Newsletters

Newsletter & Journal 2.5

• December 28, 2024
• NEBCR
• Newsletters

VOLUME II NUMBER 5

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Featured: Banksy

Banksy is looking for someone to love.

You’ll find his full bio here.

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NEBCR Marks 25 Years

2025 will not only usher in a new year for NEBCR but will also mark our 25th anniversary as a rescue!

25 years of finding Border Collies in need a well deserved bright future. NEBCR not only rehomes BCs in need but has helped many to keep their dog by offering advice or helping to find a trainer in their area. We also point someone with a very mixy dog looking to relinquish to an all breed rescue near them that could help.

Though at times one would think we are not that busy the core committees that keep NEBCR afloat always seem to be busy. The applications committee rarely gets a break and gets overwhelmed when an adorable little face shows up on our website. The intake committee has not had a break since COVID hit. Most of the dogs we try to help these days are young dogs who started their lives with their owners working from home or reduced hours and under socialized do to the pandemic. This means they are not a quick turn around usually needing the foster home to put in time retraining these dogs who think the world is such a scary place.

It’s the love of the breed that is at the heart of NEBCRs volunteers and it keeps us motivated. We actually have a handful of volunteers that are still here with us from the beginning. My thanks to all that keeps NEBCR alive, volunteers, supporters and adopters all play important roles.

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Introducing NEBCR member Viv Ramos

I was a researcher/associate producer at public television around 1980, and Pat Sides was our executive producer at WNET/Channel 13, the local public station in NYC.

Our floor was the most popular at the network because Pat brought her rescue dog, Scruffy to the office, an affable farm girl of questionable ancestry. Pat had rescued her while working on a project in Italy. A cruel peasant had sprayed DDT all over her to get rid of the ticks. He didn’t believe in spay/neutering either, so each time she was pregnant, he drowned her puppies.

When Scruffy arrived in NYC she looked like a cloved ham until all her hair finally grew back in. She really did live out her best life on the upper east side.

Pat had grown up in northern California and had a border collie she adored as a kid, and was determined to have one again, a last dog, later in life, in NYC.

In 1990 we found a breeder, Karen Winkler who Pat was able to persuade. Phoebe would live in NYC. She was the first BC most dog people in Central Park had ever met.

We had lots of daily exercise: frisbee, tennis balls, obedience class and running daily. While we had certainly watched many sheep trial broadcasts, for whatever reason we didn’t take her to be instinct tested for herding. We had never heard of agility.

Pat was working on a documentary, while I had switched jobs and networks, joining ABC for the next twenty odd years.

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So, You Think You Want a Border Collie?

by Kerry Maloney

As I’ve mentioned before, my first border collie was a wonderful dog named Dublin. He was intuitive, sweet, smart as a whip, and a bit of a criminal mastermind. He was my demo dog when I taught dog-training, and he was a natural as a therapy dog.

His only real negative was that he was a car-chaser. He developed a sporadic obsession with chasing cars when he was about 2 years old. I say sporadic because it wasn’t every car or every time he saw a car – and try as I did, I was never able to figure out a pattern to which types of cars would trigger him. I say he chased cars, but as any border collie owner knows, BCs don’t chase cars (honestly, if they chased cars, it would be slightly less stressful), BCs want to get in front of the car and cut them off, so they stop moving.

The truly terrifying moment came for me one evening as we were returning from a long walk. It was late afternoon, so it was getting dark, and it had just started to rain. We had one two-lane highway to cross and then we had low-traffic secondary roads from there to my house. I was on high alert as the 30 seconds it normally took to cross that road were the most stressful part of our walks. I was waiting back off on the side of the road because there was a pick-up truck coming up the hill. Dublin tensed and then lunged for the truck, but I was prepared. What I was not prepared for, however, was for his harness to snap. Faster than I could blink, Dublin was free and running out in front of the truck. The driver locked up his brakes and started skidding to a stop. I thought I was going to see Dublin get hit.

I ran out after him (also not the safest choice I could have made but there was no thought involved – just an instinctive reaction to save my dog). The truck stopped within a few feet of hitting Dublin and my heart started beating again. Dublin had his car-chasing reinforced because he learned he did, in fact, have the power to stop these mechanical sheep.

Once the truck stopped, Dublin lost all interest in it. I called him back to me. I had just about reached Dublin and was about to grab his collar when the driver of the pick-up truck decided he could not wait one more second and revved his engine and floored it around Dublin. Dublin bolted after him but was quickly distracted by the second pick-up truck coming up the hill. The scenario repeated itself, right down to the screeching brakes and the way-too-close-for-comfort near miss. This driver was either nicer, smarter, or at least a dog-lover, because he was kind enough to stay still until I was able to grab Dublin and get him away from the road. I swear my hands didn’t stop shaking for a good 15 minutes after that scary experience.

From that point on, I always walked Dublin with his leash attached to a harness and a small coupler attached from his collar to the leash. That way should either the harness or the collar fail, the other one would restrain him until I could get him safely away. We also avoided traffic as much as possible.

This worked successfully for years. As Dublin got older, he also stopped reacting to as many cars, so I was lulled into a false sense of security – a dangerous place to be when you have a border collie. One day I was at work with Dublin. I work in downtown Albany, NY and for a few years my agency had an annual employee expo where employees could have a table showcasing their hobbies, etc. I always had a booth where I provided information about NEBCR and I was able to bring in Dublin as an added attraction. He was quite popular and loved meeting everyone. The expo would run from 10-2 and then Dublin would spend the rest of the day hanging out with me at my desk. Normally, it was a fairly fun and relaxing day at work.

Normally.

This was 2009, however. That is an important detail that will make sense in a little bit. After the expo was over and right before we were ready to go back upstairs to spend the rest of the day working, I headed outside to give Dublin a bathroom break. Out of habit, I walked out the front of the building as I had always done, completely forgetting they had asked us not to use that entrance because they were filming the car chase scene from the 2010 movie The Other Guys right in front of our building. They had been filming that scene (it lasts maybe a minute in the movie) for three days by that point. I step outside and am immediately stopped by one of the many 20-something year olds they have working the million odd jobs needed for a movie set. He stops me before we accidentally walk into the scene and then is distracted by the charming Dublin. In his defense, he wasn’t expecting to see a dog come out of an otherwise boring office building. He starts petting Dublin and asking why he was there today just as the car comes roaring down the street. Dublin lunges at the car (and into the scene), completely catching me off-guard as I, too, was distracted. We hear a (rather angry) “CUT” yelled out and our 20yo friend goes pale and whispers “Oh god, I’m in trouble now”. I apologize and he hurriedly shoves us back toward the office building.

Sadly, Dublin’s unexpected cameo did not make it into the movie. That was a shame because I believe he could have totally held his own with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell. Alas, his movie career was not to be.

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Fostering: A Rewarding Experience

By Sara Saperstein

It took me a long time to take the plunge and start fostering. My partner and I fostered for the first time at the beginning of the year, and started our second foster, Archie, at the end of the summer. Archie is an adorable 1 year old who was recently adopted by a lovely family.

If you’ve also been on the fence about starting your fostering journey, I’ll share a bit of what it was like to foster Archie.

Archie came to us unneutered, right before his first birthday. After a couple weeks to get him settled in he had his neuter surgery. He handled the 2 week crate rest way better than I had expected. From the beginning he and my 3 year old border collie Adélie got along well. They enjoyed playing with each other, though they did have a hard time relaxing around each other. During his convalescence, when they weren’t allowed to play, I could tell their relationship took a hit: “This guy isn’t fun anymore”, Adélie said, “Can he go, now?” But once he was healed up and available to play, she liked him again.

When I get a foster dog I like to think about what skills they’ll most need to be successful in their forever homes. Archie is an awesome dog with a solid temperament, especially for an adolescent, but he had two major struggles: he got overly excited around cars, and he could only settle when he was in his crate. We worked on calming his feelings about cars by practicing treat scatters when cars went by and playing “Look At That” to give him something to do with his car feelings. As we worked on this I could see a large improvement in a short amount of time, so I felt with consistent training he had a good chance of overcoming his dangerous fascination with cars.

To help him relax outside of his crate, we spent a lot of time being intentionally boring. Not the kind of training I had imagined! In the evening or at other sleepy times of the day, we’d sit in the office with Archie loose in the room, and Adélie elsewhere, so he could learn to settle when he wasn’t in the crate. We offered him lots of bones to chew so he could make good choices of calm activities to do. It was funny to intentionally do nothing around him, when what I really wanted was to train tricks with him, but he found trick training so exciting that it made it harder for him to relax around me, so I prioritized his relaxation training first.

As he got more access to the house, it was clear that he’s a very curious dog and loves to get into stuff. So we came up with creative solutions to keep him out of trouble, such as treat scatters around the first floor of the house to keep him occupied when preparing breakfast. Or practicing a lot of recalls in the house so he never had too long to get into too much trouble.

When I tell people I foster, I am often asked if it’s hard to let the dog go. We loved having both of our fosters stay with us this year, but ultimately, it felt so great to find them the perfect match. So in that sense, it was easy to let them go even though I do miss them. I recently got an update from Archie’s new family. He’s becoming more affectionate with them every day and learning to settle nicely in the evenings. They’ve already met with a wonderful trainer and are completely smitten with his handsome looks and charming personality. Happy outcomes like this make it all worthwhile.

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ASK THE VET: Care of our Aging Seniors

by Dr. Sarah Hepburn

Living with an aging dog brings both profound joy and unique challenges, especially when dealing with sensory impairments like hearing loss. As dogs grow older, they can experience gradual or sudden hearing loss, which requires adjustments on the part of both the dog and the owner. Fortunately, by understanding the benefits of this period in your pet’s life and embracing some practical strategies, you can help your dog adapt and maintain a fulfilling quality of life.

The Joys and Challenges of Aging Dogs

Senior dogs bring an irreplaceable companionship, often marked by a deep bond and gentle, wise demeanor. While they may slow down, they often become more attentive, enjoy a steadier pace, and revel in quieter moments with their humans. However, the challenges associated with aging can be significant, especially with hearing loss. An older dog may become easily startled, struggle with commands, and lose confidence if it can’t hear you approaching.

Understanding Hearing Loss in Dogs

Just like humans, dogs experience age-related hearing loss, typically from a decline in nerve cells in their ears. Some breeds are more prone to it, and the progression can vary. Signs include ignoring commands, difficulty waking, and responding only to louder sounds. Living with a hearing-impaired dog requires patience and adaptation, but with the right techniques, you can help your dog adjust comfortably.

Strategies for Adapting to a Hearing-Impaired Dog

Use Visual Cues: Instead of relying on verbal commands, incorporate hand signals. Dogs are excellent at picking up visual cues, and with consistent training, they can adapt to these gestures even later in life. Pointing, clapping, or gesturing “come” and “stay” can become intuitive for them over time.

Create Routine: Aging dogs, particularly those losing their hearing, thrive on routine. Stick to a regular schedule for feeding, walking, and sleeping, as this consistency can reduce anxiety and keep them engaged.

Ensure Safety: With hearing loss, safety precautions become essential. Consider securing your backyard and using a leash on walks to prevent them from wandering off. Startling a hearing-impaired dog can make them anxious, so it’s a good idea to gently tap their shoulder or step into their line of sight before approaching.

Use Scent and Touch Communication: Dogs’ sense of smell often remains sharp, so you can rely on familiar scents to help them navigate. Try adding scents near doorways or pathways in your home to guide them. Additionally, gentle touches, like pats or strokes, can communicate affection and instructions in a way they’ll understand.

Training with Vibration or Light: Vibrating collars (not shock collars) can signal your dog’s attention without sound. Flashlights or small lighted cues are other methods to grab their attention from a distance, especially in the evening or outdoors.

Embracing the Final Years

While adapting to a dog’s hearing loss can take some effort, it offers a unique opportunity to deepen your bond. Senior dogs are highly resilient, and with the right adjustments, they can enjoy this stage with comfort and confidence. Remember, patience and consistency are key, as your companionship and dedication mean the world to them.

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TRAINER’S CORNER: Separation Anxiety

by Elise Gouge, CPDT, CABC Certified Behavior Consultant & Trainer

Someone along the lines, separation anxiety became a type of colloquial description – kind of like saying I’m so neurotic. The true meaning has nothing to do with the words that get tossed around. This might be harmless except for the dogs out that there are truly suffering with separation anxiety.

Like all behavior, it exists on a continuum. You can be a neat person. You can be someone that has OCD. You can be a light sleeper. You can be an insomniac. Words matter. So let’s talk about the words separation anxiety (SA), specific to dogs.

As of 2015, AVSAB described SA as In the United States approximately 15-20 percent of dogs suffer from separation anxiety. This is a behavioral problem in which dogs show signs of stress when their owner or favorite person is not present. Signs of stress can include panting, pacing, salivating, destruction (especially of the door the owner exited through), urination/defecation, vocalization (barking, whining, howling), self-trauma, and sometimes even escape in which the dog may injure himself.

I don’t have data on this, but I would guess that the percentage of SA has gone up significantly since the pandemic. Thenpandemic was a unique situation in that many people worked from home for 2 years, many got a dog and a lot of the people were first time dog owners. Resources for help were limited as we all figured out Zoom and how or if we could socialize.

As a result, many dogs grew up without ever being apart from humans and they were in one environment (their home) almost exclusively. They did not welcome visitors, greet others on walks, or do any of the other “normal” things that happen during puppy/dog ownership.

If you have a dog that struggles with being alone, know you aren’t alone. It’s an incredibly difficult issue to work on and it can be quite disheartening.

First and foremost, you need to get a professional involved. You will need to know if your dog is bored or sad or under enriched or in pain versus having SA.If your dog truly has SA, you’ll need to educate yourself and start work right away if you are going to keep the dog in the home.

This usually requires committing to not leaving the home for a period of time (weeks, months) while the dog is learning. It means spending a lot of time on money working with a professional, money on camera systems, and time and energy logging progress. It’s slow.

The good news is that the prognosis for dogs to recover from SA is very high if done properly. Often, with medication and a good behaviorist, you can reach your goal and have a happy life with your dog. A small percentage of dogs respond to nothing. Some do well with other dogs (but by no means should you get another dog as a solution without careful discussion with a behaviorist). Some communities have the option of having an elderly or disabled person stay with the dog when the homeowner is out. That can be a lovely solution.

Every day more and more resources about SA are coming out. Whereas once thought of as a dismal diagnosis, the pandemic pushed dog researchers to study it further. We have so many dogs with SA distress and anxiety, it’s important to work on it.

If you have a dog at home you think might have SA, get in touch with a professional. You can put a camera ina. safe location and see what happens when the dog is alone. Test out if the dog is with a random person, in the car, at someone else’s home,has a good chew, etc. See if it’s better or worse during the day or night. Notice any other patterns you see. Log things. The more you know, the more you can help.

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