Today is a very special day for us! Our Ryder is celebrating his 13th birthday today! Ryder - Marchello’s Ride the Storm, CGCA, THDD, FDC, TKN, VC, thanks for 13 years of love, you are the very best boy!
He has been my very best friend, and has always been the sweetest, most gentle collie I could ask for. I’m so grateful for every day with him! On to the celebration of Ryder through the years. It was so hard to choose a “few” favorite pictures when he is such a beautiful boy!
Another busy, but fun, weekend for the collies! We are trying to attend as many shows and events as possible right now, as we usually take the Winter months off and hibernate. In New England the Winters are long, cold, dark and icy, so we limit our driving to local areas only. Now that the Summer is ending and Autumn is approaching, we have a dog show, trial or event scheduled for nearly every weekend. This weekend was a dog show weekend, where the collies are judged on their conformation, to earn points towards their championships. I took Peyton into the ring, while my daughter showed ZuZu. My daughter is the much better handler, as she grew up competing in junior handling, I’m usually just the back up. I’m okay with that, as she has been showing collies since she 9 years old, so she has over twenty years of experience! But today I took Peyton in, and she won her second major! So proud of our girl, the judge pulled us aside afterward to tell us how much she loved Peyton, and her beautiful expression. With today’s points, Peyton is very close to finishing her championship, which is very exciting for us.
After the show we took the girls to a FastCAT practice, as Peyton was a little unsure last time, and because ZuZu has never tried it. We have Peyton, ZuZu and Addison entered next weekend in a two day FastCAT trial. We wanted to help prepare Peyton and ZuZu for the trial, so they can get their best times. It should be so much fun, and ZuZu did amazing today, she was so fast! We got a video of her first practice run, I can’t wait to see how she does next weekend. She watched Peyton and Addi do their practice runs first, and figured it out right just by watching them. If you missed our explanation on how FastCAT works, please click here.
Is there anything these collies aren’t good at? I haven’t found anything they aren’t willing to try…except dock diving, they are not huge fans of getting wet, so that is one thing I think we will skip. Trying all these new sports has been so enjoyable, I just love their versatility!
The American Kennel Club has created a program to encourage people to get outside and take walks with their dogs. The program, called AKC FIT Dog, even offers titles, in the hope more people with join in the program! From the AKC website:
“Now more than ever, fitness is important for both dogs and people. The most commonly recommended exercise to improve fitness is walking. Walking is considered a safe activity that improves muscular strength, circulation, memory, weight loss, increases energy, helps with sleep, and reduces stress. The American Heart Association recommends walking a minimum of 150 minutes per week. Participation in the AKC FIT DOG program will bring health benefits to both you and your dog.” And for those who want to earn titles, just by keeping your dog fit and healthy, click here!
There are three titles, or levels, in the FIT Dog program - Bronze, Silver and Gold. You earn the titles by completing different activities.
1) Complete an AKC FIT DOG Course
2) Runs (community runs, such as a Turkey Trot)
3) Walks and hikes (can be independent or group walks)
4) Unique to you and your dog (such as swimming)
5) Earn an AKC title that is fitness related (FastCAT, Agility)
6) Earn an AKC Parent Club Performance title (sledding, herding, pack dog)
Addi and I decided to try for the FIT Dog bronze title, FITB, since we are already trying to earn the first FastCAT title, BCAT, and that meets one of the requirements for FIT Dog. We have been walking multiple times a week, enjoying nature and the end of the Summer, while keeping track of our miles. This video was from our walk yesterday evening, we are both really enjoying the time together. She loves being outside, and I appreciate that it’s pushing me to get more exercise!
I love earning new titles with my collies. Those new titles represent many things to me, the first being the bond I share with them. When your dog has a strong bond with you, it makes training them so much easier, and it makes earning titles even more rewarding. Secondly, the titles show their versatility, that they have proven they meet the breed standard and that they are intelligent with sound temperaments. And the third, they will be remembered, long after they are gone.
Collies that earn their AKC championships are included in the Collie Club of America’s Library of Champions. These books are the documented history of all the collie champions, going all the way back to the very first champion. The CCA yearbooks are also a source of collie history. Each year the CCA publishes the collie yearbook for its members. While the Library of Champions is a wonderful record of all the past collies who earned that coveted championship title, the CCA Yearbook is a record of the new champions each calendar year and also includes and celebrates all the other titles the collies have earned that year.
Since rescues and shelters are all full, we wanted to continue sharing collies looking for their forever homes. This week we are sharing two of the adoptable collies from Freedom Collie Rescue.
Meet Dollie
Dollie is a two year old sweetie. Always close by and ready to get her head scratched. Super friendly and chill. We don't think she'd been on to many car rides but she is getting more practice. It also didn't appear that she'd gone up or down many flights of stairs when she first came in, but she's a pro now! Great on a leash, comes when she's called. She's part Collie and part Husky and has those gorgeous Husky eyes. Her fur also seems more Husky-like than Collie-like. No guarantees but we don't think she sheds much--not like our Collies! She gets along great other 2 dogs in her foster home. Dollie hasn't been around cats to our knowledge, but she's very laid back, so we'd expect she'd do fine. Couldn't find a friendlier dog! We are taking applications for her. A fenced yard is required. Please apply at freedomcollierescue.org
Meet Lexie
Lexie is a such a sweet collie girl. She is 8 years old. She loves attention and to be loved on. She gets along well with other dogs, but she has not been around cats so that is unknown. Lexie likes to be groomed and behaves well when there. She is housetrained and up-to-date on her shots. She also has not been around small children, so that is unknown also, but based on her personality, we imagine she would love them. Lexie does have a little age related stiffness, so joint supplements are a must. Lexie would be the perfect collie for a retired person(s). A fenced yard is required. Please apply at freedomcollierescue.org
We made the trek to Sunnybank, and it was just as special as all the past visits to the “collie Mecca.” There were friends, laughter, the beautiful grounds, the fire blue lake…and the collies. The excitement we feel as we turn onto the long driveway of Sunnybank never lessens, no matter how many times we visit.
The town, who maintains Sunnybank, made some big changes to the property. They cleared many trees and growth from the edge of the property, which opened up the beautiful view of the lake. Looking back at pictures of Sunnybank during Terhune’s time, I think this was what the property looked like in the 1920s and 30s. But the border along the lake was never cleared in any of my visits, so it was a bit of an adjustment. It did look beautiful, just not what any of us were used to seeing.
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| With the lake now clearly visible, ducks are now visiting Sunnybank, which greatly amused my grandsons |
I was originally planning to have Rosie take the therapy dog test and the canine good citizen test, but while I was running her through the different test exercises for practice, I realized she just isn’t quite ready. Sits and downs aren’t something we focus on when training a dog for the show ring, as you don’t want the dog to do either while the judge is examining them. But every time I asked Rosie do something, smart little Sorsha was right behind her, showing me that she knew how to do it! Since she was so well trained by my daughter, and since Sorsha was so eager to show what she could do, my daughter took her in for the two tests. Sorsha passed them both! What a good girl! Now my daughter has her own therapy collie, so she can go on visits with me.
Rosie will take the therapy test eventually, she has the perfect temperament for it. But she needs some more practice on sits and downs. For now, we will concentrate on her show career. (Once her coat comes back in, she’s naked right now.) And Rosie is still very young, she won’t even be 2 years old until New Year’s Eve, so there is plenty of time.
Sunnybank is such a treasure for collie lovers, as well as the fans of Albert Payson Terhune’s books. I am so grateful it was saved, and that we can visit it whenever we choose. The graves of all the past Sunnybank collies are still there, and we always visit them.
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| Sorsha by Lad’s grave |
To get to experience The Gathering in person, while so many can’t, is something I never take for granted.
As we lost our beautiful Kori this past May, we included her in the memorial. It’s always so sad, hearing all the names of the collies lost over the last year while the bagpiper plays in the background. And this year was especially heartbreaking, as our Kori was included in that list.
So another Gathering at Sunnybank has ended, but next August, we will return, and once again join in the celebration of the collie and Terhune. If you love collies, and are able to make it to Sunnybank, I hope you seize the opportunity.
It’s that time of year, the time when collie lovers gather from near and far, to celebrate their love of the collie. Each year, on the third weekend in August, the Collie Health Foundation hosts The Gathering at Sunnybank. What and where is Sunnybank? Back in the 1920s and 1930s the famous author, Albert Payson Terhune, wrote many books about his beloved collies. His home was called Sunnybank, and it was located in Wayne, New Jersey. His collies, called the Sunnybank Collies, lived on the estate and their many adventures, both real and fictitious, were the subject of Terhune’s beloved stories.
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| Terhune and three of his collies, Bruce, Wolf and Lad |
The Sunnybank collies were real, and their graves can still be found at Sunnybank today. The home and barn are gone now, but the property remains and has been turned into a park. It’s there, at the Sunnybank park, that the Gathering is held. During the weekend there are guest speakers, covering a wide range of topics, from collie history to collie health issues. There is also an auction held with collie books, memorabilia, paintings, and so much more. On Saturday they hold a memorial, with a bagpiper playing a lonesome tune, to remember the collies that have passed away. They also offer a walking tour of the grounds, as well as therapy dog and CGC tests. On Sunday they hold a puppy match, where breeders can show their new collie puppies, gently teaching them how to be show dogs one day.
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| Items from a past auction |
For collie lovers, The Gathering brings everyone together to socialize, search for items to add to their collie collections, add a new title, and maybe learn something new from the guest speakers. But it also gives us the chance to remember the collies of the past, both the Sunnybank collies and our own. To walk the grounds of Sunnybank, surrounded by hundreds of beautiful collies, while hearing their joyous barks fill the air, can be a magical experience. It is something every collie lover should get to experience at least once in their lifetime.
This Saturday we will be heading to The Gathering, and we can’t wait to walk the grounds that the Sunnybank collies and Terhune once called home. We will be sitting by the “fire-blue lake,” as described by Terhune. We will be petting all the collies, visiting with friends, and maybe trying to find something to add to our own collie collection. I’ve written numerous posts about Sunnybank over the years, so I’m including links below. And hopefully next week I will have a new post with new pictures from Sunnybank to share, so make sure you check back with us!
To learn more about Sunnybank, check out these posts: