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| Name: |
Newt
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Age: |
Three years old
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| Gender: |
Male
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Breed: |
Border Collie
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| Home: |
Lynchburg, Virginia, USA
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Newt
is special because he is my best friend and companion. He is an
extremely intelligent fella with just the right amount of silliness.
Newt also is the quirkiest Border Collie I have ever met. He stalks
the ceiling lights in our house and the light post next to the
driveway. He has carried this unique behavior with him to training
class, where he has been known to break his stays to stalk the
ceiling lights in the building. It is impossible to be miffed after
watching him creep across the floor to stand and stare at any
available light.
Newt is very sensitive to our families moods. He responds with
compassion even if you are just emotional from watching a touching
movie. My Mom (Newt's "Gam'ma") relayed such an incident to
me about Newt noticing she was upset, and how he had come over given
her a kiss and laid his head on her leg. She also mentioned how Newt
is there when you need a listening ear or two. He empathizes as if to
"I know what you going through and its OK to feel that
way."
Newt has turned into a wonderful surrogate father for our new Border
Collie pup, Kelley. It was touch and go at first, but once Newt
decided Kelley was staying he personally took over for her care. Newt
and Kelley are great pals now playing for hours without any quarrels.
However, Newt monitors Kelley's playtime with our three rescued
Border Collies to ensure she isn't picked on too much. He simply
walks in between Kelley and Glenn (one of the rescued BCs), to shield
her if their play seems too rough. Newt is her guardian Border
Collie.
Besides, looking out for Kelley, Newt is very protective of his human
family and their property. He alerts us if anyone suspicious is near
our yard. I feel secure traveling with Newt as he doesn't tolerate
strangers near me or my car. Someone once remarked to me that Newt
has a ten foot circle around me that he believes no one else should
enter without permission. Newt is an excellent traveling companion,
and he keeps our family secure.
I have probably written too much already, but Newt means a great deal
to me. He is the first dog I completely trained myself to a C.D. or
Companion Dog title in obedience. Training Newt has been a challenge
due to his intelligence level combined with a very short attention
span. I have recognized the importance of tailoring the training
theory to the dog to optimize learning because of Newt. He has taught
me patience and made me feel guilty when I neglected it. Life with
Newt has been an adventure as we tackle herding each week. He will
never be a top trial dog as far as Border Collie standards go, but
that doesn't matter. I have been able to put several herding titles
on him through AHBA and AKC. Newt has earned one HIT when going for
his first HS (Herding Started) leg. We have NQ'd as well because of
handler error, but Newt didn't care. He always loves me no matter
what.
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