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"The Border Collie really is no ordinary dog. It is outstandingly loyal, willing and courageous. It has incredibly versatile skills and an exceptional mind. It has grace and eloquence, but also strength and stamina. There really is no other dog quite like it in the world."
taken from "Understanding the Border Collie" by Carol Price
One day, early in the spring of 1999 we decided that we wanted a dog. Both us come from families that usually had pets, and we felt the lack of animal companionship. Before we set out to look for a suitable mutt (no offence meant, Kane) we decided what we were looking for - a young female medium-sized dog would fit the bill, we reckoned, and we liked the idea of a rescue dog ...
We weren't too sure what breed we were looking for - I liked the idea of something like a labrador, golden retriever or perhaps a spaniel. Michele had no specific dog in mind, but didn't want a labrador. Similarly, having heard all kinds of horror stories, I didn't want a collie..
To cut a long story short, we chose Kane. As a middle-aged male border collie, he didn't quite fit the specification we had in mind ... However it all turned out for the best as he's everything we wanted in a dog and a lot more besides.
Kane is a Border Collie-cross, not a cross border collie! What we don't know is what the rest of his ancestry is, - your guess is as good as ours..
We adopted him on St.Patrick's Day 1999 from the Shoreham branch of the National Canine Defence League (now known as DogsTrust) who had taken him in as a stray. They had estimated his age as being nine which in dog terms is equivalent to a human age of about sixty. If this is true we have the fittest pensioner dog in captivity!
The Border Collie is often rated as the most intelligent breed of dog, click here to see some of the tricks that Kane has picked up.It's this intelligence which brings its own special blend of joys and frustrations to their owners! Because they are such bright dogs,you do have to think all the time about what they're doing and why. They can almost give you the feeling that they're brighter than you are. Come to think of it, Kane doesn't need to go to work,or worry about paying the bills - his days basically consist of walk, play, eat and sleep so maybe he IS brighter than we are !!
(for more musings on Kane's life click here).
Unfortunately,it's this intelligence which can very often bring about the dog's downfall as people buy them then fail to keep them occupied. Once such a dog becomes bored,they will tend to look for something to do, which, if the dog's at home,could include wrecking a room in a very short space of time indeed. Perhaps this is what happened to Kane before he became a stray - though since we've had him, he's never put a foot (or paw!!) out of place.
If you want to know more about border collies as pets,there's some useful information from the Border Collie Trust G.B. on this site.
Since he came to live with us, Kane has made a number of friends. You can read about them here.