Smooth collies are awesome too!

 (Sharing a favorite from 2012)

I love both rough and smooth collies.  My love for collies began much the same as any collie lover - I fell in love with the Sunnybank collies in Albert Payson Terhune's books, and with the Lassie movies.  There was no mention of smooth collies in either the books or the movies.  When I caught a glimpse of my uncle's first smooth collie, years ago, I thought she looked all kinds of wrong.  But my opinion has changed, and I now view smooths as the beautiful examples of the collie breed that they are.  

Funnily enough, my first collie, lad, was actually a smooth.  So were my second and third collies, Abby and Holly.  But then Ryder was born, and I just couldn't part with my sweet, fuzzy boy. 

I still find it funny that so few people even know about the smooth collie.  They have the same wonderful collie temperaments, and they are MUCH easier to groom.  And getting them ready to enter in the show ring takes about half the time as a rough.  But when we walk both Ryder and Kori, everyone immediately call out to Ryder, "look it's Lassie!"  And they immediately smile and ask to pet him, while little Kori stands waiting, wagging her tail.  I can't tell you how many times we have been asked if our smooths are collie mixes, or why did we shave our collie?  In the UK, Smooth collies are actually on the UKC's vulnerable breeds list. But I'm happy to say the smooth collie seems to be gaining popularity here in the USA.

I think you might appreciate this conversation between Kori and Ryder today...

Kori: I'm tired of everyone petting Ryder first...(sad face)

Ryder: Is it any wonder the people love me?  I AM a superstar!

Kori: You're nothing but a boy!

Ryder: Handsome Boy, super star, stud muffin...take your pick!

Kori: Oh pleeease!

Ryder: I'm going to bed, being this awesome is exhausting...

I was debating writing this…

 I had a scare last week, my sweet, beautiful Scarlett woke up on her birthday and the side of her face was swollen.  Collies are pretty stoic, by I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was in a lot of pain.  So I canceled all the fun things I had planned for her birthday and made an appointment with the vet.

Fortunately, it was just a broken, infected tooth.  They ran bloodwork, to see if she could handle anesthesia, because she’s now 12 years old, and it came back good.  But I was still a nervous wreck, because she’s 12, and that’s pretty old for a collie, and because she’s always had a bad reaction to anesthesia.  I was terrified that a broken tooth was going to be the reason I lost her.  On Friday she had the tooth pulled, along with two others, and they cleaned the rest while she was there.  It went fine, but it’s now Sunday and she’s still showing some of the effects of the anesthesia.  Yesterday she was still a bit lethargic, and while holding her, I could feel her trembling.  Today she is much better, not 100% yet, but definitely improving.

Kori is now 12 years and 9 months old.  And two months ago, she was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.  I haven’t wanted to talk about it, as it was devastating news.  I knew at 12+ years old we wouldn’t have a lot of time left, but this made our time finite.  She’s still with me, but I see her getting weaker everyday, and I know we don’t have much time left.  And knowing this, my heart is heavy with grief, because I’m not ready to say goodbye.  She’s my Kori Beanie, one of the puppies from my very first litter, my Sunshine girl.

Ryder is doing okay, but he is really showing his age, and one day soon I know he will be leaving me too.  And I can’t think about that, I just can’t.

Loving a dog brings so much joy into your life.  And every day with them is a gift, I honestly believe my life would be diminished without them.  But if you are blessed to raise a puppy, to watch them grow up, and eventually grow old, you know the heartache you will eventually face.  And it always comes too soon, long before we are ready to let them go.

If you have a senior dog, or even a younger dog, please treasure every moment.  Hug them every day, because it all passes so quickly.

National Purebred Dog Day - otherwise known as Scarlett’s birthday!

 Today, May 1st, is National Purebred Dog Day.  It’s a day to celebrate all the many purebred dog breeds that we love so much.  But for us, it’s also the day our beautiful Scarlett entered this world.  

She has given us so much, done everything we’ve ever asked of her…

And been a constant source of love, laughter, and companionship…

All wrapped up in a stunningly beautiful package!

Happy 12th birthday my love, I don’t know how these 12 years have passed so quickly for us!  If I could, I  would keep you by my side forever.

Happy National Therapy Animal Day!

So April 11th is National Therapy Dog Appreciation Day, and April 30th is National Therapy Animal Day!  The difference is that today we celebrate all therapy animals, a surprisingly long list, which even includes Therapy Chickens! Of course I’m biased, but for me, it’s the dogs that seem to spread the most joy.  But for someone else, it might be a chicken that brightens their day…we won’t judge!

Today is special for another reason, it’s Sophie and Maizie’s 8th birthday!  Fortunately, one of their brothers, Finn, lives in a neighboring town.  So we met at the local park, to let the siblings play together on their special day.

Group picture of the collies, Sophie, Maizie and Finn.

Finn’s Dad took this picture, I love how sweetly they focused on me!  Since today is a National holiday honoring all the work, care and compassion of therapy animals, it seems like a good day to share some of my therapy collies’ recent accomplishments.

Ryder and Scarlett both earned their THDX title, Therapy Dog Excellent, from the AKC.  This is earned by completing over 200 therapy visits.

Sophie should be earning her THDX soon…probably in June.

Sophie, on the right, with her friend, Kelsea

And little Addison has become such an amazing therapy dog, just as I had predicted.  She just shines during these visits, and everyone just adores her.  She will soon have completed enough visits to earn her THDA title.  The THDA, or Therapy Dog Advanced title, is earned by completing 100 therapy visits.

If you are considering training your dog (or chicken) to do therapy visits, please check out your local pet therapy organization.  It’s such a rewarding experience for everyone involved!

The American Working Collie Association

This picture is of Gibbs, one of the collies we bred 8 years ago.  He has earned multiple herding titles, along with being the very best friend to his family could ask for!

Did you know that collies are more than just a pretty face?  While their beauty has captured the hearts of generations, and led to their starring on both television and the silver screen, as well as gracing the pages of countless books, the collie was originally bred for their working ability.  As a working breed, they had to be able to work closely with their humans, and to work independently when necessary.  This made the development of a friendly, intelligent temperament such a crucial trait in the breed.  In the past we have shared numerous posts on our Collie blog, celebrating the versatility of the collie, and they can be found here.

What you may not know, is that there is an organization created to promote the working ability of the collie.  The American Working Collie Association, or the AWCA, is a wonderful group of individuals devoted to honoring all the achievements of the American collie.  The AWCA’s Versatility Program was created to recognize Collies that have “proven their competence as versatile working dogs.”  After sharing our posts over the years, created to promote our wonderful breed, I was very excited to discover the AWCA last year and quickly became a member.  Finding an organization that shares the same goals, full of like minded individuals, I had to write a post to share their program.  Not only does the AWCA encourage collie owners to try new sports and activities with their collies, they also offer working titles for the collies of their members!  

The American Working Collie Association awards two groups of titles:

Versatility titles 

Working titles

 The Versatility Program.  Dogs must be at least 6 months old to begin documenting work in this program, unless otherwise specified. 

AWCA awards four versatility titles:

• Versatility Companion (VC) - earned by gaining 5 points from a minimum of 3 categories.

• Versatility Companion Excellent (VCX) -earned by gaining 10 points from a minimum of 5 categories.  At least 2 points each from 2 different categories must be earned at intermediate level work. 

• Versatility Champion (VCH) - earned by gaining 15 points from 6 categories. At least 2 points each from 2 different categories must be earned at advanced level work. 

• Grand Versatility Champion (GVCH) - title granted to Collies earning a VCH plus any 3 of the following 4 titles: Stock Work, HX or higher; Obedience, UD or higher; Scent Work, TDX or higher, or 3 live, cadaver, narcotics, explosives, or agricultural finds, documented by authorities; Canine Sports - Agility, AX or AXJ or its equivalent or higher.


You can find all their Working titles by clicking here.

Ryder, Scarlet, Sophie and Addison have all earned their VC, Versatility Companion title, from the AWCA.  It is such a fun way to celebrate their accomplishments! (And just at the spiffy certificates the AWCA awards the collies!)

If you are looking for new ways to compete with your collies, or just want to join an organization that strives to recognize how wonderfully versatile the collie truly is, then I highly recommend joint the American Working Collie Association.  They do so much more than just title collies, please take a look at their website!

Happy Therapy Dog Appreciation Day!

 Today is the day to celebrate therapy dogs!  They bring so much joy, comfort and love, to everyone they visit.  

Fun fact: the first therapy dog organization was established in 1976!

Have you hugged a therapy dog lately?