Adoption Update: Tip

I got Tip from Mid-Atlantic Border Collie Rescue back in May 2011 when he was about 5 - 6 months old.  I believe Border Collie Rescue found Tip in a kill shelter in West Virginia back in March, and a friend of mine who was fostering him told me about Tip.

When I picked him up, Sarah Ruckelshaus told me that he was easily correctable and generally very calm, which was a lot different than my other two dogs (one 10 year old Border Collie named James, and one 3 year old Border Collie mix named Pauli).  She worried that maybe Tip would not be challenging enough for me.  I thought I had enough challenges with the two I had and was looking for a puppy that would be easily trainable.  I also wanted to have a dog that Pauli would bond with and one that James could tolerate.  Well, it's been working out great.  Pauli and Tip bonded right away and they are pretty much inseparable.  James does pretty well with Tip, too.

Tip loves almost anything to eat, but especially fruit.  One night I had a banana on my counter.  By the next morning the only thing left was the peel on the floor.  My other dogs don't like bananas, so I knew it had to be Tip.  He also loves watermelons and the blackberries that fall off my blackberry bush.  

We've been taking classes at PetSmart.  He's been great with the other dogs, and LOVES kids.  And as far as how calm he is, in class when the instructor is talking through the teaching points of a task, he gets bored and lies down on his side until it's time to do something.   Not only is Tip super-trainable, he was the only one in his intermediate training class to pass!  To pass, he had to do a 2 minute down and stay, a stay with distraction, a stay and come from a distance, and heel, and a few other things.  He passed everything with flying colors!  I was so proud of him.  Here's a picture I took of Tip in his graduation cap.

I'm really happy with Tip and hope to get him trained enough that he can do agility.  I hear it's hard to get into the agility club in Silver Spring, Maryland, but I have a feeling he'll get in.

I wanted to thank Jeannine and Sarah for their help in matching Tip with me.  Tip's been a lot of fun to have around, and a great companion!

Dawn