Our boy SIMBA is a tri-colored Border collie about 6 months of age and 32 lbs. A little thin when he got here, SIMBA is now on a three meal a day regimen to put some meat on his bones. He does not mind that one bit as he loves food and treats. What he loves most is chasing that tennis ball. He is very good at fetch, and getting better at “drop it” though that is still on his terms more than ours.
PANSY is a petite (32#) sweetheart. A little bit shy of first meeting, she warms up quickly to people and gets along well with the other dogs in her foster home. Pansy loves to follow her foster mom around when she does her chores in the morning and evening. She has nice house manners and is housebroken and crate-trained. All of these things said, Pansy is a “real” border collie, one that will need a job or the equivalent. She has strong drive and needs to live with someone who can provide her the outlet for her smarts and keen desire to work.
BREEZE, or “Mama Breeze,” as we often call her, came into rescue with six adorable puppies who have happily found their forever homes. And each and every one of her pups has her “breezy,” happy-go-lucky personality. Breeze is about 2 years of age herself, so when her puppies were weened, we were delighted to see her own playful and joyful nature come out. Of all the foster mom dogs that have fostered in Breeze’s foster home, none of them have played with their puppies as if she was one of their playmates in the way Breeze did. Wrestling, tugging, chasing, tossing toys in the air, she did it all with her pups. We’re not sure what Breeze is mixed with, but whatever it is, she got the sweet and joyful genes.
POLLYWOG (AKA Polly) is a darling and small 5-month-old girlie who weighs about 20 pounds. She is a gentle pup, but don’t let her demure looks fool you: she can turn on the border collie drive when she sees something that catches her interest like cattle, sheep, ducks, and the other dogs in her foster home. This girl needs something to do. Polly was with her litter for a longer time than is usual, so she is a little shy with people and still looks to other dogs for confidence and comfort. She goes to work with her foster dad every day, as she continues to need support in meeting new people and being without the dogs at home. And she loves learning new things, and finds treats and toys very motivating. She is also learning the beginning “games” taught in nose work, which increases her confidence and focus. Polly is crate-trained and is almost 100% housebroken.
PAIGE is an approximately 14-week-old, smooth coat girlie currently around 25#s. She has loads of energy and spends most of her day on the go. She loves to wrestle, chase, and play with the other dogs in her foster home. And if she’s playing on her own rather than playing with others, she is starting to learn to retrieve toys. If we had to pick, we’d say that her favorite activities involve the pool; she loves the excitement! She is a good swimmer, so she might even make a great dock diving prospect. She is a probably a bit more toy-motivated than food-motivated at this point in her growing up, yet she is figuring out that she gets treats for doing good things and making good choices. Paige gets along with other dogs in her foster home, especially the other puppy close to her age, and the older dogs as long as she is not too puppy-wild. She travels well and is mostly quiet in her crate. She sleeps quietly or entertains herself with toys in her pen.
CARTER is a 1-to-2-year old sweetheart, who loves to follow his foster dad around the property when doing farm chores, or to watch the sun set in the evening. He is active, yet calm & seems to have had some training in his previous life. Picked up as a stray, Carter hasn’t “told” us his story, but we can infer that he was loved & cared for in his previous life. He moved into his foster home as if he had lived there his whole life, showing good manners in the house & getting along with all of the dogs & other animals that live there. Carter doesn’t know anything about toys, or doing fun things like chasing a ball or tugging, or romping with the other dogs. He is content to be with his foster mom & dad, yet he is comfortable at home without them. If you are looking for as easy-going, gentle young border collie–who knew such a dog existed?–then you might be interested in making Carter your new best friend. He is housebroken & rides nicely in a crate for traveling, but he sleeps in a dog bed at night–yep, right next to his foster mom & dad’s bed.
BRISCOE is a gorgeous, 50 pound rough coat Border collie estimated to be 1.5 years old. He came into his foster home shy, fearful, and submissive. It took him only about one week to begin opening-up and expressing himself as the goofy, playful pup he truly is. Even during his first days when he was still uncertain, BRISCOE showed no signs of aggression. Upon coming to his foster home, BRISCOE immediately mingled well with two other dogs. He has grown to enjoy his crate and will voluntarily kennel himself when asked to by his foster mom and dad. He has bounds of energy when they arrive home, but quickly settles into a quiet routine again. Most days BRISCOE can be found minding his own business, sleeping on a hardwood floor.
WindSock (f) goes by her nickname “Windy,” especially as she really wants to be someone’s best friend. She is kind & kissy, just an all-around nice girl. She has the potential to be whatever you want her to be because she seems to have a high desire to please. Once she grows up to her full size, she shows promise as a sports dog &/or hiking buddy. Windy’s coat appears almost black, but is actually a deep, deep red. Her coat is short, & she has white tips on her toes & tail. She can get a little overly excited about meal time & is working on “slow down.” WindSock just likes everything that comes her way & expresses that with enthusiasm.
Gale (f) appears to be the largest pup in the litter, but maybe it’s simply her semi-fluffy white coat with brown spots. She has the kind of loose skin that lets us know she has room to grow. Gale does everything first: first to get a toy, first to try out a bed, first to climb over the X-pen & magically end up in her foster mom’s bed in the morning! Gale is what you might call an “old soul.” She is very much a puppy, but she seems to have an easy understanding of the world. She loves to play with the many critters in her foster home, which includes dogs of all ages & sizes, cats, chickens (in a coop), & a couple of large, strange-looking tortoises. Gale has been a joy to raise from a 3-day-old pup to now. She would love to go to an active home where she would learn lots of things & get lots of love & cuddles.
Aura (f) is stunning to look at–a blue & white merle with a white blaze & the markings that make her look a little like a sad clown. She is not actually sad, but can be a little clown! She is an active girl that loves to play with her littermates & the other foster pups in residence. Being the smallest in the litter, she can be a bit shy, but given time to collect herself & take in the scene, she is ready to go. Her favorite toys squeak & crinkle. Tug is super fun & she really likes cuddling up with the resident “old dog” Uncle Wisdom. Aura would like an understanding family that will make sure she is not overwhelmed as she grows in confidence, someone with experience & patience in socializing & training a pup that needs a little bit more encouragement.
Mama Breeze & her pups came into rescue when the pups’ eyes were still closed, so we’ve had the joy of getting to know this little family from their earliest days. The pups were born on approximately May 25th, so at 10-weeks-old they are ready to go to their forever homes. Mama Breeze is a wonderful mother & still takes a keen interest in her pups, even as she is well past nursing them. She is a sweet, easy-going dog, who gets along with all the other dogs that live in her foster home & who is lovely with people. While this family clearly has herding dog in their background–everyone pays attention to the sheep, goats, etc.–we have seen no real drive in this group. They are active, playful, eager to learn, & social, but they are also easy-going like their mom. And with all of these coat patterns, we suspect some of the pups have different fathers.
BINGO, a 2-3-year-old, approximately 50 pound, Border Collie/Australian Cattle Dog, is a love sponge and a pleaser. He is quiet, human-oriented, submissive, calm, loyal and deeply affectionate. Bingo takes instruction well and is highly sensitive to correction. His recall is pretty strong, and he loves nothing more than hanging out and exploring the outdoors with humans.
WILLOW ——male–(AKA Will) says: “I am always the first one to eat. I love my food, so I’ve heard people who visit call me “food-motivated.” What a long word for a little guy! I also really like toys, especially the kind that squeak when I chew them super hard. I’ve heard my love of treats & toys will make me an especially good learner. But my absolute favorite thing to do is play in water. Okay, I’m a little shy when I first meet someone, but every day I get more experience & confidence from doing more things. I guess dogs like me are at our best when we get to learn, figure things out, & find some kind of fun ‘job.’”
WALNUT ——male–(AKA Wally) says: “I like to tell everything that I am the BIGGEST puppy, but really I’m only a little bit bigger than the others. I love toys a lot, but I love my foster mom even more. I am happy to lay around on the couch with her for a long time—well, a long time in border collie puppy minutes! She tells me that I am Mr. Personality, even though I don’t show it in the first five minutes of meeting someone. I think a puppy should check people out before giving lots of kisses & adorable wiggles. Toys, tunnels, treats are my three faves, but pleasing my people will be right up there at the top of my list, once we get close, & I’ll make you proud of me.”
CEDAR ——male—says: “My real name is Cedar, but my foster mom calls me Cubby. I don’t know why except maybe I remind her of a baby bear. I am almost as tall as I am long, & I have something called ‘baby breath.’ I’ve been told that it really wins people over. Like my brother Wally, I am very sweet & love to give kisses. I like toys lots, especially the kind I can chew & chew & chew on; sometimes I forget that my brothers & sisters aren’t chew toys, but I’m quickly on to other adventures like playing with the other critters at my foster home or playing in the water. Maybe you would like to teach me to swim? I’m super smart & would learn quickly because I love toys & treats & being told what a good boy I am.”
REDBUD ——female—(AKA Buddy) says: “I would love to be your best friend! That’s a good thing to know about me right away. I love everything: people, other animals, treats! Toys are super-dooper, & even though I’m a bit fluffy so seem like I might not be tuff, don’t be fooled: I love to play tug! It’s my favorite game right now. Our foster mom gave us some tunnels to play in, & wow, am I fast running through them. I hear there is a sport called agility that has tunnels & that you can tug when you do something really smart & good. I might like to do that someday. Like all of my brothers & sisters, I am so adorable, but I have a very special, upside-down, white V on my nose. If you take me home, you can figure out all of the things that letter might stand for.”
POPLAR——female—(AKA Pop) says: “Well, I think my name fits me well because I’m very popular! My foster mom just corrected me & says that I’m called ‘Pop’ because I bounce around a lot. I can’t wait for my forever family to teach me to jump over things. I could jump over logs on hikes or I could learn to leap over agility jumps: broad jumps, wing jumps, doubles, & triples. I’m learning to come, but I come extra fast when I hear the food bowl or my foster mom’s hand rustling treats in her pocket. My foster mom says I’m a ‘traditionally marked border collie,’ but I’d rather learn & play than bother about how I look. Like my brothers & sisters, I love toys & treats, & most of all I love to learn & try things.”
BONSAI—female—says: “The first thing my foster mom told me is that good things come in smaller packages. Yes, I am what people call the runt of the litter, but what I lack in size, I make up for in energy & enthusiasm: my go-to position is wiggle & when I find it hard to hold still, pets & love calm me down so I can start thinking like a border collie. I think I am going to have ears that stand up like a jackrabbit. Even though I am a go-getter, I can be a little shy at first, so I’d be happiest with another nice & social dog to play with & lots of adventures & games to build my confidence. Geez, I even like the silly cats around this place!”
1 – 2 year-old ANDIE is a 30lb Border collie / Australian Cattle Dog mix. Andie is deaf, but it does not stop her from being the life of the party. She is curious, high-energy, alert, and makes fast friends with people and other dogs.
I’m not really sure how I got into border collie rescue as I am but a tiny girl. Found alongside a road, I was in need of some help, being only about 4.5-weeks-old and only 4 pounds, I surely could not fend for myself. Luckily for me, Northern California Border Collies Rescue & Adoptions had some room for me, so I got to go to this fun place with other dogs and cats and chicken and all sorts of fun things to meet and play with. And because I am so little and cute, they didn’t require a DNA test! They just think of me as a mini-border collie-wannabe! My rescue name is Mae, but my foster mom calls me Dinky Dog (I sure love hearing her say it, cuz I know if I come running to her I get a treat!)