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Dogster

Border Collie

Photo Comments

Home:Semora, NC

Age: 11 Years Sex: Male

Dogster stats for Irena Cord


Stars:

Leave a bone for Irena Cord

Nicknames:
Cordy, Nervous Nellie, Mr. Monk, Computer Brain

Doggie Dynamics:

Energy

sleepy		energetic

Intelligence

silly		genius

Friendliness

aggressive		affectionate

Playfulness

not playful		very playful

Disposition

anxious		calm

Birthday:
August 24th 2000

Likes:
Frisbee

Pet-Peeves:
Being handled suddenly

Favorite Toy:
His indestructable ball and firehose chewie

Favorite Food:
Homemade stew - it's bowl-lickin' good!

Favorite Walk:
To the pond

Best Tricks:
He's fully trained to work sheep but doesn't do much else.

Arrival Story:
Cord went through several owners/trainers after his original owner died in a terrible car accident and his owner's wife needed to focus on the needs of her young daughter who was also in the truck at the time of the accident. Cord is an unusual BC in that he hates change of any kind, and so every new change of hands or routine was very unpleasant to him. But he did eventually learn the basics. Finally his last owner offered him for sale at what was essentially "puppy price". She did not advertise him, instead hoping through word of mouth to find a good working home for him. I learned about him soon after starting lessons with a new instructor and expressing my frustration with trying to run a farm with a very young dog, and a very old dog. I met Cord and he had everything I needed at the time. He is also a very funny, nice dog, and as a bonus, has a very cool pedigree (it does him no good as a worker but it's fun to relate his family tree - I even found a picture of his uncle in a book in the vet's office).

Bio:
Cord worked for about two years as main dog with my old dog Ben as support and backup. This year he gradually started fading in enthusiasm until just recently he quit working entirely. His health is 100% - he's got the best hips and other joints, my vet has ever seen in a BC (it's a family trait). I just realized recently that Cord was used to Ben backing him up and being there with his bull-in-the-chinashop presence when things got tough. Cord's got incredible style and finesse but his checkered history left him with huge holes in his confidence, poor guy. I didn't realize he'd gotten so attached to having Ben around. But last fall for the first time, twelve year old Ben really couldn't keep up any more and over the last year I started using him less and less, until he rarely came out to help at all. And then in October he passed away. So Cord is mostly retired now. I haven't tried working him with my young dog yet - so far I have to keep an eye on Ted too much to work him with another dog. We'll see! Meanwhile he likes his toys, his homemade food, and walks to the pond.

Forums Motto:
Let me fix that. You'll thank me later.

The Groups I'm In:
..:: Herding Breeds Association ::.., Border Collie Mania

The Last Forum I Posted In:
So

I've Been On Dogster Since:

November 21st 2008