Your favourite bits about your pastoral breed :) General Chat

Glad Cassie is feeling better Hope you get a good nights sleep tonight

I really do believe that having a dog enriches your life, they are always there for you and never fail to cheer you up no matter how miserable you feel

Yes she's a lot better, thanks all. Dodgy something, probably mucky puddle even though I carry fresh water

A couple of years ago, the "Main attraction" at our County Show was a dog agility team (can't remember the name, it was a quite well-known team, though). Not only was it a great display, but I was particularly interested in one of the dogs, a collie who was epileptic, doing some really wonderful things....as my Snorri-dog is epileptic too, I found it really reassuring to see what can be done, even by a dog with an affliction like epilepsy - there seemed to be nothing he couldn't do!

Snorri

Hi all Just thought I'd tell you about a little incident this morning. I was up on the green coz it was raining and couldn't get up the top on the bike, and we were playing with Louis an 18 month old rescue golden lab. Along comes Ben, the little 14 week old border collie on his lead. Came up to all of us and was jumping around all excited. The lady let him off and Louis the lab, was getting a bit out of hand careering around and jumping on Ben enough to make him squeal out. Cassie immediately pushed him to her left side and sat there waiting for Loui's next attack! Along he came charging at little Ben sitting by the side of her, and she told him off, he ignored it and pounced on the puppy again. Cassie went mad at him barking and telling him off in no uncertain terms, he barked back and snapped at her and everytime his jaws came at her she just moved her head back to avoid them but carried on at him. He eventually laid down in front of her whilst she sat down in front of him, then she walked back to us, only a yard or so away, but where the puppy was sitting. Next minute Louis started careering around again and made a b-line for the little puppy who was so scared this time coz he had already been hurt that he started running off down the green towards the road!!! The woman started running after him calling but he just kept going. I loudly yelled out in my high pitched "horse call" (the one I used to call my horse over with when I couldn't see him, and he always came!)the puppy heard this and stopped and turned around, luckily, coz he had got quite a long way away by then. The woman went up to him put him on the lead and went home! :-( I feel so sad that she took him home after what he had just been through with Louis as I'm sure he hurt him jumping on him like that, and what is the matter with the girl who owns Louis not to have at least told him off for his teenage behaviour and put him on his lead, she was going off the green anyway! I do hope this woman comes back coz my dogs adore little Ben, especially Cassie, Georgie can take him or leave him! Why are some people so unthoughtful! If it had been one of my dogs frightening this poor little puppy, I'm blooming sure I would have put them on a lead- instantly! Poor little thing, I feel awful, what if it had been run over coz there was quite a bit of traffic up at that end of the village going off to work at that time in the morning 7.00 am. :-( I don't know! :-( Tcht!

Know exactly how you feel Helen, some people are completely irresponsible. If Cassie gets carried away or misbehave, she's back on the lead in a flash! Hope your little Border Collie friend comes back

Aww the poor baby! well done to cassie though

Yes so do I Wufflehoon, he is a very handsome sweet little boy and he loves me, he comes running over to me and jumps up at my face coz I always get down on the floor to greet him! He's gorgeous.

Thanks Gems, I think Cassie would have made a wonderful mum, she is a very strict little madam, but is always looking to protect the innocent!

Awww, poor little puppy :-( How sweet of cassie to try to protect the pup though Your Cassie is such a good girl and I bet you are well proud of her

Had it been barney being a bit too boistrous I would have put him on his lead and told him off, not let him carry on!

Yes tj I really am proud of her and I know I will never, ever get such an intelligent wonderful dog like her ever again, she is almost human that dog!

I remember when she was friendly with a very young g.s.d. puppy we had at the stableyard, they would play and play together rolling around the yard whilst we were mucking our horses out. Another girl there had a 4 month old gordon setter. Anyway, one day the gsd puppy took a disliking to the gordon setter puppy and pinned him on the ground and started really attacking it. Well, the next morning, I was standing at the muck-heap chatting to a friend with the gordon setter who was playing with Cassie whilst we chatted. All of a sudden, the g.s.d. puppy appeared so Cassie looked over at him as he came charging over making a b-line for this Gordon setter that he'd attacked the day before. Do you know what my dog did?! She ran up to her mate, the g.s.d. and grabbed him with her mouth around his and just growled, very loudly and very looooooong, not moving her mouth at all, she just had it clamped in hers! Well, we didn't know what to do i was just about to shout at her, and the girl with the gordon setter said "no, leave her, she's telling him off coz he attacked her yesterday" Well, I didn't know that, nor did Cassie, but then HOW did she know he was going to attack it again??? I will never forget that. When the little gsd puppy laid down on the floor Cassie let him go and she had never made a mark on his face! This dog of mine is something else I can tell ya!! She is wonderful!

Sorry to hear you about what happened with the little puppy Helena. I would never let Brandie carry on like that, I would feel awful :-(
I hope the little thing gets over his shock and comes back to the green to play.

Cassie sounds amazing! You must be so proud of her. It just goes to show how clever dogs can be And how stupid some people can be :?

I hope you're feeling more cheery now

Thanks Brandie, you're so right about that, dogs are clever, some people who own them can be so stupid and thoughtless can't they! Poor little pup, I hope i see him tomorrow coz it will be raining again so I'll be up there.

My hubby has told me about a lovely new walk in the woods he found today nearby, so I am going in the car to check it out tomorrow without dogs of course, but he says it looks like a proper bridleway so I can use the bike and there's a big 5-bar gate at the entrance. He only saw it coz he was delivering a customer's car back and happened to notice it. My usual track will be very muddy and wet now and it just won't dry out this time of year, so I am desperate to find somewhere else. Wish me luck! Btw, won't be around now for a day or two, got builders in.

Did you see the puppy again? I hope he is ok now
How does the new walk look?

I am happy today because Brandie is in a good mood. She has been racing around having lots of fun, at the same time as being well behaved.

So that's another thing I love about pastoral breeds (although it's probably the same with all dogs ) , they can really cheer you up just by being themselves!

They sure can Brandiesnap. Have come home from work full of cold and fed up. That little black and white face meeting me at the door, tail wagging makes me smile no matter what

Hi Helen, wow, your Cassie really is amazing Can I have her please

Seriously though hun, she sounds like one in a million

Brandiesnap, there must be something in the air cos Barney's been a total loon today, running around or rather charging around and acting like a kangaroo Crazy dawg