A Letter from Sue's Thanksgiving Visit

Here is a letter that my new friend Bridget sent to my foster mom while my foster family was away for Thanksgiving.

Hi! I hope you had a good Thanksgiving! Things are going well. Sue is a bundle of energy... she was awake all day today until about 7pm. Summer and Duke were sound asleep in the family room and Sue kept trying to play with Duke while he was asleep. He would just lay there and play with her- I took some video of it. She finally settled down and took a nap! I took her and Summer to Superdogz today to rent the ring. She got to do the full size A-frame and dog walk, table, and all of the other equipment there. She did great! She was pretty spooked by the teeter because it's so tall and loud, so we'll work more on the low teeter here. I'm going to go again tomorrow and I'll try to get Andy to come with me to get a video of her. Sue and Summer were in the house together and Summer brought a tug toy over to play- I think they got too aroused and got into an argument. I pulled them apart and separated them, and they calmed down quickly with no problems afterwards. Then Sue and Duke got into it over a toy. Sue growled at him and he totally ignored her growl, so it's his fault for being stupid. Today Sue and Duke have been playing quite a bit inside. Summer really wants to play with Sue but is cautious, and Sue just ignores Summer. She's been really good about sitting by the door to ask to go outside.She's eating well, pooping well, and she has been chewing her nylabones a lot. She has also been playing with toys out in the yard. She just grabs a toy and runs laps and she brings the toys back better than my dogs! We've been taking them on walks with no problem. She's all about business on walks! Kelly e-mailed me and is going to pick her up sometime in the afternoon. I'm going to be sad to see her go! I hope you're having a good time.
Bridget

Working Girl

So my foster mom decided that I have been laying around doing nothing for long enough. I had to get a job. I spent the summer keep seagulls off the beaches, and now we are into goose season, so I am on goose patrol. Mom works for a company called Another Wild Goose Chase. It is very cool. Mom sometimes takes me and Kasey or me and Holly. She said I have a really strong desire to work, and a strong prey drive that makes this kind of work fun for me. She has to keep an eye on me though; I sometimes like to take things into my own paws.

This past Sunday I started agility lessons. I go and hang out with this really nice trainer named Bridget. Bridget has been completing in agility with her dogs, and she has a course set up in her backyard. Bridget is actually training me because mom said that I have to learn to work with someone else besides her. Everytime I did something right, I ran back to mom to make sure that she was watching. She tried going in the house, but I sat at the door and waited for her... not even treats would get me away. We are going to go every Sunday to work with Bridget.

Lastly, I am still working sheep. I have decided that flanking isn't that bad. :) Mom now calls me zippy. Although I would still prefer to hold them in one place.

Well time for a run with mom. 5 miles today. Easy money I say. Why does Mom sweat and breathe so hard?

Later~

SUE

Busy little dog

Time sure does fly. I wonder when I will find this "forever home" place. I do like my foster home. Here I get treats, I play with Kasey my foster brother, I play with the baby in the house Meredith, and I get to go to obedience class. I also enjoy going on lots of walks with my foster mom and Meredith. I also get to go to sheep herding lessons once a week which are very cool.

I do manage to get myself into trouble though. I chew toys sometimes, and I am forever hunting squirrels in the backyard. This drives mom crazy. She keeps trying to stop me. Why? A girl has to have hobbies! I have worn a path in the yard where I run to look for squirrels. Mom is not happy about this at all.

Mom says I have a lot of puppy in me, so if someone is looking for a clean slate to train into some type of performance dog... I am your dog. I can jump REALLY high without any effort at all, and mom says I am pretty fearless of new things so she really thinks I would be a good dog for a home that is looking for a dog to train at agility. It sounds cool, but right now I have only read about it.

Later,

Sue

Squirrels and birds and bugs

Wow. It really is all I can say. They seem to come out of nowhere. I use to be excited to go out in the yard because it meant running and playing with Kasey, but now... it means WORK! It was sometime last week that my eyes where opened to the work of chasing squirrels and birds. Kasey, my foster brother, showed me how to do it. I will forever be grateful; mom forever annoyed. He even showed me how to climb the fence, too. Mom took a video of me trying out his technique. We have a 5 foot fence that Mom feels I could take. Of course,... I could. Duh.

The birds are also very interesting. Yesterday Mom let Kasey and I out into the yard and there were birds in the grass. Kasey and I flushed them out every quickly. I was exciting! Then I decided to kick it up a notch by jumping in the air and catching one in my mouth. While I thought it was pretty impressive, Mom did not. She yelled, "DROP IT!" which I did. Lame.

Another cool thing I have discovered are June Bugs. These little critters fly around the windows and the yard lights at night. I just jump up and make a tasty snack out of them. Mom thinks I look like one of those dogs doing freestyle dance. She also says it is gross. What does she know?

Later,
SUE

List of tricks!

Here is the list of tricks that I either know or I am working on. Aren't I just the best?

1. sit
2. stand
3. down
4. off (leave it)
5. look at me
6. swing
7. finish
8. halt
9. shake
10. figure eight
11. sit stay
12. down stay
13. settle
14. settle stay
15. sit at the door before going outside (I hate this one. Doors were meant to be charged through)
16. go to your kennel
17. potty
18. come
19. reliable recall (I come to a whistle... any tune)
20. gotcha
21. say hello

Mom as saved all my training sheets, so when I get to my forever home, my future mom/dad will be able to pick up where my foster mom has left off.

Likes and Dislikes

Well now that I have been here awhile I am feeling comfortable with being the cute little Sue that I am. I decided to make a list of all the things that I like about being in at my foster home:

Going to obedience class
taking car rides
going for walks
going running
working sheep
having a young male dog to play with
my crate
nylabones
pink collar, pink blanket,... quite frankily, I look good in it!
tricky treat ball
clicker training
cuddling
staring at the cats
chasing squirrels
living in a yard with a 6 foot privacy fence
jumping, jumping, and more jumping

There are some things that I have learned that I do NOT really like:
dog parks
dogs that run
other female dogs
bossy dogs
water hoses

Maybe there is more, but I am a positive kind of girl, so I can't think of anything else right now!
Peace out,
Sue

Training, training, training.

Did I mention that my foster mom is a dog trainer? It is pretty cool because I get to do lots of fun stuff. Tuesday night my mom works, so I get to go help with classes. Here is a picture of me watching class thorugh the window. I have to wait in the office sometimes. In the Advanced Class (http://www.narniapets.com/), the dogs have been practicing lining up against the stage. I am then recalled to my foster mom past all the other dogs. I can't visit with them; they can't break their stays and visit with me. I recall on a dime, so it is easy for me. Sometimes, I can feel the pressure of the other dogs about to break, so I curve out. This gives their owners a clue that their dogs are not comfortable or settled in their stays. I do like to be a helper girl, you know.


We also played a game where there are cones on the floor and each dog has to walk the different cones with their owners and preform a series of commands... voice only. I came in second place. Everyone was happy for me because I am so knew at this! I thought, "If they knew how good liver was, they would do it too." After class, Uncle Kelly let his dog, Bryce, out to play. I love to herd Bryce. Mom and Uncle Kelly do not like this, and I definitely understand that. I still wish I could lunge out and give him a good nip, but I control myself because Mom is right there. Seriously, how is a girl suppose to have fun?

Thursday night I went to my class: Beginner Obedience. There were a lot of dogs there and at first I could care less... that was until I tasted the best treat of all time: HOT DOG! OMG that was wonderful. This really nice lady named Joy came around the room and gave each dog a piece of hot dog. Yummy! I tried to follow her because I wanted another, but mom said no. Whatever. We got this piece of hot dog again if we came when called. Easy money for me. A quick whistle and I come flying... fast. I don't stop until I slam into mom's legs in a sit. I like to end with style. I then realized that the dog next to me was getting hot dogs the entire class. What the heck? I tried going over there a couple of times, but again mom said no. Whatever. Then we learned a new trick called "settle". This required me to lay on the floor on my side totally relaxed while mom gave be lots of petting. I liked it. Later we worked on "off". I hate this word because mom loves this word... off the couch, off the counter, off the cats, .... sigh.... see what I mean? Anyway, we were working on "off" the treat on the floor. Mom's hand was covering the treat. I tried licking mom's hand to get the treat. It didn't work. I tried pawing mom's hand. It didn't work. So I sat back and thought for a minute. What the heck... I flopped into a settle. Mom seem to like it at the beginning of class, so why not? It worked. Mom started laughing, and I got the treat. I win.

Herding sheep instead of dogs

Last weekend, my foster mom took Kasey and I to a herding clinic. Evidently, Kasey knew what was up because he started pacing the closer we got to the farm. I just laid down in my crate and chewed my bone. Once the car stopped, I rested in my crate enjoying the breeze and watching all the dogs and people going by. Eventually, mom came back to the car and took Kasey. Wow... when he came back he was tired and so happy. Sheep.... hmmm... what kind of drug are these sheep? It makes Kasey crazy!

Mom then took me out of my crate and lead me down to the pasture. There they were: SHEEP! I got to spend the rest of the afternoon watching the best border collie tv I have ever seen. Sheep and dogs working in a pen. It looked pretty cool. My mom and the other people there were impressed because I was so calm in my watching of the sheep. I liked that everyone stop to pet me, plus I made some new dog friends.

Toward the end of the afternoon, the trainer Kathy (http://www.dancinghearts.org/ ) took me into the pen with the sheep. She kept trying to get me to come closer to the sheep, but I felt safer moving them into a corner and laying down and staring at them. I started to worry that maybe I would get in trouble, so I climbed under the gate to find my foster mom. She brought me back into the pen with Kathy and the sheep. Kathy's dog Russell came in too, and he was moving the sheep all over the place. I began to get the idea that I was suppose to hold the sheep to mom and the trainer, but I really felt safer working them from a distance and holding them in one place.

The trainer said this is what happens when people let their dogs work livestock through a fence or when chained up. She thinks I lack confidence due to probably being corrected for what is my natural instinct.

When we went back on Wednesday for Kasey's weekly lesson, I got a turn too. This time it was just mom and I. Every time I tried to lie down, mom made me get up and start moving. By the time we were done, both mom and I were tired. I heard mom making plans with Kathy to bring me back. Cool.

What a week & it isn't over!

I am been so busy this week, which is very cool. I love to go for walks with my foster mom, and I even walk nicely next to the stroller, so Meredith comes with us. Today we walked to the park, and while Meredith was swinging in the swing, I sat next to Mom. I love being with mom, sometimes she says it is too much. While I don't shove the baby aside, I do try to push my foster brother out of the way. Mom says that it is rude, but hey, I love to love... how can you not like that?

As you can see from my video, I have finally meet my foster brother, Kasey. He is crazy just like me...but he is 3 years old! We run around and play in the backyard together. I hope my forever home has a boy dog that I can play with. I like playing with other dogs better than toys. I am still learning about toys. Thursday morning, Mom, Meredith, and I went to the pet store. Another cool place, I sniffed practically EVERY bag of dog food that I could get my snout on. Yummy. I was in heaven. We bought a squirrel toy for me... which no offense... I don't get it. It doesn't move like the real thing, so what is the point? We also bought a little pink heart charm with my name on it. Mom said that if something happens and I get lost, people will be able to call her to come get me. Lost? I am not leaving this place... let me tell you. At the pet store, people gave me little treats and pet me. I was warming up to people quickly. Mom said I did a good job.

Well, I am going to take off. I have had a hard day of walking, playing, and training. Tomorrow we are going to a sheep herding clinic. Hmmm... I wonder if I am going to like this.

Later,
Sue

Ready for a nap

That whole vet thing was exhausting. We woke up early today and went on a walk. When we got home, my foster mom put me in the car. I love to sit in the front seat, although the past couple of days she made me sit in the backseat. This morning she put me behind a gate in the far back of the Jeep. I was like... "What the heck? How am I suppose to see?" So as soon as mom went in the house, I pushed the bars apart and climbed up to the front and took my seat... shotgun. All of a sudden, she looks out the window at me. I was happy to see her, but she didn't seem as happy. She came outside and moved me to the far back again. Before she even got back in the house, I climbed up to the front again. When she brought Meredith out, she made me get in the far back again. What's up with these cheap seats? How is a girl suppose to see? I decided while we were driving to climb up front to visit. Mom gave me a stern "ah-ah" sound. Ooops! I don't like that sound, so I climbed back. Fine, I'll look out the back... although it seems pointless to look at where I have been instead of where I am going. People are weird sometimes.

We dropped off Meredith at the babysitter's and then ended up at this vet place. I'll be honest; I've liked other places more. They were nice, or at least trying to be, petting me and talking to me in nice voices, but I wasn't enjoying this. My eyes were big and I kept trying to hide behind mom. The vet said I was in beautiful shape: clear eyes, clean ears, great white teeth. He couldn't find a scar from a spay (What the heck is that?), and he says there is no sign that I have ever had a heat cycle (Again... what are these people talking about?). He and mom discussed me coming back. Are they serious? I guess we are waiting on a heartworm test and a fecal exam. Really? More tests? I am tired. When we got home, I went straight to my crate for a nap.

Gotta go,
Sue

What a weekend!

Wow. I was busy this weekend. Saturday some of my foster mom's friends from the dog training facility that she works at came over. Plus, my Aunt Amy and Uncle Kelly came over too. I had a test to take. I was kind of nervous, but mom said I would do fine. The test was called a temperament test. I guess it is given to a lot of dogs that come to rescues or shelters. Bonnie, the nice lady that administered the test, pet me, talk to me, and gave me some really yummy canned food. She had this weird fake hand that I was kind of scared off, but she said I did good! Whew, I was nervous. It was nice to have all those people over to pet and visit me.

Sunday was another busy day. My foster mom walks me twice a day, plus we have three training sessions a day. I have not been able to meet her dogs Holly and Kasey yet, so there are gates everywhere. Each of us has time in our crates to nap and time out to hang out with the family. There is a little baby here named Meredith that I have been able to meet through the baby gates. She held up her hand, and I gave it lots of kisses. I think I like kids. I don't even care when she screams in a really high pitch scream... although mom doesn't seem to like it. Anyway, in the afternoon, we went over the Uncle Kelly and Aunt Amy's house. They have 3 border collies. All boys. I meet their dog Bryce. We walked around the neighborhood together, and I was kind of scared of him at first. When he leaned out to sniff me, I ran behind mom and poked my head between her legs to peek out. I will tell you this... Bryce loves these things called balls (I don't really get it. As a matter of a fact, I don't understand toys at all!). Anytime he would move suddenly for the ball, I would lunge out and nip him. You just can't have dogs moving all over the place like that. Mom and Uncle Kelly were not happy about this, but I am not sure they understand that I am just trying to keep things orderly. Can you blame a girl? I heard them formulating a plan to teach me not to do this. Hmmm... I wonder if treats will be involved. I also heard mom say that my forever home should not have cats because my nipping would hurt them. Forever home? What is this place she speaks of? Do you know? It sounds pretty cool, and I can't wait to get there.

The best part of the day was my Aunt Amy brought me a very delicious cookie from Two Bostons. I loved it. It is the most excited I have ever gotten about a treat! :)

Well, we are off to the vet. I'll report back later.

Love ya,
Sue

So this is Illinois!

Hello! My name is Sue. Well, that is my name as of Friday, April 11th. That is when my foster mom, Rebecca, and my foster uncle, Kelly came and picked me up. Originally, I am from an Amish farm in Kentucky. I used to be chained to a barn and not feed a lot of food. Then a family saw me one day, and took me to their home in Illinois. They had such good intentions, but... hey... I am a border collie! And a young one at that, probably about 10 months. I found their cats so interesting, and I just had to chase them. I didn't mean to torment their Chinchilla, but she was right there in that little cage running around! I didn't realize that when their lab was playing fetch that I wasn't suppose to herd her! What can I say... I am a border collie. I have had very little training and very little socialization, so I am scared of most things at first. But once I get to know things, watch out, I am all snuggles, hugs, and jumps! My foster mom is going to take care of me and train me, so that I can find my forever home. It sounds pretty cool because I have been moved around a lot.

Talk to you later,
Sue