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That'll Do Border Collie Rescue

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That'll Do Border Collie Rescue

TDBCR - Where every dog is a star! PLEASE DO NOT POST DEATH ROW DOGS FROM OUT OF THE AREA ON OUR PAGE. This page is for TDBCR content only. Thank you.
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TDBCR is a not-for-profit organization of border collie owners who rescue, rehab and rehome unwanted border collies, some mixes and some limited other herding breeds, like Australian Shepherds and Kelpies, space permitting, in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada

07/13/2024

Hello friends - TDBCR was founded by me in 1999 and we have successfully rehomed thousands of border collies that needed new situations. However after 25 years, this is the year that we will be closing our doors for good. There are many reasons that have culminated in this sad decision, but the biggest reason is that I cannot find a rental property to move to. The Lower Mainland is simply a disaster when it comes to affordable rentals, much less dog-friendly ones.

Buuuut if you know of one, please be all means feel free to contact me! I am looking for Abbotsford/Langley/Surrey/Maple Ridgeish areas. Help me keep TDBCR alive!

05/22/2024

After 16 months in foster care "Jim" has finally been adopted and he's going to be a smokin fast agility dog in his new home. Can we get a HELL YEAH HE WILL from the people?

Also if you're wondering where we have been as of late, the answer is right here ... Although TDBCR is still available to help border collies in need, we are NOT available to help border collies who bite the snot out of visitors or passers-by (and also your 80lb lab/acd/ bc is not a "border collie"). Folks if you can't manage your aggressive dog, make the hard choice but don't expect someone else to take it off your hands. As a rule, we don't rehome dogs we wouldn't live with ourselves, so we've been silently despairing at the requests to take dogs with real bite histories into rescue, and helping the non-bitey ones when we can. Sadly, it's almost all bitey dog requests :(

But...YAY JIM!

08/31/2023

Anyone feel like coming up with a clever response to this wiener I just found in our inbox? Funny, educational or downright insulting, your choice 😉

06/24/2023

Everyone please congratulate Diesel who had a successful sleepover with a potential new home and charmed his way into their hearts - he has been adopted!

But Jin is still looking for a home - please scroll back through our page and share his profile so we can one day celebrate his adoption like we're doing for Diesel!

06/17/2023

Resharing dis guy Diesel cuz he's super cool and he wants a super home!

06/11/2023

Can someone please explain to me how this handsome guy is still with us? Has everyone lost their mind? He's perfection, you should adopt him.

05/28/2023

READY FOR ADOPTION
NAME: TO DIE FOR Diesel (if you call him Deez Nuts, you're fired)
AGE: 4 years-ish
STATUS: S*xy AF (but also neutered male)
BREED: Single breed border collie
LOCATION: South Surrey BC, CANADA (we DO NOT SHIP therefore you DO NOT ASK us to ship sight unseen)

We will preface this profile by telling you that you aren't awesome enough to adopt Diesel so you probably shouldn't bother trying. We're not even awesome enough to adopt Diesel and we bloody well own him, so why are you even trying? Go away.

DIESEL came to us when his family unit of two leggers experienced a less than amicable split and nobody was in a position to take Diesel. We don't mention this because it's any of your business, or ours, but rather because Diesel came to us with a significant lick granuloma on his wrist that manifested when the people in his previous home started being ... not amicable. He is a sensitive soul and the stress of his environment caused him to start mutilating himself a little bit. Once he moved into foster care, we had the vet treat his leg and the granuloma has now started to go away because his current home is a lot less stressful for him. He also found the transition to a new home a little much for the first couple of weeks, so we are recommending that his new home take a few trips out to meet him and get to know him before taking him home permanently, as we think he'll adjust a little bit better that way. He is very comfortable in his new digs, and his temporary people like him a lot. Like a LOT a lot. Like probably we're gonna grill you under a hot spotlight, deny you water and hook you up to a lie detector a lot. You've been warned.

Diesel's temporary people like him very much and this fella returns the favour. In particular he is very bonded to his foster mom and even when there are other people in the house he prefers her company, and laments - sometimes loudly - when she leaves him behind. He likely would be best with someone who works from home, and doesn't have to leave him alone a lot, at least not without working up to it. And especially not if you live in a home that is attached to other homes, who would then be forced to listen to the 17 part operetta he sings when he is lonely, because lots of neighbours don't like dog operas.

One of the very cool things about Diesel that we don't see real often in rescue is that he is stone cold AWESOME with kids. His foster home has more grandkids than you can shake a stick at (I mean why would you shake a stick at grandkids, I know, but you couldn't anyway because there are so many) from really little ones to ones that are bigger than really little (so I don't know anything about kids other than they are smaller than I am, sue me) - and Diesel is awesome with all of them. They can take food right out of his mouth, though we don't encourage this of course. (Also try it with me, I dare you.) He really likes kids and has no problem with their shenanigans. Weirdly, he also refuses to move for the vacuum cleaner, which I think in border collie terms makes him some kind of super hero or deity or something.

Because we so rarely get child-safe dogs in rescue, we are leaning toward giving preference to a border collie savvy home with child/ren in it. But that home should also be eager to do Some Things with Diesel because his big ole head houses a big ole brain and he would like to put it to work. Diesel is a machine of a dog, in super physical condition with legs FOR MILES that he uses to run like the frickin' wind. He also has a love affair with water and will swim forever, so we foresee him being your new dock diving, Sprinter, agility partner. I mean he likes hikes and such and of course Ball Is Life, but he has the potential for so much more and our preferred home for him is one that wants to give him that opportunity.

We weren't sure if Diesel was dog social or not because his previous home just said he was "so excited" to see other dogs, and his foster home has no other dogs ... and on walks around the hood Diesel demonstrates some reactivity to other dogs he espies. So I brought some of my dogs over to see what he would do (I have a bunch, I can spare a couple) and what he did was a fat load of NOTHING. He is super dog neutral off leash and after a polite greeting he largely ignored his new "friends." You will see a photo of him sitting with The World's Dumbest Border Collie (she's mine, I am allowed to call her that) whom he had just met, and who poked him repeatedly with her nose and slapped him in the face in an attempt to get him to play, and you can see his completely relaxed countenance in the photo. He shared his ball with the other male collie I brought with me, he shared treats happily with both of them and was all around nonplussed by the experience. So he would have absolutely no problem sharing his home with another dog that is as kind as he is (or a dumb one, apparently). He still needs some work learning to ignore other dogs while on leash, but his foster home is seeing a lot of success in this area in a short period of time.

In his previous home Diesel did recreational herding at a facility in Coquitlam and would probably like to keep doing it. We haven't seen him work stock in person so we really don't know how talented he is, but from all reports he really likes to work, so there's another hobby you two can take up.

Diesel is not a petite collie, he was an intact male until we got our hands on him (insert maniacal "mwa ha ha" here) so he has that big head and powerful chest/shoulders. We neutered him because we like you all but we don't trust any of you, and we don't want Diesel babies in rescue a year from now. His coat is somewhere between smooth and rough, just enough to make him look heftier than he really is. He is 100% housebroken and doesn't even like to piddle in his own yard and prefers to save it for walks, so he needs someone who isn't going to leave him cross legged in the yard, but rather someone who will take him out regularly. So the only really weird thing about him is that he won't drink out of anything except the toilet or the goldfish pond outside, so this is something that needs a creative solution (or a very clean toilet). He is very affectionate and likes to smooch his people, which would be adorable except for the toilet thing.

He's a great guard dog in that he will alert you to visitors, but a lousy guard dog in that as soon as you say "hello" to the visitor he is friends with them for life. He does like to jump up on people but his foster home prefers he does not so he is learning this rule. He also likes to get on furniture, but is learning which furniture is dog-friendly in his foster home. He is an all around awesome dog, and he'll only go to an all around awesome home.

Diesel is located in South Surrey, BC, Canada and as previously mentioned we do not ship our dogs sight unseen and prefer a local home so we can transition him kindly to his new forever humans. He is neutered, he is vaccinated for all the things, and his adoption fee reflects that cost, and the cost of fixing up his leg. If you are the all around awesome home that he's looking for, please EMAIL US at [email protected]. If you message us on facebook we're going to ignore you because it means you didn't read this far and therefore you are not awesome enough to live with Diesel.

05/14/2023

New photos, new name, newish profile!

I spent some time this morning with Jin (the dog formerly known as Hugo) getting some photos to hopefully entice someone into expressing some interest in this fellow, because the poor guy is feeling pretty unloved as we've had virtually no inquiries for him. This guy is athletic as they come and we wanted to showcase that for those of you who might be looking for a FastLeapy. I should add that apparently he is a BIG fan of disc, but Ball Is Life and since we brought out the ball he forgot about the disc - but we assure you, if there is no ball in play, he will contort himself into impossible positions to sn**ch that disc out of the air. Toss n Fetch anyone??

Jin got his name change because his foster home has started agility with him and the "go" in "Hugo" is confusing for everyone. (Also she is a massive K-Pop nerd) Jin LOVES agility - this dog really likes activities that have clear rules for his brain to process, and activity for his lean, athletic physique to take advantage of. He could be a really promising contender for a more serious handler, but also would be fine for someone who wants to take up the sport for fun.

We had a trainer spend some time with Jin and her consensus was that he is the sort of dog who would flourish in a single-dog home as he very handler responsive, but he is also distractable around other dogs. In his pre-foster life he spent a lot of time at dog parks as his primary form of exercise and this did him no favours in the training department. And because as we previously mentioned Jin doesn't speak DOG very well at all, his arousal levels in multi-dog situations are high and full of conflict - one on one, he is responsive, enthusiastic and very keen to learn. Now, as someone who has an insane pack of dogs flowing around her like some kind of pied piper of collies I admit I don't *really* understand having ONE dog, but I hear there are people that really enjoy having one dog at a time, and those people would be perfect for Jin.

This guy continues to improve in many ways and no longer has conflict with his foster siblings, and in situations with multiple dogs he doesn't seek out problems, but he does continue to be ready throw hands if anotherdog postures first and this may always be his default. You'll have no problem taking him to dog sport trials, but you won't want to turn him loose in a pack of strange dogs. BUT if you enjoy throwing a ball or a disc until your arm falls off, you will have a lot of fun with this fellow - he does the cutest thing where he nudges the ball at you to Make It Go if you don't throw it fast enough.

He is wearing a long line in these photos because the field is full of suicidal bunnies and Jin continues to enjoy chasing smallfurries, but I am pleased to say that despite the many enticing smells of potential rabbit stew, his attention remained focused with the ball and he didn't wander off once.

Jin is located in South Surrey, BC, Canada - he is neutered, up to date on everything and ready to go home with you and be your one and only. Please consider Jin if you're looking for a new all around athletic companion, and please share if you're not. This guy deserves his own forever home, and his foster home deserves a break 🙂

04/10/2023

ETA - DIESEL HAS FOUND A FOSTER HOME. THANK YOU!!

Hello fellow teenagers.

First things first - Easter has come and gone and still not a soul has hopped along to inquire about poor Huge-O. Hugo has so much potential for the right hooman. PLEASE scroll down the page to read about that handsome fella so he can find a home of his own.

In other news, we are looking for a foster home for an intact (we will get him neutered) male border collie, 3-4 years old, with working experience and a fine disposition. He likes people big and small (ie kids), other dogs and cats. His current person is in a real bind and Diesel needs out lickety-split like ... but foster home #1 now has a very ill dog and foster home #2's dog thinks Diesel sucks.

If you are in the Lower Mainland of BC and can foster this fella for TDBCR, please EMAIL US asap at [email protected] Just look at his happy face and imagine it planted on your happy sofa in your happy house for a little bit :)

02/24/2023

Resharing our buddy Huge-O because he's not getting any interest, poor giant confused beastie. Someone must need a dog-blankie in this cold weather, Hughie can handle that for you!!

02/05/2023

Name: Hugo the Horrible
Age: Terrible Twos
Breed: single breed border collie, neutered male, smooth coat. Also he's a big boy.

Hugo the Horrible is actually not all that bad. Like many of us, he has his, ermm, quirks. But would he be a border collie if he wasn't quirky? This is one of those chicken and egg questions that have plagued philosophers since the dawn of time, and will be hotly debated long after the apocalypse has consumed us all.

Wait, where was I? ... oh yes, Handsome Huge-O. This fella was surrendered to our rescue some time ago by a kindly but overwhelmed individual who was left with Hugo by a somewhat less kindly individual who did not return for their dog. I mean, it's not like he could have been overlooked - Hugo is is a very tall, solid fella and he is no retiring violet so you can't really miss him. You'd notice if he was gone. Which is actually one of the things we've worked hard on during his stay with TDBCR - his tendency to, you know, just GO. Hugo didn't get a lot of structure previous to his temporary owner, and the person before that didn't exactly spare the rod, so Hugo didn't think people were really all that awesome and didn't see why he had to listen to them in the first place. We had some work to do with Hughie Phooey before we could make him available for adoption.

His first quirk is that Hugo identifies as a Freight Train, or possibly as a team of oxen in harness, and walking him was a nightmare. Have I mentioned he is not a small dog? His singular goal in life was, apparently, to take his foster home out by throwing himself against the leash. He has improved a lot, like a lot, but if you're a diminutive little thing, he's basically going to treat you like a kite (get as much sp*ed as he can to send you as high aloft as he can) so maybe start some resistance training before applying for Hugo. He now walks mostly nicely on a halti, which is not our favourite tool but needs must at all that.

One of the main reasons that Hugo needed to learn not to drag his naked monkey all over the damn planet is that Hugo has this little thing where he is sorta conflicted with people in general. He really really wants to meet people and then he really really wants them to not touch or acknowledge him in any way (elephant in the room anyone??). It is important to note that, as any of you that have followed us over the last 25 years will know, that we believe very strongly in full disclosure and we don't release dogs for adoption until we are confident we understand them and their needs - Hugo is conflicted about people, but he is not aggressive to people. He has never put teeth on anyone. But he sometimes puts on a bit of a display - nothing that would get him into a David Attenborough documentary, but he does bluff his way into making you think maybe his mother canoodled with a malinois somewhere along the line. He does best meeting people who understand dogs, and don't try and get into his face. Once he has (loudly) made his feelings known and gotten a good sniff, he's generally quite neutral about strangers, though he is least comfortable with tall men. Maybe he was tired of being recruited to the local basketball team.

So Hugo is a great choice if you're into backcountry hiking and less of a good choice if you live in Yaletown and host parties with The Grizzlies as guests.

Hugo has a similar but different conflict with other dogs - different in that he LOVES other dogs, similar in that his communication skills with dogs is also utter garbage. He currently lives with two other dogs who, if they had their own bank accounts, would pay you to take him away yesterday. Hugo wants to play with other dogs in the worst way, but he is a big dog and he plays RUFF. And when another dog doesn't appreciate his play style, Hugo gets offended. He doesn't read other dogs very well, and when he turns into Huffy Hugo he starts spats. Instead of "takin' a tellin'" as grandad used to say, Hugo takes offense and then takes the offence. It has taken some work and patience, but Hugo now coexists with the other dogs in his home without any real issue, and could easily learn to coexist with the right dog in a new home, but he's not a very good dog park candidate because he still has garbage dog-dog skills when there is conflict.

Hugo just has a low level all around anxiety that informs some of the ways he behaves, which includes his sometimes seeming reluctance to learn new behaviours. He is not stupid, nor is he stubborn, but he is one of those unfortunate dogs that did not get the benefit of positive reinforcement in his early life, and he doesn't understand why working for your human is fun. Impatient people will hate him, people who are all "son of a b***h, I'm in!" about training a challenge will loooooove him. We've been lead to believe that Hugo's first person was the impatient type and offering behaviours resulted in punishment, so Hugo learned not to offer them. It is actually a testament to his fundamentally basically good temperament that he turned out as good as he did, as a dog with a sketchier temperament would be a lot more problematic.

Huge-O has a touch of separation anxiety - when he loves his human he really, really loves his human and wants to follow them anywhere. It's not so bad that you can't leave him at home to go grocery shopping, but it's bad enough you don't want to leave a blanket in his crate, as he will eat it. Like chew and swallow it. Your vet will love you and the payments you'll be making on his new Tesla. Again, living with the right dog will help him out in this regard as when he is occupied with another dog, he has less time for his mind to wander to scary places. But it has to be the right dog, because the wrong dog will result in fights (though again, he is getting much better as he matures and interacts with dogs with better communication skills than him)

And while Hugo really really loves his human and will follow them from room to room if given the opportunity, Hugo really really loves squirrels and rabbits and other bite sizes snacks on legs, and then he forgets he loves his human. What human. This is a great way to get rid of Hugo if you're tired of him, as he will chase little critters into the next province, but you probably shouldn't bring him home to your collections of tabby cats. We have not tested him with cats, because we like our cats and we don't want to.

Because he loves chasing small things, he's probably be an excellent candidate for Sprinter or other lure type events.

Because he is weird about people he doesn't know, he's probably a poor candidate for a home with children, so we're going to say No Kids for this fella.

At home, when play time and rabbit chasing time is over, Hugo loves nothing more than to turn into a big weighted blanket and drape his lanky self all over his person. He is very affectionate.

Hugo is located in the South Surrey area of BC, Canada. He is neutered and up to date on all the things. We do not ship our dogs sight unseen, so please don't ask. Hugo's preferred home is one that can offer him creative outlets for his energy and not rely on the free-for-all-brawl that is a dogpark to get his ya-yas out. He'd love to go hiking, keep your yard free of bunnies, maybe try agility, DEFINITELY loves to play fetch in a securely fenced space and cuddle up to watch the next episode of The Last Of Us with you tonight. If you are interested in Hugo, please EMAIL US at [email protected] (FB is inconsistent at best at informing us we have messages) and tell us why you think you and Huggie Hugo are a love match.

01/03/2023

These border collies (or mixes) are in Kitimat, NOT in the care of TDBCR. Please contact the shelter directly!

09/17/2022

Border Collie mix puppies available at the Prince George Humane Society - apparently they're great little sport candidates.

**they are not in the care of TDBCR, please don't message us about them. Contact PGHS**

https://fb.watch/fB0WNZxaMB/

08/03/2022

THIS IS A COURTESY POST - TDBCR makes no claims as to the accuracy of the description contained herein. We strongly recommend interested parties do their due diligence when considering adoption of said dog, and all agreements exclude TDBCR and TDBCR bears no responsibility or liability for any activities that ensue from such an agreement.

Please do not contact us about Angus, use the contact information at the end of the post.

Angus is a 7 ½ year old neutered rough coat black and white Border Collie. He is available for re-homing due to personal circumstances of his owner.
He is a lovely and smart dog with excellent house manners, a large vocabulary, and is very affectionate. He loves getting pets from all of his adoring fans, but being a big happy boy, he may be too much for young children. And being a typical BC loves to play ball (no surprise there).
He is friendly/neutral with other dogs off leash, but does have arousal issues around other dogs on leash. This behavior is in no way aggressive, but years of allowing him to be over excited and frustrated on leash has cause him to bark and lunge towards selective dogs. I believe this can be easily managed with a strong handler and some training.
Angus loves sheep herding, and comes regularly for a lesson. He is fully trained with voice commands and a whistles. He can outrun, fetch, drive, shed, and pen. He would be great as a small acreage farm dog, or someone looking to get into the sport with a trained dog.
If you are interested in Angus, or have any questions you can contact me at [email protected]

07/14/2022

Hey Quincy you're so fine, you're so fine you'll blow their minds, hey Quincy!

Name: Quincy (OBVZ)
Breed: Single breed border collie, unregistered.
S*x: He doesn't get any, as he's neutered.
Age: 19 months.
Location: Prince George, BC

QUINCY is a young adult male bc with a spring in his step, and he takes many many steps as he is a busy guy with lots of energy. He LOVES cats the way I LOVE bacon - if I see it, I will do my best to eat it. If it tries to run away, I will chase it down and try to eat it. In case this is not clear, Quincy and cats are a NO-GO. Quincy was adopted by his foster home when he was about 8 months old and over the last year has developed a taste for cats that is unhealthy for him and super duper unhealthy for the cats in his home. They can get away from him inside where there are safe places, but outside, he's faster than they are and you can guess what happens next. So from the very outset, to save you time, and save us time, and save cats from Quincy, we absolutely will not place him in a home where cats exist, period, full stop.

Feline appetites aside, Quincy is actually a great dog. He is very dog social and puppy-safe. He is fantastic with adult humans, because all of them are GREAT and he loves to meet each and every one of them. We don't know how he is with young children, because we like kids about as much as we like things that keep us away from bacon - and honestly, given that he chases little things that act weird, which applies to both cats and little kids, he's probably best suited for an adult home.

Quincy is a quick study - if you sent him to law school, he'd probably be able to draft a good legal case for why he should be allowed to eat cats. He knows all his basics in obedience and manners and has a very solid recall. He is crate trained, housebroken, trustworthy off leash (sans cats) and an all around nice guy.

When we look into our crystal ball we envision a nice sporty home for Quincy because he is a very athletic and well put-together dog, with great structure and a nice jumping style. He has some foundational training in agility and would love to kick some butt in the ring. Given his propensity for chasing, he might be good at Sprinter or other chase-the-plastic-bag-bunny sports. He is also an all around solid fellow for hiking, and other outdoorsy activities.

Quincy is in Prince George with the home that we thought would be his forever home, and his home is very sad to have to part with him...you'll have to go collect him from Prince George, and you can expect some tears from his mom and possibly a hysterical slap in the face as you try to load him in your car. But that's okay, because we're going to make sure someone films it, put it on tiktok and monetize it to raise funds for rescue. KIDDING.

Maybe.

If you are looking for a pocket rocket, Quincy is not it - he's a big solid guy, well over 21" at the shoulder and he still has a little filling out to do. That means you can escape the evil, competitive, ridiculously fast 20" division in agility (me and my 19" dog are not bitter, shut up) and smoke all those lanky Koolies and stuff in the 24" category. He was raised with crate games, loves to tug and releases when asked and thinks the car is the BEST THING EVER ... but he does show some interest in moving cars when he is not actively inside of one, so this is something that will need to be nipped in the bud before it turns into full-blown cat style obsession. There isn't a lot of traffic where he lives now to work on it consistently.

Quincy's nickname in training class is Happy Guy, because that's what he is - a happy, sweet, fun, busy dog who really loves working for his human. He's ready for a new human and the cats in his current home are SO READY for him to eff right off.

Again, Quincy is located in Prince George, BC. We do not ship our dogs sight unseen. If you are a feline-free entity and ready for big loving guy, please EMAIL US at [email protected]

06/21/2022

GUUUUYS!

Thank you for your shares! We have now successfully found foster homes for all the dogs in our last post (and the guy in the upper right is in a foster-to-adopt with one of my friends!). That includes this girlie who didn't make it into the poster, but also needed somewhere to go. THANK YOU!

Keep an eye out in coming weeks for these guys and gals to be posted when they're ready to look for their furever fiefdoms, I mean homes.

06/18/2022

These are a few of the dogs we've been asked to take into rescue THIS WEEK. Like in the last 7 days (and if you are waiting for a reply from us, it's coming - we're just a little overwhelmed with asks). We'd like to help, but we can't do it without volunteer foster homes.

IF you are in the BC Lower Mainland (please, don't use this as a platform to whine about how you want to help from Fort St John - our partner vets are here, our volunteer network is here, the dogs need to be here too) and IF you are not looking to "try on dogs for size" and IF you want to make a difference in the life of a dog in need by fostering it, training it and letting it go to another home, please EMAIL us at [email protected] and tell us something about yourself.

06/17/2022

Hey guys - let's talk about invisible fences and fences in general for a hot second.

First of all - the whole "rescues don't adopt to people without fences" concept. This may be true...for some rescues. It may surprise you to learn that "rescue" is not a single organism from the Upside Down with a bunch of slimy, evil tentacles branched out across the world preventing good owners from getting their hands on dogs. Rescues are all run by individuals with their own free will and their own agendas/morals/ethics/beliefs. Some are great, some are good, some are bad, some are downright hilarious (*pops cuffs*). But all of us are operating independently of one another. Some rescues believe that fences are a MUST for owning a dog. Some of us don't.

Also some rescue DOGS need fences and some do not.

Here's the thing about fences - a good fence will keep your dog safe, contained and with you where they belong.

Here's the thing about not having a fence and relying on your relationship with your dog - a good relationship will keep your dog safe, contained and with you where they belong.

There is no denying that a good fenced yard is a damn handy thing to have. It's my favourite thing to have when it's dark, cold, raining and I don't feel like going outside to p*e with the four leggers in my home. But a fence is not a substitute for being with your dog on a regular basis and doing stuff and things WITH your dog, and an awful lot of people use fences for that very reason.

We don't hinge any adoption decision on a fence, UNLESS the dog in question needs a secure fence, and some do. Some dogs have a learned habit of roaming or sneaking off, or chasing cars or never having learned a decent recall. These dogs need a safe space to get their yayas out with a physical barrier that stops them from getting squashed flat by your neighbour's Honda. No question that every dog is a different, a philosophy that we operate on here at TDBCR, and we try to choose homes based on the dogs' individual needs. We find homes for dogs, we don't find dogs for homes. It's worked for us for 23 years.

Now let's talk invisible fences. Some of you raised some good points about the negatives of invisible fences - they only keep your dog in, they don't keep anything else out. If that thing it's not keeping out is a hungry coyote or the 120 lb nasty ass dog down the street that keeps escaping his yard, your dog is in big ole trouble. If that thing is a highly chaseable bunny rabbit, your dog just might have enough of a chasing high to brave the shock to chase that bunny and still get squashed by your neighbour's Honda. Or, more scientifically speaking, if the reward is greater than the punishment, the dog may take the punishment to get the reward - and guaranteed that same dog will not accept that punishment twice to return home through the invisible shock, and now you have a lost dog.

And if the thing invisible fences don't keep out is some lowlife driving by that has a hankering for a border collie of his very own - what's gonna happen is we're going to see your dog posted on Missing Pets in BC with you pleading for the return of your tuxedo dog.

But the OTHER thing about the invisible fence is that border collies are a highly superstitious breed. They like things that make sense, and getting shocked doesn't make a lot of sense to them. I have met more than one border collie scared of its own yard because the yard shocks them and now they're scared of their yard. My oldest border collie lived with a ceiling fan for a whole year before he noticed it when he tipped his head back to catch a piece of popcorn, and for weeks he was terrified of the Monster On the Ceiling That Was In The Living Room, so guess what else he was scared of - the whole living room.

If a rescue denies your application because you don't have a fence, there may be a few things going on there; that rescue might really believe that dogs need fences, end of story. That's usually because that's their experience with their dog(s) and they can't even imagine that someone could own a dog without a fenced yard. That rescue might believe or know that the dog you applied for needs a safe space with a physical barrier. That rescue might think you're a bad match for that dog, and is using a universally common excuse to deny you rather than get into a battle with you about why you're a bad match (and believe me, as someone who prefers honesty to excuses, I do understand why it's easier to not be honest, because a heck of a lot of people don't like it when you are). But here's the great thing - there's always another rescue and another rescue dog.

When I wanted to adopt an Italian Greyhound, Italian Greyhound rescue declined to adopt to me because, they said, IGs like other sighthounds, they don't like "big hairy dogs" (sorry Afghans, you're banned for life from the Sighthound Club). They probably said this because they'd only ever had skinny nekkid dogs and imagined this to be true. Or maybe they said it because they thought I already had plenty of dogs and didn't need another one. But you know what? That's okay - those IGs belonged to them and not me, and they can place them as they see fit. So I kept looking and I found my IG in a shelter and for 9 years she has been the best (and evilest, pissing-in-the-house-ist, naughtiest) IG ever in my home, snuggled up to the Big Hairy Dogs. I didn't take it personally. There's always another dog that will need what I have to offer (ie my soul, my entire paycheque, my sanity).

So. You were denied for not having a fence. Okay. That is okay. Those aren't your dogs. Look for another one! Talk to other rescues. Be patient. You'll find your dog to adopt. But when you do, remember - fences don't exercise border collies. People exercise border collies.

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Lucy G Dawg is in her foster-to-adopt home. Unfortunately it doesn't look like she's fitting in with the resident terriorist* :( (*Obviously I'm kidding, the little Landshark is DELIGHTED to have a fellow teeth gnasher to face off with) Thanks for all the love and shares! 🥰