September 2003 volume
1
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What’s in this issue: Read
Jack’s story A
renewed MKBCR ~Callie~ Our
featured rescue for
the month of September How
YOU can help!! Upcoming
EVENTS Member info and contact listing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How to entertain your
border collie Get an old milk jug
(any size will work, just needs to be a capped one), and cut about 4-5 holes
in it, each just a smidge bigger than the size of their kibble. Fill the jug with their breakfast or dinner,
cap it off and put it on the floor or in the yard. They will have to roll the jug
around on the floor to get their meal out and it will keep them busy for at
least ½ hr. You might have to help
them out the first time but after that, they’ll have it under control! Not only does this help with dogs that eat
too fast but it also give them a puzzle to solve which border collies LOVE!! |
THE BORDER COLLIE THAT Jack
was found wandering the streets of
His big eyes set in his broad loving face, his ability to
curl up and make himself at home with our two cats, a Miniature Pinscher and
a crabby elderly Bichon Frise
won my heart. Since then he has flourished. He overcame his hand-shyness,
comes EVERY TIME we call him. He quickly conditioned to run up to 7 miles a
day in this 95 degree humid heat with my marathoner husband. He's a watch
dog, loves to play with children and learns so quickly it's scary! Jacky is
an energetic dog, who also tolerates "kennel time" quite well when
we've "had enough" for a while. He rides in the car so well,
sitting calmly when we stop. Jacky is a great member of our family! -Jacky’s new Mom, Marilyn |
Jack and his new Mom and Dad – Marilyn and Frank ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lessons from rescue I was reluctant to risk loving you Knowing you would leave one day I said to myself I could never say
goodbye But there was nowhere for you to go Your eyes were sad, afraid to hope Your bones stood out against your
coat Which had never known brush nor a
gentle hand Slowly you moved towards me so
lightly Touched my hand with a barely felt
lick You looked at me with a soft
question In that moment you asked me to take
a chance To love you, knowing you would have
to leave So we made a pact you and I You would try to learn and I to
teach and We would forgive one another for
that final parting So we grew together you and I You learned to play and a sparkle
came into your eyes Your world once grey
and forbidding became a joy As you grew bolder and began to
trust beyond my hand And I knew the time of parting was
near…. I watched as you walked away into
your bright new world Your tail wagging your head held
high Eager for new adventure and open to
new love And yes there is bittersweet
sadness But more powerful is the pride I
feel in you and the lesson we have learned together That loving and letting go rather
than losing multiplies the love and gives the
chance of being able to love once again - Bridget Byrne, 2003 |
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Contacts: Jennifer Fitzwater fitzh20@ mokanbcrescue.org 816.833.3801 Kathy Hallberg K2bcdogs@ mokanbcrescue.org 816.478.3756 Barbie Ernst barbieernst@ mokanbcrescue.org Website: mokanbcrescue.org Upcoming Events: Dogtoberfest
at Oct 19For
details visit: How you can help MKBCR There are
four ways to help: Transport Foster!! Volunteer Donate (includes becoming a Border Collie Angel) For more
information on the suggestions above, please visit our website |
MKBCR Starts Anew In March of 2003 Mo-Kan Border Collie Rescue was started
again by Kathy Hallberg and Jennifer Fitzwater and a dog named Jack. During a
previous effort at rescue, several dogs were placed but due to a lack of
foster homes and volunteers it was reluctantly suspended. Kathy was contacted by one of the local shelters about an
especially sweet Border Collie whose days were numbered. Jennifer came up with the idea of rotating
Jack among our Flyball team members since no one could provide long term
placement. Well it worked! Jack found a wonderful new forever home. The reason MKBCR was able to begin anew was because of the
generous support of many Border Collie lovers. There are those who have
opened their hearts, homes and families.
Their contributions have included money, time, know-ledge and
skills. Without the selfless
generosity of these supporters many special Border Collies would not have
been saved. Since that time several very special dogs have found their
forever homes. Ellie, who was rejected by her owners as “too” shy is now
working as a herd-ing dog on 100 acres and is a
gentle companion to her new family. Fynn, once valued only for his breeding
potential has become a swift flyball do, participated in agility and herd-ing and been a steady foster brother to new rescues.
Percy, who was left chained in the backyard because she was |
too energetic, now is an active
companion with her new family and gets all the exercise, love and stimulation
she needs. Freckles (nka Solo), relinquished to rescue because the owner
realized they couldn’t take on training him, has been adopted to be trained
for Search and Rescue work. Kate was a dog so nervous and tempera-mental
that she could only tolerate people if they were sitting now excels
at flyball and
is beloved part of her new family. The list goes on. The help of those
who have contributed financially continues to help us rehabilitate
and rehome our
dogs. Veterinarians such as those
at John Veterinary Clinic in
Molly and Emily McVey with their 2nd foster Percy (see
Percy’s story on the website!) |
~The McVeys~ Our Featured Foster Family for September Stacey and Mark and their two daughters Molly and Emily are
one of our foster families. Stacey and Mark both work full time and have a
cat and a Border collie “Jules”. They feel that fostering allows them to
share their home with another dog on a temporary basis. They feel that this
experience teaches their children and the friends of their children some
important lessons about responsibly for our animals. Molly and Emily are
active in caring for current foster dog Callie and Jewels has a companion.
Many people shy away from fostering because they say “Oh I get too attached I
could never do that.” Or they worry about having the time or whether the foster
dog will get along with their children or other pets. We screen our dogs for
the right foster placement so a dog that doesn’t do well with children is not
placed in a home with children etc. Initially they do take more time but most
of our dogs will be going to homes where people work and need to learn that
routine. And yes foster parents do get attached to the dogs they foster. And
yes that moment of goodbye is a sad one but that sadness is mixed with pride.
At the moment they see the result of the love and care they have given a dog.
And that is really a high! But the rest of the satisfaction is in what these
dogs give as they pass through our lives. Each leaves his or her mark on our
lives and our lives are better for it. So consider fostering, not only can
you change the life of a dog but also your own. -cont on page 3- |
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~CALLIE~ Our Featured Foster for the Month of September
Callie is a three and a half year old smooth coated,
purebred Border Collie. Although not as well known in this area smooth coated
Border collies are often preferred because of their greater tolerance to heat
and the simpler grooming that is required. Callie is a very special girl.
Despite the fact that she came from a herding background she is the perfect
family dog. She seemed to have arrived house trained and is happy to quietly
be with her foster family. She is a gentle dog who loves children, enjoys cuddling
and walking. She is just beginning to learn to play. Unlike many Border
Collies, Callie doesn’t require a great deal of activity and stimulation and
is described by her foster family as “an easy dog to be with” as well as
sweet and lovable. {If you are interested
in learning more about Callie please contact Jennifer Fitzwater or Kathy
Hallberg – see contacts} ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -cont- ~The McVeys~ Our Featured Foster Family for September Our Fostering Experience I never really expected
that we would become a foster family for dogs. We were pretty set in our routine. Our kids have busy schedules and we both
worked. We also assumed with fostering
you would get too attached to the dog and just couldn’t let them go. When I met my new friends who were involved
in Border Collie rescue, I was amazed at their dedication towards dogs that
needed a second chance. We knew we
could not manage another dog on a permanent basis and but realized that
fostering would allow us to help in our own way. We were first asked
to foster a Border Collie who was being relinquished by a man who was moving.
Dietz was placed in just a week.
Before we realized it, he was off to his new home, which turned out to
be perfect for him! |
Our second foster
dog was Percy. A family, who had underestimated
the energy of a Border Collie, was relinquishing her. Percy required some adjusting to our family
routine. She was a very good dog, but
required much more exercise, mental challenge and supervision than what we
were used to. She was always on the
go. We adjusted and she eventually settled
down. We had Percy for two months
before she was placed in her new home.
We were involved in reviewing the applicants since we were so close to
her and felt we knew her best. It was
sad to see her go, but we knew she was off to a great home. Our third foster is
currently Callie. She came from a shelter
and her situation was very different from what we had experienced
before. She needed minor medical
attention and several baths. As a
result of her experiences, she was very shy and underweight. After about two weeks, her darling personality
started to emerge. She makes us
chuckle!! You can see that she is a
great dog, just needing some love and kindness. We know that she will make a great dog for
someone. We can’t wait for her to find
that…. It makes us sad to
think of all the dogs out there that are in bad situations and need loving
homes. It is difficult to understand
that people can discard pets like a piece of trash out the car window. You want to try to change the big problem,
but it is so overwhelming. It gives us
satisfaction to be able to help the animals we can, one at a time. It is wonderful to know that we are helping
a dog that otherwise may be destroyed and help prepare it for a wonderful
existence in a new home. You can see
it in the dog’s faces that they appreciate the chance and just want to be
happy. Being a foster
family is not that difficult. If you
care for animals then you are open to helping them however you can. Being
a foster family allows you to get to know a dog, help it adjust and then send
it on its way to a wonderful new life.
Giving them up can be sad, but you are happy that they are happy. We feel this is a great experience for our
children and will teach them to be loving and dedicated animal owners. Our advice is to try fostering. You will be amazed at the difference you
can make and it will make you feel very good.
Not only does the dog win, but also you will gain so much in
return. It is priceless! -Stacey McVey
This is Dietz, the McVey’s
first foster dog |
