|
 |
 |
| Name: |
Colleen
|
Age: |
Eight months old
|
| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
Australian Shepherd
|
| Home: |
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada |
I
grew up around dogs, and have loved them all of my life. When I was
a baby, my parents brought home a Golden Retriever pup. I later
learned that I shared my bottle with this pup; I would drink and then
pass the bottle to the puppy and then she would drink. Could that have
been the start of my love for dogs? I think this is likely.
Years down the road, I went to University. It was a very lonely time,
my mother had two small Toy Poodle/Bichon Frisée crosses, but I would
only get to see them for about six to eight weeks of the year when I was home
as I got my own place in the city where the University was located.
It was in the summer before my fourth year that I brought up the
concept of getting my own dog again (twelve unsuccessful attempts before
this). This time, to my surprise, my mother and grandmother agreed
that it would be a good idea. Thus, the hunt for the perfect dog began.
I started doing all sorts of investigation into dog breeds and then
came up with a list of my top seven breeds that I wanted. They were as
follows: Collie, Border Collie, Shetland Sheepdog, Australian
Shepherd, Shiloh Shepherd, German Shepherd, Doberman.
Then came the trouble, my plans for my degree were in chaos due to the
laziness of one of my professors who was supposed to put some
internships into place but didn't. The stress resulting from this, and
a few other factors caused me to have a huge mental breakdown and for
a young man living with Asperger's Syndrome, losing control of one's
emotions is a dangerous thing.
Filled with thoughts of every possible negative emotion, I filled my
hours (and depleted my wallet) doing dog research. All the while I was
setting aside $60/month and any spare cash I could find to save up the
money it would cost me.
Finally, six days after my birthday, on October 21, 2013, I was
stumbling through Kijiji looking for a dog that wouldn't cost me a
fortune when I saw an ad for a CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) registered
breeder of Australian Shepherds. The ad said that they had Aussie pups
available. As a bonus, they were only 25 minutes outside of the city
of Sarnia where my mother lived.
Going to the site of Callibreeze Kennels, I immediately fell in love
with this puppy who had been born on October 20, 2013. She was a blue
merle with an all black shoulder and a lot of black on her. At that
moment, I felt a strong urge that said, "That's my dog." I immediately
called the breeder, and reserved her and named her after my favourite
cartoon heroine, Colleen from Road Rovers.
My mother and grandmother went out the following week and paid the
deposit and from that point on the puppy was mine.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect, due to some changes in my
degree, I had only one course to finish and would be done my degree
after only 1 semester. The pup would be 8 weeks (old enough to go home
with me) by the 18th of December and as I always have spent Christmas
with my family, the timing couldn't have been better.
I picked her up on the 18th, and fell in love with her immediately, I
was so entranced I almost walked out the door with her without filling
out any paperwork or paying the rest of the money owed.
Then came the trouble, with my emotional state out of control and my
Asperger's making life hell, my puppy was my only solace, but I
couldn't handle her housetraining on my own. So I temporarily
relocated to live with my mother in Sarnia (where I am now) so I could
get help with my puppy and see my own psychiatrist about my disorder.
Well, I spent every waking moment with that pup for months, and
eventually I took her to puppy classes and then to a basic obedience
class. Everywhere I go with her, people comment on her beauty and want
to interact with her. It makes me so proud. She helped me through the
worst time I have ever experienced in my life and I am glad that she
was there for me when no one else was.
She is currently waiting a few weeks to get more bloodwork done as we
identified a liver enzyme problem and we are trying to figure out what
has caused it. She and I love our walking, we walk from my mother's to
my grandmother's house almost every morning now (a distance of 8.5-9
km) and she walks comfortably by my side.
She knows my signs well though, if I sit down and start to look like I
am having a problem with depression, she comes to me, puts her front
half in my lap and stretches up to lick at my lips and face to comfort
me. I don't want to even contemplate where I'd be without her and I am
loving every minute of having her and hope she has many years ahead of
her for us to enjoy together.
See more images of Colleen!
|
|
|
|
|
