Eben

My first thought when meeting Eben, was that he was way too calm and loving to be a Border Collie.  Our veterinarian says he is the sweetest Border Collie he has ever met. 

Eben is a large dog, over 50 lbs, has green eyes, the color of olives and his hair, although tinted with red, is more of a coffee-bean-brown and white than red and white.  He is smooth coated, with a large head and a permanently curled tail.  There is something about him that seems identifiably Border Collie, but still I was asking, could he have some Husky in him? some German Shepherd? maybe Catahoula?

After sending off cheek-swab samples for DNA analysis, to two different companies, his 100% BC-ness was verified. 

Serendipity!   Through the relatives-section of the Wisdom Panel results, we found Eben’s mother!  By reaching out through Wisdom Panel to his mother’s owner, we were able to find out Eben’s birthdate. He was born on Jan 29th, 2022. He is now 3 1/2 years old.

His breeder thought she had found a good home for her pup, and I believe it was a loving home, but unfortunately, they didn’t provide veterinary care for him.  He must have been an outside dog and the only fence was a hidden fence.  Like most Border Collie’s, Eben has a quirk (go figure).  He is thunderstorm reactive.  Reactive in the sense that when he hears thunder, his brain switches off, and he runs after the storm.  I’m sure that’s what happened.  There was a storm, he blew through the hidden fence and ended up as a stray, wearing a shock collar.   They named him Ebenezer at the shelter because he was found on Ebenezer Rd.  His owners never reclaimed him.

Goodness, this dog had been exposed to a lot of mosquitos, a lot of fleas, and a lot of biting flies.  He was heart-worm positive, had more tapeworms than I have ever seen, and the ends of his ears were attacked and damaged by flies. 

In this case, ending up in the shelter was a good turnaround in his young life.  It was the start of something altogether different.  The Carolina Border Collie Rescue had a foster spot for him.

It is five months later now, and Eben has been neutered, survived heart-worm treatment and has learned all sorts of house manners.  He has certainly wormed his way into our hearts. 

It is time to find him a home.  Eben is going to be a hard one to let go.  I would love to find someone to adopt him who knows and loves Border Collies.  He is definitely not a couch potato but is also not as “super-charged” as more typical Border Collies.  That said, he is a sponge for affection and could spend countless hours gazing lovingly into your eyes.  He is good with other dogs but prefers attention from his human.  He ignores cats (the shelter cat and the cat in the veterinarian’s waiting room) but absolutely loves to chase little birds and their shadows.

Walking on a leash without pulling, jumping into the car, and learning not to jump up on his human are all works in progress, but we are getting there! 

Eben is being fostered a little south of Pittsboro, NC.  If you are interested in finding out more about Eben, please contact his foster person, Dolly Watson, at dolly_watson@hotmail.com

A nice fenced-in yard is a must.