JO-JO

Female, 1 year 37 lbs.

Say “hello” to Jo-Jo, a 37-pound, 1-year-old sprite, who is ready to leap and bound into her new home. Jo-Jo is an affectionate, sometimes silly, super smart girlie, who loves to do whatever her person asks her to do, but who can also entertain herself. This little girl has it all!

Jo-Jo can be slow to warm to new people, but not always, and as soon as she does, she is all in. She bursts with happiness, deciding you are her new best friend. She crawled into the vet tech’s lap in her first visit to the clinic for an exam and vaccines. She greeted everyone she met when she visited her foster mom’s office, giving hugs and putting her head in people’s laps. With a few people, her enthusiasm took a minute or two to build, and she did feel more immediately comfortable with people who let her make the first gesture rather than ones that came on strong without reading the room. That said, she took to each and every one she met.

The same could be said about Jo-Jo’s reactions to other dogs. With proper introductions, she has conducted herself appropriately with one or two exceptions that have taken longer. She would need to meet an adopter’s dog to see if she and the dog are a match. She can be bossy but responds to being told to stop. Jo-Jo boarded on two occasions at a wonderful boarding facility that is more like a camp for dogs. After one-on-one intros with her fellow “campers,” she joined in the fun with the whole group. See her photos!

Jo-Jo is a very high energy, keen border collie. She is rocket fast and responsive, whether it’s chasing a ball or trying to move sheep. She visited another of our foster homes, a farm with two border collies who train in and work herding the sheep. Her herding instinct is there, and she showed a strong inclination to livestock for a first time, indicating right away she was ready to try to work. Within minutes of arriving at the farm, she allowed the owner of the farm to lift her in and out of the pen. She was not timid or offended at all by working on a rope; she was responsive to direction and not adverse to being told sometimes she wasn’t exactly doing what her handler was asking her to do. Everyone was pleased with what she did on her first try, but nobody more than Jo-Jo! She was bursting with pride and joy, yet she was not OCD about it afterwards. (See her photo in her “handler’s” lap!) She shifted nicely to being in the house, very happy but not out of her mind to get back to the sheep. She has an off switch, and she understands the difference between “working” and playing hard and being in the house. She learns quickly and wants to do the right thing; she is both treat and toy-motivated. Jo-Jo would love to have a job of some sort—herding, nosework, agility, etc., and we’re looking for a home for her where she will get to have opportunities to fulfill her potential and experience the joy she feels when she gets to learn, try, and do well.

Jo-Jo is crate-trained and housebroken. She is not a barker, but she likes to talk sometimes, which is really funny and cute. She walks nicely on leash with a harness, but she is not leash-trained per se. She rides well in the car in a crate, but she watches cars going by incessantly, (no barking or carsickness!) and doesn’t relax. We’re working on this by partially covering her crate. She is too intent on cats to live in a home with a cat.

If you’re looking for a dog who is smart and loves to learn, has a high desire to please, is sweet and affectionate with a big smile, and who can go-go-go and then hang out afterwards, Jo-Jo might be your new best friend.

Jo-Jo is micro-chipped, spayed, heartworm negative and on preventative, and up-to-date on vaccinations. If you have an approved Northern California Border Collie Rescue & Adoptions Adoption Application (https://norcalbcrescue.org/adoption/adoption-application/) and wish to inquire about Jo-Jo, please email us at Adoptions@norcalbcrescue.org. If you do not have an approved application, or it has been over a year since applying, please fill out a new application here Adoption Application.

Jo-Jo is fostering north of Sacramento County, CA.