Birthday Girl and A Winner

10 years ago today, a tiny little tri-colored Border Collie came into the world.  She was just one of 3 in her litter, born on a sheep farm in northern Pennsylvania in the dead of winter.  She came from good herding stock, Welsh and Scottish, with champions on both the dam and the sire's side, but she was never meant to be a herding dog.

She didn't have what it takes to make a good herding dog, so she was sold as a pet.  Although I grew up with herding dogs, and we had just recently lost our Aussie, I wasn't sure we could handle the intensity that "is" a Border Collie, so I did lots of research and consulted my vet, and anyone else would would talk to me about Borders.  In the end, we decided this breed was a good fit for us and my parents and I drove the 4 hours to meet the breeder and pick up our new bundle of fur.

Everything you read about Border Collies is true, they are loyal, intense, driven, and very type A.  They live to work and work to live...think Martha Stewart meets Donald Trump!  Miss Kylee may not have been suited to herding sheep, but she needs a job and thrives on knowing that in life she has a purpose.  Sometimes we don't exactly get what that purpose might be...it may be something as simple as herding sticks, yelling at the other dogs when they sneeze, or telling us, by hiding under anything within reach, that the sky is falling anytime she hears thunder...but in her head she knows why it's important to do all of the crazy things she does!

*Soapbox Alert*  In my not so humble opinion, these dogs should never have been allowed to be bred as "Show" dogs!  This is something I feel very strongly about, and I don't mind being politically incorrect in saying so.  It breaks my heart to see people selectively breed out the smarts of these amazing creatures in order to create black and white fluffballs to suit the fancy of a collector!  In the real world of farm dogs, Border Collies come in all shapes and sizes, there is no "look" that a sheep farmer breeds for, just an incredible ability to do a job, and one the dog dearly loves to do.  Even when you take these dogs out of the farm environment, they want and long for that job and they are a thing of beauty to watch when they are giving their heart and soul to their profession!

*Back to our regularly scheduled happy go lucky post*  Even with her recent diagnosis of congestive heart failure, and at an age when most larger dogs are only interested in lounging around all day, Kylee will be the first one standing by the door, ready to go out and play.  

She's not as fast as she once was, she's also not quite as crazy as she once was, but she still loves life and tries to make every moment count!  She keeps her brother, Mr. Quinn in line and tells little Misty Belle a thing or two from time to time as well, she is the matriarch of this doggie family after all!

So Happy Birthday Sweet Miss Kylee, we love you bunches!!!

Now on to the winner of my Springtime Giveaway, it is #51... Rachel Lynn!  Unfortunately, Photoshop ate my Random.org screen shot and it's also disappeared from my Clipboard, so you'll have to trust me when I say that Rachel won fair and square! 

And if you love snickerdoodles, be sure and stop by Rachel Lynn's blog where she is featuring a great muffin recipe...yum!!!  Click HERE to get the recipe!

Congrats Rachel Lynn, simply email me your mailing address and I'll send out your package right away!

And just in case you think sheep farmers don't have a sense of humor, watch this!  Really, you gotta love a group of men who call themselves the Baaa-Studs!!!  

A Dog's Life

I often wonder if people decorate around their pets. I know cat lovers often have massive towers covered in carpet to entertain their cats, or the efficient doggie doors you can install to give your pooch the freedom to come and go as he or she pleases, but that's not what I mean.

I find that our dogs, an English Shepherd named Quinn and a Border Collie named Kylee, have influenced our decorating in a way that I find has made us more relaxed. We've owned other wonderful dogs, a German Shepherd that had the disposition of an angel and an Aussie that was smarter than me I think, but aside from picking flooring that would hide their ubiquitous shedding, we really didn't change much about our style to accommodate them.

Maybe it's because I'm older, or that our children are all grown up *sigh*, but I find that I'm drawn to things that the dogs will like along with things I know we will like. Now before you think I'm turning into a crazy cat lady, I just find that having slipcovers that allow the dogs to curl up on a favorite chair or a owning a duvet that can stand to be de-furred periodically makes good sense! The dogs agree and Quinn is particularly fond of the duvet idea since he takes up 50% of the bed each night!!!

I even purchased two pencil drawings on clearance from Ballard Designs that look remarkably like our devilish duo and have them in our family room for all the world to see! I haven't begun removing the children's portraits to replace them with pet pictures so never fear, but I feel that these furry beings have taken on an even more important role in our lives than any of our past dogs, and that's saying a whole lot since they were card carrying members of our family as well.

But just look at those faces...who wouldn't be smitten?! Have you found yourself drawn to different decorating styles because of your pets?