O'Malley ...

O’Malley was about 10 months old when he was adopted. He is a purebred border collie that was surrendered to rescue by his owner. He was a very sweet boy and got along well with our other dogs and all people. O’Malley loved to snuggle with us, but he definitely was not a couch potato. O'Malley needed to find a home with people who were willing to provide plenty of exercise, mental stimulation, and continued training.

He found that with his new family. O'Malley was adopted by a wonderful couple with another rescue border collie. They had recently lost their older, much-loved rescue border collie and were looking for a new companion to their younger border collie. They also just loved the breed and missed having two dogs in the house.

O'Malley now has a new brother and a wonderful yard to play fetch and chase. He also has a swimming pool to cool off in during the hot Florida summers. We're quite sure that O'Malley is going to be quite happy with his new life and family.

Nik ...

Nik was about 5 - 6 months old when he was adopted. He was rescued from the same high-kill shelter in Georgia as Pumpkin (below). The shelter has an 87% euthanasia rate!

Nik was a fun little puppy and loved to play with toys and with the other dogs. Nik tended to be quite vocal when playing or when he greeted us in the morning or after work. He half barked/half howled and it made us laugh every time he did it.

Nik was a great little puppy and he loved to learn new things. His new family was thrilled to have him. It took them a while to grieve the loss of their previous dog, but when they saw Nik, they knew that it was time to give a new dog a loving, forever home. The only real dilemma that his new family faces now is deciding who is going to have to change their name - Nick, their human son, or Nik, their new furry child!

Pumpkin ...

Pumpkin was about 7 weeks old when she was rescued from the same high-kill shelter in Georgia as Nik, above. We believe that she was a collie or Australian shepherd mix. Pumpkin was very sweet and very smart. She never stopped wagging her tail. In fact, she would sometimes wag it so fast that you couldn't even see it. You just saw a white-tipped blur at the end of her body!

Pumpkin was quite the little athlete and could already jump up on the couch at about 3 months old. She was also a bit of an escape artist and managed to break out of her crate on a couple of occasions. On her second break out, she managed to, um, "redecorate" her foster parent's office. Though I'm sure that Pumpkin was likely quite proud of herself, I don't think that her foster parents were quite as impressed - yikes!

Pumpkin was adopted by a wonderful couple who absolutely fell head over heels in love with her. Even though we warned them about Pumpkin's impish streak, they were not about to be discouraged. We hear that things are continuing to go well and they still think the world of her. She's definitely one lucky puppy!

Oreo (Murphy) ...

Oreo was a 5 and a half year-old purebred border collie that was surrendered to rescue by his owners. Oreo was being kept outside in a pen with some other dogs at his first home. He was rescued by a woman who had considered keeping him, but her husband didn't like Oreo to be in the house. So, he spent most of his time outside. If you've ever met Oreo, you would know that this is NOT where he would like to be. Oreo is very much a people dog. He wants nothing more than to be with his person. We were told that Oreo was able to scale an 8-foot high fence in an attempt to get to his people. We had him for about a month and a half and he never showed an ounce of interest in climbing our fence. He simply wanted to be with the family, whether the family was inside or outside at the time.

Oreo was adopted by a wonderful family in Connecticut. His new Mom is someone who I had known for a couple of years and someone I trusted to give him a good home. She had recently lost her sweet blue merle rescue border collie way too young and was hoping that having another merlie boy around might ease some of her heartache. Besides his new human family, Oreo shares his home with two other rescue dogs and several rescue cats.

Holly ...

Holly was rescued from a high kill shelter in north-central Florida. She was very young, not more than a year old, as evidenced by her perfectly white teeth. But, it was clear that she had recently had puppies. We don't know what became of her puppies.

Holly was a very sweet and submissive girl. She was likely a border collie mix. She was very low key, but did enjoy play time, too. Holly loved being with people most of all and spent most of her time curled up at her foster Mom's feet. Her foster Mom said that Holly was a lovely dog she thoroughly enjoyed having her around.

Holly was adopted by a family who was interested in getting a dog that they could possibly do some agility with just for fun. But, they did not want a high energy dog and were looking for a nice companion most of all. Holly fit that mold perfectly. Her new nick-name is Sweetie Pie.

"We are still so happy, he continues to make us smile everyday. Today Raegan said we should get fireworks with words that say,'Tater is the best dog in the world!' I think that sums it up."

Tater ...

Tater was rescued from a kill shelter in central Florida where he had been turned in as a stray. If only they realized what a treasure they were giving up when they turned him in!!

Tater was pretty sick when we first got him. He had a bad respiratory infection and was very lethargic and would not eat. After a few days with some strong antibiotics, Tater was feeling much better and finally started to eat. Tater's respiratory infection took two rounds of antibiotics to finally get it under control.

Tater was probably around 4 months old when we got him. He still had all of his puppy teeth, but started loosing them within a few days after we picked him up.

Tater was a very good puppy. He was playful but not too crazy (usually) and he was very good in the house. Tater was very easy to potty train and he would go immediately upon being brought out. He only had a few accidents in the house, but they were our fault, not his.

Tater loved to play with toys and loved to play with the other dogs, especially my year-old border collie mix, Skittles. By the time Tater was ready to be adopted, they had become good buddies and were always together.

Tater was a tough dog to give up for adoption. We had become VERY attached to him. There are some dogs that come through our rescue program that seem to worm their way right into our hearts, and Tater was one of those dogs. We even brought him with us on vacation when we went up north for Thanksgiving. Only really special foster dogs get to go on family vacations.

Tater was adopted by a wonderful family with two young children. They could not be happier with him and feel blessed to have him in their lives. We are told that he has become the young boy's shadow and sleeps with him at night. We couldn't have found a better family for Tater and they think that they couldn't have found a better dog. We will miss you forever, Tater, but you will ALWAYS be in our hearts!

Tess and Ceit ...

Tess and Ceit (pronounced Kate) were two border collie puppies that were surrendered to rescue by their owners. Unfortunately, their owners hadn't really done their research before getting two high-energy breed puppies.

Tess and Ceit were very sweet and LOVED any attention they were given. They had had almost no training and were a bit wild when we got them. But, they were very smart and learned quickly. They were both very high energy puppies and could get into trouble very quickly, if not kept busy! Ceit was a little more self-confident than Tess, who was more skittish about strange sounds and sites. But, she was pretty good about working through her fears. Tess had no idea how to walk on a leash when we got her, but after a week of practice, she was able to go for a long walk on a leash without any problems (other than pulling like a sled dog!).

Tess and Ceit were adopted around the same time. Tess went to a family on the west coast of Florida who already had another young border collie. Though her new older sister was not sure at first if she wanted to share her family with a young, ram-bunctious puppy, we are told that they have now become good friends. Ceit was adopted by a couple with an older rescue cocker spaniel mix on the east coast of Florida. Since they were recently retired, they felt that they now had the time to add a young border collie to their life. Her new Mom is hoping to train Ceit to be a search and rescue dog. We wish both dogs good luck in their new homes and look forward to hearing about their many adventures.

Molly ...

Molly was about 6 months old when she was surrendered to rescue by her owners. Though they loved Molly very much, they realized that a border collie was not the right breed for them. They wanted Molly to have the chance to go to a home where she would receive the kind of mental and physical exercise that a high energy dog like Molly needs. A lot of owners will just drop their dog off at the local shelter once they realize that it's not the right dog for their family. But, Molly's owners wanted to make sure that she went to a good home where she would be loved and cared for.

We are glad that they did. Molly had not yet been spayed and an unspayed pure bred dog with papers could so easily end up in the wrong hands and become a breeder dog for an unscrupulous breeder or puppy miller that is only interested in making money by breeding the dogs over and over again. That will never happen to Molly, though. We had her spayed and microchipped and worked to crate train her and teach her what proper behavior in the house was. She took to everything very quickly.

Molly loved romping with our other foster dog, Zoe (below), but we wanted her to learn to bond with people, too. So, we decided to send Molly to a foster home where she could get some one-on-one attention from her foster Mom. Well, it didn't take her foster Mom long to fall in love with Molly and so she decided to make her a permanent resident. Molly gets to go to the dog park every day and has started basic obedience classes. Molly, recently, even got to try her paw at herding sheep! It looks like Molly has found the forever home that everyone wanted for her. Good luck Molly and Amy!

"Zoe is a snuggle-bug! We're so in love!"

Zoe ...

Zoe was rescued from a high-kill south Florida shelter. She was turned in by her owner and was said to be aggressive towards men. Sometimes when owners turn in their dogs, they feel the need to make excuses for doing so. Unfortunately, labeling a dog as aggressive is a certain death sentence at most shelters. Because of this label, Zoe was not made available for adoption but was (thank goodness) still eligible to be pulled by a rescue.

Well, Zoe was about as far from aggressive as they come. She was sweet to everyone she met - men, women, children. She got along famously with all of our other dogs, other foster dogs, and friends' dogs. She was playful and loving and cute as a button. She had a wonderful temperament and a very fun personality. She was just a really wonderful dog.

Zoe was adopted by a wonderful couple who fell in love with her sweet face. Even though they already had several other dogs and also fostered dogs for their local rescue group, they couldn't stop thinking about Zoe. Once they met her, they knew that she would be their next dog. We hear that she is adjusting quite well in her new home and she has done a wonderful job in helping their under-socialized foster dog come out of his shell. Good luck Zoe. I'm so glad we decided to prove to the shelter that labeled you as aggressive wrong!

"We love him more everyday. Liesa and me took him for a bike ride today, and he did great."

Zeus (Spots) ...

Zeus was a 17 month old smooth coat border collie that was surrendered to rescue by his owners because they had some life changes and felt that they could no longer care for him. Zeus was not a high energy border collie. He was more of a couch potato. Zeus just loved attention and wanted nothing more than to find a family that just wanted a really great companion dog.

Well, he found that family. We think this home will be the perfect home for him. He will have his very own 11 year-old girl to love him and play with him. He even gets to sleep in the bedroom with her at night, which we KNOW he just loves! He is the perfect energy level for this family and their other dog (a very cute toy poodle) and we couldn't be happier about the adoption. The night they picked him up, he jumped right into the car without any hesitation like he knew that his forever family had finally come for him. We think Zeus is going to have a really wonderful life.

Tally ...

Tally was rescued from a kill shelter in Georgia. The shelter was crowded and she had run out of time. She was in danger of being euthanized at any time. We had space to take her here, but needed some help getting her out of the shelter where she would be safe until we could get her. A wonderful rescue organization (Ruffus Rescue) in the Atlanta area offered to pull her and hold her temporarily until we could get her. She was temporarily fostered by a wonderful couple who have a soft spot for dogs in need. She was pampered in her foster home and even got to sleep on the bed with her foster Mom and Dad! They fell in love with this sweet girl and wanted nothing but to see her go to a wonderful forever home.

Tally was adopted by a couple who have another rescue border collie. He and Tally hit it off immediately. They chased and played until both were exhausted. Then, they both cooled off in the water. We think that Tally may have finally found a dog that can keep up with her! We wish her good luck in her new home and look forward to seeing pictures and hearing stories of her.

Rocky ...

Oh boy, where do we start?! Rocky was rescued from the same high-kill shelter as Jenny, below. Rocky's chances of being adopted were nearly zero. He was in pretty bad shape. He was undernourished, had lost a lot of hair on his body due to having sarcoptic mange, was full of intestinal worms, and had infections in both ears. Once we brought him home, we also found out that he was heartworm positive. Rocky began receiving immediate medical attention for his skin and ear conditions,and treatments to rid him of the internal parasites and malnourishment. Within a couple of weeks, he was well enough to be neutered and begin his heartworm treatment.

You will never meet a happier dog than Rocky. Even when he was spending nearly 24 hours a day in his crate, he never complained and was always wagging his tail. Rocky was a fun little dog. We were not sure what his mix was, but his personality was part comedian, part snuggle bug, and part Tasmanian devil! He was a total hoot to have around. He just LOVED toys and would grab and shake the life out of any toy, sock, towel, pillow, or whatever else he could get a hold of. He was also quite a good lizard and frog hunter and even presented us a present in the form of a small box turtle (unharmed) that he had discovered in the back yard one day.

On Labor Day in 2007, Rocky went to his new forever home. Letting him go was one of the hardest things that we've ever done. He had certainly grown on us in the four and a half months that he was with us. Rescue can be tough sometimes and Rocky reminded us of just how hard it can be. He is one of a kind. Who knew that this hairless, skinny, stinky(!) boy that we pulled out of that rual Florida shelter would turn out to be such a treasure of a dog?! But, his new Mom is a wonderful woman who has promised to keep us updated on Rocky's new life. She is, of course, completely smitten with him and is already spoiling him rotten! Rocky, you will ALWAYS be in our hearts. We will love you forever!!

Connor (Rye) ...

Connor was found as a stray on the highway. A wonderful woman took him in and cared for him for several months. He was thin and had worms and an ear infection. His rescuer got him the medical attention that he needed and also had him neutered, tested for heartworm, and microchipped. Though she was also a rescuer, she asked us to help because she typically doesn't rescue border collies.

We were all too happy to help. Connor is a wonderful dog. He has one of the best temperaments of any dog that we've fostered. We knew he wouldn't last long in rescue and we were right. Connor was with us for just a very short time before he was adopted by a wonderful couple who are training him for flyball. They have another border collie that already competes in flyball and loved the sport so much, they decided to add a second border collie to their family. Of course, they fell in love with Connor right away. Who wouldn't love this guy? He's a sweet, happy, smart, wonderful dog. Good luck Connor (now named Rye). We hope to see you out there competing alongside your sister one day!

Jenny ...

Jenny was rescued from a high-kill shelter in central Florida. The poor girl was absolutely terrified to be at the shelter and was paralyzed with fear when she was brought out of her kennel. We brought her home, cleaned her up, de-fleaed and de-ticked her, and got her some necessary medical attention. Within a day or two of leaving the shelter, Jenny was already feeling better and loved the much-deserved attention that she was now getting. She was about the sweetest dog we've ever met. She would just lay her head in your lap and wag her tail in total bliss.

Jenny was a very young dog - around 8 months old - but had already experienced so much hardship. With a lot of love an patience from her foster Mom, Jenny blossomed into a wonderful, happy little girl. In fact, her foster Mom struggled with her decision to Jenny go. She loved this special pup. But, Jenny went to a wonderful home where she is much loved by her new family. They feel like they have hit the jackpot with this sweet girl. They can't stop gushing over her. We are so happy that Jenny will never have to be terrified again. Her new family will make sure of that!

Owen ...

Owen was surrendered to rescue by his owners because they were moving and couldn't take him with them. Owen is a pure bred border collie and had spent most of his time in the backyard of his owner's home with his mother. Owen was about 7 months old when we got him and he was already overweight from lack of exercise. Despite being mostly isolated for the early part of his life, Owen had good social skills with both dogs and people.

When Owen first came to us, he was a bit withdrawn, as his life had just been turned upside down. He didn't know how to, or didn't want to, play with toys and he was absolutely obsessed with chasing the other dogs. Unfortunately, he was too rough with the other dogs to be allowed to play with them when he first arrived. He wasn't trying to hurt them; he just was a little too serious about wanting to control their movement. We worked hard to redirect Owen's passion to something less disruptive - THE BALL. Once we switched on his passion for chasing the ball, there was no looking back. Owen became a ball fanatic! He lived to play fetch and had awesome eye-to-mouth coordination.

Owen was adopted by a woman who was experienced with the high energy requirements of herding breeds like Owen. She had 3 Australian shepherds and a whippet. It was the whippet's job to keep the Aussies exercised because none of them could ever catch her. Owen's adopter loved her Aussies, but was looking to add a border collie to her family. She was already competing in obedience and other activities with her dogs, but she was interested in finding a dog that she could train for competition herding. We allowed her to have Owen instinct-tested on sheep and he passed with flying colors. We think that she was already in love with him and would have adopted him anyway, but we won't tell her that!

We are thrilled that this pudgy, undersocialized, scared guy is now living the life he deserves and is getting the chance to do exactly what he was born and bred to do - herd sheep! We wish him and his new Mom good luck and hope to see them competing in a herding trial one day.

Jet (Kamir) ...

Jet came from a kill shelter in Indiana. The shelter was going to euthanize him because "he wouldn't walk on a leash." Huh??!! Well, lucky for Jet, he had a guardian angel looking after him. The same wonderful woman who helped save our previous foster, Indy, also saved Jet. She wasn't going to let this beautiful boy die for such an absurd reason.

Jet was recently adopted by a local couple who have another border collie, Shade, that looks like she could be Jet's older (and wiser?) big sister. Jet gets to go to the dog park once or twice a day where he keeps himself busy by trying to round up all of the other dogs there.

Besides the fact that Jet was adopted by a wonderful couple, we are tickled to death that we will get to see Jet on a regular basis. Jet was definitely worth saving. He's going to bring so much fun and adventure into his new family's life and we could't be happier about that!! Good luck Jet. You're not a throw-away dog anymore.

Cosmo ...

Cosmo came from the same South Florida shelter as Miami Sam. Cosmo had no chance of getting out of the shelter alive. He was in a "resricted" area of the shelter that the general public doesn't get to see. When we pulled him, he literally had only hours left to live. Such a shame because he is a great dog!

Cosmo was placed in a restricted area of the shelter because he was injured. We don't know for sure what happened to him, but his injuries were not serious. He had about a 4-5 inch gash on his left hip and a broken bone in his right rear foot. Surely, no reason to throw a dog away! Indeed, within a month of being out of the shelter, Cosmo was fully recovered and ready to take on the world!

Cosmo was a tough dog to give up for adoption. Fun was his middle name. Cosmo has a huge heart and a thirst for adventure. We were lucky to find a family that would provide the forever home that Cosmo needed and deserved. He now has his very own little boy to love him and play with him every day. We couldn't be more thrilled. But, he will be missed. We love you, Cosmo. Have a wonderful life!!

T"The boy wonder does it again. We (Michael, Dash and I) went to a Blessing of the Pets held at St.George's Episcopal Church just down the street from my home today. Although apprehensive Dash did so well. He allowed Father Parker to bless him individually !!! "

Indy is a very special boy who has an amazing story. Indy was one of 8 border collies rescued from a bad situation where all the dogs were being starved and possibly abused. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of several caring people, all 8 dogs found foster or forever homes. We were lucky enough to become Indy's foster family.

Indy was with us for nearly 7 months, in which time he blossomed into a wonderful, sweet, fun-loving boy. We made the decision that Indy was ready to go to his very own forever home. We knew that his adopter would need to be a special person who would be patient with him and willing to give him time to adjust to his new life.

We think we found that person. Indy's new Mom is a wonderful woman who is willing to give Indy all the time he needs to get comfortable with his new life. She's not expecting anything from him other than love and companionship. Indy has a wonderful home in a quiet neighborhood with a yard "to die for!" His yard backs up to a golf course and we are told that Indy is fascinated with watching all the golfers on the other side of his fence. He also enjoys spending time on his comfy bed in the sun room and going for walks with his Mom.

Indy is a diamond in the rough and we will love him forever. Please read the special poem written for Indy by his foster Dad.

Miami Sam ...

Sam was rescued from an animal shelter in South Florida in December. If he had not been pulled by rescue, he would have been euthanized. He had lost fur all over his body due to a bad allergy (likely from fleas), which he was treated for. He was also treated for an ear infection.

On February 18th, Sam went to his new home on the west coast of Florida. His new family is very excited to have him join them. His new Mom is also a medical doctor and has assured us that she will be fully prepared to deal with any skin problems that Sam may have. But, we think that is all behind him now. He's been off all medicines for several weeks and we haven't seen any allergy flare-ups. His coat is also really starting to fill in. We wish Sam good luck in his new home, but we sure will miss him - especially Steve. They had become quite close.

Skittles ...

This little guy never even made it to adoption row! Skittles was rescued from a kill shelter in South Carolina. The shelter was run by a caring group of volunteers and they all loved Skittles. But, the bottom line is, a shelter is no place for a puppy and space is always limited. The rescues there were full but they were determined to get Skittles out. So, we offered to take Skittles into rescue here.

From the moment we brought him home, we knew he was special. He strutted into the house like he owned the place. He always has a smile on his face and a wag in his tail. Skittles is adventurous and fearless. Just the kind of guy we like! Though the resident dogs were quite jealous of the little heartbreaker at first, they have grown to love him as we have. He has become the constant companion and playmate of my younger border collie, Charlie. I think my older border collie is also grateful to have someone else help fill in the role as Charlie's playmate.

Though it was never our intention to keep Skittles, it was clear after just a few short days that he wasn't going to be going anywhere. Sometimes when you aren't even looking, the right dog just finds you.

Skittles will be following in his brother's footsteps and will hopefully have a fun and rewarding agility career when he is older. So, stay tuned for more on the exciting adventures of Skittles!!

Hops ...

One of our first adoptees, Hops, initially named Dylan, was rescued from the Humane Society in Cookeville, TN. Not much is known about his past, but clearly he had some fear issues when he was first rescued. He was afraid to even come into the house and he would cower if you moved toward him too quickly. He acted as though he had always been left outside and didn't know what it was like to be an "inside dog."

But, he was a sweetheart from the beginning and would thrive on any kind of attention and petting. He was quick to flip over and have any willing participant scratch his belly.

The original plan was to first save Hops from being put to sleep and then foster him until the perfect home could be found. He arrived close to Thanksgiving so he came along with me to visit my sister in Atlanta for the holidays. It was an opportunity for him to meet another dog that my sister had just adopted. Secretly, I was hoping my sister would fall in love with him and adopt him into her home.

But, his first interview didn't go so well, he promptly went the bathroom on the indoor plants and dining room floor. His potential brother didn't like him much either when Hops snapped at him on more than one occasion. So, he promptly headed back to Tennessee after Thanksgiving and the search continued for an adoptive family.

He went on another interview in TN, but it didn't go so well either when he tried to eat the prospective owner's cat! So, when no family was identified by Christmas, he made another road trip to Atlanta to spend a week again at my sister's for the holidays.

This time, his interview went much better! No more peeing on the plants or snapping at his potential brother, instead they played together constantly. When it was time to leave, there was no way my sister could separate the two of them, so he was welcomed into her home forever. His name was changed to Hops to coincide with his new brother, Barley.

Over time, Hops came out of his shell and has turned into an extraordinary dog. It all started with the introduction of a tennis ball and progressed to a wiggly giggly ball....now he cannot go a day without retrieving and playing with his green ball.

His ball obsession quickly progressed to a Frisbee obsession and just the mere mention of the word "Frisbee" sends him running for the dog door. He has learned many Frisbee tricks and continues to improve his skills. His attention and focus are unwavering and he has to be told to "take a break" as he will not stop on his own.

He loves any kind of toy that squeaks and although he can drive his new parents crazy with this obsession, he also is the center of much laughter and joy when he gets so excited by these toys that he jumps...or should I say HOPS, on his dog bed feverishly to show his enthusiasm.

His energy is contagious and his more laid-back brother has to work hard just to keep up. As a result, his energy keeps us all in shape and reminds about the importance of exercise.

In the past few years he was a content hiking companion to his adoptive dad and has logged close to 100 miles on the Appalachian Trail through the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina.

Once afraid to come into the house, he now sleeps upside down with hind legs spread right in the middle of the king-size bed! He is an incredibly loyal dog who will stay right by your feet and keep you company even when you are working on the computer into the wee hours of the morning.

Hops and Barley together are quite a pair...just like children, when they were first adopted, they got into EVERYTHING....including digging holes in the mud! But they always clean up nicely!

They enjoy car rides and hiking everyday in the woods with their adoptive dad, Brian. They love to find deer and squirrels on their hikes.

And, the best part of all is that I still get to see him regularly. They love to come visit me in Vero Beach, FL. Hops loves to go to the beach and catch his Frisbee in the waves.

Hops and Barley have recently moved to a new home on a lake so chasing ducks has now been added to their daily routine. A major "water dog", Hops loves to splash and swim and retrieve his tennis ball. He thinks he now is going to the park each day, when he is just going to his backyard.

He has successfully passed basic and intermediate obedience training with flying colors as he is one very smart dog! He loves any kind of project to do that stimulates his little brain. His new family is considering getting him involved in agility classes or even fly ball or herding.

Hops was a one year old active pup when he was first adopted. Now he is a thriving active 5 year old. With a little bit of attention and patience, this little guy with a few "issues" has turned into a life-long and loyal companion.

The moral of this story is don't give up after the first interview. With a little patience and perseverance, you too can find a life-long companion that will give more back to you than you ever imagined possible.