Weekly Interview
08 May 2008: This week's interview: Lily Beth - a Border Collie mix saved at the last minute!!!
BW: Hello Lily Beth.
LB: It's good to be here. Believe me.
BW: So, tell us your story. You were at the Nevins Farm MSPCA shelter in Methuen Mass. for quite some time, right?
LB: Yes; Several months ago, my owner lost his job and then couldn't afford to keep me. That was a pretty tough break after 8 years with him.
BW: Woof (ouch). And then things went from worse to worser?
LB: Yes. You see, most people think "a dog is a dog". While it is true that every dog has his day, I can assure you that all dog breeds are NOT alike. For example, some dogs are real docile and are great in apartments or small yards; but a Border Collie like me needs a LOT of room to run around, and I need that several times a day.
BW: You know, that's a really important point you raise. All breeds are certainly NOT alike, and people really need to get that message when they're shopping for a dog. Please, continue.
LB: Woof (thanks). So, being at the Nevins Farm shelter - while it is a GREAT place, and saves hundreds of dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, ferrets, and more every year - is really no place for a dog like me. I need to run, run, run, all the time. So, after a couple of weeks, I started to get really messe up by being in a cage most of the day. Sure, I got walks, but most of the time, that was on-leash. Thank goodness there were some volunteers that understood about Borders, and took me out sometimes to run in the big fenced area.
BW: But that was just the start of your behavioral issues, correct?
LB: Woof (yeah). You see, aside from being incredibly athletic, Border Collies are also pretty smart. So we need a job to do, like take care of the sheep (which is what we've been bred to do for hundreds of years) or take care of the house or do agility or SOMETHING. But just sitting there in my cage, I started to go crazy.
I developed some behavioral problems, and although I have a HUGE heart full of love, I started to feel like nobody wanted me, and I started to not let people pet me, and I got scared of people.
BW: There's a saying about smarter dogs like Borders, Shelties, and Poodles: "If you don't give them a job, they'll make one up for themselves."
LB: That's exactly right. But being alone in a cage all day, I didn't have ANYTHING to do - I couldn't even make up a job. It just made me so sad. I REALLY needed some professional obedience training, which I should have had when I was a puppy. One nice person at Nevins was able to tech me to sit and stay, and that helped, but I really needed an owner to work with me all the time. Anyhow, it was too little too late, and after a while, the folks at Nevins farm figured that I had become unadoptable. In fact, they had decided that they weren't going to be able to take care of me anymore...
BW: You mean...
LB: That's right. The Big Sleep. Hillside Acres. The Last Waltz. It was close to Curtains for me.
BW: So tell the folks out there what happened.
LB: Well, first of all, as you know, the folks at Boston Wag mobilized their emergency network. In fact, Boston Wag was able to find 2 foster homes for me.
BW: And then...
LB: A miracle occured. Before I had to go to a foster home, Nevins Farm found a new owner for me. It's a wonderful person who is a runner and had trained a dog or two before, and understood about Border Collies. Boston Wag got the phone call they were hoping for - that I was saved.
BW: We'll never, ever, forget that call, and we'll never forget you Lily Beth!
LB: I really want to thank Navins Farm for saving me, all the people who understood about Border Collies, and the folks at Boston Wag for finding me a foster home in case I needed one. And I really want to thank my new owner for ultimately saving my life! Woof! (Life's great!).
BW: Woof! (back at you!). And to all our readers out there - remember - all breeds are different - make sure you can handle an energetic dog and that you have a big fenced yard before you choose a pet like a Border Collie or Sheltie. Also, PLEASE train your dog at a professional obedience school and work with your pooch on a DAILY basis. Puppy dogs want a job - give them one as their master. Thanks!!!
INTERVIEW ARCHIVES:
The Sasha Bear interview on Masticular Myositis
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