed all at once.
Brenda, My brother-in-law named him Bear because he was such a big cuddly hugger!
It's true--Border Collies are so intelligent and sensitive that they can go very bad if they're mistreated or ignored. That's why my sister had so many rescues to work with. It takes her months to rehabilitate a really troubled border collie, so I'm not surprised, Jane, that your daughter had problems.
My sis had a female named Moth that wouldn't let a human near her for a long time. If you even made eye contact, she was likely to snarl, and she bit if you came too close. Fred spent a few weeks just sitting and reading in the pen, gradually moving closer and closer but not looking her way. By the time I visited 4 months later, her favorite spot was Fred's lap, and she was the first to make friends with visitors. She's now got a home in a family with kids!
It takes a lot of patience and loving attention and dependable structure to bring them back to the dogs they should be. Their fears and anxieties must be respected, they MUST be part of the family, given lots of love and attention and structure and peace when they need it. They need 'jobs' (I've got a few in mind). They also have a keen sense of humor and mischief--when I last visited my sister, Bear and I had a pretty good peanut-stealing routine going behind Fred's back--they pick up a 'game' in no time.
We're expecting an adjustment period.
Thank you, TeddyBuddies, for all your encouraging support. As you can imagine, my neighbors are full of "What do you want with another dog?"s and "You're out of your mind"s and "Your other dogs won't let him into the house"s.
:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Eileen
Hi Eileen,
Where abouts in Toronto do you live? We are re-locating to Bowmanville area, as soon as we can sell our house.
Hugs,
Brenda
Brenda, that's GREAT . . . Bowmanville was full of sheep, last time I passed through!
We're on the west end of the city of TO, a block east of High Park, at the intersection of Westminster and Indian Road. Gotta visit . . .
Hugs,
Eileen
Ha- that's funny about the sheep! Now, you have to realize that in the past 30 years, I haven't lived in a town with a population over 4000 so Bowmanville looks like a real "city" to me LOL! It has a nice downtown for shopping which will be a real treat. Our other option is Newcastle, which is another tiny town (but beautiful) and that's where our daughter and family live. We thought it might be good for all of us to have a bit of space as Bowmanville is only 4 miles from Newcastle. Hubby is working near the Oshawa Town Centre, so I can go shopping for the day there, if I want, which is nice.
Unfortuantely, I don't drive (I think I should say fortunatuely for all of you). I always knew I would never drive, even as a small child. It's a spatial thing and my ADD - I can't process that much info at once. My mum and I fought over it for a long time - she couldn't understand why I didn't want to learn to drive and I couldn't explain it at the time. It's only in the last few yesrs that the reasons have become appartent to me. So, maybe you could come and visit me! Take care and bye for now.
Hugs,
Brenda
:clap: Done and Done! We'll manage it one way or the other.
You're sure you don't want a visit to Hogtown?
There have got to be trains and things. I haven't driven either since my minivan died.
Bowmanville is beautiful-- a number of U of Toronto people have retired to stone cottages and other parasical places there. It's just that I have a thing for sheep . . .
Eileen
Hello There,
Bear is so gorgeous!!! I have a collie called Rex and they look really alike !! Here is a piccie of Rex with my Cavalier called Honey !!!
Hugs Claire
Amazing, Claire!
Rex and Bear look very alike, right down to the facial expression. Honey is a honey--how I'd love a Cavalier too. I've only ever seen two or three in the fur, they're so rare here.
Eileen
Thank You Eileen. Rex is handsome just like bear and he's a real ball chaser.
Honey is a real baby, only happy when she is snuggled up in your lap. You wouldn't believe that she is older than Rex and he's the baby!!!
I love Cavaliers they are wonderful lap dogs and collies are so intelligent!!!
I do feel lucky!!!
Hugs
Claire
Here is a picture of Honey asleep in the washing basket !!!
Rex is saying " don't worry about taking a photo - just throw the ball Mum !!!"
Claire
I'm late to this conversation, but it looks like you're getting a wonderful dog, Eileen! Bear looks like a real charmer. Our 'ghetto mutt' (another dog named Lucy!) seems to have some Border Collie in her. She is scary smart, unfathomably loyal and the sweetest little girl in the world. She also catches lots and lots and lots of chipmunks and squirrels, whenever the opportunity presents itself. We just noticed two squirrels building a nest up one of our trees, which probably means a litter of squirrel babies will be wandering down the tree later in the spring. Heaven help us. I picture myself spending a lot of time at the back door yelling 'DROP IT, I SAID DROP IT!!!!!'
Hugs,
Kelly
He is so lovely... They are so intelligent and loving
And you will get lots of exercise playing and walking him.
I know that look, Claire!
We've got cats in our laundry baskets all the time, but I've never seen a dog there. Honey does look like a pup. I want one
I'll bet your Lucy is either part Border Collie or part Rough Collie, Kelly. My Lucy's mother was a sable Rough Collie, but her father wasn't known. Some of her siblings looked like her, and some looked like German Shepherd pups. She doesn't have the straight profile of a Rough Collie, but she does have the delicate bone structure and the temperament.
I can identify with the yelling, Kelly, though I rarely come out with anything so coherent or decent--the neighbors know it's spring when they start seeing me tear out of the house waving a broom and shrieking.
Our cats and our Jack Russell Dana like to keep an eye on the compost bin, where there are usually nesting mice. The cats know by now that if they come into the house with a tail hanging from their mouths, I'm going to start freaking out, but Dana doesn't. She almost got the mother last year, but I managed to pry her doggy jaws open and set the lady free.
We've got huge arching maples along our street, which means that the little squirrels are often seen sitting on the sidewalk or road with stunned looks on their faces and bonked bloody noses. I relocate them to a safe place and watch for cats--after a minute or two they usually recover and scamper up their trees.
Fortunately, we've got a 400 acre park less than a block from our house, so Bear will have lots of room to run, once I'm sure he's reliable offleash. There's a wonderful smelly stream, lots of hilly woody paths and no end of interesting wildlife scents. I worry for the chipmunks, though. Bear can nail a mole in 2 seconds flat!
Eileen
Eileen,
Bear is so cute! What a great name! I hope you and Bear are very happy.
Claire,
Great pics!
Thanks, Chrissie!
I didn't name him myself. My brother-in-law did, several years ago!
I'm told he'll be in Rochester or Buffalo on Feb. 12th. The last leg of his journey is still TBA, but I'm hyper-excited!!
Eileen