When Sally met Billy

My first blog.  Don't know how this works yet but I'm sure I'll learn along the way.

This is a blog about a Border Collie.  I wanted to document how I worked with Billy and his predatory chase behaviour. 

I first met Billy, almost a year ago, when he was 12 weeks old.  He came along to our Saturday morning puppy romp with his owner.  I try not to be breedist, actually truth is, I don’t try very hard when I see a Border Collie pup.  I’d oooed and aaahed over him and smothered him in kisses.

Billy had started his puppy class and was attending the puppy romp for off lead socialising and was doing well.

I had spent some time on that first Saturday talking to his owner about the pros and cons of having a Border Collie in the family.  She had been a little worried  but I assured her that she would cope fine.

It was four weeks later on a Monday morning that I had a telephone call from his tearful owner.  She had been taken ill and her husband suffered from MS.  They had spent the whole weekend crying over Billy but had made the difficult decision to find him a new home whilst he was still a pup.

I promised them that I would help them and find him a great home, maybe one where he would be able to do agility.  I needed another dog like I needed a hole in the head but I offered to take him in that morning and look after him for her to save them too much heartache for which she was very grateful.

Looking  back I think I had already decided he was a keeper by the time he arrived on my doorstep.  We were currently on our maximum of twelve dogs but we had previously been on our maximum of nine dogs and then ten and we had even for a short spell had fourteen before losing two of our precious oldies in the summer of 2009, so it seemed like a silly rule to me.

We had a houseful of dogs, most unwanted by previous owners, most badly bred unfortunately.  Bo had needed very expensive surgery for OCD after we took him in, Lucy had hip dysplasia, Ayla had patella problems on and off, Chip had a morbid appetite for children, not to mention a Borzoi with a broken leg. 

So here was I with my one agility dog Kim coming up to 8 years old and Don with his two dogs, Tig and Dee plus his new baby Fly and I thought what the heck I need me a good agility dog, one with no behaviour problems that need fixing so that was it….   I was keeping Billy. 

Little did I know.................