UPDATE--- Helping a dog find a softer home

[suz]

UPDATE Luna is headed to Massachusetts with me tomorrow. I’m boarding her at a friend’s until I figure out a training plan. She’ll hopefully be adoped as soon as possible.
Also, she’s 14 months, not spayed but utd.
Wish me luck?!

Its pretty unlikely they’ll let me have her but the mom is listening more, and liked the idea of me taking her and training her before returning her to the family. But I wouldn’t return her after bonding and investing in her!! However, mom is hearing me about perimeter fencing around a few acres, so dog, kids, hens, goats can all be safe inside the fencing.
Paying for and helping to install it will probably be my combined wedding/baby/ housewarming gift.
It’s spendy but probably the most valuable gift overall.
Meanwhile I’m setting the best possible example of dog care. Turns out this is her first dog, too.

As for the breed cross, just stupid backyard breeders at work again.

There’s this dog I’m hoping to rescue from a lifetime of loneliness and isolation.
She is around 2yo, a border collie/ great Pyrenees cross.
The dog is living her life either tied to a tree or Kenneled alone in the garage.
She gets zero attention, sometimes goes for most of the day without water.
She’s quite large, exuberant,and knocks the kids down in her excitement, owners are clueless and assume she’ll magically train herself someday. She’s got Big Big border collie personality, and she wants a job. And attention, affection and a purpose.
The 5yo wants a cuddle pup, and she would adore that, but he’s frail and she outweighs him by a lot.
Her desperate need for attention and affection is overwhelming tbh, and clearly she’s not the best dog for me, but I cannot walk away without trying to help her.
Ideally she’ll be a velcro dog, or I can find her a better life with experienced border collie people.

Ugh, just needed to write what I’m thinking about this situation…

[OzarksRider]

How do you plan to acquire this dog? Have you talked to the owners?

[2DogsFarm]

THIS! Above
Ask & have a plan if owners agree.
Are you certain you can rehome?
Can you offer any payment?

A friend got her Black & Tan hound after driving past the barn he was chained to for almost a year.
He had a bag of kibble cut open nearby & water, but it bothered her to see (she’s a huge doglover, showed Obedience with her Dobermans & Mastiff, bred Bouviers & Dobermans).
She had found a B&T female puppy in a ditch, kept her & thought this could be a littermate.
She finally stopped & offered to buy he dog. Owner gave him to her.
She had those 2 (& 2 more: Aussie & MinPin) well into their teens.

[suz]

She belongs to relatives I’m visiting. The wife is a new mom, knows everything and has been explaining to me how farms work, lol. So my diplomatic skills are necessary here.
They’re moving in two weeks, maybe just maybe she’ll give her to me to make the move easier. I know they’ll just get another, hopefully a lap dog next time.

[2DogsFarm]

If they’re moving to another farm, it’s likely they’ll get another "farm’ breed, IF they’ll even consider giving you this dog.
KnowsItAll Mom apparently thinks she knows how this works
All you can do us ask.
& Maybe offer some

[OnAMission]

I got a dog once that had been tied up for his entire 5 years, a border collie type. His owner ditched him with his dad and the dad tied him up and that was that. He had a trench all around his crate in the yard and if you got within reach he would jump all over you and grab on with his paws and tear you up in desperation. The owner was going to move and his solution was to shoot the dog before he left. I got wind of that plan and just went and got the dog, despite the fact I already had six at that time. There was a bit of spaz on his end when we got him home but weirdly he never jumped up again once he was off the chain. He was a super sweet smart devoted dog but in the end he liked to chase things too much for where we were living. By the time I realized that I knew him quite well, knew he was house trained and good with kids and other dogs and had taught him a lot of basic commands and good behaviors. I was easily able to rehome him to a good family.

[Posting_Trot]

Your opportunity is that the relatives will be moving. You could pitch your taking the dog as (initially) a temporary thing–just a short term way of making their move easier.

Then, after a couple of weeks you could just say, “I’ve gotten so attached to the dog, could I keep her?” This would make your taking the dog less about the relatives’ failures as dog owners and more about your desire to have a dog.

Good luck, it sounds like you’d give the dog a much better home.

[candyappy]

@suz

maybe just maybe she’ll give her to me to make the move easier.

Hopefully they will and then you can just keep her? BC and GP is a strange cross and not for the average dog owner.

[Scribbler]

It’s a strange cross but since some ranchers have both for useful work, it’s logically possible cross

[candyappy]

@Scribbler

It’s a strange cross but since some ranchers have both for useful work, it’s logically possible cross

Around here GP are more of a nuisance than anything else? BC are a herding/ working dog and GP are a guardian dog. Kind of an undesirable mix.

[Scribbler]

@candyappy

@Scribbler

It’s a strange cross but since some ranchers have both for useful work, it’s logically possible cross

Around here GP are more of a nuisance than anything else? BC are a herding/ working dog and GP are a guardian dog. Kind of an undesirable mix.

It’s a terrible mix that could give you the worst of both. But I’ve seen places that have both on the property so if you weren’t careful about spay and neuter …

[OnAMission]

IME this is what happens.

[Incantation]

Suz sent me a pic of her, she is beautiful and exactly what you would expect the cross to look like. If I was dogless, I would consider taking her, but I have my hands full atm.
If you get her I will do what I can to help you train/re-home her. It is a shitty situation. I feel bad for both of you.

[Bicoastal]

@Scribbler

It’s a strange cross but since some ranchers have both for useful work

It’s a cross I see popping up more and more locally. I don’t know anyone on a farm who would touch ‘em with a 10’-pole given how strong and opposing are the genetic characteristics of each component breed. You may need a herding dog. You may need a guardian dog. You don’t need a crapshoot mix of the two. I hope this one is safe enough to be rehomed as a pet.

I think it’s the aftermath of the COVID rush to the country and the homesteading craze. Now those animals are reproducing willy nilly.

[suz]

Pretty much lol.
Though I do not want a dog, and tbh cannot afford a dog. But she’s growing on me! Luckily there are a couple of individuals interested in meeting her.
Also Border Collie Rescue is relatively local, if necessary.
Ok, I miss her already, but the joy of seeing her run and play with the pack at my friend’s house made me cry.

My real challenge now is figuring out a way to tell mom I’m rehoming her. Dad is relieved I’ve intervened, she still has the fantasy picture in her head of the dog on the new farm. Dad assures me he will refuse a new dog, and prefers a middle aged lab/golden mutt for the boys when theyre settled and fenced etc.
I know I can tell him to tell her, but creating an issue in their marriage would be shitty, so I’m trying to come up with the verbiage she’d accept.
And I’m no diplomat!!
Appreciate your support btw. Ty!!

[Posting_Trot]

You may be in a tough spot in terms of being diplomatic. If you go the BC rescue route, you could tell her that you’ve consulted with a behaviorist at the Border Collie rescue who has given you options in terms of training and how best to be a responsible dog owner for this kind of dog. And that the dog requires a lot of hands on training, etc. that requires time that she’s unlikely to have as she’s moving and putting up fence, and so on.

Good luck, and I hope the dog is doing well. Any chance of seeing a picture?

[trubandloki]

How to be diplomatic depends on what you told them as a reason for you taking the dog in the first place.

[Alterwho]

@suz

My real challenge now is figuring out a way to tell mom I’m rehoming her. Dad is relieved

This gave me a chuckle even though I know it’s not what you meant

[suz]

Lol I like it!!

[suz]

This is perfect, thank you!