Finding a Forever home Friday...

It's Friday again, so that means it's time to showcase a collie rescue where a loving collie waits to be found...

This week we chose  a rescue that helps collies in Virginia and Maryland.  This rescue group is called Collie Rescue, Inc.  Take a minute to visit their site, and look at all the collies they have available.
http://www.savecollies.org/
Their collies are also listed on Petfinder:
http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelter_id=VA369

Meet Azure!
Azure is a 2 year old smooth coat collie - beautiful blue merle.  Azure has been on a fitness kick since she came to be with CRI and has already made great strides with her weight and activity.  She enjoys playing with her foster sibling and is learning basic manners.  She bonds quickly with her people, and gets along well with other dogs, though she would probably do best in a home with another male dog to play with.  She is silly and loves to goof around; she will need a family that will use positive training to help her learn good doggie manners and not be too mouthy or rough.  Azure will also need to continue gentle exposure to the 'outside world' from a patient owner - she is becoming more confident with new sounds and experiences, but still has a way to go.  Azure has tons of potential and With a little help and encouragement, she is going to make a great addition to someone's home.   

What a beauty!

Meet Katie!


Senior dogs have the most love to give!

Katie was given up to a local shelter by her family as they could no longer care for her. She is about 10 years old.  She is great with other dogs and children.  She likes to play and just relax and enjoy the great outdoors.  She had a very bad skin infection when CRI got her, and we're working on getting her back into shape!


Meet Pal!


He'll steal your heart!

If you’re looking for a 65lb friendly boy who thinks he’s a lap dog, meet Pal.  
This is one HAPPY dog whose tail never seems to stop wagging.   Pal is a mostly collie mix that came to us via a shelter in Charlottesville, VA.  We don’t know anything about him prior to his arrival there other than when he came to them he was rather skinny and had some skin problems.  He’s all cleared up now and ready to be your family’s happiest member.

The shelter estimated his age at ~6yrs…Although we’re now thinking he may be a bit younger due to his wonderful, gregarious, disposition and spurts of playfulness.   Yet he’s not an excitable boy.…He's JUST HAPPY! 

He settled right in with his foster family.   He is showing good house manners, is house broken, sleeps in his crate and respects for the authority of his big brother dog.  And of course LOVES meeting new people without being a pest.  He’s a clean slate.  We don’t think he’s had any formal training.  Yet he’ll come when you call, follow you dutifully around the house/yard and walks very well on leash.

So please, if you are in the Virginia or Maryland areas, stop by and visit these wonderful collies!

Drug sensitivity in herding breeds

Many herding breeds have adverse reactions to a particular list of drugs, and collies are known to be one of these breeds.  This adverse reaction is the result of a mutation in the multidrug resistance gene, or MDR1 gene.  Not all collies have this mutation, but many of them do, so most collie owners will avoid these drugs or have their dogs tested for the gene.  This drug sensitivity can result in blindness, coma and death, so it is very important that collie owners, and the owners of other herding breeds like Aussies or Border Collies, become familiar with the names of these drugs.  There are veterinarians who seem to be unaware of this issue, and prescribe drugs or anesthesia that can be potentially fatal to your dog, so you need to make sure your veterinarian is aware of the risk.  You need to make sure that your dog is not given any of the following drugs if he/she has not been tested or if they have tested positive for the MDR1 gene:

Acepromazine

Butorphanol

Emodepside

Erythromycin

Vincristine

Vinblastine

Doxorubicin

Ivermectin – The dose of Ivermectin used to prevent heartworm infection in products like Heartguard is considered SAFE in dogs with the mutation. (6 micrograms per kilogram) However, because of reports of collies becoming ill on even this lose dose of Ivermectin, most collie owners are not willing to take the risk with their dog’s health.  As a result, most collie breeders and rescue groups advise new collie owners to use another heartworm preventative, such as Interceptor.  Ivermectin causes neurologic toxicity in some, but not all Collies, at doses that are 1/200th of the dose required to cause toxicity in other dogs.

Loperamide – (Imodium.) At doses used to treat diarrhea this drug will cause neurologic toxicity

in dogs with the MDR1 mutation. This drug should be avoided in all dogs with the MDR1

mutation.

Selamectin, milbemycin, and moxidectin (antiparasitic agents.) Silmlar to ivermectin, these

drugs are safe in dogs with the mutation if used for heartworm prevention at the manufacturer’s

recommended dose. Higher doses (generally 10-20 times higher than the heartworm prevention dose) have been documented to cause neurologic toxicity in dogs with the MDR1 mutation.  Because Interceptor contains such a small amount of milbemycin, it is considered to be of low risk to collies and herding breeds.  But you will need to be sure to keep Interceptor, along with other drugs, safely out of reach of your dogs.  Because ingestion of multiple doses at one time can be fatal to your dog.

The reason the dosage of these drugs has to be carefully monitored, is because MDR1 causes a buildup of these drugs in the brain of the affected dog.  This buildup can cause neurotoxicosis, which can be fatal if left untreated.  If you notice your dog reacting oddly after exposure to any of these drugs, usually 4 to 12 hours after ingestion, dog owners are advised to seek veterinary care immediately, do not wait.  Some of the signs of an adverse reaction are:

Dilated pupils (the center of the eye will be abnormally large)

Blindness

Digestive problems (loss of appetite and/or vomiting)

Heavy drooling

Depression or motor instability (the dog may have difficulty standing or walking, may have tremors, or weakness)

Seizures (blankness, disorientation, stupor, involuntary muscle movements and unconsciousness)

While this drug sensitivity may frighten many people, dogs still need to be kept on a monthly heartworm preventative.  (A heartworm infection is fatal if left untreated, and can be easily prevented.)  Herding breeds are loving, devoted companions, and this genetic mutation does not affect their temperaments.  Choosing a dog from one of the many wonderful herding breeds, to add to your family, will be a rewarding experience.  But it requires that you educate yourself on which drugs your dog can be given, and seek safe alternatives to keep your dog healthy and happy.  Afterall, they are worth it! 

New award!

Guess what?



Scarlett 9-22-12

We were give another award!  Our friends, Chuck and the collies, at Collies Of The Meadow gave us a new award.  It's a very special award, and we are very touched that he chose us!  Thank you!

http://colliesofthemeadow.wordpress.com/


Human shaming...

Ryder:  Are you serious?!?  I want no part of this!

Holly:  she can't really mean it!

Scarlett and Abby:  You want us to do what?!?

Scarlett:  But Mom, we don't wanna do that...

Kori: What if we say please and give you the look?

Holly:  I think you guys are going to lose this arguement...Mom is going to get them! Quick, Abby! Let's Run!

Kori: (sad face) I didn't run away fast enough!

Kori and Scarlett: The horror!

Kori: Let me get that off you, then you can help me!

Kori:  What did you say?  If we wear these on Halloween we will get treats?

Scarlett:  If you make us more of those special dog cookies, we might consider it!  But really Mom, you should be ashamed!

Finding a Forever Home Friday

It’s Friday, so that means it’s time for another “Finding a Forever Home Friday.”  This week I chose the Minnesota Wisconsin Collie Rescue.

http://mwcr.org/

Below are just a few of the collies looking for their forever homes, so please visit their website and see if your new best friend is there, waiting for you!

Basie – A 10-year-old Smooth Tricolor Male

"WANTED: The new and improved love of my life! Job requirements include a homebody, a hand or two or three ready to caress my head at a moment's notice, a quiet home with few or no steps, preferably a fenced yard, and one or more people who will love me to the end of time. Other, calm dogs welcome, cats are OK, and older sedate children are fine too. And if you don't live too horribly far from my foster home it couldn't get any better than that! It is not every day that you have the opportunity to adopt a ready-made hand rest, so what are you waiting for? You can mend my broken heart, AND have a soft, furry place to rest your hand while you give me some lovin'!"

For more info about this special collie, click here:

http://www.mwcr.org/2011/basie.htm

Allie Mae – A 9-10-year-old Sable & White Female

"Foster Mom calls me the Queen Bee, and certainly my royal subjects (foster brothers and sisters – both canine and feline alike) defer to me in all things because they clearly recognize my superior rank. But don't let my noble lineage put you off! I am a total sweetheart who loves absolutely everyone, even the commoners amongst me! My foster brother, Willie, calls himself 'King of the Collies' – yeah, whatever. We'll just let him have his fun as there is only one royal highness in this household, and we all know who that is!"

For more about Allie Mae Collie –

http://www.mwcr.org/2012/allie-mae.htm

 

Pippa – A 7-10-year-old Mahogany Sable and White Female

"Hi, I'm Pippa, although given my hunting prowess, I think Diana or Artemis after the Roman or Greek goddess of the hunt would be more appropriate, but whatever! I get along with cats and most dogs, but occasionally another dog makes my hackles rise. I love older, respectful kids. Mostly, I am looking for somebody to love, who is home most of the time, has a fenced yard, and maybe a compatible canine companion. Oh, and since I have discovered the joys of sleeping on a love seat, maybe a comfy place to sleep would be in the cards as well? Just sayin'...?"

To see more pictures and video of Pippa, please click here:

http://www.mwcr.org/2011/pippa.htm

Rocky – A 5-6-year-old Sable and White Male

"Like my favorite movie hero, I am fighting back against long odds. I came from a bad situation where food, loving, and grooming were in very short supply. Despite my rough start in life, I am a sweet, loving boy who loves absolutely everyone. I prefer to dine alone, possibly due to the dog-eat-dog world I came from where every meal time was a scrabble to get one's share of kibble, but I will probably outgrow that quirk once I realize there will always be enough food in my bowl and that it is mine alone! Once my fur grows back, I am told I will be quite stunning, whatever that means. I hope you can look past my bad hair days and see the beauty I will become!"

Please visit Rocky’s page, he’s been waiting for you!

http://www.mwcr.org/2012/rockyII.htm

Is it Friday yet?

The collies are patiently waiting for the weekend to arrive...

Kori and Scarlett - sisters!

So that the hiking, cuddling, playing and collie family time can begin!

Wordless Wednesday - at the dog show

Tasty Tuesday Treats

Dogs are still getting sick from treats/cookies made in China.  People may think the treats they are buying are safe because they are made in the United States, but what they don’t realize is that many of the ingredients are made in China.  And it isn’t just dogs that are getting sick, there are some cats who are also getting ill.  I know there have been hundreds of deaths related to the consumption of these treats, so until everyone is made aware of the danger, please spread the word.

So to continue with my promise of more dog cookie recipes, I have found more recipes that the collies think are drool-worthy!

Apple Cinnamon Drops

1 large apple

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup of water

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup oatmeal

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/8 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 ° F (180 ° C).

Core, slice and mince the apple (use a food processor if you have one). In a large bowl, combine the minced apple bits, honey, water, cinnamon, and oatmeal. Gradually blend in the wheat flour, adding enough to form a stiff dough.

In a small bowl, add 1/8 cup wheat flour. Spoon the dough by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches (5cm) apart. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in the wheat flour (to prevent sticking), flatten each spoonful of dough into a circle. Adjust the size of the drops based on how big a treat you like to feed your dog.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and flip each cookie to brown evenly on both sides. Reduce oven temperature to 325 ° F (180 °C). Return to oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Let cool overnight.

Makes about 3 dozen crunchy cookies, depending on how big you make them.

Archie Squares

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup powdered dry milk

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. brown sugar or honey

6 tbs. meat or bacon drippings, cold right from refrigerator, not melted or soft!

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup Ice water

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Combine flour, dry milk, garlic powder and sugar. Cut in meat drippings until mixture resembles corn meal. Mix in egg. Add enough water so that mixture forms a ball. Using your fingers, pat out dough onto cookie sheet to 1/2" thick. Cut dough into squares appropriate for your dog size. Prick each cookie with fork. Bake 25-30 minutes. Remove from tray and cool on rack. Store in airtight container

Frozen Peanut Butter Yogurt Treats

1-32oz. container of plain lowfat yogurt

1 cup of peanut butter

1. Put the peanut butter in a microwave safe dish and microwave until melted.

2. Mix the yogurt and the melted peanut butter in a bowl.

3. Pour mixture into cupcake papers and freeze.

Today we made the recipe below, the collies loved these cookies!

Classic Thumbprint Peanut Butter Dog Treats

 

Ingredients:

•2 cups whole wheat flour

•1/2 cup rolled oats

•2 tsp cinnamon

•1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy

•1/2 cup chicken broth, low sodium

•1/2 cup water

•1/2 cup strawberry jam, sugar free

 

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 325° F

2.Whisk together the flour, oats and cinnamon.

3.Place the peanut butter, chicken broth and water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 15 seconds. Stir together the warm peanut butter and liquids. If needed, microwave again for 10 to 15 seconds. Stir again until all of the liquid is incorporated into the peanut butter.

4.Make a well in the dry ingredients.

5.Pour the peanut butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir, using a fork, until a dough forms.

6.Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

7.Using a tablespoon sized cookie scooper, scoop out rounded balls onto the prepared baking sheet.

8.Create an indentation, and flatten each cookie.

9.Bake for 15 minutes. Leave the peanut butter dog treats in the oven, once it's turned off, to cool.

10.Once the dog treats are completely cooled, place the jam in a microwave safe container.

11.Microwave for 10 seconds. Then stir the jam. If needed, microwave for another 10 seconds and stir. You want a smooth liquid consistency.

12.Using a 1/2 teaspoon, gently spoon the jam into each cookies indentation.

13.Let the jam cool completely before moving the dog treats.

 

Storing - These peanut butter dog treats are delicate with the addition of the jam. First, they need to be stored in a single layer as the jam does not harden completely. Once in a air tight container, like a freezer bag, they can be kept in the refrigerator for one week. Store them in the freezer for up to four months. These gourmet dog treats will keep fresh longer without the jam middle. You can bake the cookies, not adding the jam, and keep them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and in the freezer for up to 6 months. Then before you serve, follow the last four steps of this recipe.

 

Yield - Using a tablespoon sized cookie scooper, this recipe will make 30 dog cookies.

 

Tips & Techniques

•Jam or Jelly - This dog treat recipe will work best if you use a jam with little or no fruit pieces. You can use any flavor of fruit jam, but make sure that it is sugar free. Our dogs do not need all that excess sugar in their treats. The jam will set rather quickly once it is poured into the cookie. Depending on how quickly you are able to work, you may need to reheat the jam to a liquid consistency to be able to pour it into the cookie with ease.

•Artificial Sweeteners - Using sugar free products can seem perfectly harmless, yet there are ingredients to learn about. Our dogs should never ingest the artificial sweetener called Xylitol. This is most commonly found in sugar free gum and candy. However, do a double check of your sugar free jam, to ensure it does not contain this ingredient. The sugar free jam I used for this dog treat recipe contained polydextrose, maltodextrin and sucralose. These have not been found to be harmful to our dogs.

•Homemade Fruit Jam - If you are still concerned about artificial sweeteners, by all means, you should make your own homemade sugar free fruit jam. Look for recipes that use a "no sugar needed" fruit pectin for the binding and thickening agent. Some of these recipes also contain honey, but since honey is a natural sugar, and will eventually be a very small amount of the end jam product, it would be an acceptable ingredient. When choosing a recipe for homemade jam, be aware that some use white grape juice. Again, although tasty to us, grapes are on the list of foods poisonous to dogs, so you would want to substitute apple juice instead.

•Microwaves - All microwaves are different, and some have more power than others. The microwave directions in this dog treat recipe are a starting point. You may need to use less or more time, depending on your appliance.

•Peanut Butter - We used creamy peanut butter for this recipe. You might be able to use chunky peanut butter, but due to the texture of the cookie, and the need to make an indentation and flatten the cookie, we highly recommend the creamy variety.

•Broth & Water - To make these peanut butter dog treats even healthier, you could substitute the chicken broth for water. You would add a total of one cup of water, instead of half water and half broth. Or, you could use all chicken broth, or switch it up and use half and half chicken broth and beef broth. Whether you use all broth or not, look for the low sodium variety to keep these treats extra healthy for your dog.

 

Since so many dogs love the taste of peanut butter, you are sure to find a keeper in these peanut butter dog treats. They are also a great treat to make as gifts. Your dogs friends and their parents will think that you're a dog treat baking whiz with these delightful little gems wrapped in peanut butter.

 

Missing him this week.

I've been missing my boy a lot this weekend.  It's now been a year since I lost my Lad, and amazingly three new collies have joined our family.  But  no one can replace him, not for me and not for my daughter. 

He was our first collie, our best friend, and everything we could want in a dog.

"Forever Home" Friday

We thought we would share some collies who are in rescue, and in need of "Forever Homes."  These are just some of the collies available through Tri-State Collie Rescue.  Please visit their site to view more of these sweet collies in need of homes!  They have collies available in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia.  You can contact them at Sharon 740-917-9446 (No calls after 9pm eastern) And...Jackie  812-703-0727 (no calls after 9pm eastern)  http://tristatecollierescue.net/collies.htm

Hippie

Hippie (Wendy) has been through a lot since coming to TSCR two months ago and has come through them remarkably. She had hip surgery to repair an injury to her hip after being hit by a car. She is now using the leg 90% of the time and the other 10% presents no problem at all. She will probably continue to improve in the next few months. But nothing keeps this little girl down. Wendy is a delightful girl, believed to be a collie / border collie mix about 4 years old. and medium build . She is very smart and has learned to sit / stay since being in foster care. She gets along well with other dogs and cats. She loves people and is very gentle with children. She is very well behaved, completely house broken and walks well on a leash. She still has a few issues with bikes and roller blades but that can be overcome with exposure and time. She loves to play with her toys and appropriately enjoys a good game of tug of war. Give her your heart and your home and she will give you lots of hugs and kisses and lots of reasons to smile.

Leigh

Leigh is a 50 lbs. sable/white rough (her coats has been trimmed)collie from central Kentucky and was given up due to family misfortune. She is a perfect collie girl. Really! As her foster mom, I have never seen such a good, well adjusted rescue. She might be about six years old, medium stature, agile and healthy and fully vetted.

Leigh has adapted seamlessly to everything in her new foster home. She rides well in a car, in an elevator, takes flights of stairs, vet visits, less than friendly dogs and walks well on a leash. She is dignified, calm and sweet natured. Leigh greets me each morning with a sweet kiss on my nose and a wagging tail. She loves to sit and snuggle on the couch. She has never had an accident in the home. She listens very well to commands and knows "sit", "come" and "stay".

Leigh would do best with older children as an indoor dog. She wants very much to be by your side no matter what you are doing.

Jay
Jay is a wonderful blue merle collie from Tennessee. He is a big boy about 60 lbs. and is about 3 or 4 years old. He had to be shaved because of the poor condition of his skin and coat. He has been neutered and fully vetted and ready for a home with a very big heart.

Jay is sweet and surprisingly calm and resourceful. He is blind in one eye and seems to see some lights and darks in the other. He also might have some loss of hearing on one side.

He uses his nose to touch every object in a room and if nothing "moves" on him he is good to navigate without incident! He gently nudges you for attention and will not take treats from your hand but expect you to drop it right below where he expects it to drop. His skin is very sensitive to the touch and his sense of smell is great!. He does very well on walks and touches your knee to see where you are as he "discovers" his environment. He is not scared of anything and does stairs and elevators. He is housebroken (as soon as he knows where indoors ends and outdoors begins!).

He wags his tail when he smells another dog. Does not notice cats or squirrels. Absolutely must have a fenced in and safe yard. Older children with patience and understanding are necessary for him to have a good and full life as a disabled collie. As soon as his coat comes in he will be a beautiful rough blue merle collie with a wonderful disposition ready to sit by your side all day long.

Sasse & Fang

Sasse & Fang are brand new to our program. This pair of collies are very bonded. Sasse & Fang came from a very bad neglect situation. Sasse must be Fangs mommy from what we can figure out. Fang is deaf & Sasse will alert him when he needs to react. Both dogs are doing well but have a way to go before they are ready for adoption. Fang has entropian and needs eye surgery. Both dogs came in with really bad eye infections and are on oral & eye drop antibiotics. Sasse & Fangs foster parents are taking wonderful care of them & seeing to it that they get healthy. Fang really depends on Sasse for security. Both dogs are very sweet. Everyday is a new day for them. Going from living outdoors in 100 degree temps to living indoors they are adjusting very well. Fang is 3 years old & Sassy is 5 years old. Both dogs get along with other dogs. Sasse does not like cats!!!!

Sassy is on the left and Fang is on the right in the pictures.
Honey
Honey is a 7 year old petite female collie who was surrendered to TSCR along with Koda. Honey is a very sweet girl and has been the perfect angel in foster care. Honey gets along with other dogs,cats & kids. Honey is housebroken. Honey was in rough shape when she came in to rescue but is starting to look and feel better. Honey has a thyroid condition and takes thyroid medication. Honey loves to talk & chatter when you love on her or talk to her. Honey would be perfect as an only dog or would do fine in a home with a dog her age. Honey and Koda can be seperated. Since arriving in foster care Honey does not seem interested in Koda.

Ryne
Meet Ryne our newest TSCR addition, he is a beautiful 3-4 year old mahogany sable rough coated male. Ryne is such a handsome boy, is housebroken, crate trained and walks well on a leash. Ryne is cat friendly and loves other dogs. Ryne is trying to get use to walking on hardwood floors but still has some fear so his foster home has accommodated him by placing rugs throughout the house. Ryne is such a sweet and gentle collie and he adores children and would do perfect with children over the age of 8 since he likes to give stand-up hugs. He is not a jumper but does like to greet people by standing up on them to say hello. Ryne does know basic commands such as down and sit.

Jolene

Jolene (Jolie) is a super sweet senior collie, about 10 years old. She came into the rescue with injuries to her neck, head, and paw pads, all healing nicely. She still has a slight limp. Sweet, slow, smart, and a bit stubborn describe her. Her foster Mom is working to reinforce her potty routine, but she does sleep through the night without a problem. She loves carrots! She gets along great with the other dogs in the house and really enjoys meeting new doggie friends. When her paw pads heal a bit more we'll see how she does on a leash.

Justin
Justin is a gorgeous 3 yr old tri color male collie who was a owner surrender at no fault of his own. He is up to date on all vaccines. The previous owner told us he has had a couple of seizures but we aren't sure it wasn't the result of the Heartguard he has been on. We will monitor this for the next month.,

Justin is a little timid at first but once he gets to know you he will be your best friend. He does very well in the car, gets along with his foster brother tango and does not mind cats. He does very good on a leash and does know some commands, like sit,stay come; he loves to be around his humans and furry friends. and he loves to cuddle. He is currently being fostered in Ohio

Justin is also being treated for Lyme's disease and should be fine in a couple of weeks. His coat was shaved due to matting. As you can see it is growing back and should be beautiful in a few months.

Mick

Meet Mick! The vets estimate him to be about 4 years of age and could possibly have the markings he does due to poor breeding or possibly a collie/border collie combination. Either way he is a great dog and loves to play with other dogs. He also likes to be the center of attention so he would do just fine as an only pet. He walks well on a leash and is well behaved. He is good around adults as well as children. He also loves to be scratched - that is his all time favorite thing!!!


Kuhlua
Meet our new boy Kuhlua! He is a big boy but isn't quiet at the weight he needs to be for him frame. He weighs in at 57 lbs but could go to 65 easily. He is a handsome sable and white four year old who came into rescue after his owner moved. He is current on all of his vaccines and neutered.

Kuhlua enjoys going for walks or just sitting around with his owners and furry friends. He gets along great with other does and cats don't bother him, and he even likes kids. He knows sit, stay, shake and will give lots of collie kisses. He is being fostered in Ohio.

Cats are collies too!

We realized that we have never spoken about the feline member of our family!

Pumpkin is our kitty.  We had two others, Autumn and Spice, but lost them to old age.  Pumpkin was born semi-feral, but we adopted her at such a young age, she never truly became feral.  Her mother was a barn cat, and her siblings were being killed by raccoons.  So it was urgent to get her out of there, so we adopted her when she was only 6 weeks old.  At the time, our collie Lad was very sick, he had cancer.  Pumpkin attached herself to Lad, and was never far from his side.  Whenever I had to catheterize him, or give him injections, she was always there to comfort him.  It was a very heartbreaking time in our lives, Lad was everything to us.  We lost him about a few weeks after Pumpkin to live with us.

Around that time Ryder, Kori and Luke were born.  Pumpkin was only six weeks old when they were born.  The puppies eyes opened and they began playing, right around the time we lost Lad.  So Pumpkin attached herself to the puppies, and became an “honorary” littermate.  She would curl up with them to sleep, and when they began eating puppy food, she would eat out of the bowl with them!  She would wrestle with them, and they would all play chase.  Eventually the collies were too big to play with, but Pumpkin still loved them.  So whenever they would go outside, Pumpkin would sneak outside with them.  We caught onto this, and prevented her from running out the door.  So she then learned out to open the screen door on the back porch, and she would let herself outside.  We began keeping the inner door closed, which opened with a doorknob, and that put an end to that.  So clever and determined kitty that she is, Pumpkin figured out how to push aside the extensions on the sides of the air conditioners, just enough to squeeze out the windows.  We have now secured them so she can’t do move them, and she has not been able escape outside for a few weeks now.   

She wants to be outside, but our street is just too busy and we can’t trust her to stay in the backyard.  So this is why I think she deserves to be on the naughty list! 

Summer's over...

Fall has arrived!  Evening arrives with a slight chill in the air, and before long the leaves will be changing color.  We're excited, because this means more hikes on our favorite trails.  But it also makes us a little sad, because we had so much fun this summer!  We played with the Avengers puppies, and taught them everything they would need to know, to become awesome collies!

We played in the backyard and enjoyed the sunshine!

We went for walks on the beach, and Scarlett even tried swimming!

The Avengers were born in the Spring, and while all the boys went to their new homes, little Scarlett stayed with us.  She has become a beautiful young lady!

Scarlett and her mother, Abby

Scarlett went to Sunnybank, where she competed in her first puppy match and visited the graves of her ancestors, the Sunnybank collies.

Ryder spent most of the summer growing into a handsome young collie.  We can't wait to see how he looks when his Winter coat comes in!

Kori spent the summer learning obedience skills, so she can compete in Rally or obedience next year!



We went to the dog park, and made lots of new friends.  And then the summer ended with Ryder and Kori's birthday party!  Which meant we all received a new antler, Frosty Paws and home-made dog cookies!

We can't wait to see what fun and adventures the Fall is going to bring!  (Sorry this ended up being the complete opposite of a "Wordless Wednesday" post!)

9/11 remembered...

Today is a day for remembering.  Eleven years ago we experienced a horrific tragedy when nearly 3,000 people were killed when terrorists  hijacked our planes and attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Almost 400 dogs were called to service, to help search and rescue workers.  Some of the dogs helped search and rescue workers by trying to find survivors and the remains of the victims.  Some of the dogs worked as police dogs, helping to maintain order amid the chaos.  Some of the dogs were there simply to provide therapy and comfort, to the devastated workers in New York City and Washington, DC.

These dogs were often overwhelmed, stressed and depressed during their work amid all the devastation.  The owners of the search and rescue dogs had to stage mock rescues, to lift the dogs’ spirits as the dogs became upset when they continuously searched without finding anyone alive.  The dogs suffered weight loss from the stress.  They worked in heavy dust and smoke, scorching their paws in the burning rubble.  The police dogs and the SAR dogs were Labradors, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Border Collies, Rotties, Spaniels, mixed breeds, one Doberman and a few Dachshunds. 

There were also many therapy dogs, there to provide comfort to the workers.  The men and women working so bravely under such terrible conditions, would turn to these therapy dogs to share their feelings or simply to stroke the dogs’ fur.  It’s been eleven years since 9/11, and many of the dogs who sacrificed so much for us are now gone.  So today, when remembering the victims and heroes of 9/11, please take a minute to remember the canine heroes too.

Here are just a few of the links available to read about these dogs:

http://www.aplacetolovedogs.com/2011/08/search-and-rescue-dogs-of-911/1486620957/

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44615382/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/t/dog-who-saved-owner-named-american-hero-dog/

http://www.dogheroesof911.com/web.htm

http://friendtodogs.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/911-canine-heroes-dogs-that-made-a-nation-proud/

Awards!

We have recently been given some awards, by three of our new friends.  So we wanted to thank them, and share the awards.  First, we were given the “Addictive Blog Award” by our friends the Collies of the Meadow and their dad, Chuck.  We were given a second “Addictive Blog Award” from Mollie and Alfie and their mom.  So please stop by and visit these wonderful blogs, we love reading their posts and the collies and Mollie and Alfie.  I think both of these blogs are “addicting!”

http://colliesofthemeadow.wordpress.com/
http://www.molliesdogtreats.co.uk/

 

The rules for the Addictive blog Award are as follows:

I am to thank the giver, link to them, talk about  why I blog and why I started… post the award, and then nominate 10 others.

So why I blog…I actually started “blogging” years ago, over on Livejournal.  Most of the journals/blogs on Livejournal aren’t public, you have to be a member of Livejournal and then be friended by each journal in order to read the individual’s posts.  So I decided to start a blog, to share stories of my collies with other dog lovers.

The collies and I discussed it. And we decided to nominate the following blogs for the “Addictive Blog Award:”

A Day In The Life Of Goose
Team Unruly
Declan's Dog Blog
The Thundering Herd
Sugar The Golden Retriever Dog Blog
24 Paws of Love
How Sam Sees It
BongoDogblog
Two Collies and a Mutt
Cowspotdog

They are all great blogs, that we are following because we are addicted to them!

We also received two more awards, from our friend Freckles.  His Blog is called, “A Day in the life of a Goose, ” and it is sometimes funny and often heartwarming.  So we are giving him our own special award, at the bottom of this post!

The awards Freckles gave us are “One Lovely Blog Award” and a “Beautiful Blogger” award.  He gave us these awards when we were feeling sad about the death of a special collie in our lives.  And we want to thank him and his mom for sending these awards our way, to brighten our day.  If you haven’t checked out his blog, you should!  Here is a link to get you there:

http://adayinthelifeofagoose.blogspot.com/

There are rules and regulations for the awards, so I’m listing them here:

The requirements for the One Lovely Blog Award are:

Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post.

Share 7 things about yourself. 

Nominate other bloggers you admire. 

Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know.

7 Things About Me/and the collies:

~I sing special songs to my collies, that I make up myself, and they love it!

~Each of my dogs has 4 or 5 nicknames, and they answer to them!

~I talk to my collies as if they were people, and as a result they all understand a lot of words.

~The collies dislike the sound of my hair dryer, and they all come running each morning to bark and jump up and down when I turn it on.  (Which results in 5 minutes of noisy chaos!)

~My daughter and I play hide and seek with the collies, and they love this game!

~We have a huge collections of old Lassie movies, old collie stories and old collie figurines.

~I cannot figure out how to post the awards we are receiving to my blog, anyone have any advice?

The requirements for the Beautiful Blogger Award are:

To copy the Beautiful Blogger Award logo and place it in your post. 

Thank the person who nominated you and create a link back to their blog. 

Nominate 7 other bloggers for their own Beautiful Blogger Award.

We are combing the nominations, as we think the seven blogs listed below deserve both awards:

Collies of the Meadow
Molly and Alfie
Sugar The Golden Retriever Dog Blog
24 Paws of Love
How Sam Sees It
BongoDogblog
Two Collies and a Mutt

We are following all of these blogs because we think they are both beautiful and lovely!

And for Freckles, at A Day in the Life of a Goose, we given you our own special award!  We love that you post about homeless dogs in need of homes, we think it's "heartwarming!"