June 21, 2023 Update:
Our year-old border collie Skye has so many wonderful qualities. He is loving, doesn’t bark much, and he doesn’t tear things up. Our only challenge has been his appetite. It has been an ongoing struggle to get him to eat. We have tried every brand of kibble available at the pet store, and he turns his nose up at all of them. My hubby has been reluctant to try fresh food because past pets had digestion problems with fresh food. We had run out of options with Skye, though, so we gave it a try.
What a difference. Skye gobbles that stuff up! It’s been a month, and he’s still a steady member of the clean-plate club. The vet told us at a recent checkup that he’s a very healthy little guy. So, I don’t want to jinx it, but I think he’s now the perfect dog. To us, anyway. 🙂
March 15, 2023 Update:
Skye is usually a pretty mellow guy. He tends to be more interested in napping, head scratches, and puppy treats than anything else. But this is the time of year when our little lake community’s Canadian Geese are pairing up and looking for a place to nest, and that has added a new twist to Skye’s usual routine. Whenever he spots geese in the green space beside our house, it triggers his natural Border Collie instincts, and he slips into herding mode. As you can see in the photos below, there’s a fence between him and the geese, so they are in no danger. Even if there wasn’t a fence, I don’t think he wants to do them any harm. He just wants to get them into the lake and then his job is done. He’s a very happy boy once he accomplishes that. (The arrows show where the geese are because on small screens you probably can’t see them very well.)
February 15, 2023 Update:
Skye is learning that life isn’t all fun and games. It’s games and treats! The brightly colored game board you can see below is something my hubby found that is spposed to exercise your dog’s intelligence. The idea is, you hide treats beneath the sliding tiles around the perimeter, and your dog must learn how to move the tile to get the treat. I think we counted 28 slots for treats on that circuit, which is a lot of motivation for a dog who would do anything (well, just about anything) for his special liver treats. Skye learned very quickly how that game worked and gobbles up those treats like candy. The round sliders and spinning disc in the middle is a more complicated version of the same game that we’ll be tackling soon. Also, THOSE EYES! When he looks at me like that, I want to give him ALL the treats, the whole bag (which is probably the point, now that I think about it).
January 18, 2023 Update:
This past month or so, with all the recent rain we’ve had in Southern California, Skye has learned that his humans do not enjoy running and playing in mud puddles nearly as much as he does. He’s also had to suffer through days when it was so wet that his humans didn’t want to leave the house at all. Not for visits to the neighborhood dog park. Not for walks around the lake. Not even for short walks to the fence where he can stare down the Canadian geese and black ducks that congregate on the other side. Extra head scratches and liver treats did not make up for this lack of outside time, but discovering the wonders of a cozy fireplace on a cold day was a silver lining.
December 7, 2022 Update:
Skye has been having a blast with the Christmas decorations! He’s very interested in every box that comes out of the garage and down from the attic, and he’s not above sneaking away with a bit of ribbon if no one is looking. So far, he’s been very good about respecting the personal boundaries of Santa Winnie and some of our other holiday plushies, but we’ll be keeping them out of reach to remove any temptation, just in case. After all the decorating excitement, his usual afternoon nap started a bit earlier and last a lot longer, and there were times when he was so conked out that he didn’t even fuss when my daughter insisted on putting his little blanket on him because she wanted him to be cozy.
November 15, 2022 Update:
Our little guy is growing up so fast! He’s already six months old, but there is still a lot of rambunctious puppy in him. He wore this Jack Skellington (“Nightmare Before Christmas”) sweater for Halloween.
October 19, 2022 Update:
Skye loves to play with the water hose, and here’s a picture of him after a particularly valiant battle.
September 20, 2022 Update:
It’s only been a couple of months, but our little guy is growing up in so many wonderful ways. We’ve been taking him on trips to Home Depot (because the staff at our local one welcome & encourage dogs) and the pet stores, as well as to our local dog park so he can learn to be around other dogs and people. As we walk him around the neighborhood, we’ve also been meeting so many neighbors, especially those who are out walking their own dogs. He’s enrolled in a couple of puppy courses to learn the finer points of sitting on command, walking beside you and not pulling on the leash, and not jumping up on people even though he’s really, really excited to see them. It’s a lot for a little guy, and you’d think he’d be exhausted at the end of the day and ready to sleep through the night. Sadly, that is not the case, at least not yet. He still needs to get up at 12:30 or 1 in the morning to go out for a constitutional and then again at 4:30 or 5 a.m. We know a full night’s sleep will happen again at some point in our future, and we’re really looking forward to that day. Until then, we’re enjoying Skye’s spritely puppy energy and waiting for some of it to wear off on us 🙂
August 23, 2022 Update:
Our little Skye is growing by the day! Can you see how much bigger he is from my last update? Our little puff ball looks so grown up, but he’s still a puppy at heart. I don’t know what he’s going to do when he gets too big to burrow under the furniture. It’s his absolute favorite place to be! We might have to get taller furniture. Anyway, here are some fresh photos from the Skye cam!
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Hello! Thank you for stopping by. Skye is a Border Collie who joined our family in early July 2022. He’s everything you’d expect of a Border Collie: smart, energetic, and always ready to play. He’s also partial to plushy sheep and fascinated by the geese that sometimes congregate beyond our fence. The herding instinct is strong in this one! (July 12, 2022)
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