Beardies

Where would we be without our little dogs?  In many cases…sad and lonely.  I’m referring to dogs,  but this applies to all pets…cats, birds, fish and in one case that I know of…bunnies.

We have had four dogs, all Bearded Collies (Beardies).  I  find that most people stick with a breed they know.  If they’ve had a Labrador in the past,  chances are they will usually get another one. This is also true with us.

Although all of our dogs have looked similar, their personalities couldn’t have been more different.  Bonnie was our first Beardie.   Her breeder had kept her in hopes of “showing” her,  but it was determined that she wasn’t the best show dog!  We got her when she was 2 and I don’t think she ever really became “our” dog.  She missed her life on the farm with all the other dogs and animals the breeder had.  Our second dog, Maggie (fawn colouring), also came to us from her breeder.  She was returned after her original owners found her to be too much work for them and their young family.  Unfortunately, Maggie came with a lot of baggage.  She had serious separation anxiety.  Thankfully I was able to bring her to work with me to help combat her insecurities,  but I have to say she really was a “work out”!!  Too smart for her own good,  Maggie found herself in difficult situations on many occasions.  Luckily for her, we loved her unconditionally and she lived a long and happy life.  After our experiences with getting adult dogs, we decided on a Beardie puppy, Lucie (brown like the picture above).  A good friend of mine,  who also wanted a puppy,  chose Lucie’s sister.   Since we worked together we were able to bring these two feisty, furballs to work every day.  They stayed in a penned area under a long table in the middle of the store happily playing for hours.   Even though Lucie’s sister moved to another province, she never forgot her favourite playmate.  Her excitement reached new heights on the occasions when these two were able to reunite.  Just the mention of her name sent Lucie into barking fits!!!  Lucie lived for over 16 years bringing us endless joy.  Now we have Chloe (“Blue” in colouring).  She is smaller (the runt of her litter) and much quieter than our other dogs but an absolute dream.  She was a little more mischievous than the other dogs were during the puppy stage chewing everything in sight.  Chloe especially liked the zippers on my sofa cushions!!! and the edges of the staircase.  As I write this she is curled up beside me happy to be close to the fire.

This is Chloe after a game of fetch in the backyard.  She had this silly thing about jumping on the patio table and looking at herself in a mirror on the fence!  Funny little dogs entertaining us for hours on end!  I have often said that if we didn’t have dogs my husband and I wouldn’t have anything to talk about!  Chloe is 8 now, healthy with hopefully many years ahead of her. She is a great traveller and will be making the third trip to La Jolla with us this Spring.  She is quite a novelty on the beach.  Most people there are not familiar with Beardies and she loves all the attention.

We have said that Chloe will be our last dog,  but I wonder.   I’m allergic to dogs, however, I can’t see us without a most treasured companion in our lives. When are we too old to have a dog?  What are your thoughts?  Do you have a special companion?

Bearded Collies are herding dogs originally from Scotland.  Their high energy, enthusiastic, bouncy personalities make excellent family pets.  Considered non-shedding but not necessarily hypoallergenic.

xxx Judy