Kirby - ADOPTED!!!

***CONGRATULATIONS TO PAULINE ON THE ADOPTION OF KIRBY!!! HE IS A VERY LUCKY DOG TO HAVE YOU FOR A NEW MOM!!! KEEP ME UPDATED ON EVERYTHING YOU DO WITH HIM***

***UPDATE FROM PAULINE AT BOTTOM OF POST***

3/22/09 I just got Kirby tonight from Border Collie Rescue of MN. He is a 6 year old, Black and White, Border Collie with one Brown eye and one Blue eye.

**Kirby is great with people, kids,other dogs, and dog savvy cats only. He is a Border Collie and they are quick to react to fast movement. A scared kitty running away will trigger him to chase down the prey**

3/24/09 Kirby is a really nice playful boy. He is fully house trained and crate trained although he doesn't need the crate. I had him sleep in the crate the first night, he was really good. Goes right in when you say "Kennel" and laid down to go to sleep. Never said a word all night.

Yesterday I was out of the house all day so the guys had him. They let him have the run of the house all day, when they couldn't find him and looked for him, he was sitting at the back door waiting to go out. He was so good all day that we decided to let him sleep outside of the kennel last night. He came in the bedroom with us and laid down on the floor at the end of the bed. He stayed there all night.

Kirby LOVES to play ball and FRISBEE!!! He will fetch the ball, run back to you, spit the ball out and tap dance on his front paws until you throw it again. Tail waggin' the entire time and having a blast. I haven't played frisbee with him yet, it's raining cats and dogs over here, but the other BCRMN volunteer that picked him up played with him and took this picture.

As you can see he is really over weight, probably close to 3 Border Collies in 1 right now. But he is so full of energy and excitement when the toys come out. He can even jump up and catch the disc!!! Way to go Kirby!!!

He's on a diet and excersize program here at my house. I'm feeding him 1/2 a can of Green Beens and a small handful of dry kibble, 2 times a day. He eats it right up then askes to go outside.

I don't know what he weighs right now, I'll let you know as soon as I do. But keep in mind he is going to lose the excess weight and be a healthy dog in no time =)

Once Kirby is groomed and the weather clears up I will have new pictures and video of him. We have a play date this Saturday with our Disc Dog club so I'll make sure to take plenty of pics and video of him catchin the disc for you all to see.

3/25/09 Kirby is going great here at my house. He has fit right in and abides by all the house rules beautifully. He even waits to get his paws wiped off when he comes in from going potty (if the grass is wet, which it has been). He likes his diet of green beans and pea's, he's turned into quite the vegetarian =) I am giving him 2 milk bones a day to help with the tarter on his teeth too which he LOVES!!!

I managed to take a few pictures today of him playing with the tennis balls. I just love the 2 tennis balls at once, what a goof ball.

Keep in mind I am only holding his head up for the picture. He wants to tuck his nose down and spit the balls out right away so you will throw them again immediately =)

He is such a ham!

Even with the 2 balls in his mouth you can still see he is smiling from ear to ear =) How can you not fall in love with guy!

3/29/09 Ok, where do I start...Friday I took Kirby to the vet for his rabies and an overall check up. He weighs in at 67 pounds!!! the vet said he should ideally be at or around 45 pounds. I have him on a green bean/mixed veggie diet which he LOVES!!! and we are playing in the house and yard every day. Other then being over weight, Kirby is in great health =) and has many more years of frisbee catchin' left in him!

Saturday we met up with our disc dog club at the park and played frisbee. My dog was a total butt head and had to spend most of the time in the car, but Kirby did great. He loves to play frisbee and will "fetch" 3 discs at once...he gets one, goes to the next disc, stacks those two, and goes to the last disc, stacks all three and then brings them back to me. He's so cute! One toy at time isn't enough for this guy LOL.

Here is a video of him playin' Disc with me http://blip.tv/file/1937621

Today we took both dogs to another park and went for a hick alone the trails. Kirby would run about 25 feet ahead of us, stop and wait for us to catch up, then take off again. He was awesome. After the walk we played some frisbee and fetch with tennis balls and relaxed in the shade for a little while. I also took some time to work with him on some basic obedience. Kirby is starting to understand that I want him to walk WITH me not AHEAD of me. He has a great "stay", both sit and down as long as he see's me. His "come" is really good too, you call him and he trots over and sits down in front of you like he's suppose to.

Here is a pic of Kirby catchin' some air after a disc =)

After the park we went home for about an hour and relaxed before our Disc Dog Class. Kirby was able to participate in the Distance and Accuracy (D/A) game we played. He did really good, even caught a few discs! Sometimes I think this guy was a frisbee dog in his previous life =)

3/30/09 Today was cleaning day here at home. I was doing dishes and when I started the garbage disposal Kirby jumped up a little scared of the noise. He's not a big fan of loud noises and prefers you to use the broom instead of the vacuum. For this reason I have sent him and Cache down stairs while I vacuum upstairs. He's also afraid of thunder and the air compressor. All pretty common for dogs so please don't let this discourage you from meeting this great guy.

Today I noticed that Kirby's breath and teeth are getting better. I think between the frisbee's and the tarter control milk bones it's been helping. I would also have to guess that he is losing some weight, he doesn't look quite as round as he did when he first came to us.

Kirby is now listed on BCRMN.org under available dogs.

Please don't let his age and diet concern you with this guy, he is such a sweet heart and really loves his people. I can promise that he will give you 110% of everything he has everyday!

4/2/09 Kirby and I will be at the Petco in Minnetonka (next to Best Buy on 394 & Plymouth Rd) with our friends from BCRMN for an adoption day on the 11th. He would love to meet you and show you how sweet he is!

4/4/09 I've been working on making Bandana's for the dogs to wear at Petco's Adoption Day and I thought I would take a picture of Kirby the Super Model in his new gear and a close up of the Bandana =) I'm pretty proud of my work.

4/9/09 Just a quick update. I took Kirby to my vet this morning (Cache had an appointment) and weighed him. I'm very happy to say that we have been making progress on his weight loss. He is now 64 pounds. He is eating Green Beans, Peas, and a small handful of Dry Kibble in the morning, and his evening meal is the same plus 1/8 of a cup of Non Fat Cottage Cheese, and 4 Baby Carrots cut into small pieces (prescribed by the vet). He also gets his afternoon Milk Bone for a treat everyday.

We take daily walks and play frisbee in the back yard at least once a day, plus fetch the tennis balls up and down the stairs throughout the night. He's really getting his exercise in my house. Just looking at Kirby and petting him I feel like he has lost more weight then what the scale says, but at the same time with all the activity he's got to be gaining muscle.

Hope to see you at Petco on Saturday!

4/15/09 I'm sad to say that the adoption of Kirby has fallen through. Unfortunately the gentleman that was considering adopting him has decided that his life is to hectic to bring a dog into at this time.

On the bright side, Kirby is still with me and still losing weight. We will be competing in D/A at the Oak Grove Comp this Saturday if any one wants to come see him =) He's a great guy who is just waiting patiently for his forever family to come along and fall completely head over heals for him!

4/22/09 Just a quick note. We had a great time at the comp this last weekend. Kirby tried his heart out to catch the discs but it was windy and I had a hard time throwing the discs just right so he could get to them. Cache and Kirby both tied for 10th place with ZERO points (LOL), but they had fun and that's really what it's all about =)

4/25/09 Today I met a potential adoptor at PetsMart in Plymouth. She was pre-approved so all she had to do was decide if she wanted to adopt Kirby or not. I came with everything ready for him to go just incase she liked him and I'm glad I did! Kirby was adopted today =) I'll post an update on him as soon as I hear from her.

4/28/09 Update from Kirby's new Mom!!!

Hi Jessica and Melissa,

Kirby is just the greatest! He is so sweet, easy going and well behaved. The first couple of days we had a lot going on and he met a lot of extended family members including the dogs and even a couple of cats. He took it all so well. I think he may have wondered where he was going to be staying for sure and who was staying with him. He really liked my grandaughter and was maybe a little disapointed she didn't come home with him. Now that we have been alone for a couple of days he's settled in really well. He seems to be comfortable here. He sleeps next to the bed and isn't shy about hanging around wherever I happen to be. He's had a lot of play time - as you know he doesn't want to quit - I've learned it's really hard to hide a ball or disc from him. He's been out walking several times - of course he always grabs a ball to take with! I think it's so funny how his laid back personality changes the minute he sees a ball or disc. I left him alone for the first time yesterday. He looked disapointed when I left but he was good while I was gone. He was very excited when I got home - play time!

He has exceeded my expectations and I don't think I could ask for a better companion. Thanks to you both for helping me find my new best friend!

Pauline

Bruno - ADOPTED!!!

***CONGRATULATIONS TO JUSTIN AND HEATHER ON THE ADOPTION OF BRUNO!!!*** (update at bottom of page from Bruno's new Mom)

Bruno is a foster through Border Collie Rescue of MN. He is a very sweet and loving 4 year old mostly white Border Collie with a Black and very light Tan mask & ears.

3/18/09 I got Bruno yesterday evening from BCRMN. As soon as he arrived Mike and I took him and Cache for a walk. He did ok, but likes to pull and needs some basic obedience training. He and Cache had been playing on and off for hours before we put him in the kennel for the night. He layed right down and went to sleep never making a peep.

He's funny when he eats. He'll take a mouthful of food, drop it on the ground as he's walking, then it looks like he's counting the pieces, and proceeds to eat them one by one...to say he's a slow eater is an understatement.

Bruno loves to snuggle, but can't sit still, he's constantly turning around, flipping over, and climbing on the both of us. He's always moving, and can't chill for more then 8 seconds in one place or position, unless in the kennel. So far he hasn't shown any interest in playing with the dog toys. I'm wondering if he learned not to play with toys since he was at a day care with his previous owner. We're also thinking that he has gotten A LOT of people food before, he was extremely persistant with the begging while we were eating last night.

So far he's tried counter surfing, found out that doesn't pay off, table surfing, the chairs moved and he scared himself, jumping on the back door, the blinds moved and he scared himself. He's mostly self correcting which is funny. The commands I have discovered that he knows are "Outside, Come, and Sit" he'll lay down, but only for a second and then he's up again.

He's a little leary of men right now, but I'm going to work on introducing him to as many people as possible to get him over his fears. He's not aggressive, just shy and nervous. This morning when Mike's cousin (our room mate) came upstairs Bruno got a little scared, but calmed down quickly.

Bruno was originally surrendered by his owner to a shelter in NW Minnesota. We know he lived in a home that provided Day Care and he did great with the kids! the problem was when the parents came to pick up their children Bruno would protect his "flock of human babies" and not let the parents take them. We would like for Bruno to go to a home with a family as he loves children and loves to play.

I am thinking of taking him with me and Cache when we try out herding this next month. If he is herding and protecting the human flock, he might just excel at the sheep flock! I will let you all know how this goes if I get the chance before he gets adopted =) Border Collies NEED a JOB and herding is what they do best/naturally, so why not give it a try.

3/20/09 Bruno has been settling in nicely here with us. He's finally showing that he is capable of laying down and relaxing for awhile outside of the kennel =) He is such a sweet boy that just loves to be with you. He follows me everywhere I go, kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom...he doesn't care what you are doing or where you are going, he just wants to be with you.

Over the last few days we have been working on some basic training and trying to work his genius brain as much as possible. He came here with a GREAT sit and come, but now he can shake hands, twist (counter clockwise turn) and spin (clockwise turn), laydown is getting there, today he showed more progress with stay, back up, and stand and his walking on the leash is getting WAY BETTER!!!

Bruno is such a good boy. He is not destructive at all and I am even thinking about leaving him out of the kennel tonight when we go to bed. Of course I'll have to consult my hubby first, but I'll be sure to let everyone know how he did if we do let him stay loose tonight.

Here is some video of Bruno playing with Cache in the living room. It's a little dark, but you can still see just how cute he is and how good he plays with another dog =)





Bruno will be joining us tomorrow at our TCDDC Play Date in the park. He'll get to play with more dogs and meet more people which is only going to be good for him. I'm also bringing him to our Disc Dog class on Sundays for more socialization until he gets adopted.

3/21/09 Just a quick note: We left Bruno out last night to have the run of the house while we slept. He was AWESOME! He layed in bed with us for about an hour and then moved to the floor in the kitchen/dining room area with Cache. Nothing was disturbed or anything (including couch pillows, garbage can, recycling bag...nothing!). He definately doesn't need to be kenneled at night and probably even when we're gone during the day. But, once adopted, I would recommend that he be kenneled for the first few nights (or week) just so he can learn the rules and routines and have a safe haven for himself, but once he is comfortable, the kennel is no longer needed.

We're about to head out for the park today so I will update everyone on how he did at the play date when I get back...maybe I'll even have new and BETTER video of him for all to see =)

Bruno did great at the park today, he met a potential adoptor who just fell in love with him. So much so that she brought her fiance out tonight to meet him and they decided to adopted him. I'm so happy that he got a great home with a great couple who are going to love him and spoil him with everything they have!!!

Update from Bruno's new Mom:
He has been amazing! He is such a good dog! When we took him home he just laid in the car and went to sleep. He seemed a little sad the first few days (I think he missed you guys) he is starting to cheer up and even play with the toys we bought him! Tomorrow we are taking him to my home town for the weekend! I'm sure he will love the car ride! My mom has been saying she can't wait to meet her grand doggie! Ha ha! I will be sure to send you a cute family photo from this weekend! Thank you for everything, and don't be afraid to keep in touch! xoxoxo, Heather

Sway - ADOPTED!!!

**CONGRATUALTIONS TO THE KNUTSON FAMILY ON THE ADOPTION OF THIS BEAUTIFUL GIRL** (update from the Knutson's posted at the bottom)

3/2/09 Today I welcomed a new foster dog into our home. She is a Red and White female Aussie/Lab (?) mix with beautiful crystal blue eyes and long thick lucious tail. She is approx. 8 months old and around 50 pounds. And so far seems to be house trained!!! YEAH!!! She came to me with no name and after some thought and play, we have decided to call her Sway after Angelina Jolies character in "Gone in 60 Seconds".

The only thing I really know about her past is that she was brought here from an impound lot in Iowa today.

Even though I have only had her for 2 hours she has already learned to come and sit. The stairs were a new thing for her and it took some coaxing, but she finally came down them and explored the basement. It's nice to have a dog that is so treat motivated. You can teach her anything very quickly. She also figured out what the kennel was and doesn't seem to have a problem with it, so we'll see what it's like when we all try to go bed tonight.

Mike and I decided to take Sway and Cache into the back yard and throw a few discs around. Cache was too pre-occupied to really play disc, but Sway seemed to catch on to the game pretty quick. She even brought it back to me 3 times! She's a quick little girl, running circles around Cache with ease! I hate to say it, but I might be falling for this one =)

3/3/09 Today I gave Sway a much needed bath. She was a perfect angel for the whole thing! Drank some water as it came out of the faucet, kept trying to give me kisses as I was scrubbing her down, and kept wagging her soaking wet tail and getting water all over me and the rest of the bathroom =) But I am very happy to say that she no longer stinks!!! Even though the bathroom looks like a huricane came through it.

She has apparently associated the garage with the outside and has gone to the bathroom a few times in there. I think it's going to take a few reminders/corrections to break her of this habit but I have faith that she will learn this as well.

Last night she was good in the kennel, whined off and on for a few minutes, but finally layed down to go to sleep. As soon as the alarm went off this morning, she was whining and barking to go out. No messes in the kennel last night and ran to the door to go outside. What a good girl.

Sway will be joining us at our Disc Dog Class on Sundays until she is adopted. I think she is going to have a lot of fun learning this great sport, and chasing some rollers!

3/4/09 Today started with a quick potty break and then snuggling with us on the bed until it was time for her foster Dad to get ready for work. Sway is big time snuggler and as long as you are touching her she will gladly stay with you watching TV and relaxing on the bed.

After Mike was off to work I took Sway for a quick walk down the street and back. She did pretty good for a puppy who doesn't have any basic training. We got back home just in time for Nancy to pick her up and take her to the vet to be spayed.

Sway got back from the vet around 5pm today. She walked in extremely tired, laid her head in my hands and closed her eyes. She has been laying in the kennel quietly ever since she got back but managed to wage her tail and give me a little kiss when I crawled in to check on her just a few minutes ago. She will be on kennel rest for the next day or so and on pain meds for the next 4 days. It's going to be tough keeping her calm once the drugs are out of her system, but I expect that she will recover quickly and be back to her normal happy puppy self in no time.

Here's a quick pic of her right after she got back from the vet. She didn't even open her eye's when I opened the door to the kennel. Poor thing, she's had a rough day today.

3/5/09 Well Sway is feeling much more like herself today. The morning started out with a bathroom break, a little breakfast, and then before I could stop her, up on the bed to snuggle again! Only problem with this is that she isn't suppose to be jumping up on furniture for at least a week!! Like I said, earlier, she's going to be a tough one to keep calm =)

Just a few quick side notes:
1) while watching TV this morning a Cat appeared onscreen and she got really excited, for this reason I don't feel she would be a good fit for a home with cats or small animals. We haven't met children yet, but since she is young and still growing I would recommend that she is watched closely when around small children.
2) Sway loves to play with toys, but you have to watch her closely, she can chew through a rope toy at lightening speed and before you know it she is swallowing them! I have had to take large bunches of string/rope out of her mouth and have been taking away the loose pieces before she gets a chance to eat them. She is not aggressive at all and gives me the items that she has without a fuss.

Sway is learning basic commands very quickly. She still pulls while walking on a leash, but that will get better with time. She's doing really good with "sit, out (drop it), leave it and knows what outside and lets go (follow me) means" We are working on the leash walking, and laying down on command also. She likes to play fetch and get her tummy rubbed and she gives the sweetest kisses.

When I go to take her out of the kennel I ask her to sit and wait for her to stop wiggling around before she can come out, the same goes for going out side. I don't have a fenced yard so she has to sit before I put the chain on her and again when she comes in to have the chain taken off. I have a bell on the back door that Cache rings when he wants to go outside and earlier today I think she rang the bell! I'm not saying that she did it intentionally or knew what it meant, but for me if the bell rings the door gets opened. I'm sure she'll put 2 and 2 together before you know it.

I wouldn't say that she is totally house trained yet, we have had 1 accident in the house (I blame my hubby for it), but as long as she is let out consistantly and on a normal schedule, she is doing really good. She likes to steal our shoes, but drops them immediately when you say "No, Leave it".

Here is a cute picture of Sway and Mike snuggling on the couch. This is her favorite place to be. Right on top of us or touching us. Hope you like a big snuggle bug =)

3/8/09 Yesterday we took Sway and Cache for a walk around the nieghborhood. She did great, it wasn't too long before we were walking on a loose leash and sitting when we stopped. After coming home we had several hours of relaxation time with a very happy and tired puppy.

Tonight was our 1st Disc Dog Class, she did really good with everyone and their dogs. Sway is easily excited and gets distracted at everything that goes on, but behaved nicely. I worked on leash walking, sit, and lay down while Mike worked Cache in the class. She also did great with the kids that were there. Sway definately needs more socializing and a formal obedience class would be great for her (like all dogs), but I think she's going to make a great family companion for the right family.

One thing I have noticed is that she is a very strong and excited dog when playing. Cache and her do great, but a smaller dog might be easily intimidated. I haven't had any aggression problems with her and my dog, but Cache is just as crazy when he plays. An older or mellower dog would get very annoyed by her, and I think the best match would be a bouncy happy Lab/Golden type personality. She is just a puppy, but I don't see her losing this crazy play drive until she's about 10 or so =)

Update from Sway's new Mom...

You'll be happy to know that we're excited about keeping Sway (we renamed her Murphy). Katie K9 suggested we use a spray bottle with water and give the dog a blast to the face to stop the play biting and other undesirable behaviors. Within five minutes, the pup went from Satandog to submissive. And, I haven't been bitten since last Thursday! Katie said that scruffing a dog's neck or smacking them on the nose could actually fuel the fire, which it did with Murphy, and the spray bottle won't hurt them but will stun them. I guess Cesar the Dog Whisperer uses the same technique. Murphy has been awesome in the house and sweet as can be--loves hugs and tummy rubs. It's like she's a totally different dog. I did a private session with Katie on Monday, and Murphy did pretty well on the leash. We even used Katie's cats as a diversion, and the pup did pretty well with that, too. We start Katie K9 obedience classes next Tuesday for five weeks.