Indy

Male, 6.5 years old, 70 pounds but starting a weight loss journey
Border Collie/Aussie
Black and White
Great Health
Reason in Rescue: His very loving family who decided it would be in Indy’s best interest to find a more suitable situation for him.

Indy is being fostered in Rochelle, IL. For more details, CLICK HERE to contact Indy’s foster home.

If you are interested in meeting Indy to see if you are a match, complete an adoption application with WBCR and get approved through all four steps of the process. This must be done before we can consider you to be matched with one of our Border Collies. Click the Adoption link and read the full application instructions.

March 7, 2025 – Indy with his tongue sticking out

Indy’s such a ham. In true, goofball fashion, he sticks his tongue out during our impromptu puppy slumber party.

February 21, 2025 – Let me say it louder for the people in the back: Indy is fantastic!

Indy is fantastic! My husband and I have experienced multiple health issues over the last 6 weeks, so Indy and our own dogs aren’t getting the activity they need, but Indy is enduring it with grace. He did get bored enough one day to chew a hole in a dog bed in the living room, but that’s the only negative behavior we’ve seen from him. Our own dogs have been much worse! 

Indy gets along so well with our dogs. He shares toys, wrestles and plays, and casually walks past them if they’re not finished with their food before he’s done with his. He does get overstimulated when our dogs get excessively rowdy and nips at them like he’s herding them. Slowing them down is all it takes to correct the behavior though. Indy is what I’d call a “soft” dog in that you only have to raise your eyebrow for him to check himself. If you raise your voice, you break his heart. Even when you’re not yelling at him specifically. I yelled at one of my own dogs, and Indy ran to his bed and gave me the saddest, scared look. I apologized and assured him he had done nothing wrong, and he bounced back to his normal, happy-go-lucky self quickly.

When we went to the vet in January, Indy’s vaccines were updated and he was declared healthy except he needed to lose weight. At that time, he was 70 lbs, and we couldn’t feel his ribs no matter how hard we pushed through his fur. We haven’t been back to weigh him again, but we can feel ribs now if we rub hard enough.

Indy was not comfortable with the vet looking in his ears or holding his leg. He is also not a fan of us trimming the fur on his paws or trimming his nails. He jumps up and spins away or cries loudly, trying to convince you that he’s hurt. We are slowly working to desensitize him, but he definitely needs to build confidence in this area.

Indy’s favorite things are having visitors and going on walks. When people come to our house, he is desperate to say hello and get pets. When my mom comes, she brings treats for all the dogs, and Indy sits amongst the pack, patiently waiting his turn. Let me say it louder for the people in the back: Indy is fantastic!

February 20, 2025 – Videos of Indy

Video of Indy – Indy and Sibling Playing

Video of Indy – Indy at the Dog Park

Video of Indy – Indy Romping and Playing with the Pack

January 19, 2025 – Indy surrounded himself with toys & is just soaking it in.

January 11, 2025 – Indy went to the vet.

Indy went to the vet today. He was not a fan. He cried when the doctor looked in his ear in a way that I thought he was hurt. Doc said he saw nothing wrong with Indy’s ear and had the tech hold Indy’s head and scratch him while he looked in the other ear. Indy cried for that too, and I saw him air snap as they stepped back, so we used a soft muzzle to be cautious. Indy didn’t react at all to the three injections to get up to date on vaccines, but he cried and spun around when the tech held his front leg to take blood. She hadn’t even poked him. We are going to wait a week or two and come back for the blood draw for his heartworm test.

When Indy was unleashed from the exam table, he RAN to me and sat between my legs, facing the room. I ruffled his fur as the tech said, “I told you there would be treats. Do you want one?” Indy immediately left me and sat in front of her and gently took his treat. He certainly doesn’t hold a grudge. 🙂 He greeted everyone in the waiting room and the exam room with gentle enthusiasm. He glanced at other dogs, then went on his way. Other than his overreaction to his ears and leg, the experience was uneventful.

We also confirmed Indy is at 70 pounds, so he is officially on a weight loss journey.

We went to my mom’s afterward to visit for a bit, and he was happy to greet her and get a treat. He laid on the floor mat while we chatted as though he lived there. Later, our dogsitter came over to meet Indy and hung out while the foster parents went to dinner and a show. The dogsitter reported that Indy was fantastic.

We find Indy to be super easy to live with. We will work on increasing his confidence so handling isn’t so traumatic for him.

We were going to trim Indy’s nails today, but he had a similar reaction to us holding his paw as he did with the vet tech. Instead, I held each paw a few times and messed with his toenails – without a reaction – and called it a win for the day. We will keep working on it and will do a full nail trim on another day.

January 1, 2025 – Indy arrives at his foster home.

Indy is a 6 1/2 year old, neutered male BC/Aussie who came to rescue via his very loving family who decided it would be in Indy’s best interest to find a more suitable situation for him.

Indy is neutered & microchipped, and he will be brought up to date on vaccines next week. He also has successfully completed numerous training courses including:
● AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy
● Manners Matters
● AKC Canine Good Citizen
● AKC Community Canine
● 1:1 personal training for impulse control

Indy is playful, energetic, loving, protective, and observant. He desires to please, is very responsive to assertive leaders, and he loves to chase things (including kids!). He is fully potty trained and crate trained. He will also go lie down on his bed when told to. Indy is looking for a stable home who will provide appropriate outlets for his energy & drive.

He gets along with other dogs but doesn’t need to live them. He has been an only child for the last 5 years, and he got stellar reviews from doggy daycares and boarding facilities during that time. Indy is currently being fostered by a family with 6 other Border Collies, and he is surprisingly nonchalant with them. He hasn’t lived with cats, but he does chase things, so it would probably require supervision & training. Indy’s family cannot have small children.

We’ll share more details about Indy as we continue to get to know him, but so far, he’s proving to be a very good boy who loves tummy rubs!