PUPPIES!!

NO! They are NOT mine :)

I went to look at a Border Collie litter and a Maremma litter today. Ever since Buddy died this past summer from cancer I've been looking to replace him with another cattle dog of some sort. We've had Australian Cattle Dogs aka "Blue Heelers" around here, Border Collies and an English Shepherd. We had a litter of Blue Heelers when I was very young (like 4 or 5) and we kept back one of those pups after the mother died a day or so after birth. Traumatized was the word. I never want to go through that ordeal again so these dogs would be spayed/neutuered when the time comes!

There are two girls available in this litter with the others spoken for. One looks just like our last BC named Sammy. The one with the more white looks like Sammy's littermate Skippy that my Grandpa and Grandma on my Mother's side got the same time we got Sammy. (My dad got her as a 'Father's Day gift from his in-laws).The more white female above. The black/white female below in the next three photos:



So this would be my father's dog, one that would work the cattle and has the instinct and herding background (barents are ABCCA registered and only have herding parents and grandparents and greatgrandparents...so kinda proven ;) ). Its amazing what 2 people and a 4-wheeler CANNOT do!

Even though I did have Ell and Sadie working cattle yesterday due to a gate that was left open (not by me!) I feel we need a full time dog around to be able to let us know when the cows are out or move them when we need them or bring them up to use instead of us chasing them like fools yelling and screaming :)

Its up to my dad as I was just the messenger....... And the best thing is the parents are CERF'ed and OFA hips are both GOOD! Even though she will just be a 'pet' and not a 'brood' its still nice to know that this family cares enough for the health of the dogs to do minimal health tests.

Also of note: The family does fly ball with the border collies and some obedience and agility! Mostly UKC or NADAC as the dogs are not AKC registerable. She told me there is a HUGE battle for the breed between AKC and ABCCA. Seems like there is always fights in every breed or species LOL.

Above is a 'family' photo. The mother and father of the litter are in there as well as the 'pick' puppy out of the last two litters. Family Bonding it looks like to me!
Here is the family. The female daughter is Maggie I believe and on the left. Her mother is standing and I think her name is Ellie. The sire is Chase (or Chance) and he is a smooth coat. The son is the gorgeous red male on the right. I absolutely love his look and his personality (and all of them) were to die for! And they weren't WIRED like some of the BC that I have seen at the agility trials, but much more mellow, knew when work was needed and rarely barked. My kind of dog :)