A new beginning......

[wildeyed]

It was a sad weekend here in the pets forum. And I am still grieving after losing my Border collie Ruby two weeks ago. Here is a picture of my sweet girl. I never did post a picture of her before.



And here is some happiness. My new dog Sam.



He is a BC/ACD mix. Looks very cattledog, but his expression is all BC. He is about 2 years old. A very nice, very intelligent young dog. Beyond me why someone would give up a dog this nice, but I guess people ask that question a lot in rescue.

My heart is on two tracks right now. One is still very sad and missing Ruby. But it is nice to have a new dog in the house. And we are beginning to bond, which is very happy.

So wish us luck and joy with our newest family member. And I hope to find some acceptance for the loss of Ruby soon.

[livetohike]

1. Oh wildeyed, I'm sure Ruby led you to Sam

Ruby sure was pretty and having lost many dogs over my life, I know the sadness will always be there :hug:.

Sam is gorgeous and what an interesting mix. ACD and Border Collie! Can't get any cuter than that. I have an ACD (maybe mixed )and a Catahoula Leopard (maybe mixed). We got them after Ranger passed on Feb.14, 2003 - he was almost 16 years old and I still miss him every day.

Have fun with Sam. He will have a good life with you all.

[wildeyed]

4. I knew he was the one for me as soon as I saw his listing

on the rescue site. He is actually much cuter in person. Sam does not like having his picture taken at all.

I still cry everyday missing Ruby. Funny how that doesn't go away. :cry:

[hobbit709]

2. It's never easy

but we go on. Loving a new dog doesn't mean that remembering our loved ones that have gone on are loved less. BB was mine but 3 years ago we lost Bebop and she was my wife's fave.

[wildeyed]

5. What a handsome pup!

Sounds like it has been a rough couple of years for you guys :hug:

[auburngrad82]

3. You're in for a treat!

ACDs and Border Collies are two of the smartest breeds. We have two ACDs and gave our ACD/Aussie mix to my parents to live the good life on a farm. All three are wonderful dogs.

Ruby's looking down right now saying "Way to go!"

[wildeyed]

7. I fostered an ACD a few years ago.

Not a breed for the faint hearted, but super if you have the energy and temperament to deal with them. Which I do.

Sam physically looks more ACD, but his expression is all BC. Very soft, intelligent eyes and a sensitive nature. He is super with my two little kids. Some dogs are too hyper to be around toddlers. But Sam is very respectful of their space.

[auburngrad82]

11. You might get a kick out of this

Since you are familiar with BCs and ACDs:

http://www.laughingdogpress.com/newsletters/v3i1b.html

Also, check out the ACD-L list. It's for owners and fans of ACDs and mixes.

http://www.cattledog.com/misc/acd-l.html

They have over 1000 members and you can get some good advice from the listers.

[wildeyed]

14. The cattledog I fostered was hilarious.

Gawd he was such a bonehead sometimes. My daughter was only six months old at the time. And Cody (the foster dog) loved her beyond all sense and reason. Unfortunately, he decided that the only people who were allowed to pick her up were me and my husband. The sitter was NOT allowed to touch her. That was HIS baby, and he decided who got to hold her. Needless to say, I corrected him about this, but it was also too funny.

The other thing he did was sneak up on her. He knew I didn't like it when he was overly affectionate because he tended to knock her over. So my daughter would be playing on the kitchen floor and Cody would slink around behind the island on his belly trying to get closer to her. First he would just snuffle her foot. Then he would put his snout on her legs. Then finally he couldn't stand it anymore and would try to put his entire head in her lap. Of course she would fall over and have a big boo hoo and I would banish him to another part of the house. Poor guy.

It killed me to give him up to his forever home.

[auburngrad82]

16. We went to a dog show and watched an ACD do obedience competition

He made it part way around off leash. Then he stopped and started looking at everything. When he finally saw where his handler was he freaked and took off running to catch up. They are pretty funny.

[regnaD kciN]

6. Prepare to be herded!

;-)

[wildeyed]

9. lol!

I hope not too much. We had an Aussie when I was growing up with a strong herd instinct. When we had parties in the backyard, he would begin to stealth herd until everyone was standing really close together. It was hilarious!

[auburngrad82]

12. Yes! Never push a wheel barrow or lawnmower around an ACD!

[roguevalley]

8. Collies are so lovely. They can't take bad pictures can they?

Your baby, your heeler-looking dog, he's beautiful. He looks like a ton of fun just like Ruby. Dogs are like a river, they flow into your life because they were meant to come. Ruby passed by and your new baby came in. She knows and approves. I just feel that so much. When my baby, Gretchen, died after 22 years, I had to find three dachsie puppies so I could stand it. Turns out, all our dogs needed us to find them. I felt Gretchen's approval and I hope you feel Ruby's. I believe firmly that its there. Its not disloyal. Love never leaves.

[wildeyed]

10. At first I did feel disloyal.

And Ruby was always a little jealous of my affections. She had a hard start in life, so when she finally found a stable loving home, it was hard for her to share. She was never nasty about it. But I could tell she didn't like interlopers.

But Sam is such a nice guy, and so different from Ruby. It was all meant to be this way.

[auburngrad82]

13. Some "tools" you'll need...

http://www.petedge.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=1231&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=681&iSubCat=713&iSubSubCat=0&iProductID=1231

We call 'em "boomer balls." We have two 10" and two 14" and the dogs "herd" them around the yard.

http://www.petedge.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=4116&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=681&iSubCat=713&iSubSubCat=0&iProductID=4116

Cloth frisbees. They're soft on the dogs' mouths.


They will keep Sam tired and you sane...

[wildeyed]

18. I actually have one of those boomer balls somewhere.

Ruby never liked it. It was too hard and hurt her. But Sam might. I will see if I can resurrect it. Thanks.

So far he doesn't seem to have any desire to retrieve. Maybe in a few days after he has settled in a little.

The cattledog foster would let the BC retrieve the ball most of the way, then take it away from her when she got to within four feet of me and then present it to me himself. The BC was never overly fond of the cattlepup.

[Lorien]

15. What beautiful animals

both of them. I know exactly what you are going through; I got my Oberon soon after losing my beloved kitty Peewee, and my first few months with him seemed so bittersweet because I couldn't fully accept Peewee's loss. It sounds like you are off to a good start with sam. He is so lucky to have been found by you! :hug:

[wildeyed]

17. And we are lucky to have him.

:hug:

[Longhorn]

19. Rudy was precious!

I know you'll grow to love Sam, too, in his own special way. Congratulations on your addition to the family!

We won't be getting another dog since Brutus died. We still have three and that's plenty for now. We never intended to have four dogs but each of our four children brought home a dog at some point before they moved on. What empty nest? ;)

It does seem more empty without Brutus, though.

[wildeyed]

21. My sister and I always brought home cats and dumped them

with my parents. Poor people. I think they had five cats at one point. Two from me, two from my sis plus their own cat :o

[Eurobabe]

20. Maybe Ruby is trying to help you heal

your broken heart...

Sam looks like he'll be a great companion, you're a peach for giving him a chance. Let us know how things are going! -48

[wildeyed]

22. So far he is doing great.

Hasn't put a paw wrong. He even knows how to walk on a leash :)

[ernstbass]

23. Thanks for posting the pictures

They are both beautiful animals - I'm sure that Ruby is smiling down on you and Sam.

[wildeyed]

25. I think so too. n/t

[SiouxJ]

24. My BC's have a little ACD in them too

Boris looks more ACD than Tasha, who looks pretty BC.

Ruby reminds me a lot of my sweet Natasha. She is the sweetest dog I've ever known. She doesn't have mean bone in her body. She's so trusting and smart. She can have her stubborn moments, but that's just because she sometimes thinks she's the smartest one in the room ;-) .

Anyway, you have a great mix there. I know from experience. Like someone said above, you're in for a treat! I wish you guys all the best!

[wildeyed]

26. Ruby was pure BC, I think.

Just the softest, sweetest dog to ever walk the earth. Very quiet and well behaved inside, but an absolute terror with the frisbee.

Sam is still so new, it is hard to tell. He definitely has some of the ACD stubbornness. But he watches my face all the time like a BC. He won't retrieve, so I have no idea how I will exercise him. My impression is he was not badly treated is his original home, but nobody ever played with him, so he doesn't know how. Hopefully we can remedy that :)

[SiouxJ]

27. sounds so familiar! Tasha is a Superstar with the Frisbee

but she didn't know how to play when I got her. I think her previous owner (who was a single guy), only played with her brother (how chauvinistic huh?). She used to run along behind Boris and sometimes grab onto him but she didn't know how to play. Well I put an end to that pretty quick and she turned out to be a much better retriever than her brother. She absolutely FLIES while he just sorta "hops," lol. He's quite the lover though. I think he was neglected in that area so I had to work on that with him and now I've created a monster.

Maybe Sam just needs someone to show him how. If you have a friend with a dog that retrieves, spending some time with them might pay off. Sam should be smart enough that he can figure it out; Tasha did.

They really do like to stare, don't they?

[wildeyed]

28. Good to know there is some hope.

I throw the ball and Sam is just staring at me with a big question mark over his head. Maybe we will mosey over to the dog park, see if we can rustle up some retriever buddies for him there.

Sam watches my face a lot to figure out what I want, but he doesn't do the crouching eye thing that Ruby used to do. you know, this thing.



Ruby used to do that all the time. Intimidate that frisbee into knowing who was boss, I guess.

[SiouxJ]

29. My last BC mix used to do that

Rocky was part BC, part German Shepherd and he used to do the crouching eye but my new dogs don't. They just stare and stare. Boris notices any little thing that is different too. If we're on our walk route, and someone has planted a new bush or something, he'll stop dead in his tracks and check it all out. Sometimes he notices things that I don't even see right away. Also, if I put on something other than my usual "walking outfit," he'll stare at the new item. He was fascinated with my umbrella the other day. What's really funny is if I wear my hair differently, he'll just stare at my head for a bit. Well at least someone notices ;-) . Too bad he's not a man, lol.

[livetohike]

30. My ACD Murphy does this all the time!

I haven't been able to take a good picture of him doing it though and he is nearly laying flat on the ground when he does this. He will stare down his "sister" Cindy and then attack her! She outweighs him by 45 lbs. so it is pretty funny to watch. Cindy has her own cattle dog stare but she doesn't crouch down like Murphy does.

They are such cool dogs :-).

[SiouxJ]

31. Just came across this photo

showing the dog that never got to play with their previous owner, jumping above the head of the dog that was played with all the time. Yes, you still have hope!




Whee!


Yay! I love to play!

[wildeyed]

32. Woohoo, she is a great jumper!

I doubt Sam will jump that high. He is so stocky. But I hope we will be able to enjoy a fun game of fetch at the end of the day.