MWBCR Alumni Updates
 BoscoPosted February 2012 It's been about two years since Bosco has come into our home. Our expectations have been exceeded in terms of companionship and sport. His spirit has been extraordinary. What we've realized is pure love from a dog. We wondered about his previous owner, and what might be the meaning of his name. I mean, who would name a dog Bosco? To the best of our knowledge, Bosco is a cartoon character. ;And his behavior confirms the moniker. At age six he looks at me with beautiful eyes and a loving countenance, a little ditzy perhaps. When I scream "Here Boss", he comes running to my heel, awaiting my next command, looking for the next event, the next run outdoors, of which there are many. His responsive nature keeps me alert. I respond to his constant demands for attention, with something like, 'go get the ball', or, 'stay away from the kitty'. His companionship is one of an unusual measure of man and dog that cannot be measured. Tod |
 DieselTreasured Alumni Posted February 2011 Sadly missed by the MWBCR family and his forever family Toni and Scott M. |
 StriderPosted February 2011 Strider competed in his first Agility Competition in the Rush'N'Around NADAC Trial. We had a wonderful debut. The whole experience was new for him. Going through the weaves was a bit of a challenge on the dirt/rubber mulch mix the first time. Then he learned to collect his stride and figured out he can't blow though them like he does on turf and was great after that. We can sometimes have issues at class with him getting a little riled up and he can be a little to excited and vocal. This weekend we hardly heard a peep out of him. He was such a good boy. We even earned a Q and a 1st place in Weavers in our last run of the day. We had a bunch of other close attempts too as the weekend rolled on. We're so glad to have him. He's really a sweet boy that just loves all people. Lots of energy, but he isn't "ON" all the time. He definitely likes his cuddle time and is very happy sharing time/space with Rosie and me. We'll try to be better about posting updates as we go along. David and Rosie |
 WilliePosted January 2012
Every day we tell Willie how happy we are to have him be
a part of our family! He is now acclimated to the dog
park. He wasn't quite sure at first, but now he enjoys
his outings. He especially seems to like chasing the
dogs who are chasing balls. He sometimes has trouble
remembering "Come" when at the dog park. Like a typical
teenager he kind of tunes me out. There is so much
excitement! But we are working on it. And last week he
saw me near the exit and came right when I called him.
He goes to doggie day care once a week. They tell me
he does a great job and gets on well with the other
dogs. We love him!
Thanks to Midwest Border Collie Rescue for making it
possible!
Nancy S. and family
|
 Trek
Posted December 11 Trek has been with us one year today. Every morning he greets us with a bow and tears around the house in absolute joy. Trek has gained a tremendous amount of confidence in the last year, experiencing love, trust, freedom, and how fun life can truly be. He has also become an exceptional watchdog, always on high alert! Laurie, thank you for trusting and allowing us to adopt Trek. He is a terrific little boy, whom we love so very much. Susan |
 CowboyTreasured Alumni Posted December 11 Jim and I adopted Cowboy (formerly Dusty) in September 2004. Sadly, we lost him in October of this year (2011). He had been diagnosed with IMHA in August 2010. Almost a year to the day of his IMHA diagnosis, he was diagnosed with lymphoma and he lost his battle with lymphoma exactly six weeks later. Cowboy brought us so much joy and happiness in the seven years he was with us. During the last 13 months of his life, he went to work with me almost daily and it was amazing to watch how much he touched my co-workers. Our hearts are broken. Sharon and Jim |
 MiaPosted December 11 Mi-Mi had a great Christmas - lots of treats, bully sticks and a squeaky gingerbread man and a couple of Nina Ottesson puzzles. Our girl is growing up and trusting the world a bit more, getting really good at setting her boundaries with her 4-legged friends, and her confidence is growing .She still amazes me daily at the baby steps in her growth and we now play fetch on occasion, but I still believe she does it for me because it makes me happy, not so much because it's her joy. 2011 has been a huge growth year for Mia and we are so proud of her. She is such a beautiful girl. Diane |
 BeauPosted December 11 We have to tell you that Beau now has one more friend to play with. Last weekend we adopted a stray Border Collie and she (Lucy) is really attached to Beau. She looks up to him and tries to impress him by acting the same. She will follow him wherever he goes and loves playing outside with him. He finally has someone who gives him a real challenge at the Frisbee tug-o-war. We love having the guy in our family and he is really getting spoiled. |
 BoscoPosted November 11 It's been about a year and a half since Bosco has entered our lives. Adopted out of the blue, we did not know what to anticipate. I#39;d like to think we've done well by Bosco; and by him, us. The realization of the health and joy of his companionship has been more than my wife and I could have ever anticipated. For example, his attentions are regularly focused on the many balls dancing across the household floors. He chases balls nearly every walking hour, tossing them onto our laps to be retrieved, over and over and over again. But more worthy than bouncing balls on domestic floors are those on open fields. I take him for walks regularly to the neighborhood soccer fields. From my arm I swing a "Chuckit", the ball of which actually sings as it flies. Good for at least 50 yards, Bosco sprints to retrieve. And when he mouths the ball, he puts his head in the air, looks at me with a sense of accomplishment and glee, and sprints back for another round. Over and over. If only our living room were as big as those fields. Tod |
 GabbyPosted November 11 Our little Gabby (formerly Callie) came to us in the Fall of 2007. And boy has she been a handful! She has taught us a lot about dogs and is living proof that we don't always get what we want, but we get what we need! Dave & Anita |
 MekoPosted October 2011 Just wanted to thank you for the fun time at the Rendezvous last weekend. Meko had a good time seeing all of his friends from MWBCR. He is doing fantastic and proves every day to be a great ambassador for border collie rescue. Everyone who meets him, loves him! He loves learning new things and was a star pupil at his obedience class. And he discovered he actually liked water this summer by first trying out the “baby pool” and now his second most favorite thing is fetching sticks from the river at our second home in Northern Wisconsin. But nothing beats Frisbee even after dark when he plays with his glow in the dark Frisbee “up north”. Thanks so much for the best furry family member any one could have! Peter and Mary |
 TuckerPosted July 2011 I want you to be the first to know that I, Tuck, am a canine good citizen test. I still have a long way to go, because I am happily stubborn. However, I am making lots of progress. My loose leash walking is nearly perfect. I'm much better with 'off' . My 'stay' is improving and I even will drop 'down' (sometimes) exactly where I am told. Of course, I'm the same lovable Tuck, and I really don't understand why someone wants to tell me what to do. I hope you and my old pack are having a great summer. Tucker |
 Dot
Posted June 2011 Thought I would update you on Dot. She had a recheck with Dr Ridley and has gained back 5 cm in muscle mass on her left hind so now there is only a 1 cm difference between the two hind limbs. All of her hair has grown back. She does treadmill once weekly and is at 15.5 minutes at 3.6 mph with a 4 ounce weight on her hind limb, water at 12 1/2 inches. She improves at every session going longer and faster each time. She gets laser treatment once weekly. She loves Clark, the collie. They wrestle and play all the time. She is in obedience class and doing well. I can walk all three dogs together. Maggie, the Kelpie has taken on role of benevolent pack leader. She keeps the two clowns in line. I thought you might like to see a picture of the three of them. That is Maggie to the left, Clark in the middle, and of course Dot! Lynn |
 DexPosted June 2011 We brought Dex home on a Friday night. Saturday he discovered the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the back yard. He had his very own wide screen TV! Dex is always on squirrel patrol. He was pretty nervous in the beginning. He did quite a few laps around the living room and drooled excessively. But as time went by he acclimated quite nicely. He loves to ride in the car especially when we ride to the forest preserve! Dex loves to run and play fetch with his Frisbee or a tennis ball. He has learned to drop his toy at your feet. In addition, Dex will let you know what toy he wants to play with! Dex comes immediately when called. He still has to learn that the street is off limits. But that will come as summer arrives and we are out more. Dex has been a joy to our family. His energy and enthusiasm is tremendous. George and Dava |
 MeekaPosted May 2011 She is doing fabulous! We can trust her off leash in and around our yard and at a nearby park. She comes every single time. Finally, she shows no interest in cars going by our house anymore (because they go very slow as it is a parking lot). We are now working in other locations with cars going faster, which has proven to been a bit more of a challenge. We are finally able to practice agility in our backyard with this nice weather, and she is enjoying it quite a bit. We went up to Canada for a Susan Garrett seminar, and she did great! We learned a ton! And next month we will be working on her jumping skills with Susan Salo. Her picture is also going to be in a Patricia McConnell book soon, as you saw on Facebook. She is my super-star dog. Thanks again so much for giving us the opportunity to adopt & spend our lives with her. She is my heart dog. Shannon |
 RoofusTreasurer Alumni Posted April, 2011 It is with great sadness that I let you know that Roofus passed away yesterday. He had been going through some kidney issues which were thought to be old dog stuff, however, he suddenly died yesterday in his sleep, so we're now suspecting that he had cancer and a tumor bled out. Roofus was a shining star....bright, alert and always my master burglar alarm. No bird or mouse got on the property without being heralded by Roofus. He taught me so much about agility, and was my first "real" agility dog. He loved working and car rides, and if I couldn't find him in the house, he was usually in the garage sitting in the car, patiently waiting for a car ride. Thank you so much for letting me adopt him. I wish he would have had more years, but he did thoroughly enjoy being a Tennessee redneck. Cheryl |
 Mick
Posted March 2011 We went up north to Eagle River to visit Chris' parents, where it's still winter. We had such a fun visit - especially Mick. The pictures are from our hike around Whispering Lake - it was beautiful. Not sure if you can view the pictures of Chris and Mick running, but Mick's tongue is hanging out in 1 of them. We also went cross-country skiing one day. Chris and his dad are really good, so they were ahead of Chris' mom and myself on the trail. Mick was constantly running between the 4 of us, checking to make sure I was still coming from behind! He was pretty tuckered out that night Lori and Chris |