MO-KAN Border Collie Rescue Success Stories 2002

April 2002

Charly

Charly came into rescue from a pet home when she was seven months old. She and her sister were purchased by a family who had children and kept Charly and her sister in their back yard. They had neglected to check into the breeding history. If they had they would have discovered that these pups came from a line of dogs bred to herd cattle. So when the predictable herding behavior started they sent both pups to a board and train facility. When the pups returned they were both fearful and somewhat aggressive. Both were placed in separate foster homes. Charly’s sister was so aggressive that even after six months in foster care and numerous attempts to modify her behavior she could not recover from her early experiences and had to be put down. Charly had really never bonded with humans and it took almost a year before she trusted her foster parents enough to be trained. Prior to that she led many people on merry chases when she escaped and frightened her share of folks that she approached barking and looking ferocious. The most helpful thing for her was flyball (in which she has earned her FDCh title). She is obsessed about flyball and is quite fast and focused. She has learned to trust some people-mostly members of the flyball team and has been transformed from the frightened fear aggressive pup we first saw. She has been adopted by her foster parents and in addition to flyball she also has learned to herd and shows promise at agility. Most importantly she has learned to trust and with that trust has come loyalty and a desire to please. She lives now with her adoptive family which includes two other Border Collies and usually a foster dog. From the dog that barked and lunged in her crate when she was fostered she now helps other foster dogs feel comfortable in her home.

April 2002

Deitz was adopted by a family in Michigan. He lives with them on their dairy farm and goes to work with his mom at a vet clinic

June 2002

Kate

Kate came into Border collie rescue in June of 2001. She was a year and half old at that time. Her owner indicated she did not have time to give Kate the exercise and attention she needed and that Kate was barking and running the fence while her owner was away. Kate had been very attached to her first owner, was extremely anxious and had had little exercise so was not well conditioned. She was so anxious that her foster father had to lie on the floor to meet her and she would stand between her foster mother and father defending her foster mother from some perceived threat. It took little imagination to understand what had happened in her past. Through much patience and time she learned to like men-well men without hats! As she got in better condition we discovered what a gifted athlete she is. She is the fastest dog on our flyball team (and has earned her FDCh title), is a natural at herding and agility. Any hint of insecurity is gone when she is participating in any of these activities or spiraling in the air after a Frisbee or a ball. She can actually bring tears to your eyes with her beautiful form and focus.

In June of 2002 Kate went to live with her new people John and Rachel. She has truly become the queen of the house and the pack which now includes another young Border collie and the couple’s first dog a beagle mix. Both are also rescue and shelter dogs respectively. Her intelligence beauty and athletic ability continue and she is a joy to her new family.

Echo was pulled from the Topeka, Kansas animal control euth facility. Echo had at one time been the pet of a Topeka family who bought her as a tiny puppy as a playmate for their children. When the novelty quickly wore off, the children lost interest in the pup and she was cast off into the family's back yard. At thirteen months old, Echo was much too clever to be contained by the yard fence and ignored . . . so she escaped on a regular basis - and was caught by city animal control officers on a regular basis. Her fourth escape was to be her last; her family refused to pay the impoundment fines and claim her. As a multiple offender with fear-based issues, she was not a candidate for public adoption. Her experiences with catch-poles and incarceration at the animal control facility certainly heightened her fear and distrust of humans.

June 2002

Echo

Echo was adopted by Barbie and Fred of Ava, Mo. Aafter three years she is finally learning to overcome her fear based agression and human trust issues, and we are grateful to share her talents with the rest of the world. The 2005 MKBCR Reunion was her debut experience with a large, exciting event; then she went on to the BCSA National Specialty to earn her herding instinct certificate and participate in the BC Rescue Parade and Rescue Banquet festivities. She is becoming quite proficient with agility skills. Echo may be a late bloomer, but it's finally her time to shine!

Her life has been a tough emotional journey; her insecurity and fear-based behavior didn't disappear, it's merely managed on a daily basis. She will continue to require close supervision and guidance to maintain her acceptable public behavior. Those of us who bring these foster dogs into our homes already know what a labor of love foster care really is . . . and in the end, it is worth all of the blood, sweat and tears we put into our work!

Oct 2002

Jesse

In October of 2001, at four months of age, Jesse and his brother were rescued from a shelter. Initially, they were fostered in a Border Collie rescue home in Topeka. Jess was first adopted by a family who had recently lost their older Border Collie. After a few months the family returned him saying he wasn’t much like their old dog. They realized that they were still grieving and had adopted too soon. Jess briefly returned to his foster home but, finally, at nine months of age was adopted by his permanent family: Dale, Bridget and their other Border Collies Jenny and Charly.

Jesse is now the consummate comedian with a glowing smile that displays all his teeth accompanied by a wildly swinging rear end and oscillating tail. If not for that wagging tail he would likely be mistaken for a vicious dog. Jess has grown quite large at 56 pounds but still thinks of himself as a small dog. He seems constantly dismayed when that wagging tail sends some household object flying. Just recently he flicked on a light switch with his tail and looked back as if to say “Did I do that?” Jesse is the peacemaker of the pack, gently de-escalating any conflicts that may occur with his permanent or temporary pack mates. He does a wonderful job exercising and playing with the foster dogs, especially young males. Much to our surprise he showed promise at herding. And, although not ball driven, he loves flyball learning much of it by watching the others dogs practicing. Jesse is quite willing to serve as a support when one is getting up out of a chair. He loves his walks and could do ads for “Gentle Leaders.” He also loves to run in a nearby field especially if he can exercise his endless curiosity by loping after squirrels or the occasional deer as they make for the woods. All in all he is a gentle, loving, and funny dog that keeps us laughing much of the time.

To the right is Bracken with his Irish sister, Whin

Bracken