John

How did an American Foxhound end up in a Border Collie Rescue?

The call came in from a CBCR volunteer, who was alerted by another CBCR volunteer, who had heard from a member of a sister rescue about a purebred 10-month-old Border Collie in a local shelter. The sister rescue had seen pictures and videos and was sure this was a BC, “all the behaviors and moves are there.” The call had some urgency. A family had surrendered “Roscoe” because he was too much for them. (How often have we heard that about a Border Collie.) Owner surrenders don’t often have a lot of time in shelters so acting quickly was important.

It was my day off so I called the shelter and was reassured about Roscoe’s heritage and his wonderfulness. I called a CBCR BOD member for approval of an expedited pull. “We trust your judgment.” OOPs. I’m not a newbie to this game. I have been in CBCR for 24 years and for 6 years before that, a volunteer with my local shelter. My heart is steel.

I arrived at the shelter and was greeted as royalty, a Savior, The Best, a Wonderful Person. The director took me into her office immediately to fill out paperwork. But, but, what about an evaluation? Several staff members came in to thank me and express their gratitude that Roscoe was saved. Thanks but wait…..I need to see him first! The little fellow was brought into the office. But, but, I thought, he is not a Border Collie. Before I knew it, the director had picked up Roscoe and was marching to my car. As she shut the crate door, she said, “Oh, he was absolutely terrible with the vet.” Great! What could I do? This is the shelter that gave me my very first CBCR foster and first “foster failure,” Gus, (my husband and I kept Gus). So much for a hardened heart.

That is how an American Foxhound came to be a Carolina Border Collie Rescue dog.

John does have several BC characteristics. He is probably the smartest dog I have ever fostered…………….and remember, I foster Border Collies. He is extremely fast and athletic. He would excel at agility even with his goofy gait.

John is highly trainable, curious about everything, and very treat motivated. He is very amusing. He will take things obviously not his, and prance with them in front of us, anything to get our attention. His aversion to boxes is quite entertaining. Delivery personnel have learned to put boxes outside the gate. John lives with 8 other dogs and is great with them. He will adapt his play to their various styles.

What is the problem? Although he takes treats gently, he would bite when asked to do something he did not want to do like get off the bed, get a shot, come inside, release a treat he deemed his. He has much improved but still not to the point that we feel comfortable putting him up for adoption.

We love John and will keep him to the end. He will either keep us young or be our demise!

We are not accepting applications, but you may contact his foster mom, Ann, at annMiller@nc.rr.com with insights or suggestions.