Volánt BCs

09/05/2024

With the removal of Wren as a breeding candidate, I have no breeding plans for the immediate future. Therefore I am taking down my website, it isn't worth paying and maintaining it with no current plans in place. My only real goal in breeding is to breed for myself anyway, and so I will always be picky and breed at a low frequency.

It is possible I may breed Maeve in 2-4 years but she's still just a pup at 10 months old. I may also acquire a male pup at some point just because our house feels odd without a fluffy boy dog around. I will keep this page up and running with occasional updates to plans and dogs.

Star is currently with a local positive trainer who will help her find an active pet home. Everyone else is here and healthy at the moment!

12/04/2024

Wren's vaccine lump was benign! Just a random encapsulation at the vaccination site.

I've made the tentative decision not to breed Wren. She is still displaying occasional spook reactions to strangers at trials. Nothing horrible, but a big spook is not what I am looking for in breeding dogs, even if she can recover and run fine. I also have a small suspicion she may have very mild seasonal allergies (investigating with our vet next week). I absolutely adore this dog, but she has many relatives on both sides of her pedigree out there and I will hopefully be pursuing something along those lines going forward.

Maeve is now 9 months old and doing fantastic, her temperament and structure are awesome, she is keen and looking good on sheep at her intro a few weeks ago, and she is smart, biddable, driven, and a little bit soft to train. This is the exact combo I like - I avoid hard-headed dogs. So pending her growing up, health testing, proving etc she may be bred in a few years.

I also do still have a few frozen semen doses from Strafe. I am currently sitting on those to make sure no other major genetic health issues pop up in his offspring as they continue to age. It is not for sale but I might consider allowing it to be used to the absolute perfect female in exchange for a puppy back.

Pictured: Strafe in Budapest in 2014. He was the absolute perfect traveling companion. We used to joke that he was the ESA for the other agility dogs.

15/02/2024

In just 3 UKI trials these two have accomplished a lot!

Kite: International Senior Dog title, Speedstakes Novice title, finished all 16 Qs including the "double Q" for the US Open Round 2 National Bye, and won two Masters Series Byes. She qualified in 8 out of 9 classes at her last trial.

Wren: International Novice Dog title, Speedstakes Novice title, Masters Series bye, more consistent dogwalk striding, and finally learned to do her weaves in a trial setting. She is not finished her Round 2 bye but she has hardly any trial experience before this so I knew she would take longer.

Now we are on a short break because Wren had to have a vaccine reaction lump removed; odds are it is just a cyst or something similar but we chose to remove it just in case. (I don't *believe* this is a genetic/heritable issue so unless she has more reactions to other things I'm not too worried about this in consideration of possible future breeding; that decision will be made based on other things.)

Here's Kite winning Masters Series Agility

21/01/2024

It's been really fun to get back into the agility ring with Kite, and she's already got 10 out of 16 UKI Qs needed to earn her bye into Nationals Round 2, a long with a Masters Series bye as well.
She's really enjoying running at 16" Select and has been staying sound!

Wren has also started showing regularly and while she has lots to learn still, she has earned a few Qs and a Masters Series bye as well. I moved her into 22" because it's a smaller class and I want to use 2024 for experience and mileage for her, we are not trying for any teams yet. (Plus she's 21" tall and jumps it very easily)

Maeve is 6.5 months and growing up fabulously! I've been sending her to a local trainer for positive socialization and trips to stores and other public places since I'm often busy and don't make time.

As a reminder, we have zero breeding plans for 2024. This is a competition year! Kite deserves to be the focus finally after all her time off, and Wren needs to get out into the world, after which I can decide if I want to breed her or not.

19/12/2023

Love this fantastic picture of Middy from the US Open! Middy is from our co-bred litter with Grand Oakes, and is Wren's littermate sister (Kite x Sweep 2021)

12/12/2023

A few clips of Wren working on sheep from a few weeks ago. She's competed in ProNovice once and hopefully will get to try again in the spring now that we have deeper lifts and are ironing out our driving. And if we actually get enough practice time maybe we will try our hand at Nursery before she ages out!

The next few weeks we have some agility trials - Wren's running dogwalk is definitely not ready but it's time to get and Kite out and start chipping away at US Open byes!

09/11/2023

Some photos of Wren working sheep at Magnolia Ridge Farm a few weeks ago.

09/11/2023

Gearing up to judge at the US Open but realized I never properly introduced Maeve! Officially MRF Mavis, bred by Alicia Lund of Magnolia Ridge Farm. Both her parents are Open sheepdogs, and she is related to both Star and Wren, as well as some other fabulous working and sport dogs. Maeve is 4 months old and so far looking fantastic, with great structure, drive, and temperament.

My goals for Maeve are similar to Wren's; to compete in agility and sheepdog trials! Timing wise I hope that she is ready to compete by the time Kite retires.

And maybe if everything goes perfectly she could have a litter or two.

02/10/2023

3 out of 4 pups from Kite x Sweep have now done final OFA x-rays!

Middy: Hips Good, Elbows/Shoulders Normal, Patellas Normal

Kestrel: Hips Good, Elbows Normal (shoulders not tested but he's had no issues)

Wren: Hips Good, Elbows/Shoulders Normal. I also had the vet check her patellas under sedation and they were normal but didn't send to OFA. No LTV.

**This litter was co-bred with Julie Oakes and is under her kennel name but I made the breeding decision and own Kite and Wren so obviously I'm very invested:)

10/08/2023

Another long update post!

In late July Kite and Wren ran at a UKI trial and both held up physically and did well. Kite will be staying at 16" but she was very excited to run again!

In herding: back in May Wren earned her HXAs title (AKC Advanced A course, sheep - we skipped the lower levels in AKC). This past weekend in August was our 2nd trial, and she earned two 1st places, both for 4 point majors, which means she has 8 out of 15 points towards her HC Herding Champion title. The title also requires two 1st places, one of which must be a major - Wren met that requirement right out of the gate in her first two tries!

Next week we head down to SC to run at a USBCHA arena trial, in ProNovice and Nursery.

Then at the beginning of September, a new face will be joining our crew! Puppy is related to both Wren (via Sweep) and Star (via Maid), from lines and dogs I really like. Also in September, Wren goes in for Final OFA x-rays. Her prelims were Good/Normal so just hoping everything stayed as it was.

Star has continued to look sound with regular exercise so in another month or two we may try some more herding with her.

10/07/2023

I have updated my website. Not much of a breeder with nothing planned for minimum 2-3 years but such is life!

I MAY consider letting Star go a lower impact home. If anyone knows a good home whose priority is obedience, rally, nosework, or hiking, feel free to put them in touch. For now she is fine here, we are doing what we can to increase her muscle and try to help the nerves heal. She is only 13 months old, around 19" and 28lbs, and otherwise healthy. If she stays we will still try some sheep herding in the fall.

Home page of Volant Border Collies, a breeder from Maryland, USA. Occasional breeder of border collies for sport.

04/07/2023

Well, it hasn't been a great month here.

A few weeks ago we discovered Strafe had hemangiosarcoma and chose to let him go. I was convinced he had years left and so it was a heartbreaking decision.

Then this week we discovered that Star has a luxating patella and some lingering nerve damage from the broken leg. Right now she is not symptomatic other than a slightly odd gait at a walk(I had noticed she had trouble pushing upwards for jumps at low speeds). She will be spayed because we can't prove her in any meaningful sports.

Wren had a mild iliopsoas injury in May but is back to full activity now. She is a sensitive sort in some ways, but she's also smart, well built, naturally talented at both sports I enjoy, and the sweetest dog I've ever owned.

20/05/2023

Finally got the entire 5 pack in one photo! (L to R, Strafe, Kite, Wren, Star, Ru)
Another check in post.
I don't have any concrete plans for breeding currently. First possibility would be late 2024/first half 2025.

-Strafe is over 12.5 and doing well for an old man.
-Kite is finally sound! off leash restrictions, and beginning to get back in shape. Her competition future is uncertain because I am paranoid about all her time off, injuries and illness, however she wants to do SOMETHING so we may come back in 16" and just not train a lot.
-Ru is still Ru. I ran her in our UKI trial a month ago and she took a tumble and it made me too worried about running her, with her flat feet and lack of proper muscle, so she is officially fully retired from sports. She likes to run in the fields and stalk cats.
-Wren is doing well, she is almost 22 months old. We went to our first AKC Herding trial and she earned her HXAs (A course Advanced Sheep) title in 3 tries with placements in each. Currently she seems to have a very mild iliopsoas strain so she's on rest for a couple weeks, but we are aiming for USBCHA ProNovice and some more UKI in the summer.
-Star is turning a year old in a few more days, she is currently in heat for the first time. She is started in agility, and keen but not really started on sheep yet due to maturity level. I think she is going to be a very fun little dog. She is our next possibility for breeding at this point, but likely not till she's around 2.5 to 3yrs at earliest, so in 1.5 to 2 years from now. Pending, of course, mature temperament, proving in various sports, and OFA testing.
(Update 7/2023 Star will be spayed)

We may be getting dog #6 later this year. Details later if anything is confirmed ;)

07/02/2023

Wren made her agility trial debut! She is a bit more tentative and careful than her mother was, and also a little bit nervous about the busy trial environment, but she did great and picked up a few Q's in Novice UKI and AKC. She even started squealing on the start line as I was leading out, making me laugh.

Wren has grown into the sweetest dog. She's physically talented at agility but starts things cautiously, adding speed with confidence. On sheep she is very talented and her only limit will probably be myself. I realize everyone says that, but I really think it's true;)

Wren is from our 2021 co-bred litter (with Grand Oakes) of G.O. Kite x Moel Sweep.
At this time I don't plan to breed her, but she is intact and plans may change.