You must complete an adoption application with WBCR before we will consider you for one of our Border Collies (under the “adoption” link). Then go to our PayPal link to pay the $15.00 application fee. One of our volunteers will check your references, and then another will come to your home to meet you & your family in person before the board will vote on your application. If you are approved, we will arrange a time for you to meet the dog(s) you are interested in. If you decide he/she is perfect for you and the board agrees, we will schedule a day for you to pick up your Border Collie, sign adoption paperwork, and pay the $350 minimum adoption donation. This whole process may take a month or more, as all WBCR members are volunteers and we’re committed to making a perfect match for our border collies. Thanks for your patience!
Please contact Amy/Fran for more information on Bentley – 5 Month Old Male (Rochelle, IL) – Adopted!
April 9
Bentley has been working hard on impulse control lately. We’ve played some games in which he only gets treats for being patient, and we expect him to wait at all doors (crate, house, car, fence gate). He’s learning very quickly! You can see for yourself here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oyBnXmkxt-4
He’s still struggling to read my dogs’ cues to back off, but they’re very forgiving and no one holds a grudge – evidenced in more snuggly puppy pictures. Bentley continues to make us laugh with his odd yoga positions, and he makes us melt with his sweet nature. For example, every morning Bentley comes to find me and get his ears scratched before he’ll go outside with my husband. He’s very excited to find his very own family who will dote on him forever and ever.
March 28
We hosted a wine tasting at our house last week, and Bentley didn’t bat an eye over 8 strangers entering our house. He saw each and every one of them as more hands to pet him. One of them even had a pocket full of treats that Bentley sat with our pack very nicely for (in other words, there’s no food guarding!). When we did put the dogs in the adjoining room so they wouldn’t be distracting, Bentley simply laid down and napped. We often catch him napping under furniture. It’s as if he dives under to get a toy and is just too tired to come back out. All we see is a tail or a paw sticking out.
The highlight of Bentley’s week was his first obedience class (our trainer lets us bring foster dogs free of charge). Bentley was exposed to another environment, different dogs & people, and had to pay attention for almost a whole hour. That’s really hard for a 5-month-old puppy! But he was amazing. Walking in the door, I told our trainer he doesn’t walk on-leash very well yet, and guess what the focus of that night’s class happened to be. Within 30 minutes, Bentley was walking on a loose leash at my side and sitting when I stopped. He even maintained that control when we went outside for a potty break and returned to the classroom. He learns so quickly! Being food motivated certainly helps. Afterwards I took him to the local custard shop, but he hasn’t exactly generalized this on-leash behavior yet. As we exited the car, he saw all the people waiting in line and just had to get to them as quickly as possible. His plan backfired, of course, and it took much longer to reach them since I walk the opposite direction every time he pulls. He eventually made it to the line and was handsomely rewarded by everyone oohing and ahing over him. He ate it right up and kept looking at me as if to say, “See? I told you they all wanted to pet me!”
March 24
Bentley missed the memo that puppies are expected to play for a while then sleep for an hour. Every once in a while he’ll pause and lay down next to one of our dogs for a few seconds, and we happened to have the camera nearby. The moment doesn’t last long so don’t be fooled by the photos; they’re just too cute not to share. A few nights ago, the bone he was chewing fell off the couch but, he seemed too tired to jump down to get it so he let his front half slide off /l, and chewed the bone from this silly half-on, half-off position. (Note: dogs are allowed on some of our furniture but not all. Bentley quickly learned which was which and invariably respects that rule.)
Bentley says he’s too mature for naps but, instead, he gets super naughty as his brain is too tired to remember impulse control or social skills. True to toddler form, if you get him to sit still for a minute (ie: put him in his crate), he falls asleep. Yesterday was the first time we tired him out enough that he voluntarily took a nap! No crate time all day then an hour at the dog park followed by a full belly = Bentley fast asleep on our living room floor for 2 hours. They’re always so much cuter when they’re sleeping at this age 🙂
Beyond the success of voluntarily napping, Bentley’s first visit to the dog park was fantastic! We usually have the park to ourselves, but with the first warm weekend of the season, several people were there today including a teeny tiny puppy who was about the size a Border Collie would be at 4-weeks-old. Bentley played (mostly) appropriately with her, rolling her once as he ran at her and forgot to put on the brakes, but puppy took it in stride and continued to play. Other larger dogs came and went (a shepherd mix and a young lab), and Bentley interacted with them perfectly. He spent most of his time trying to catch up with my dog who loves to sprint laps around the perimeter of the park. He figured out he could ALMOST intercept her if he took a shortcut through the middle of the park. He’s quite the problem solver!
March 19
Bentley had his check-up at the vet yesterday and was adored by everyone there. The techs all loved on him. The other “parents” in the waiting room couldn’t resist him as he walked over and sat at their feet. The 7-month-old pup in the waiting room wrestled and played with him for 10 minutes. The vet commented that Bentley’s personality will get him adopted quickly. It was a huge success! Couple that with no potty accidents while we were there and a super chill car ride there and back, I don’t know that the trip could’ve been more perfect.
Bentley accompanied my dogs to agility class this weekend and, although he’s a dream for the car ride, he was not nearly as happy to watch everyone else play while he sat in a crate. He quietly chewed on a rawhide between runs, but wanted to bark whenever dogs were on the course. Between classes, we visited PetSmart where he met all kinds of people. Kids were some of his favorite kinds of people, but he is a mouther at this point so it will be important to supervise interactions carefully and teach kids not to allow – let alone encourage – that behavior. My dog took a stuffed toy off the shelf and Bentley thought that was the greatest toy ever invented. (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mVqVhOB5Uyc) He carried it around the store for 20 minutes and got everyone to play with him. Don’t worry, we paid for it 🙂 Bentley seems to like plush toys the best, and he isn’t much of a destroyer. My older boys destroy toys much more than Bentley does!
Potty training is going really well. Last week, when Bentley started peeing on the floor, he just continued peeing as I yelled “No!” and clapped my hands. Last night, I waited a bit too long to take him outside and he started peeing on the floor but, as soon as I yelled “No!”, he stopped and ran downstairs to the door. We’ve progressed from going out every 30 minutes to every 45 without an accident (last night’s accident was an hour between potty breaks), but he sleeps 8 hours through the night and is crated for 6 hours during the work day without incident. He’s starting to understand that my dogs don’t all want to play like he does, but we still need to intervene often with “She said no, Bentley.” He knows sit and is working on down, drop it, and leave it. Very important commands for a puppy who puts EVERYthing in his mouth! 🙂
March 14
Bentley is a 5-month-old neutered male who we’re pretty sure isn’t purebred, but he definitely has a lot of Border Collie in him. He came to us from a shelter in Kentucky without much of a back story, but he’s super social and incredibly stable for as young as he is. In the 48-hours he’s been here, we’ve learned that he loves toys, is a snuggler, and travels like a dream. He rested 99% of the 7-hour drive without making a peep and quickly pottied at every stop. He is still losing his baby teeth so there’s lots of chewing going on, and he’s still potty-training but that’s going very well. He’s only had one piddle accident since he arrived 2 days ago, but we are going outside often and having potty parties every time he goes.
Bentley has met all the dogs in my pack (6 Border Collies – one of them a mix – ranging in age from 2 to 15), and the biggest problem is that Bentley wants to play WAY more than any of them do. He uses his great big paws to “slap” at the other dogs, alternating with play bows and head rolls. They had a blast playing outside yesterday (quick video of Bentley and my 2-year-old wrestling)! When my dogs tell him they’re done playing, he persists, so we ended up leashing him in the house last night in order to manage the interactions. When there are no other dogs or toys to play with, Bentley throws a little puppy tantrum for a minute or two, then lays down and rests. He’s a very sweet boy with lots of puppy energy! If you have energy to match his, he would love to meet you!
