WORKING BORDER COLLIE SHEEP DOGS
A friend of 9 months here on the farm left today with Sabine and Geoff to their horse farm in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. Sabine and Geoff lost their 13 month-old pup during a routine neutering operation this month. Devastated, they sought to rill and indescribable gap …and found Leif, one of the sweetest dogs I have ever bred.
Leif had never had never had a person of his own. Now he has found one…
All is going to be well in Leif’s new life.
The countdown to June 1 begins. 2 months and so much to organize as life takes a happy turn.
starting from 20-Mar-2021 [First Day of Spring]
4 month old, perfectly tempered and athletically gifted Drew (Nel x Blu) joins pre-med undergraduate Thomas at nearby Dartmouth College. Thomas hails from Los Angeles, a neuroscientist heading off to med school -with Drew- after he completes his undergraduate work.
Drew trades the fields of Thundering Paws Farm for Webster Ave, the Dartmouth Green and Hanover running paths. I could not have asked for a better person and home for my Drew. What a sweet life he is going to have! Thank you Thomas!!
A professional trainer that I sometimes recommend to new owners needing training assistance looked at the video and wrote this back to me. Way to go, Thomas!
At 4 months, the pups in the Nel x Blu litter of 10 are coming into their own. I am very impressed by this litter. Three are off to new homes. The remaining 7 are under development. It is going to be very tough not to keep them all.
This from Jeff Tiedrich’s column this morning.
“In December 2016 — before Donny was even inaugurated — Norwegian artist Christian Bloom created this political cartoon.
that was nine years ago. how f***ing prescient was Bloom?”
About half the females here are in or approaching or exiting their estrus cycle –that is to say ‘in season’. Nature synchronizes the female’s reproduction cycles. 2026 is a no-breeding-year. And yet, we are already dealing with ‘accidents’, seen and presumed. The urge to renew in dogs is strong –much stronger than in humans. Dogs will do just about anything to procreate.
One young female did THIS while I was away doing errands. Happily, the males were locked up in steel crates. That is 5/8 in plywood she tore and ate through!
When renewal is successful (and planned), it brings forth beauties like this…
16 week old Trey (Nel x Blu) joins Erin, Mark and their border collie, Rue, on their farm in Upstate New York. Erin is a former horse trainer. Mark is a medical doctor. They have owned border collies since 1993. Erin prepares fresh healthy meals for her collies. No more kibble for this pup. I’ll miss Trey, but he is going to have a great life! Trey was one of the four run-aways on Groundhog Day.
8 month old Jet coming into his own. This is what my #1 dog, Peter, produces! Better than his sire, thanks to James McCloskey’s Nel.
When you’re a Jet,
You’re the top cat in town,
You’re the gold-medal kid
With the heavyweight crown!
[West Side Story]
16-week-old Skye has been promoted to the adult kennel. She will join littermates Jac, Mindi and Nova, remaining on the farm. She was jumping all over me with excitement to have her own kennel, a heater and blankets.
Skye is the reason I keep my pups longer. She went from scattered to focused in week 16. She is showing ‘all the right stuff’. Some show early. However, it pays to wait to see who the pups were and are likely to become.
I have never retained so many pups, but this litter (Nel x Blu) is full of riches. Pups I would normally keep will go to new working homes.
Full up with super pups, I have no plans to breed more in 2026.
See him with Stephen Colbert on YouTube …censored by CBS to appease #1.
