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The making of a champion
Chapter One The sun was shining bright with clear blue skies. I had just gotten back from the nursing home visiting my Mother where I have been learning the meaning of the word care giver when my wife asks me if I would ride with her to go get my Father Day present. I naturally said yes and off we went. After we drove down the highway for along ways I knew it wasn’t a new shirt or shoes from the shopping mall or the new lawnmower, I needed. As we turn off the highway and followed side road turning and turning from black top to gravel, I began to think and ask her if she was headed to a place to get me a puppy I been wishing for, but could not find at a price we could afford. She said yes I found some for $35.00, all the one I had found were $250.00 and up. She said it might not be as good as I would like with no paper to go with it, but we could just look and see. As we pulled up to the rural farm house it didn’t look like we had found the right place, but up the long drive we went looking for the kennel area as we drove. It was not to be seen. In the front yard there were dogs of many mixes and colors and none to desirable. As I step out of the van to ask the lady who had come out to meet us, I could fell the flea and chiggers run up my pant leg looking for new territory. There were old cars and farm implements scatter about the yard and when I ask if she new where they were selling Border Collies she say right here as she pointed to a tree near an old barn that was lining over to one side. I thought they must have a heck of a kennel area behind the barn, but she meant the children’s play pen behind the tree. Will one couldn’t help but look before driving off just to see what she could possibly be talking about. So I did and my wife followed reluctantly. There in a pill were about six fluffy puppies. I’ am no dog expert by any mean, but I could tell they were all not from the same litter. And most look like not the same mother and father either. Then dang if one didn’t jump up and leap over to come and see me. It was black, white, tan and sure did look like a Border Collie, but then I had never seen a Border collie puppy before, so what did I know anyway. That s when I made my First mistake, I pick it up, and that when every bug know to mankind ran up my arm looking for a new home. As I pet it, I found a big dog tick on its neck and got it off before it could suck all the life out of the puppy. Then I made my next mistake and held it up to look at its face and eyes, well need I say more. My wife smile knowing we had driven here for nothing and how sad a trip this had turned out to be. As I bent over to put it now next to what might have been it sister, I could see the filth, in the bottom of the pen. My common sense said run, this place wasn’t fit for a dog to live in. But then I thought I couldn’t take them all, but I could save this one. What wrong with me I thought, as I handed the lady her $35.00 as she reassured me both it mother and father had been Border Collies, they just weren’t here to see right now and that the puppy was 5 ½ week old. We had came to get a Border collie not a black, white, and tan ball of fur who just wants someone to love and take care of it.
Her first trip to the Vets was not as I had planed, which would have been to get her puppy shot. No the Vet had other news for me PRAVO. It was bad and he did not feel he could do her any good, just run up a big vet bill with not real hope for recovery. So he said there was two other options, you can take this medicine with you and give her some everyday for 10 days, but she will be gone in about 3 days unless you can find a way to keep her from dehydrating. Use something like a Turkey baster or puppy surregen and try every hour and half to feed and water her. Also don’t get attached there only about a 20% chance of survival. I didn’t want to ask what the other option was, so it was off to the store for tools and to the computer to make a chart with a schedule. The next two days didn’t look good but I put down water every hour and half, 24 hours a day, by the third or four day I was bumping in to wall due to lack of sleep. However she was able to drink and would drink from a bowl. I start putting in Pedialyte in her bowl, she didn’t like it, it did taste bad I tried it, so I mix it with caned puppy milk and she drank like there was no tomorrow. I then started giving her some dried dog food just 5 or 6 nuggets each time. The better she got the more I gave her, and start her on regular water at the same time. Well as you can guess by now she made a full recovery and by the end of the 10th day she was a normal healthy acting puppy again but with flea and scratching all the time. So we name her Dixie Belle and began to bond. Ok now it off to the Vet’s again to get those puppy shots and something for the fleas. The Vet was please to see she had made it and was fat and happy again. He said I think you've got you a herding dog, look like a Border Collie maybe. The best new I had in two weeks, we get the shots and flea medicine, so now we are on go. Two days later she is still scratching like crazy and winning more than ever. This is when I notice a spot on her nose and like rings around her eyes. Yep back to the Vet’s for a closer look at the problem. “A quick check up and scrapings and we get the news MANGE. She gets medicated. Well in the next couple of day she is the sorriest looking thing you ever saw and my wife now knows where her inching came from. I guess you know by now my $35.00 dollar dog and Wife’s doctor visit have run my cost up considerably. But hay, you can’t put a price on love. I was hoping to take her to puppy training the following month. But now I must wait for her to look like something they would let in the building with other dogs. Her with no fur and all. O’ well in the mean time there is other thing to do, like house breaking.
We have now come from another visit to the Vet’s and she has gotten her second round of puppy shots. We now find she has a STAFF INFECTION a by product of the mange. That puts everything on hold for now. School is put off again for another mouth. She sits good, so I will now teach her to lay down it going to be awhile before her formal traning can begin. Her last trip to the Vet’s for the last of her puppy shots went well, she is healthy and has all her shots. Her fur is coming back fast now and she’s looking beautiful. I think I now have me a Border Collie. It been a few weeks more now and she has all her fur and she grown a lot. She a little old but we just got conformation that she can and will start puppy classes at the Tulsa Dog Training Club school next week. My only real disappointment is that she was doing so good at being house broke when she did a reverse and now no mater how long or often I put her out, as soon as she come in the house and no one’s looking she relieves her self. She just seams to have it backwards. She also doesn’t make it though the night and she plenty old enough. This is a problem; it needs to be fixed quickly. Hopefully I will get help or advice in class. The other bridge to cross is, two week into her classes she due to be spaded. I don’t think this well slow her down much. It here, the big day, TDTC school start this week and we’ll be there. I went today and pick-up her books (Syllabus-Homework) and got her some school supplies (6’ Ft leash, Flat Collar, two plastic bowls, and something to clean up accidents). We back from our first day in class, all went well. She was a little nerves when she walk in, but her tail was waging when class was over. I’ll brag a little, while the other puppies, some younger and some older were trying to walk on a loose leash and learn to sit, well you know she was sitting and walking like she should be in a more advanced class. I guess our working on these things while waiting for her to get well enough to go to school paid off... Dixie and I are back home from the Vet’s, it was Spade day. The operation went well and when I pick her up she acted like it was nothing and ready to play, but I found if she was still very long she would go back to sleep, that what she doing now. Tomorrow will well get back slowly to training as it were. I guess you know by now the cost of my $35.00 dollar dog has run up considerably. But hay, you can’t put a price on love. It’s the fourth week in to puppy class and she doing very good. She learning to get a long with others as well as sit, stays, and down. She heels well and comes when called. We work on these things most every day, her homework you know.
Two more week and puppy class is over she's doing well but not as good as I had hope, I guess I expect too much she is a puppy. She still from time to time goes back to not being house broken and it driving me crazy. She just doesn’t make it thought the night and sometimes in the afternoon when she could go outside. Next week she graduates from her first school and today she has run thought the tar sealer that was put down around the foundation of my house to waterproof. She a mess, looks like she wearing cowboy boots, and her nose is funny looking. The Big day is here its graduation from puppy class. It only had been 8 week but it amazing how much she has changed. She taller and filled out a lot. And she seams to under stand the leaning process, it much easier to teach her something new. Graduation went well, we finish and everyone was pleased with their puppies. Lots of pictures were taken. Dixie had a good turn out to see her get her cap and diploma (two of my grown daughters and 3 grandkids.) We then went home and celebrated with dog treats for her and dinner for us
Being out of step on her schooling, we can’t start her in Beginners Obedience classes for 8 weeks. So now we wait some more, I guess well just practices what we have learned and maybe a new trick or two for fun. Winter is setting end and it’s getting cool out side. I can feel it but Dixie likes it, I guess it all the fur she has grown back and it really has grown thick. It feels like a long time since her last class, but they start again in 3 weeks. I guess we’ll get Christmas over and then we’ll be ready to go. I hope this time she learn something useful. I have to omit that she not 100% house broke but it is far and few between that she or I forget to let her out. I sure do buy a lot of dog food and the price of going to school is a lot this time of year, I may just give that to her for Christmas, But hay, you can’t put a price on love.
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Dixie
and Me
The
trip home went will, my wife held it in her lap while I drove. That
was her second mistake; the first was bringing me with her. She got
so eaten up with critter for days to come and visits to the doctor
she was not real pleased with my decision to be a care giver to this
pup. We did gave the puppy a bath and found out it was only black
and white, the tan was just filth from the bottom of the pen. It
didn’t take long for the reality of my mistake to set in, in two
days the puppy had gone from playful and cute to not to drinking or
eating. Throwing up and laying down all the time. We got her on a
Friday and it was off to the Vets on Monday. 
I was
surprise she learn to use the newspaper in two days not perfect but
90%. She would like to go out side but has not found a way to tell
me so I try to take her out at regular intervals, if I don’t forget
she doesn’t either. Being this smart I now really wanted to get her
in training class, you know how proud owner are. But I must wait
until she gets over the ugly looking puppy stage of her life. I’m
glad I got some picture before she loss her looks. Waiting on fur
takes time, so I will teach her to sit while we wait.
Now at
5 months old she is really grown. Her fur is getting thick and silky
black and white. Naturally I think she’s beautiful.
