Chip is an 8.5 year old, neutered male, purebred border collie with papers. He is a very loving and affectionate dog who enjoys spending time with his people.

Chip has been great with all people that we have come in contact with, all ages, sizes, wearing hats, or not, etc. He was even fine with a group of kindergartners all wanting to pet him in a group. He does enjoy attention, petting, and of course, playing!

He loves to play fetch, enjoys keep away, and also really likes tug! He is a fan of most toys, not too picky in that regard! He enjoys the water - wading in to cool off, and possibly a bit of swimming. He also enjoys car rides, sitting up to watch the scenery go by, or lying down quietly for the trip.

For the most part, he is an easy guy to live with. However, his one area of difficulty is his intense interest in herding. Other than the livestock he got himself into trouble with at his recent home, this has been confined to other dogs. In fact, he spent time at another home with cows but he completely ignored them in favor of the other dogs!

He gets along fine with other dogs, but finds it very difficult to focus on his person when he is around them if they are moving or playing, because their motion sets him into intense herding mode. In fact, when out and about on leash, if he sees another dog he immediately does the border collie crouch and stare. Chip is actually great at meeting new and random dogs. As soon as he meets the other dog he's fine with it and wants to move on. Unless, that is, the other dogs are running and playing! Then he *must* obsessively herd them. What's nice in this situation is that we have been able to teach him to do his dog herding with a toy in his mouth. This makes his behavior much more acceptable to the other dogs, since without the toy, he's been known to dive in for some quick herding nips. Nothing aggressive, but certainly annoying to another dog.

On the other hand, he doesn't seem to chase bikes or kids, and while on occasion has wanted to chase a car, it doesn't seem to be all cars or all the time. It's been fairly infrequent, but still is a concern, since it is such a dangerous behavior.

Chip is great in the house; he is crate trained but really doesn't need to be crated once he knows the routine. He doesn't seem to have any separation anxiety, and handles his home alone time very well.

Chip's ideal home would be one where he was the only dog. He can live with other dogs, but because he gets so into herding them, it can often be annoying for the other dogs involved! So, it really just depends on the other dogs in the potential home.

He has lived successfully with cats in his foster home, showing them little to no interest after the initial introductions.Ê However, he very likely would chase a cat that ran, and therefore should only be considered for a home with very dog savvy cats (these are cats that understand the best way to deal with dogs is to never run from them.)

Chip will need a safe, fenced area in which to run and play on a regular basis. This doesn't have to be your yard, if you have an unfenced yard but have access to a secure place such as a good dog park or similar, this would be appropriate. (However, he needs work learning to come away from other active dogs and back to his person.) You would, of course, need to ensure he wasn't loose in an unfenced area where he could potentially get into a dangerous situation chasing livestock, deer, or an interesting vehicle.

Chip really just needs a loving home who will be able to work with him to meet his typical border collie needs of exercise and interaction. He'll repay that tenfold. He really is a goofy guy who will keep you smiling!

Chip's adopters will be required to bring him to an approved, positive reinforcement training class. He is being fostered in NY state, near the border of Southern VT.

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Marshall: Seeking new family with quiet lifestyle and lots of patience. Will get repaid with a sweet, sweet dog who is so much fun!

Yes, we know, he is quite a looker... but not for most families, so please read carefully before inquiring about him.

"Marsh" is a one year old boy who loves life! He enjoys fetching, wrestling with other dogs, herding other dogs, hiking, swimming, chewing on bones and snuggling in bed. But Marsh will require a very special home because he has a condition called Canine Compulsive Disorder. Like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in humans, dogs will engage in repetitive behaviors that do not appear to serve an obvious purpose. This began to manifest itself as fly-snapping when he was just 12 weeks old; the veterinarians who treat Marsh believe it is a neurological condition that is worsened by stress. This obsession later transferred to shadow/motion chasing. Marsh was well-cared for and loved, but when these behaviors became incompatible with his former owner's lifestyle, he was forced to relinquish Marshall to NEBCR.

Since February, Marsh has been on medication and a rehabilitation program in his foster home prescribed by a CCD specialist at Tufts. He has made SIGNIFICANT progress in his foster home but will likely always require some special modifications, medication and patience on the part of his owners. While all dogs do well with a structured routine in their life, Marsh thrives on it and when his schedule/environment changes his behavior suffers. We are looking for a home that will love Marsh just the way he is, and continue to work with him. We anticipate that he will just continue to improve, but can't say how much or when. His new family will need to understand his quirks, help mitigate stress and give him good opportunities, so he can lead the most normal life possible.

Marsh used to 'chase shadows' for most of his waking hours. He'd rarely make eye contact, play or rest. This behavior has decreased about 80% and he now spends most of his day doing normal dog things. Changes in routine such as visitors in the house, lots of motion from dogs or people, or certain lighting still cause him to 'shadow-chase'. This can look like him hitting the wall/floor with his teeth or muzzle, snapping in the air, barking, biting a toy, biting a table leg, biting the grass, or a holding a rug/mat/towel in his mouth staring at the wall or floor. Thankfully he now engages in much less of this than when he arrived. The fact that he showed such dramatic improvement in just 4 months in his foster home, leads us to believe that this will just improve more and more as he matures. At 13 months, he certainly has lots of growing up still to do. He can now be redirected for longer periods of time and chooses to chew bones, play with toys/dogs or even REST all on his own. But, just as in OCD in humans, this is a disorder that does not completely go away, and may surface during stressful times in Marsh's life for the rest of his years.

Additionally, the transition to his new home will be quite a change, so we anticipate his new family needing to show lots of patience, especially right in the beginning, until he adjusts to his new surroundings and routine. As he gets comfortable, his new family will see more and more of his sweet personality.

Marsh must be crated and covered for riding in the car, as he tries to chase passing cars from inside the car if he can see them. He is improving as his foster family feeds him for quiet and calm behavior from inside his covered crate. He shows a bit of car chasing behavior outside the car too. He sleeps in his crate at night and when his foster family is at work. He is quiet in his crate most of the time, but prefers to be out with his people.

OK, you're still reading... WOW... .now on to all his GREAT qualities!

Marsh likes his people and wants to be right with them all the time. Unlike many dogs, he seems to prefer men and is often more excited to meet male strangers or solicit attention from his foster dad. In the yard, he follows you around and 'helps' with the gardening or whatever you're doing. In the morning and evening, he loves to get in bed or on the couch with his people and rub all over them and be rubbed. He makes the funniest cat and Chewbacca-like noises as he happily rolls all around. He likes to meet new people, but doesn't stick around long for petting, although he's enjoying it more and more.

He is good with new dogs as long as he's allowed to meet them off leash. On leash greetings are stressful for him, so his foster family is working with him on ignoring other dogs and he is coming along fantastically. He has learned to swim after a tennis ball or just paddle around in the lake and gained confidence while wearing a lifejacket. Now he can swim with or without it. Marsh loves to play with and herd other dogs, but we think just one dog friend is enough since too much motion cause him some stress. He can be a little bossy when meeting new strong-personality type dogs, but he also takes direction well from a strong dog that he knows in his foster home. It all depends on personalities.

Marsh lived with cats previously and reportedly ignored them, but at that point he was consumed by shadow-chasing, so this may not be an accurate description of how he'd be with cats now. He hasn't been tested on cats while in foster care.

Marsh's rehab program consists of several parts. Most of these are just great practices that are good for all dogs, but Marsh requires them to help him lead a productive life. He needs exercise, mental stimulation, structure and medication daily. Exercising and training Marsh are fun because he enjoys all kinds of things like fetching a tennis ball (on land or in water), tugging and hiking. He's the king of keep-away, while at the same time wanting you to throw his toy... silly boy. He's taken an obedience class and an agility foundation class in his foster home and shows great learning potential. He loves treats and has responded well to positive training. He knows sit, down, crate, come, stay and can do a nose-touch to your hand. In his foster home, Marsh's mind is kept busy with food puzzle toys, bones/chewies or another dog to wrestle with. By structure, we don't mean everything must be the same every day, but he does notice when things are different.

Having a feeding/pottying/exercise/training/bedtime routine that is similar each day helps and Marsh is learning to be adaptable. The break in routine that upsets him the most is when guests are in the house. Although he does like people and greets strangers just fine, having new people in the house causes him to shadow because it's something new. He is learning that it's OK to go new places too. Previously, this would upset him, but he is now able to go to classes or the vet without much, if any, shadowing behavior. Additionally, while it's OK to redirect Marsh from his shadowing behavior, he should never be disciplined for it. This is a neurological disorder that he has little control over and disciplining him really could exacerbate it by causing him more stress.

Families that have small children or guests coming and going, even semi-regularly will not be well-suited to Marsh. He requires a very quiet home, with a convenient area for exercising. Marsh would probably do well with a canine companion who is also understanding and likes to wrestle too.

The most important element of his new home will be one or more people dedicated to giving him daily exercise and training, with patience and love, for the rest of his life. Marsh really is one of the sweetest boys we have ever met. His foster family will be sad to see him go and is more than happy to offer any assistance needed to his new forever home, at any time, to help ease Marsh's transition. If you think you may be Marsh's special family and have an approved application on file, please e-mail his foster family for more information!

You must have an approved application on file to be considered for any adoptable dog.

Please submit your application BEFORE inquiring about a particular dog.

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Peaches is a smoothcoat BC mix. She's very low shedding, which her foster mom thinks is a big plus, especially in the springtime. Peaches has all the smarts of a Border Collie but with a very, very mellow personality. She's one of those dogs that is always enthusiastic about whatever it is her person wants to do...

Want to sit on the couch and watch baseball all day? Great! I'll sit next to you and help you eat popcorn.

Want to get some yard work done? Great! I'll quietly hang out in the yard and enjoy the sun.

Want to go for a ride someplace? Great-I love the car.

Want to go enjoy the dog park? Awesome-my foster mom says I'm the perfect dog park dog. I get along with everyone and never get into any trouble (unlike my foster sisters!)

Want to leave the dog park? Fine by me, I'll trot ahead of you to the car.

Want to sleep in this morning? Aaaah, snuggle snuggle.

Peaches is just about the perfect dog all around. Sadly, she was given up, after spending her entire life with the same family, for growling at a 4 year old child who was chasing her and pulling her tail (she lived peacefully with the 5 year old). She was given up to a good shelter, but poor Peaches went into "shelter shock." She stopped eating and was a nervous wreck. The shelter contacted NEBCR because they saw what a great dog she was and also saw how quickly she was spiraling down.

She now has mild separation anxiety which sometimes happens to dogs after a traumatic event like losing a family and a stay in a shelter. Her separation anxiety manifests itself by shaking and pacing and a lot of whining and barking at the window that starts after her person leaves.

The good news is separation anxiety is very curable with patience and behavioral training. She's doing a good job with her foster family and her new family will need to work with her to make sure she continues to improve. She also is fine staying at a "cageless" boarding facility. In fact, the live-in caretaker there inquired about adopting her!

Peaches could go to a multi-dog home or live in single dog luxury. We're saying no kids under 10 but would consider very dog savvy kids and parents. She seems completely at ease with children. She would do best with a family who's around a lot, at least at first, to help ease her transition. Leaving her with friends or doggie daycare also works. She really is an easy-going girl.

A positive based dog class (tricks, rally, agility, freestyle) is recommended after her adoption. She would love to do agility for fun and has been introduced to agility obstacles and clicker training.

Peaches is being fostered in eastern Massachusetts.

You must have an approved application on file to be considered for any adoptable dog.

Please submit your application BEFORE inquiring about a particular dog.

Red is a 4 year old, rough coat, full prick ears red and white border collie. He loves to play ball, frisbie, fetch and tug. Now that isn't too unique among border collies, but how many border collies do you know that swim laps? Red loves the water and will actually swim laps in a pool.

Red loves to cuddle and be petted. He likes to be around his people at all time, so would be better suited to a home where someone is home most of the day. Red is good with children although at times will tug at pant legs when he gets too excited.

Red knows sit, stay, come, and paw. His "down" needs work. He pulls hard on the leash, but with an EZ walk harness, he does much better. He shows no interest in running off when he is off leash, preferring to be with his people.

His original owner reported that he was sensitive to loud noises, but his foster family has not had an issue with him and loud noises. He does get very excited and bark when a lawn tractor or dirt bike is running nearby and he tries to bite at the tires of them both while they are running and after they are turned off. He also will bark if you are on the telephone. While his foster home has been working with him on these issues, they will require continued work by his new family.

When Red came into foster care, he had several bad habits including incessant barking, counter surfing and mooching at the table. He has stopped counter surfing and mooching at the table, and the barking has diminshed greatly. Red will still "demand bark" for attention, and this will need more work by his new family. A positive reinforcement-based training class is being required as part of his adoption contract.

Red was a little overweight, but he is slimming down nicely and getting lots of exercise. He showed some signs of muscle atrophy in his back legs due to lack of exercise, but his muscles are now building up nicely. Due to his odd gait, x-rays were done of his hips and those showed mild hip dysplasia, however the vet didn't think he will ever need surgery and suggested joint supplements might help.

There are two other border collies and a dog savvy Siamese cat in his foster home, and Red has been peacefully co-existing with all of them. He has been good at the vet's office and also at the groomer's.

Red is being fostered in central NH.

You must have an approved application on file to be considered for any adoptable dog.

Please submit your application BEFORE inquiring about a particular dog.