Champ

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Champ:

Meet Champ. A smooth coat Border Collie, believed to be purebred. Approximately 2-3 years old. Kid tested (6 and 8 year olds) and cat approved. He is a true cuddle bug and not overly high energy like most Border Collies. He has limitations, but he excels at most typical pet needs. He hasn’t met anyone he didn’t like. Other dogs are ok, but he is not a pushover. He does defend himself. Champ does have a disability in that he is mostly blind. 100% in his right eye, and possibly 80% or more in his left. He is able to see shapes, distinguish light and dark and sees movement. It is degenerative, and eventually he will be 100% blind. He will need a home with a fenced-in yard.

He knows basic commands, sit, stay, down, wait and will shake paws. He takes treats nicely and has good manners. He is also crate trained and housebroken, although his first day he did try to mark, but was discovered to be unneutered. After scolding, he has taken his business out each time. He has shown a bit of food aggression towards the resident dog, but since she is kinda sneaky and greedy, she may have brought it out of him. I choose to feed them in separate rooms and pick up the food bowls as a deterrent. Otherwise, they get along and play well together, especially outside.

His leash manners are quite good considering, but he will stay closer than most dogs when out walking. And he leans in a little, to maintain contact I suspect. He has keen hearing and smell and listens intently, so voice commands are a real plus for him, especially around uneven terrain or steps. He is responding to clicker training as well as enjoying learning how to fetch.

He maps his surroundings out quickly, and other than the occasional bump into a moved dining chair, you would not know he is blind. He enjoys being next to someone and has the softest ears known to man. The only other thing you really need to know about Champ is he cannot wag his tail. It is a half tail, and sways to and fro, but he has no feeling in it at all. One vet suggested docking it, but at his age, it would take a long time to heal. For cleanliness purposes (he cannot hike it out of the way either) we shaved the underneath to prevent fecal accumulation and he does great since then. He smiles a lot and lets you know he is a happy dog though.