Shin

Hi! This is Shadow. His name when we adopted him was Shin. He has lived with us for almost 2 years already and adds quite a bit of excitement. He loves to travel. In the two attached pictures, he is watching a shadow on the ceiling of our car. He is a great addition to our family. Brian and Mindy, Illinois

Duke

December 3, 2009 Duke went with us on an extended Thanksgiving weekend to Northern Michigan. He played outside, hiked in the woods, sat by the fire and ate lots of good treats. Duke did WONDERFUL on his little vacation with us and traveled well. He is doing pretty good walking on a leash, he still wants to zig zag a bit, but if reminded settles down, walks more by your side. When he sees his leash he will sit right in front of you waiting for the leash to be put on him. Needless to say, Duke really enjoys going for his walks. He knows several basic commands will “stay inside” when the door is open or the fence gate. He is very patient when asked to “wait” and comes running at a drop of the hat when called. Duke is a very loyal boy; he wants to be where his people are and is always open to some belly rubs.

Jackie

Jackie loves just about everyone on two and four feet, with the notable exception of UPS drivers, operators of power lawn equipment and ATV drivers. Since we live in the city, ATV’s are not a problem. Jackie came to us for what was to be a very short stay on May 15, 2009. Much to our surprise, our Sam (that’s Sam #2 from ComeBye), who is leery of other dogs, welcomed Jackie immediately. We knew that with his lovable, easy-going personality and Sam’s acceptance of him right away, Jackie just had to be a member of our family, and now indeed he is! Handsome Jackie is a medium-energy guy, who is as fast as any border collie I’ve ever seen. When he’s just walking around the house, he looks the tiniest bit awkward, but give him an open field and something to herd and he’s pure grace! Jackie was relinquished due to a number of unfortunate and traumatic circumstances. He comes from working parents in southern Missouri, and it really shows! Now he herds Sam every day in the park while Sam plays ball with his dad. It’s fun to watch, and both dogs have fun too. Passers by ask my husband how he taught them their routine, and he has to admit that no teaching was involved. Jackie is attending class at the Greater St. Louis Training Club with Dad, where he can get more practice in focusing on appropriate behaviors instead of bouncing over to greet new dogs and people whenever they appear! They’re making great progress. Like Sam, Jackie loves bounding through the snow and wishes it snowed more in St. Louis. He loves to play with the grandchildren too, although he’s not very interested in playing ball (a border collie?). Jackie and Sam spent two wonderful weeks on vacation with family and friends at Crystal Lake in northern Michigan this summer. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to convince either of them that swimming is fun. Maybe this summer? Swimmer or not, we love him so much and are so grateful to ComeBye for saving him and allowing us to adopt him.

Wasabi (Molly)

Happy Forever Home, Molly-Wasabi On January 21, 2009 I welcomed a young, highly reactive border collie/cattle dog mix from your rescue group into my home. Her name was Molly. One year later, I’d like to give you an update on this wonderful dog I now call Wasabi. Wasabi lives in my southeast Michigan home with my eleven year-old cattle dog Touk and Thumbs the cat. Soon after her adoption, Wasabi and I enrolled in an obedience class that used positive reinforcement training. In the beginning she was extremely reactive around other dogs, barking hysterically and lunging at them if they got too close. When strangers approached, she jumped on them and growled. The trainers knew that Wasabi’s behavior was due to anxiety, and with a lot of patience, clicker training, and Touk’s good example, Wasabi learned that new people and dogs result in treats and praise. As her confidence improved, we enrolled in an agility class, and have been training together for over eight months. Recently, we registered with C.P.E. so we can start competing! Wasabi gets a lot of exercise in her new home. In the winter, we go to a local park and she plays with Touk in the snow. In warmer weather, she runs beside my bike on the dirt roads in my town or on the local metro park trails. Before the snow fell, we were up to six miles a day! Wasabi is an excellent travel companion, and loves to ‘herd’ the waves of Lake Michigan. As our bond of trust has grown stronger, she has taken to snuggling with me on the couch. She is learning to greet people politely, and new situations aren’t so scary anymore. It has been very rewarding to help her grow into a happy, confident dog. I’d like to thank Come Bye Border Collie Rescue for saving this little dog’s life. Sometimes it is hard to see the potential that a damaged, anxious dog has within them, but you gave her a chance. I also want to extend my gratitude to her foster family, Susan and Robin. Look for Wasabi and I in upcoming agility competitions…We are quite a pair! Thank you so much for my little Wasabi, Lisa Melling Willis, MI

Royce

On January 3rd, Royce will have been with us for one year. When I first saw him in Chicago Animal Control, it broke my heart that someone could be so cruel to a animal. He was under weight and missing a lot hair on most of his hind end and tail. His eyes were very hard. He did not know what toys or treats are. My vet believed that he had lived on a chain most of his life. He had no hind end muscle strength. Over the last year, he has healed both physically and mentally. A diet of TimberWolf dog food and Coconut Oil brought back his coat. In June, we tried sheepherding but he was too weak in the hind end. My neighbor suggested that I send him to her doggy day care. In July, I encouraged him to swim and he loved it. He swam six hours, twice a week at day care until the end of October when the pool closed. This quickly increased his strength and stamina so we tried sheep herding again in August. He now sheepherds once a week - he knows his flanks and is starting to feel balance. In the beginning of December, we dropped the line for the first time. He totally understands he needs to bring the sheep to me. When we came out of the round pen, he jumped up and gave me a bunch of kisses. He was so happy doing what he was bred to do. Between the swimming and the herding, he has stopped the nervous pacing he use to do. He has also stopped herding birds in the sky. Royce is a lovely dog. He is respectful of his place in the pack. He loves to snuggle and give kisses. He loves to play ball and swim. He is a talker - he has little grunts, growns and growls that he uses to communicate. I was not looking for another dog but he found me. We could not be happier.