What kind of dog was Lassie?

This is a question that is Googled often.  When our collies run into strangers, and we are asked what kind of dog they are, we tell them “they are collies, like Lassie.” If the person is younger than 35, we are usually met with a blank stare, as they have never heard of Lassie.  Gen X seems to be the last generation who remember Lassie, her movies and her television shows.  But for older generations, those born before 1960, Lassie was a household name.  They grew up watching her weekly tv show, watching her exploits on the Big Screen, and reading her books.  Which gave me an idea…

Each year in December we pick a date, and I invite my friends with their therapy collies, and we watch a Lassie movie with the residents of a local nursing home.  The residents love to watch these sweet, charming old movies starring the iconic collie.  And to get to watch the movie with our therapy collies by their sides is an experience that has them all smiling!

Therapy collies Finn, Addison and Kelsea

I think the collies really enjoy the admiration they receive during the movie, as if they are sharing in Lassie’s dramatic onscreen adventure.  This year we had around 30 residents join us, and we watched Lassie Come Home.  The movie was made and released in 1943, so it’s over 80 years old.  I have watched it dozens of times, and I still cry when Lassie limps into the schoolyard to meet her boy, Joe.  The endearing love and loyalty of the collie is captured so poignantly in that moment that it never fails to touch my heart.

Of course, having collies of my own makes the movie even more heartwarming.  And our therapy collies, who visit this particular nursing home regularly, have become friends with the residents.  Watching a Lassie movie with a therapy collie is deeply meaningful for elderly nursing home residents because it brings together comfort, memory, and emotional connection in a unique and powerful way. For many residents, Lassie represents a familiar and beloved figure from their earlier years—a symbol of loyalty, courage, and the unconditional love of a faithful dog. Seeing those stories again can awaken warm memories of childhood, family, and simpler times.

Having an actual collie present while watching the movie enhances that experience in a profoundly tangible way. The therapy dog provides gentle companionship, physical warmth, and a calming presence. Residents aren’t just watching a story about a heroic, loving dog—they are feeling the soft fur, steady heartbeat, and patient affection of a real one beside them. This blending of memory and sensory comfort can reduce feelings of loneliness, ease anxiety, and spark joyful conversation.

The experience also creates moments of connection among residents. Sharing smiles, memories of past pets, or simply the delight of watching our collies react to the movie builds a sense of community.  For individuals who may struggle with isolation, cognitive decline, or physical limitations, this kind of emotional engagement can be uplifting and grounding.

In short, watching a Lassie movie with a therapy collie is more than entertainment—it’s an experience that warms the heart.  I hope to offer this experience to other nursing homes in the future, as we love to share our therapy collies with everyone, and watch them work their magic.

ZuZu’s Petals…

We shared ZuZu’s news, about her upcoming litter.  She is due on Christmas Eve, and we couldn’t be more excited or grateful!  Sometime next week we should begin feeling her puppies moving, as they are beginning to grow rapidly now.  I thought we would share the stages of development for the puppies, for anyone who is curious.

Today is the beginning of week 6.  The puppies are now beginning to look more and more like tiny puppies

It’s amazing how quickly they develop, unlike humans who take 9 months, dogs are only pregnant for 9 weeks!

We can’t wait to share puppy pictures and are hoping for a healthy, easy delivery for ZuZu when she whelps her puppies!

Looking for a new best friend…or two?

As the holiday season is here, we wanted to share some collies looking for a Home for Holidays…and forever after too.  We hope by sharing them here, someone may decide to open their heart and home to these beautiful collies.  These collies have asked for just one thing in their letters to Santa…a Forever Home!

The first collies are a bonded pair, who need a home together.  Ginny is 7 and Minnie is 8, so no puppy shenanigans with these two sweethearts!  Puppies are adorable, and so much fun…but adults and seniors make the best companions.  Can’t you just picture snuggling with these two on the cold Winter nights?  And then in the warmer months they would be perfect company on walks!

You can learn more about them, and find the adoption application, by clicking here: Collie Rescue League of New England

Also, if you click on the link above, you will learn about Charlie!

If you are looking for a younger, more energetic companion, take a look at this handsome guy!

This boy has soulful eyes, perfectly designed to melt your heart.  He is dreaming of a Forever home for Christmas…could you make his wish come true?

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Happy Thanksgiving from our pack to yours!

Not our collie and puppies, but we are spending the holiday with them, so had to share.

Morgan Le Fay

On Sunday we are taking our little girl, Morgan, to her first dog show.  She is only entered in the unofficial 4 - 6 month puppy class, so it’s just fun and practice.  Fingers crossed she has the best time, we want her to love going to dog shows.

We also wanted to ask our friends and readers to follow our Facebook page, Winterberry.Collies, for additional updates.  

I’ll update with videos and pictures of Morgan Le Fay, Winterberry’s Spellbound By The Storm, at her first show as soon as I can…

So much to be thankful for…

 On Thursdays, in the world of bloggers, we often post about things we are Thankful for each week.  And this week, I have a lot to be thankful for!  Yesterday we took ZuZu for her ultrasound, and the veterinarian gave us 8, possibly 9, reasons to be thankful!  She thinks our ZuZu may be having 8 - 9 collie puppies!  

Of course ultrasounds are not totally reliable, so we won’t know for certain until the puppies arrive.  But what we do know, ZuZu has a nice-sized litter, and they have nice strong heartbeats!  You can see the tiny heart beating in this video.

They aren’t due until Christmas Eve, so we have 5 weeks to go.  We will keep everyone updated, but please send ZuZu and her puppies all your good thoughts and prayers for an easy whelping and for a healthy Mom and puppies!

Another reason we are thankful, Nolan received some mail this week.  With all the winning he has done so far, Nolan earned this “Puppy of Achievement” certificate from the AKC.  This program was created by the AKC to encourage puppy owners to begin practicing in the conformation ring, to socialize and prepare their puppies to begin competing in conformation shows once the puppy turns six months old.  As the 4 - 6  month puppy class does not award actual points towards earning a championship, this certificate is sent to honor and acknowledge the puppy’s wins in those classes, as well as any points they win before they turn a year old.  It’s a nice certificate to receive for Nolan’s wins, and we added it to our Winterberry Collies scrapbook.  Our puppy, Morgan, will be going to her 1st dog show this weekend.  She will be competing in the 4 - 6 month puppy class.   Hopefully she will come home with a bit of ribbon, but even more importantly, we are hoping she has a lot of fun.  We want her to think dog shows are awesome, and hope she gets a chance to shine.

Our first presentation as AKC Canine Ambassadors

Last weekend Addison and I did our very first educational session as AKC Canine Ambassadors!  The AKC Canine Ambassadors Program is a network of volunteers who make presentations to children on various topics related to purebred dogs.  The presentations can be done in classrooms, libraries, after-school programs, and at Girl/Boy Scouts meetings.  We attended a local Girl Scout Troop meeting, run by my friend, Cheryl Lastomirsky Adkins.  Cheryl and I were Girl Scouts together, a very long time ago, so when I was deciding where Addison and I should go, she was the first person I reached out to about scheduling a visit.  Addison and I educated the girls on a few dog related topics, there were so many great resources provided by the AKC it was hard to narrow it down!

We started the presentation by talking about responsible pet ownership.  We discussed how to approach a dog safely, how to properly care for a dog, including understanding their needs and respecting their boundaries.  Addi helped me show the girls how many dogs prefer to receive pets on their body vs their head, and the girls took turns politely greeting Addison.

Then we discussed the different types of jobs/tasks that dogs can be trained to perform, including dogs who are working service dogs, therapy dogs and emotional support dogs.  We also focused on the importance of asking permission to approach someone’s dog, and all the reasons why people should not distract or approach a service dog.  

Addison posing with troop leader, Natalie

We moved on to the different types of purebred dogs, and how all purebred dogs are divided into seven major groups.  We briefly spoke about dog shows, and I let them know they could watch all the groups being judged on TV following the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I then moved on to the fun sports they could try with their dogs, and how to become a junior handler to compete with their own purebred dogs.  

We did a question and answer period, and the girls were quizzed on the topics we discussed.  The troop leaders handed out Addison’s stickers and trading cards to the girls who answered the questions correctly.  They all loved Addi, and all the girls earned new badges through the education we provided.  We had many wonderful AKC handouts, including coloring books about responsible dog ownership, pet fire safety, and many other topics.  I had also printed out pamphlets from the Collie Club of America, to educate about the amazing collie breed.  The girls and their families took home everything we had available.  It was a wonderful experience, and I’m so happy we were able to do our first presentation as AKC Canine Ambassadors with the Girl Scouts!

It made me smile to hear the girls talking about how they wanted a collie that was just like Addison!  Addi was the perfect collie ambassador, and the girls loved her.  They even invited us to come Christmas caroling with them next month at our local nursing homes.  If you have a purebred dog, and are looking for a way to help promote the breed and/or responsible dog ownership, I can’t recommend this program enough!

"November is tied together with the heartstrings of gratitude." J.A. McIntosh

Last weekend’s dog show was a huge success.  Puppy Nolan won Winners Dog, Best of Winners and Best of Variety over the specials on Friday.  This gave him 2 more points towards his championship, and a total of 7 points.  Then on Saturday he once again won Winners Dog, Best of Winners and Best of Variety over the specials for a 5 point major!  This was his 1st major, and brought his total points to 12.  He just needs one more major, or 3 points, to become a champion.  We are so proud of him for earning those points so quickly, and for never being defeated.  We decided to hold off entering him in any other shows until the National, so he can compete for Winners Dog.

On Friday my daughter also handled Nolan’s sire, Noah.  Noah is already a champion, but is a few points away from earning his Grand Championship.  He also won Best of Variety!  It was very exciting seeing Father and Son win both Best of Variety Smooth and Best of Variety Rough at the same show, both handled by my daughter.

Noah is such a beautiful collie, and we recently bred our ZuZu to him.  It’s way too soon to know if she is pregnant, but we are hopeful that the breeding will produce some beautiful puppies with their parents sweet temperaments.

As Noah is a rough blue merle and ZuZi is a smooth tri color, we could have both roughs and smooths, blues and tris, in the litter.

We can’t wait for ZuZu’s ultrasound in mid November, to see if she’s expecting.  So please make sure to check back for updates!