Category: dogs

We had a little spring snowstorm today. The sun came out around 4PM and Bonnie and I went for a slog through the slush and streams and mud. Since I am still on the short run program I had the brilliant idea of letting her carry her pack for some additional exercise. This was the first time she’s worn it. (Doesn’t she look thrilled about it?) It was empty. You can’t tell in this photo, but we definitely need to do some fine-tuning of the fit. Hopefully this summer she can carry some of her own water and Hammer Gel. Yes really! Vanilla is her favorite flavor. We split a pouch when we are out more than 3 hours.

Warning: Be careful with dogs and sports drinks. A lot of energy drinks, including Hammer HEED, contain xylitol. This sugar-alcohol is extremely toxic to dogs. It triggers an insulin reaction. Even a single piece of gum can kill a dog in 30 minutes. It is in a lot of products because it has been shown to help prevent cavities in humans. Be careful what people food you share with your pup. Also dogs don’t sweat so they don’t need electrolyte replacement like people do and giving them unneeded electrolytes may make it more difficult for them to stay cool.

September 1991. I was moving from Brooklyn to Colorado. I had spent time researching dog breeds before I left New York and I knew I wanted a Border Collie.

When I walked into my sister’s house in Tulsa she said, “There’s an ad for Border Collie puppies in the paper.” So we called. The rancher did not want to let one of his puppies go to a non-working situation, but I convinced him I would give a dog lots of exercise and within an hour we were driving north to look at puppies.

Only the kids and the dogs and the cows were at the ranch when we arrived. There were four puppies left of a litter of nine; 2 females, Francis and Jessie, and 2 males. It was the mother’s first litter and the father was supposedly from Wales. I don’t know if they flew him over or if they used AI. : )

The boys sent the dogs to go get the cows which were out of sight over a ridge. All the puppies followed after their mom, but Jessie got about half way to the ridge and stopped and sat down for a look at those new people. I’ve always said she thought she could go get the cows any day, but those people were something different. Or maybe she was thirsty. After running back and checking us out she sat under a spigot to have a drink. : )

Well, I have to admit, though in retrospect if you’re getting Border Collie for a pet, a puppy that is more interested in people than cows is obviously a good choice, at the time I was thinking Francis, because she did what she was supposed to.

The mom and the other three puppies returned with the cows. When all the puppies were playing together it was clear that Francis was the least confident of the four. What’s more Jessie was spending a lot of time by my sister. : ) I think Jessie wanted to be her dog and her whole life Jessie seemed to have a special bond with my sister.

A few minutes later we were scrounging around my sister’s truck for $50 and off we went with a Border Collie puppy calmly sleeping in the back. Next stop softball game, where Jessie slept beside me on the bleachers.

After the game we were sitting in my sister’s living room. Jessie walks in from the kitchen and drops an empty Cool Whip bowl at our feet. It was her water bowl and she wanted more water. I don’t think I could train a dog to do that, but even at 5 months old she was figuring out ways to communicate with humans.