New (canine) addition to the household

[paularoid]

Meet the latest (canine) addition to the household tentatively named "Freckles" until or unless something more appropriate comes up.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/paularoid/Family/Freckles.jpg

This dog came to us through a friend of the family that has a place out in the country where he has some sheep and three border collies. This dog (female by the way) showed up at his place yesterday morning from out of nowhere. He put her to work along with his dogs and she apparently works quite well (as you can see she's a "heeler" type of dog) but he can't keep her because he's already got three working dogs. He knew that we recently lost our dog (Ellie the lab and setter cross foundling) and he decided that we were the ones that needed this dog. Now we have her and with some work she will have us as well.

Oh yeah,..... she's a "face eater" too. :p



.

[Bat]

I hope Ellie sent her to you ... she looks like a fine dog, and she will grow to love you, I'm sure! Congratulations on your mutual acquisition!;)

[Mary6906]

Nice doggie.... <<gives virtual pat on the head>> :)

[Bat]

Does this mean you'll have to get some sheep to keep her happy and feeling good about herself?

[paularoid]

Does this mean you'll have to get some sheep to keep her happy and feeling good about herself?
Actually we've been thinking about some goats to help out with the noxious weeds around here,... and goats are what the local herding dog owners use to train their dogs. Goats are just mean and tough enough they can withstand an overly aggressive working dog. Our neighbor to the south of us has a number of goats so maybe we can work out a deal. :p We don't really want any sheep though. They're a lot more work than goats are.

[Amy in Vermont]

She's lovely, Paul. You can tell by the look in her eye that she's decided you are the ONE.

When I saw her, I thought... SunSpot would be a good name.....

[paularoid]

She's lovely, Paul. You can tell by the look in her eye that she's decided you are the ONE.

When I saw her, I thought... SunSpot would be a good name.....
Perhaps . . . . . but one thing that many don't consider is a "calling" name. How good of a name is it for a calling name? You need to have a name that sounds good at full volume when you're calling the dog. What's easier to call a dog with, SunSpot, or Freckles? Or perhaps something else altogether?

Two dogs ago with "Annie" (whom I found out in the hills where somebody dumped her) I brought her back to town and named her "Rhiannon" after the song by Fleetwood Mac ("as in Taken by the wind") and that very quickly got shortened to "Annie" because it's a far better calling name than Rhiannon.

I'm not saying that SunSpot wouldn't work (because it most certainly would or could be made to do so) but what I have said is definitely something to keep in mind. Where "Freckles" is a working dog it's even more so. I'm not sure that "Freckles" is good either though, that's just what popped into my head immediately when the decision was made to take(adopt) her. I looked at her and saw all those brown freckles all over her and mentioned it. It got seized upon by everyone else so that's what it is (for the moment).

[hoops]

she is a beautiful dog Paul you are lucky to have each other. many years together
peace
hoops

[Elliott]

Her ears look like butterflys! She looks like a Delores to me.... or Fern. Of course, Maria would sound like music if the hills were alive with it. Then again, I'm thinking Splash could work, or Goggles. So many names, so little to think about. Best wishes on your new pup. She's a keeper! Best, E

[PattiPaige]

congratulations on your new friend! She looks like she is going to be lots of fun. I wish you years of love & happiness!:D

[paularoid]

She responds to "Freck" (short for "Freckles") so it would appear that she's just picked her own name. :p

[lucille]

In true Aussie style, where we shorten everyone's names, I suggest Amy's SunSpot, but shortened to "Sonny" (a good calling name), as in the song "Sonny, I thank you for the la la la la laaa".

[paularoid]

In true Aussie style, where we shorten everyone's names, I suggest Amy's SunSpot, but shortened to "Sonny" (a good calling name), as in the song "Sonny, I thank you for the la la la la laaa".
"Sonny, oh so true, I love you." I think I've got that right. ;)

How 'bout "Spot"? Afterall, that's what a freckle is. :p According to the guy that brought her to us dogs respond best to single syllable names (he's had working dogs for many years now so I trust what he says). Sonny (or more properly "Sunny") is a good calling name though, I'll grant you that. We shall see what we shall see. She already responds to "Freck" even though she hasn't been called that much, so for the moment "Freck" short for "Freckles" is what it is, but that may change in the future.

I tell you,... this dog (being a working dog) is so devoted and dedicated that a name doesn't really seem to be necessary at the moment. She's paying so much attention to anyone and everyone that she doesn't need to be called much if at all. The last working dog I had many years ago was the same way. They want to do everything and anything for you - immediately - and then ask for some more to do. The last working dog I had was a border collie and pointer cross. Funniest thing you ever saw. A long-legged border collie that pointed, fetched and retrieved game birds, and rounded the neighbors sheep up all in the corner of his field. <chuckle>

[Eva]

Paul, I am so happy for you. You were so sad after Ellie died. I am sure you still miss her. This little dog looks so sweet and loyal. And she came exactly at the right time for both of you. I guess it was just meant to be this way. Sometimes it's just like that, that dog and owner just 'rescue' eachother. I wish you a lot of happyness together. By the way, I think Sunny is the right name for her. Easy to call, the colours are right and she is a ray of new sunshine in your life.

Eva

[leslie]

Paul I'm so pleased for you and wish you many years of happiness together. However, as you mentioned you've had working dogs before, you better give her a job quick or you will find she treats you and your family like sheep and will want to herd you and or get/destructive (out of boredom). She's a real beauty though! Congratulations!

Leslie

[paularoid]

Paul I'm so pleased for you and wish you many years of happiness together. However, as you mentioned you've had working dogs before, you better give her a job quick or you will find she treats you and your family like sheep and will want to herd you and or get/destructive (out of boredom). She's a real beauty though! Congratulations!

Leslie
Of this I'm well aware thanks to the previous working dog I've had before. As it turns out she's an Australian Cattle Dog. The wiki for such is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Cattle_Dog

Also, since her tail has been docked and she was wearing a very tight collar (no tag) it's apparent that someone had her with the intention of working her and they may very well be looking for her and/or wanting her back. We have intentions of making her return an easy process if indeed we find that this is the case. She goes to the vet tomorrow to see if she's chipped and then we try to get in touch with the Humane Society of the area from which she came (about 25 miles away) to see what if anything turns up. If we find the original owner and they want her back then she -will- go back and we'll look around for another.

She's a wonderful dog and I'll hate to see her go back but I might be somewhat relieved as well for a number of reasons.
1 - She may be an extremely valuable tool for whatever rancher/farmer had her and they may suffer without her efforts.
2 - She's VERY demanding of human resources and while -I- don't particularly have a problem with that, others here already do.
3 - A high energy dog can be or is extremely draining on the aged (my parents).

[paularoid]

Well . . . . . I think this establishes the fact that it's pretty much at least semi- official now that she's a part of the family as can be seen below.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/paularoid/Family/Freck1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/paularoid/Family/Freck2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v25/paularoid/Family/Freck3.jpg

----- later info -----

Just got back from the vet where they scanned her for a chip and as I suspected she isn't so now she's even -more- ours than she was already.

[Eva]

What a lovely dog Paul. And the way she looks at you... She just wants to be with you.

Eva

[Judy]

Those photos gave me my smile for the day! What a great looking dog and such a pleasure to see her at such ease. I love stories with happy endings.

[paularoid]

That's my father she's sitting with by the way but I get the same treatment when she sits on me (and she -does- insist on sitting on me occasionally). All it took was for her to sit with/on him like that and roll those eyes up and look at him and it was all over with. Case closed. :D

Oh yes and by the way, while she's a "working" dog she's not a "herding" dog. She's a "driver". Herding dogs go out and herd the stock -to- you where driving dogs drive the stock in the desired direction. That's why some of them are called "heelers". Heelers run along and nip at the heels of the stock thus driving them along. This one is known as an "Australian Cattle Dog" or "Red Heeler".

[Mary6906]

Paul, in that third photo where she's on her back.... to me it looks like she's chugging from a beer can attached to a coiled plastic hose.... :eek: ... are you teaching her to drink out of a beer bong already!! :D

She looks like she's already got you all wrapped around her little paw. Enjoy!

[paularoid]

Paul, in that third photo where she's on her back.... to me it looks like she's chugging from a beer can attached to a coiled plastic hose.... :eek: ... are you teaching her to drink out of a beer bong already!! :D
:p That's a toy left over from our last canine resident Ellie. It's a rubber ball sort of thing on the end of a plastic rope so that you can throw it a long way really easily.


She looks like she's already got you all wrapped around her little paw. Enjoy!
I'll admit to that. Even more so now. Today I was on a tractor and she was sitting beside it a few feet away. My father told her to come into the house because he didn't want her to be in the way. She looked at him like "F@CK YOU!" and leaped up from a sitting position up about 6 feet and landed right in my lap on the tractor. She then proceeded to wiggle all over me and lick my face into submission. I thought my Dad was going to wet his pants he was laughin' so hard. We're all -still- laughin' about that one and will be for some time to come.

I've already run into her "independent streak" though and she's going to be difficult if I don't nip it in the bud asap. :rolleyes:

[Ginny]

Paul, congratulations on the addition of Freckles to your family! [Or Sunny, if you choose to rename her.]

[paularoid]

She's been guessed to be around a year old.
She's in perfect health.
She's broken the rules for dog of her breed in that she's not standoffish, and not solitary, and she's not a "chowhound" and probably stands little risk to get overweight as so many of her breed have a tendency to do if not overseen properly.
She's not been spayed - yet. She goes in next week for that.
She's got every single person at the vet's wrapped around her paw just like she does here at home.

[hoops]

awww, she sounds perfect
peace
hoops