Happy Holidays!

It took me quite a while to think of this year's Holiday theme. I had no inspirtation whatsoever. My thoughts were with the Santa dog photos I was planning on using, photos I didn't have now because our Lotte died all of a sudden.

Than slowly the idea came to me to make a 'Lotte's life celebration card'. You see, Lotte loved all good things in life and living it to the fullest as comfortable as possible was her motto. This is our wish for you these Holidays. Live life to the fullest, enjoy all things good and most importanly love each other unconditionally and make lots of good memories!

Everyone loves a happy end!

It's a week ago, yes I know I'm late with updating but I wanted to make sure all what happened went okay. ;-)

Every time a dog enters our home into rescue we know there will come a time that we need to have 'the talk'.

You have to know a bit about 'The Talk' to know why it's so important for me to have one with the dog who's life I am about to turn upside down again, just when he started to feel safe in his new home. I learned about the talk from my friend, rescue role model, Grace Salsaa. When I started being an active Border Collie rescuer I was on my own, living in rural Northern California there wasn't a rescue group I could hook up with but still there were dogs that needed to be rescued. So I jumped in with both feet and looked at how others were doing who's morals and ideas I felt most comfortable with. Grace was one of them, she documented a lot by writing beautifully about her rescues and she was always willing to answer my questions. She made me aware of the fact how important it is to have conversations with your dogs. If you do not believe in animal communication that's fine, it's not just for the dog it's also important for you to be able to close another period in your life.

Grace always communicated with her dogs and so I developed the habit of having 'The Talk' the night before the dog's new owners would come for a visit and who knows, if we both liked them they would take him home. I have always felt that they understood me, saying goodbye to a rescue that you have nurtured for a long time, sometimes through an illness can be very painful. Not just for you, tears are often there, but also for the dog. Some think of your home as their home and it's important they understand they deserve more than that.

Last Saturday evening I took Rueben, my rescue boy, into my office, we sat on the bed and I looked into his eyes and we had 'The Talk'.

Over the years I fine tuned the talk but the content is still the same. I did a lot of reading on how to communicate with pets and know how to think and 'talk' in pictures rather than in words. I looked Rueben in his beautiful trusting eyes and I knew I was about to turn his life upside down and change was coming, but it was a change for the better. While I talked words and thought in pictures and told him how wonderful little dog he was and how much he had grown   since he came to us. How proud we were of him. All the new stuff he had to learn, how to become more independent and confident, how to sleep in a crate at night and how well he had mastered that.

I had the pillow cases in my hand that his new parents had sent me and where he has been sleeping with for the last 2 weeks. I told him about Anita and Laurel, who met him here, on his blog and in the video's I took of him. Who fell in love with him the moment they saw him. I told him about the STUNNING cabin high up on the lake in the mountains in No-WA., about the running trails Laurel is going to do every morning with him, the cross country skiing that he is going to do, the kayaking, the agility, the herding sheep, how Anita is going to be home with him all day and will not leave him if she has to go some place, about all the traveling he was going to do to Alaska to see the sleigh dogs, where Laurel's sister Lisa lives who is an exceptional dog person, and basically how he is going to be spoiled rotten and be loved and cherished forever. Because a wonderful spirit like his needs 2 very special people who will nourish and care for that spirit and who will make sure it will bloom to its full potential.

I told him they were coming to see him tomorrow and if he liked them he could decide to go home with them. I told him to make sure to let   me know it was okay and I let him know that for me it was okay if he would go, I have Fynn who watches out for me. I will be sad but it   will be okay and it's time for him to go to his forever home and be at peace and happy for the rest of his life.

He sat very quietly and listened intensely, after that he gave kisses but not for long because the cats were asking his attention and he had a job to do. ;-)

So this morning Laurel and Anita drove for about 4 hours to Oregon to meet the little guy they met and knew so much about because of my blog. They called before they arrived in Portland, we put Rueben in his crate in the living room with his beloved stuffed Kong. He was calm and relaxed. When they arrived we sat down and chatted and Rueben was watching them in his crate his little black nose make overtime. Did he recognized the smell? Did it smell familiar? When he finally was allowed to go and say hello there was no barking, no frenzied   behavior, no shyness, he just went right up to them, sat for a treat and sniffed and smelled them, they sat on the floor with him and he sat in Laurel's lap and he leaned into her, putting his nose in her purse where he smelled yummy salmon treats. We chatted for a while and he was laying across her lap when he looked back at me and looked me straight in the eye as if to say,'it's okay   mom I like them'. For me that was the sign I had been waiting for.

Together with Fynn, who is trying to steal all treats, it's not scary!

By myself..... hmm... still thinking about it.

Okay, I'll sit here next to you. You smell nice ;-) And have Yummy treats, I think I like you 2!


Rueben is a velcro dog who wouldn't set a step without me. For him to be laying there and not being next to me on sitting on my feet was a miracle. I went to use the bathroom and he didn't even follow me! ;-) Needless to say it was love at first sight for both of them. After 2   hours of chatting, we signed the adoption contract, put on his harness and Waldo carried him out to the car and put him in his crate with a pillow case that W. slept on all week. Just so he would have his familiar smell with him. And off they went. 2 extremely happy people and 1 happy pup. We're happy too, no I didn't cry, we couldn't have asked for better or more fitting parents for this special boy. We will miss him, especially Fynn will miss him, but we still have Fynn-pup-boy to entertain and love us.

Our other boy is on his way to his forever home and that's how it should be, it's why we do what we do.

Anita and Laurel have send me several updates since and we are all amazed by how well he has adapted and how fast he feels at home. His whole attitude towards this change tells me he was ready for this, to be the spoiled pup with doting parents. he loves his new older brother who is 14 years old. I know he would do well, he loved our Lotte who is also 14 and was very respectful of her. Never tried to engage her in play by pestering her like he could do with Fynn. I think he like the quietness of an older dog and I know he will have lots of play time with the Aussie friends Anita and Laurel have, No we're not worried one bit ;-)

Many thanks go to my dear friend Vicki who was so brave to trust me with Rueben to find his forever home. I'm humbled and honored that she found the courage to do so and most of all thankful that we got to share his life and his love even if it was just for a little while. This little dog has some much love to give and I'm happy with got some of it.

# # #

At The DoggyWash...

This was a new and exciting Saturday in the life of Rueben.
He, Fynn, Lotte and their dad slept in till....... 10:30AM! The story was that they all went out for pee at 6:00 AM, it was raining cats and pigs(take note; not cats and dogs!), everyone was wet and cold when they came back in and decided to all snuggle on the bed. And so they did. 3 doggies and a human snoozing and snoring away. I was oblivious to this all as I slept in my office because I had a pain filled night. I got up at 9:00 AM, looked around, everything was dead quiet even the cats were still sleeping and it was real fall weather, rain and wind. So I took one cat hostage, tiptoed back to my bed and drifted off to tropical islands.
Finally at 10:30 we were all up and back in the land of living, well, more or less ;-)

A quick brunch and we were out of the door, in the car off to do errands. First on the list was of course the coffee people, Rueben was real good, he just laid his head on W.'s shoulder practiced the cute puppy eyes and scored a treat! ;-) he's getting good at this ;-) No barking or jumping up and down in the back seat. He is of course locked in his seat belt. The others also got a treat, the humans a wet cap and a latte and off we went to the next thing, the pharmacy drive thru, by now Rueben is so used to drive thru's he doesn't even look up any more but watches mostly other people. Fynn never was a big fan of car rides so he snoozes on the back seat and poor Lotte with her 14 years is in the middle of all this :-)

We thought it would be a good idea to give Rueben a bath at the doggy wash. The first one we tried was on Murray Hill not to far from home. A very bored owner really couldn’t be bothered by yet another doggy bath and we had a bad vibe there so we left and went to the doggy self serve wash. That's always fun. ;-) W. gets to wear an apron and I promised to take pics and give emotional support. The others had to stay in the car and Rueben got to go with us. Yay! He was really excited, little did he know ;-)

No, I'm just kidding he was a picture perfect dog in a doggy wash.
He didn't whine, did not bark at other dogs, didn’t try to get away, only when I left to get something he wanted to follow me but he was tied up. He got a nice massage from his dad with the massage brush and lots of nice oatmeal shampoo and all of a sudden his specks and freckles started showing on his now white coat ;-) He was so dirty from rolling and romping in the black dirt in the back yard and the doggy park that his coat looked grayish. He loved the warm water and all the attention I think, he just adores to be in the middle of it all!

Of course I forgot to take any pictures at all! Gheez! It was when we were at the drying station that I suddenly remembered and the camera was in the car so I whipped out the Flip and took a short video of Reuben on the drying table and getting a blow dry. At first the noise freaked him out a little bit but after I put the camera down and was holding him while W. dried him he was fine with it. He looked gorgeous, so cute ;-) We left an amount of $11 for the wash shampoo and dry and bought a BIG bag of jerky and went home.

Here is the short video I shot. I put it away rather quickly to help W. holding Rueben.



At home they all got a chewy, it was time for my siesta and we all went to take another snooze after all these tiring activities!

Sunday was a calm day, not much action, we just lazied around, read the newspaper, dad went to play soccer, doggies got a raw bone and were as happy and content as can be. In the evening Rueben played with his new favorite squeaky toy. He even retrieves it and brings it back now!
What a wonderful little boy, he has learned so much in these 2 weeks, all new things, new rules, toys, cats, baths, drive thru's, doggy parks. He loves our cat Dahli and the affection is returned. She loves him as well and it's so funny to see them walking through the house. A small white and black BC pushing a white and black small cat with his nose under her but through the room and she lets him get aways with it ;-) Another caring side of Rueben appeared. He grooms Fynn's head, he licks his head, his eyes, makes sure his ears are up to date, the basic grooming activity. So cute to see ;-)


The family/couple/person that will be so lucky to be allowed to adopt him will be indeed real lucky. He is one hell of a dog and will make some people very happy, feel loved and adored forever. He will certainly be missed in this household, he wormed his way into our hearts pretty quick. But somewhere out there are these special people who are waiting for this VERY special little dog.

# # #

The quiet days

Rueben's days are getting more quiet and more structured. He is starting to get the hang of our schedule and not everything freaks him out anymore. Like the beeping sound of the washer or dryer.
A lot of Border Collies are sound sensitive and Rueben is no exception. He will give a short bark if he hears something that he can't place but after a few times he is fine with it and doesn't even look up anymore. Because of this sound sensitiveness they can be startled easily and either bark or hide in their crate. If outside with fireworks there will be a good chance they will try to run. Our Gwen was one of them, wherever she was she would run, didn't matter where to just get away from the scary sound. She was in such a mode that calling her didn't work, after a few yards of running she would get her hearing back and she would stop and lie down.

It's good to teach your dog the command lie down from a distance so that whenever he will hear it he will drop in a lie down and you will be able to fetch him. No matter what the cause is, a car that is coming, a sound, a cat that he wanted to chase, the lie down command is an important one.

Rueben went to the dog park today with W. I stayed at home so he would be more open to roaming around, as I wrote earlier Rueben is a dog that loves to stay with his humans and he likes his humans to stay together. It's really confusing to him when I go one way and W. goes another. He really is a herder who likes his pack to be together in one place so he can see what's happening. He did well today in the park, did not bark at strange new people and if he did bark a meeting, introduction was enough to let him know it was fine. We have been taking him out in the car to teach him that it's also fine if we go through drive through, those people in their small windows are not there to slap you new foster dad in the face but actually hand out food and sometimes treats! So no need to bark your little head off, if you don't bark they give you a treat. He's a smart Border Collie he learns fast ;-)

Rueben in herding mode watching Fynn hide himself. Please click the images to see the larger version.



We also went to PetCo to buy some kitty food, meet and greet new people in the store and get treats from the cashier girl. Again he was confused because I went in one isle and W. in the next with him, that made him uncertain. He did not do the backwards-look walk but he made sure W. would walk fast and than round the corner to see where I was. I guess it will take some time until he realizes we will leave the store together and it's okay to split up sometimes.
He already settled down a lot in the 2 weeks he has been with us now and made amazing progress in accepting new and scary things, not to mention the cats!

I always tell new parents it will take at least 2-6 weeks before a dog will have settled down and accept his new home as his home. So many new and scary things he needs to learn and new rules and routine to get used to. As long as they will be patient, don't force things and give a dog the time to adjust it will all work out well. A lot of people don't have that kind of patience though and expect a dog to be happy and adjusted from the moment they set foot in the house. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. But if you do have the patience the reward will be outstanding and you will have gained his trust and love forever.

When Fynn was in his day care group on Wednesday Rueben wandered around a bit, found a chewy and lied down in a crate that is next to my desk in my office to chew and relax. It's great progress he actually goes into the crate by himself and lies down to relax in it. It means he is starting to accept his crate as his safe place! Yay and yippie! We had a quiet day with just some grooming and clicker training and more chewing. At my nap time i made him his stuffed kong again, peanut butter, a chewy, kibble, kitty kibble, more peanut butter, a piece of hot dog, some cheerios and he was almost drooling next to me, couldn't wait till I was finished. He ran to the crate and I don't know how long it took him to get it all out because I drifted off to a blissful state of sleep and he was quietly chewing and working the kong.
What a good boy!

His eating has improved so much he doesn't gobble anymore he eats quietly and doesn't even finish his bowl. Than a sort of quiet theater is happing at dinner time, they all switch bowls as if the agreed beforehand on it. And than they switch again until all have eaten from a different bowl. We than take the bowls away, finished or not, tomorrow is another day!

Another big mile-pole has happened! He came into my office on Wednesday with a squeaky toy in his mouth and started pushing on it and really enjoying the play! This is a first I have seen him playing with something I think his new parents will have no problem teaching him to play with toys at all! He sees how much Fynn has when we play with him so now he wants part of that too. It keeps amazing me how clever these Border Collie are!
Teaching him to play will be so rewarding and a BIG bonding experience for his new parents. Quiet games with lots of praise and treats that will make him use his mind will be perfect. Finding treats will be a great game, he has a great nose and loves to search for stuff that I put away.

I see so many possibilities in his future, he is set out to do many many exciting new things and excel at them!

Fynn is to the left and Rueben right. Please click the images to see the larger version.



This weekend we're going to the groomers, get a bath and a nail trim, he tore one nail during a play, a good time to get white fur again instead of this grayish/white thanks to romping in the rain and black sand. ;-) We're also going to test more drive through to get coffee and doggy treats, the cars wash and basically doing day to day chores.
Will take pics and post them tomorrow.

# # #

A week in the life of Rueben.

Rueben, watching the men on the roof at our neighbor's home. He's not quite sure what to think of them ;-) Please click on the images to see a larger version.



Rueben has been here 10 days already. 10 interesting days I may add. Some of his insecurities and much of his personality started showing itself.

Meeting and getting to know the cats is one of Rueben's favorite activities. He especially loves our white and black cat Dahli. Please click on the images to see a larger version.



He still is and always will be that happy go lucky boy that loves nothing more in his little life than you. He has bonded with me and with W. quickly which shows me he can bond with men as well. He has started to test his boundaries of his new surroundings a bit as a good teenager should do, you have to know where your boundaries are otherwise you can't feel secure can you?

So that's what he is doing at the moment, he's testing Fynn to see how far he can go and what he can get away with, I can see his little brain working; can I steal a treat that lies 10" in front of Fynn? What about the one 5"? and can I steal it from under his paws? From his mouth? What if I'm real fresh and do a 'make-believe-snap' close to Fynn's muzzle will he than give up his treat? No???? Fynn is not impressed by this all? Darned.... what to think of next? Maybe direct his attention to the cat than I can steal the treat.. no... shoot didn’t work either, now what? *ponder*

He is showing a bit lacking in the confidence department. It can be his new home and foster brother but nevertheless it's something we need to work on. And we are working on it, using positive reinforcement, treats and clickers. Rueben LOVES his treats! That's a good thing, we had a BC who thought food was something that was needed to stay alive and eating was a chore but wasn't interested in treats or food at all. Treats makes training so much easier ;-) At the moment we are working on not barking our little head off when we see a stranger, not all strangers want to attack your mom. Some even have yummy treats and want to rub your belly, meeting strangers can be a good thing. To meet some strangers we took him to a place were all dog lovers meet, the doggy park!

Below are some video's I shot, as you can see he did really well in meeting new dogs and new people. In the beginning he is still somewhat uncertain and keeps running back and forth to us to check if it's okay to walk a bit further away and see if he still is considered a 'good boy' ;-) In the end he is running with Fynn and other dogs, playing, he definitely is showing some herding maneuvers and keeping an eye on the the others.

All in all, considered this was the very first time in his little life that he was in a Dog Park with a lot of strange dogs and strange people, he did excellent and we were really proud of him.

The first video below is when we had just entered the park and to our surprise it was BLACK and WHITE dog day. Spot the differences between the dogs ;-) A hint, Fynn has a red harness and Rueben a blue bandana.



Below is the first part of a video I shot. It shows Rueben walking back and forth to us wanting to play but still a bit uncertain. Finally he joins in in the fun.



This second part does not show spectacular action and I realize that for the 'general' viewer it might be a bit boring but for the potential adopter it is good to be able to see prior to his adoption as much of his behavior as possible.



We had some very nice enquiries about Rueben, some with small children and unfortunately Rueben hasn't met many small children yet and that's why we are reluctant to place him in a family with small children. Today he has met some children that he seemed comfortable with, but of course living with a young child is totally different than a casual meeting.
For those of you who do not know about what can happen when placing a BC with young children please read this FAQ; Unique Border Collie Behavior Explained

If you are interested in Rueben, have some questions, want to get involved in fostering or rescue, want to chat, give me a call. Look to the right side of this page where the wonderful button is that says 'Call Me', click it and Google will connect you to me for free.

Thank you Google for providing me with Google's Voice!

Would you like to see the photo's album with full size photo's? Click here!


# # #

Funfilled day!

I could just catch him before he ran off again! ;-)

Lets start the day with some exercise ;-) Doggies happy being let out after a good night's sleep need to run to get rid of that build up energy. ;-) If you are wondering who is Rueben, he's the one with the most white. Fynn has a black hind end.
Enjoy! ;-)






A few new pix, taken in the yard, Fynn and Rueben next to each other, who is who?

Rueben is the one on the left, he has more white.

But here he's on the right!

 

And here as well.

 

What is it?

Than after a day hard work and play it's good to rest. This time on my (hospital) bed in my office. Who is who? Fynn is right and Rueben is on the left. ;-)



If you're interested in meeting Rueben drop me an email and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

# # #

A new day, new smells, new critters!

Rueben discovering a squirrel!

Today Rueben and I had some one on one time, his new brother Fynn went to his doggy play care group and had a ball with his friends there.

The day started early for me, I'm disabled and often fall asleep right before dawn and thus am used to getting up later. This morning I heard Rueben stirring at 7:30 AM and decided it was a good day to get up early and see what the day had in store for us.

He slept in his crate in our bedroom with the other dogs all through the night, what a good boy in this strange and new environment for him!

Rueben is very much food oriented which can be a good thing when training a dog. Our other Border Collie was very much NOT food oriented which made it a lot harder, but a squeaky ball does wonders ;-) I thought it would be a good idea to give Rueben his breakfast in a treat ball. It's shaped like an large egg and has holes on both ends, when the roll it around the kibble falls out and it keeps them busy for quite some time ;-).

He was very excited about the prospect of getting food, Rueben is a bit of a gobbler, he can inhale his food at lightning speed ;-) Giving him the ball that made him ate his kibble piece by piece was a good idea. He was very curious when I was filling the ball and showed him where the food went, than put it down on the floor and let him figure it out. It didn’t take him long to discover how it worked, every time he managed to get a morsel out of the ball he looked around to see if there was another dog coming around to get it but he was all alone and quickly got used to the idea it was all his. ;-)
The night before Fynn showed him that basically all chewies and eatable stuff in the house was his so that made Rueben a bit careful. ;-) Clever boy ;-)

I like this ball very much, it holds small and large pieces easily, it has rubber rigs all along the ball to make it roll nice on hardwood floors and will not drive you insane within 2 minutes because of the noise. Very important fact to know! ;-)

Kibble Ball

When the sun came out we spend some time in the back yard. Rueben spend the hour mostly walking a round very carefully sniffing all pee-mail and new smells, his nose was working overtime ;-). Together with our 14 y.o Lotte, here in the pic with her sweater on, it was chilly and she is 14 with arthritis and loves to keep warm, she just had her haircut for the winter last week, little did we know it would be so cold so soon.

Lotte and Rueben on squirrel watch

They watched the squirrels together and strolled around the yard. Lotte made a perfect 2nd day companion for Reuben who got the chance to get accustomed to all new smells and sounds in his own time.

Reuben also met our Nyx, the resident head of household catz and I tried video taping a small bit.



Overall we had a quiet day, took a nap during the afternoon, me in my bed, he in his crate and Lotte in her own bed ;-) Just all recovering from the excitement of the day before.

I updated Rueben's listing on Petfinder and on the Pacific NorthWest Border Collie Rescue web site and added a few new photos. For now all is quiet and everyone included DH is resting and getting ready for sleep. We’ll see what tomorrow will bring us. Feel free to drop me an email if you want to know more about Rueben. I'm pretty sure that I will be able to to tell you much more about his character and personality in the coming days when we all have settled down and got into our routine again.

Below are the first few photos I took of Rueben making his way through our backyard checking out the smells and sights.




Would you like to see the photo's album with full size photo's? Click here!

# # #

Rumors and excitement!

The pack has been buzzing with excitement the last few days! The rumors were that a new doggy was going to join the BorderValley pack. Was it true, was it true? Or was it just plain old gossip?

No it was true, a new doggy has joined our pack! His name is Rueben and he looks like Fynn's brother only more elegant and smaller, where Fynn is broad and sturdy. They are about the same age, Rueben is almost 9 months and Fynn is 10 months old.

Rueben was a rescue resident at Vicky's farm, my dear friend and rescue colleague and has moved to our pack because Vicky's pack is over loaded with rescue doggies at the moment.
We were so happy and excited to add Rueben to our pack, even if it's just for a little while because Rueben is up for adoption and looking for his own forever person.

Rueben

How much cuter can a  8 month old Border Collie be?

Rueben is a 'I could eat you alive' cute little Border Collie ;-), such a cuddle bug who will follow you to the end of the earth if that's where you are going. He just adores his people!

It is interesting to see how the pack dynamic changes when a new rescue dog enters the house, kitties all curious, hissing and peeking, Lotte our 14 y.o dog loves Rueben and Fynn acts like a spoiled toddler.... everything is his, his, his, and oh that kitty, that's his too, and that chewy who has been lying at the bottom of the basket for 3 months? That's his too ;-) It will all settle down and they will find their own comfortable space and how to interact with each other.

Right now all are in their crates, asleep, kitties are in the kitty room lying on the heated pillow because frost is expected and Devon Rex kitties have a single coat and thus are chilly quickly. ;-)

Will post photo's and updates tomorrow and tell you the interesting story how Rueben got his name, right now you can go ahead and spread the news, yes it's true the BorderValley pack has a new cute but temporary addition! And best off all, he is up for adoption! Who will be the luckiest person on earth that gets to share his/her life with this cuddle bug? Warning ahead, we will be VERY picky! ;-) Stay tuned!

# # #

Fynn's world

Our boy has matured so much! he's almost 7 months old now! I can't believe time has gone so fast. A lot has happened since the last update. Fynn was easing into his teenage years, which we know will last for at least 2 years! And when he started to get interested in the ladies in the doggy park, we knew it was _that_ time. You know, the time all men in the family and your male friends fear, the time for the big snip!

He already went through his pre-surgery blood tests and exam a month ago when he went in for his rabies vaccination, so he was ready to go. Waldo was brave enough to take him to the MurrayHill clinic at dawn(or so it seemed, what horrible early hours do vets keep anyway!) and pick him up by the end of the day. Fynn, being his happy-go-lucky self went in glad to see familiar faces and being cuddled and ohhh-ed and ahhhh-ed over. ;-) They have seen him there since he was a wee puppy, the smallest of the bunch, at 4 weeks old, they do feel like they know him and they are always happy to see him. Probably also because of large contribution we made for Dr.Michele's down payment on her 3rd vacation home or so ;-) Just kidding of course but prices are steep.

Of course he did fine, only thing he(and I) didn't like was that he came home with one of those old fashioned collars, representing a see-through bucket ;-)
We quickly send his dad to the store to pick up a soft collar and that was a good solution. He slept with it the first night but after that it stayed off. He was such a good boy, didn't lick at it at all and it looked pretty good.
He came home with instructions that said, wear collar for 10 days(ha ha), no running, springing or jumping, keep quiet etc(hahahaha) People who wrote that never had a Border Collie probably, try to keep a BC quiet with no play and a no running and you got a severe case of kennel-stress and BC depression on your hands.

In all my rescue years and neuter and spaying BC's I never kept a dog kenneled and quiet for longer than the day of the surgery. Our Gwen came home after her spay and jumped on the couch to get her frisbee and headed for the door for a play session, after all they had her kenneled for 10 whole hours ;-) next day we played, no high jumps but they need their stimulation, if not physical than surely mental.

Here are some pathetic Fynn pics with his blue floating device aka 'the collar'

 

I want to go out!

I know!I look pathetic!

No, it's not funny, why are you laughing?

Our big boy recovered quickly and he's back to his old self. Below are some pics from the doggy park. For some reason he loves big and I mean BIG dogs to play with. But thanks to his doggy day care time he has excellent doggy manners and knows how to read doggy body language pretty good. We're so proud of him!

# # #

Fynn update

An update about our boy Fynn. He's 22 weeks old now almost 6 months! he has grown so much I can't believe it when I look at his 4 week old pictures how he drank from the bottle and missed his momma so much he had a stuffed dog as substitute mom.

Fynn is a joy to have around, he's a happy go lucky pup although the last few days some of his teen attitude is starting to show and we will have to step up the training and and exercise. His neuter day is almost up and that means he is a grown boy now, he's starting to get interested in the girls when they are at the doggy park but still pees as a girl ;-)

he goes to doggy day care twice a week to socialize and play with the others and I think it does him a world of good. I couldn't socialize him the way they do over there and he obviously loves it. They have swimming pools and kiddy wading pools so on a hot day it's great to be in the water.

Below is a slide show of the photo's the make every day your dog attend a very nice feature. Fynn goes to A Dog Gone Good Place in Hillsboro, OR



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How one pup was left.

When Cheyenne left we had Fynn our gorgeous little boy left who had some wonderful people interested in him. His future was to become a therapy dog, but unfortunately as things go, life got in the way and especially in these trying times financial obstacles can occur unsuspectedly. We both decided this was not a good time for them to take home a puppy and Fynn's adoption fell through.

We had other people interested in him but we kept putting it off to contact them, when one lady really wanted to adopt him, we had a serious discussion and decided we didn't want him to go at all. We totally fell in love with this exuberant little boy who brings us nothing but love, smiles and joy.

I hesitated, I'm chronically ill, go through harsh treatment, am disabled and worried what kind of life I could offer him. Wouldn't it be totally selfish to keep him when others could offer him so much more? What if I died next week who would take care of him? Luckily I have some very good friends who helped me put things in perspective. No-one knows what lies ahead in his or her future.

This boy obviously choose us as his family. He is such an old soul, there are things he just knows. Even though he's just a 14 week old puppy now from day one he knew that if I needed to rest he should be quiet and rest too. Never heard a peep from him during my naps and rest times. At night he sleeps on our bed quietly, W. lets him out to do his business in the morning but than he comes back and hops on the bed to sleep with me till 9:00 AM. No whining, no chewing, just calm and relaxed. Like he knew my schedule from day one. He easily adjusted to everything that is different in our household, from play time to dinner.

Of course I still miss my heart and soul dog Gwen, she was one of a kind and can never be replaced. She will live forever in my heart and not a day goes by that I don't think of her. I still miss her more than anything. But I know she would approve of this little guy that makes me happy and smile again, he brings us so much joy even Lotte our 14 y.o has he wrapped around his little paw. She plays with him like she's a pup again and lets him get away with murder. ;-) She even lets him pick a treat from her mouth, something Gwen in the past just had to glance at before getting a snarl ;-)

He's one wee little charmer ;-)

So now we're officially rescue failures. We failed to adopt him out and kept him ;-)

Here is he playing with Lotte on the beach at Sauvie Island on Presidents Day 2009. Click the photo to view the Sauvie Island album.

From Sauvie Island

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Update on Lass aka Cheyenne

It has been a month since Lass went home with her new family. They gave her the beautiful name Cheyenne, so fitting! They have kept me posted over the weeks and I'm more than grateful to them for taking in this little girl who seems to be made for them.

As Steve wrote me she walked into the house like she belonged there and had lived there all her short life, has slept in her crate for 2 night and moved to the bed where she took up position on Steve's pillow and stayed there. ;-) She and her big sisters are getting along fabulous and she has everything in her doggy life she could ever wish for. She and her Dad attending puppy class, she rides in all the trucks and car, as you can see from the pictures she has a pond with ducks to herd around and 2 loving big sisters. What more can a doggy want?

Thank you so much Steven and Karen for keeping me posted and for sending these beautiful photos. It was indeed a match meant to be!



If you look to the right, you'll see Lass aka Cheyenne as a wee little puppy, my did she grow and turned out so beautiful!

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One down, one to go ;-)

Today was Lass' big day. Her new parent came to pick her up. They drove about 5 hours through horrible traffic and snowy mountains and passes to get her.
Unfortunately her new dad, Steve, couldn't make it her came down with a high fever yesterday and had to stay home frustrated waiting for her. ;-)

She looked so cute and handsome with her red harness on that we bought for her. She took her blanky and her drooled and chewed over ducky with her plus her food and kibble.
She and I had our little talk yesterday evening when we knew her people were coming for her and I told her that she as small as she was already made me so proud and gave me so much joy and love and that she always had a home here with us.

After all papers were signed and administrative stuff was over with this afternoon I kissed her tiny soft muzzle and than they were gone.
I didn't cry, I knew she is at an awesome family and she will get everything we ever wished for her

Her little brother walked around but didn't look for her. He was on my arm when we walked them to the car, maybe he knew she left.

We al went for a nap and for the first time Fynn napped close snuggled up to me on the bed, running in his sleep with his thick paws and making little suckling noise with his mouth that they still make when they are so little. ;-)

It will be good to have him just for myself a little while longer, having one on one time is so much different than with other wee ones around biting your hair and piercing your ears for a new set of earrings!

Here is the photo I made of Lass with her new mom Karen and her grandmom.






Have a great life Lass! And Steve and Karen, I hope you will keep us posted with photos and stories! Can't wait to hear how she met her new doggy family!

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Slideshow of all Fynn's photos

Our Sweet Adorable Boy Fynn!

Adoption Time!

With the application process in full swing we still try to find some quiet time to enjoy these 2 gorgeous sweet adorable babies. Make mental pictures, imprint their cute antics on your mind.How cute they are with Lotte, how Lotte in her 14th year has blossemed with these 2 constant bugging her, in the end she gave in and started playing with them, teaching them about squirrels, how to bark at the postman and how to sneak away a juicy bone.

We have been swamped with applications for Lass, she apparently appeals more to people than sweet mama's boy Fynn, but that's okay I'm in no hurry for him to leave the nest. He's such a cuddle bug and Lotte is crazy about him that the idea of him staying with us is more and more appealing. People will need to be really crazy about him and think he is the cutest, most adorable pup ever before we will even consider a meeting.

Lass has found a wonderful adoptive home that we are really excited about and so is her adoptive family. If all goes as planned she will move to Bend this weekend, to a couple with 2 other dogs, Australian X BC and an Australian, she will go with them hiking, packing with the horses, camping and go with them on the job as a wilderness ranger. Basically being spoiled rotten, so much that I was wondering if I could put myself up for adoption!! What more can you want for a pup? I will be forever grateful to them for providing a loving forever home for her, as rescuer you fret about what home will be suitable for your pup, you don't know how they will develop as an adult dog and matching a pup to a home is much much more difficult than matching an adult dog to a new home.
But I feel that in Lass' case we did manage to check off all the boxes we had on our list for her.

If we could find the same kind of home for Fynn my mind would be at ease. Until than he will stay safe in his mama's home with his big old grandma sister Lotte and his Dad Waldo.

If perhaps you do feel that you can meet our ridiculous high standards that we have set for these new homes and think that your life would be so much richer and exciting with Fynn in your life than hop over to the Pacific NorthWest Border Collie rescue website, and click on 'Oregon Dogs' and you will see Fynn listed. Click the button to fill out and application for Fynn and I will get back to you soon.
Click here to to there now.

Fynn will have some people coming to meet him this weekend but we would like to find him that home that falls head over heels in love with him and will spoil him rotten.

Will post new photo's tomorrow of Lass and her new parents!

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Ready for Adoption!

The time is there, pups are old enough to leave the nest, we have a reasonable good sense of what their characters and temperaments will be. We are confident we can match them with the right person/couple/family.

It's with a heavy heart that I will let them go, they are the most lovable pups that I have ever had, not destructive, not whiny, easy going, relaxed when we relax, nap when we nap, sleep when we sleep, as long as they can be with their pack everything is alright with them. That will be one of our adoption terms, they will need to be part of the pack, sleep with their family and someone needs to be home during their puppyhood. Pups can not be left alone for a full work day, of course it's alright to leave a pup alone for short while for shopping or otherwise while being crated, but adopters who work full time and plan to leave a pup alone do not need to apply.

I have put together a website, listing a short bio of each pup and the adoption terms.

BorderValley Rescue in Oregon


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Their Fifth Week

The 5th week just started but we're going to try to blog every other day, or as much as possible because they change so much in these weeks.

This weekend a visit to the pet store was planned and a visit to the vet for the first round of vaccinations and the second dewormer.
The pet store because they needed a little harness and a leash, they are too big to be carried in a crate to the vets. That was fun, they got to sit in the shopping cart at our local PetSmart and got oooohhhed and aaaaahed all over by all the shoppers. Good for socialization ;-) We found nice little harnesses, a red one for Fynn and a blue one for Lass. They looked pretty smart in it and we have the photo's to proof it! ;-)
Now walking with those things on is a whole different story. ;-)
Although both did alright for their first time! We walked into the vet office without having to carry them. That's a major progress! What good little puppies!

Lass was a bit shy and wanted to see who these people were, as usual, before drooling all over them and giving puppy kisses. Fynn however was outgoing as ever and gave everyone who wanted puppy kisses and asked for belly rubs.

Below:
Lass getting loads of attention from desk person at the vet's office



We left Lass with the desk person who took her to the back to show her off to other vet techs and vets to socialize and get loads cuddles and attention and we took Fynn into the room to be weighed and to get a shot.



Fynn weighs 9 pound and 4 ounces! He more than doubled in size since the last time we were here! They cleverly distracted him with a treat while they took temp and gave a shot. He than got an extra special treat with the Drontal and he was done, it was now his turn to get extra love from the vet techs in the back and we switched pups.

Lass wasn't too sure about all this and she made her most pitiful 'I'm scared face' I have ever seen ;-)



Lass weighs 11 pounds and 2 ounces and although Fynn looks sturdier than Lass, Lass is actually heavier and bigger. I guess that extra week older is showing through. ;-)

She also ate her treats, I was worry for a moment she would refuse them but she came trough as a tough little Border Collie. She also got her shot and the Drontal and after some more cuddles and puppy kisses we said goodbye, see you in 3 weeks and went home.

This was a vet tech appointment, we did not see the vet this time. It's handy it saves some money.

They both slept for a few hours after all this excitement but had no noticeable problem with the shots, they were chasing each other like there was no tomorrow again after a few hours of sleep.

I have put the links to the all photo albums on the right side under 'Photo's' please click there to see more photo's of the visit to the vet clinic.

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Their Fourth Week

Week 4! Pups are now 8 and 9 weeks old, Fynn is 8 and Lass is 9 weeks and are really at that funny learning age. We have been practicing with the clicker and a treat to ‘sit’ just for fun. But everything they see outside and every new sound is new to them and either scary or curious. The neighbor with an electric saw outside, the garbage haulers, the postman, the poop-a-scoop lady, it all a new adventure to them.

The week started when we woke up to a new layer of fresh snow. What fun! Outside we went, Waldo had already fed them and worked from home because our house is build on a small hill and even with chains it’s difficult to get out of the drive way. Luckily his job allows him to work from home.

When the pups arrived here on New Years Day we also had snow, lots of it and they have been out in the snow before but I think they didn’t remember that. This was a whole new experience to them. They run around like little madmen and chased each other kicking up the snow, it was a joy to see ;-)

Below are a few pics I tried to make when they were chasing each other. They run so fast it's difficult to get a good shot ;-) Please click on them to see a bigger version.





I almost got them!



Here Lass spots a garden butterfly ornament. It was there for ages but she acts like she sees it for the first time. Carefully approaching it with her hind legs stretched out, and being bold taking another step...... She's a very careful, little dog who doesn't rush into things. ;-)



Fynn, daring his sister to play ;-) I love the bit of snow on is nose and his little pink feet.



After an hour of snow play it's good to sleep on on your comfy bed and snoooooooooze



The week went by without much exciting things happening. Aunt Vicki came by(again! yeah!) to see the pups a after she picked up 2 other rescue Border Collies in Troutdale from Baker City. The 2 of us took the opportunity to trim the pups nails, they were sharp little spikes that make nasty scratches on your face or hands. Holding one wiggly puppy yourself and than clip his nails is nearly impossible but 2 clever adults got the job done. ;-) They all look presentable again.

We decided that next weekend would be a good time to list the pups for adoption, they will be 9 and 10 weeks old by than. We have given them time to recover from their infections, we know their personalities a bit better now and they have had their first round of shots.

It will be exciting to see who will think these pups are as gorgeous and wonderful as we think they are. I hope everyone will realize that taking in a pup is a 14 - 16 year commitment and you have to be serious about providing care and activities for these little guys and know that Border Collie age slowly, they stay pups and teens for a very long time. (2 years) before reaching adult hood. That can be a loooong time ;-) I'm convinced they all will make wonderful loving well behaved companions to whomever is going to have the joy of sharing their life with them.

Below:
a slide show of our snow photo's



Would you like to see the snow photo's album with full size photo's? Click here!

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Their Third Week

The 3rd week already, time flies with these pups in the house and keeping us busy!
At the end of last week my dear friend and rescue colleague Vicki Pearce of Shedd Rescue came to visit us and brought of tons of goodies like food, bully sticks, wee wee pads, toys, doggy litter and NorthWest Naturals raw meat.

Pups are eating a raw diet, in the morning they still eat their Solid Gold kibble, soaked, but they are slowly transitioning to raw. They’re going wild for the NorthWest Naturals Salmon and Turkey Dinner Bars. I had some left in the freezer from our Gwen who was crazy about fish, salmon especially. I decided to see if the pups would be interested in eating it, it’s so easy to feed. You just defrost it in their bowl and it’s ready to eat. All veggies, minerals and vitamins are added no need to worry about feeding the right amount. I sure hope prospective adopters will keep on feeding them raw as well, it has so many beneficial points. Of course I can’t force them to but I can put it in my list of what kind of home I’m looking for for these pups. They are at the start of a long healthy life we hope and feeding a good raw or no-grain diet will certainly help. In the long run one saves on vet costs because raw fed dogs and dogs who have been fed a no-grain diet do not see a vet as often as other pets do. Very few develop allergies or hot spots, and I haven’t seen a flea on my pets in years.

At the moment their schedule looks like this.
7:00 AM wake-up go outside potty and get breakfast, Solid Gold soaked kibble, being fed by Dad
7:15 AM Play time while Dad cleans up the pen and put down clean wee wee pads and cleans the doggy litter box.
7:30 AM Back in the pen with a chewy and play while Dad is having breakfast himself and goes to work from home with conference calls that we interrupt with heavy puppy whining, that's our job.
9:00 AM Mom gets up and takes us outside for play and potty while she has her first espresso in the yard, after that we’ll stay in the family room where they can run around and play and interact with the cats and Lotte for a while.
10:30 AM Back in the pen for a nap
12:00 Lunch time, NorthWest Naturals Dinner Bars and outside for potty and play. We again play and learn in the family room while mom works on her laptop.
2:00 PM Back in the pen for a nap while mom also goes for her nap till 5:30 PM.
5:30 PM Outside for potty and play in family room while Mom makes afternoon tea and wait for Dad to come home. Play with cats and Lotte and the agility tunnel. Watch the cats having dinner but we can’t reach the counter tops.
6:30 PM Lie in the kitchen in a circle like good little Border Collies to watch Mom preparing our dinner.
7:00 PM Dad’s home!
7:15 PM Dinner time! NW Natural Dinner Bars with a little bit of Lotte’s Sojos veggies because we’re crazy about them.
7:30 PM Potty time outside.
7:35 PM Nap while Mom and Dad have dinner.
10:00 PM Outside potty and play time with all family members in de family room! What fun we have!
10:45 PM Snack time, we get an apple, dried fruit like apricots or figs or cottage cheese with banana, YUM! We LOVE apples!
11:00 PM Last potty break and nite nite, sleep till morning.

Below:
Four pups and a ball; play time in the yard.



We decided that their pen was not working for me, I needed to bend over every time I had to clean or pick up a pup, and part of my illness is something called Orthostatic Intolerance, which makes me faint if I bend over, get up or turn too fast. Fainting and falling in the pen was not an option ;-) We cleared out our den, put the dining table in the living room and make a double fence from the pen units. The den and living room are an ‘open plan’ type of thing, and the den is reachable by sliding door from the kitchen. So now with the den fenced off and the crate in the den the pups have a wealth of space to play and lie wherever they want to. They have 2 doggy litter pans with a wee wee pad in front of it to catch anything that doesn’t make it ;-) I can walk from the kitchen into the den and sit on a chair and do whatever needs to be done. They also have windows now to look outside and that can open. They love it and when we’re in the living room working or watching tv they still can hear us.

Below:
Pups in their new pen.



Fynn asleep in the crate, Lass and Liam on the bed and Erin, of course, next to it.



Double fence!



Unfortunately over the weekend I started to feel unwell. As very often is the case if I go out in public I’ll catch a bug and with a non functioning immune system you get ill very fast. By Tuesday I had a high fever and was crawling around the den cleaning up after the pups and having no energy to spare to play with them. I lay shivering from fever on the couch watching them. I always have to be careful not to develop Pneumonia as that could be fatal for me. Taking care of the pups was getting too exhausting taking that little reserve that I had left.
Thank God for good friends! Vicki wrote me an email that she would be happy to take 2 pups so that it would be easier for me. Of course I objected, felt a bit like a I failed these pups, but waking up next morning and feeling even more awful I called her right away and took her up on her offer.
Vicki drove over with lightning speed and took home my love bug and hero, Liam and little Miss Independent, Erin.

Below:
Liam a few days before he went to Vicki.



Below:
Erin, also a few days before she went living with Vicki.



It was bittersweet having to part with them but I know it would be better for them and for myself as well. Liam and Erin are the most active and rowdy pups, at Vicki’s there are more adult dogs at home who can teach them a lot. These pups have missed a piece of their education from their mom and I’m so happy that they will be learning that now from Vicki’s dogs. These 2 pups will be the best socialized pups ever as Vicki will also take them to work with her as well, meeting all kinds of people, children and dogs. Vicki works at Animal Crackers in Corvallis.

It is strange being down to 2 pups, I didn’t realize what difference that would make. Our home was filled with peace and quiet and in the evening I lay on the ground with my 2 cuddle bugs, Fynn and Lass. After an afternoon nap I already felt better, less to clean and run after. Lass and Fynn compliment each other so well, Lass being a bit more laid back and shy while Fynn is curious and the first to go after something and more outgoing. It will be difficult to part with them in a few weeks, especially now our contact is so much more intense.

So from now on there will be no more updates and stories about Erin and Liam, maybe Vicki can find the time between her full time job at Animal Crackers, a lot of rescue and volunteer work for GreenHill Humane Society and her pack at home to update her blog and show you how Liam and Erin are doing. Besides Erin and Liam, Vicki also has 2 other BC cross pups older than our pups in rescue. Their names are Sugar and Spice, don’t you just love it??

Thank you Vicki for caring so much and being a wonderful friend by taking 2 of my pups!

If you’re interested in Liam or Erin you can still contact me on the address listed in the file ‘Why and When I became a rescuer’ if you click on that title it will take you to that file and I will send your message to Vicki or contact Vicki directly by going to her blog Shedd Rescue here or Shedd Rescue on Petfinder.

The last photo for today, below is our resident dog Lotte(14 y.o this year), she a real grandma who every now and than still plays a bit with Liam and Fynn.



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Their Second Week

A week has gone by and already they seem to have doubled in size!
I ordered a new addition for the pen so we could build a bigger one with a crate in it and more room to play. These modular pens are wonderful, you can set them up in every shape and size that you want to. We now have 12 pieces and can do a lot with that.

They are North States Superyard pen and are marketed as a baby play yard but are excellent for pups.



This picture shows 6 units but have 12 of them. I got a good deal on them at Amazon, well worth it.

Pups went to the vet this Saturday, all 4 of them in a crate, for a check up and I wanted her advice on their age and the diarrhea that worried me. I know all pups go through a transition time and they went probably very abrupt from mom’s milk to eating kibble at the shelter worker’s home but still, it didn’t look right to me.
Our vet was very generous in taking 1 1/2 hours to examine and talk about them, she and another vet at the clinic stated that it’s obvious the boys are at least a week younger than the girls making them from a different litter. They were a big hit at the clinic of course and all came in to see them. A fecal exam was done and they got their dewormer, were weighed, and got a clean bill of health.(except for the diarrhea of course) Funny thing was that they went potty in their crate, all 4 rolled through it and the vet techs generously took them and the crate to the back, gave them a bath and cleaned the crate, put them in an empty kennel where they poo’ed right away again! Quickly got them out of the kennel and into another before they could walk through it again. ;-) Yep, 4 pups definitely keep you busy ;-)

We drew up a wellness plan, at 8 - 9 weeks their first shots plus another Drontal. Our vet vaccinates less than others do, all vaccinations are given for 3 years, not just the rabies one. She advised to spay/neuter them at 20 weeks so that will probably mean they have to be adopted with a spay/neuter contract, unless I decide to spay/neuter them earlier.

At Monday early morning the vet called with the news of the fecal exam, and it wasn’t good. They tested positive for Giardia and Campylobacteriosis bacterial infection. Both bad for them and for me. I have an immunodeficiency, illness which left me disabled and any virus or infection is difficult to fight and concur, so I had to be very very careful as Campylobacteriosis bacteria can wreck havoc in humans. Bought a large pack of disposable gloves and disinfectant and Betadine hand scrub. They pups got the right medication from the compounding pharmacy in chicken flavor which made administering it a breeze, they all thought it was a treat. ;-) We could notice a difference very quickly, their stools became much more solid and they perked up even more ;-)

They play so much and so funny and it’s amazing to see how they can run and play and than drop and fall asleep on the spot like they have been shot.
The snow is finally beginning to melt and we all went outside to check out the yard. They have been very good at learning how to go potty on their doggy litter pans and wee wee pads. In the heat of a play fight they do forget every now and than but still, I think it’s very good progress for such young pups. We took a bunch of pictures again of course and I made a small video of them playing in the cat agility tunnel, can’t start too early practicing that!

Their little personalities start to show more and more, Little Miss Erin is Miss Independent, smart and quick to learn but likes to run off on her own and hide with a treat or run away with a toy. Outside she checks out the yard on her own and wanders away from the pack.

Liam is the smallest of the boys and is a very busy bee trying to become the pack leader and top dog, that doesn’t leave him much time for sleep and rest, it seems he always sleeps with one eye open ;-)

Below:
Liam and Fynn in their crate



Fynn, is just a sweet little boy, he suffered from anxiety the first few days and I guessed he missed his mom, he had also trouble eating and looked just depressed to me. I bought a small baby bottle and made some rice cereal with goat milk(it resembles dog mom’s milk the best) and let him drink the bottle. After a few days he seemed much more content and happier and is now playing just and hard and happy as they others. A simple solution to a painful emotional problem ;-)



Lass is a laid back little dog, she loves to cuddle, is easy going and is very smart. I guess we will wait and see how she develops the next few weeks.

How to keep 4 pups on a chair? ;-)
Below:
Left to right: Erin, Fynn, Liam and Lass



Below:
Left to right: Liam, Lass, Fynn, Erin



Below:
Finally at the end of the day, after play time, right before bedtime, it’s....... Treat Time!
Upper Left: Erin, Lass and at the bottom, left Fynn and Liam

>

For photos of their second week click here!

For video of playing with the tunnel click here!

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They're here!

After an email from Bob the SPDR(Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue) coordinator that said that a box with 12 BC puppies were dropped of at the shelter in La Grande, OR and that they needed foster homes we volunteered and got 4 pups. On New Year’s Day we drove to The Dalles to pick them up from another volunteer who also drove about 2 hours in horrible weather to get the pups to us.

And there they were, small wee little puppies, 4 of them, 2 boys and 2 girls. Somehow we imagined the being bigger than they were. We took 2 crates along to be sure we had enough room, but they easily fitted all 4 of them in the smallest crate we had. We quickly turned around after the exchange before the weather really turned nasty and made the drive back to Portland safe and sound without a peep of the pups who were fast asleep.

At home we had set up a pen before we left so we were ready to give them a place to sleep and eat.

They are cute as a bug and now after a week run like hell on wheels!

After long thought we have given them traditional names that suited Border Collies, The boys are both smooth coats and the girls are rough coats. As far as I can see they are from different litters. The boys seem a week younger than the girls, they were smaller and a bit slower but they are catching up nicely.

We would like to introduce to you; Liam, Fynn, Lass and Erin.

On the photo below are Liam on the left and Lass on the right.



The photo below is Fynn, the smooth coat boy.



The photo below is Erin, the rough coat female.



We think they girls are 5 weeks old and the boys 4 week.
Tomorrow, Saturday they will have their first vet visit and we’ll see if she can make a better guess as to how old they are.

More stories and photo’s will follow, stay tuned!

Addition:
For photos of their first week click here!

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