Oakley

Male, 3-4 years old

Black and White

72 pounds but overweight so he will be getting lighter

Reason in Rescue: Oakley’s family didn’t feel they could meet his needs as well as he deserved. They adored him; they just weren’t in a position to put in the amount of work a young BC requires.

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

If you are interested in meeting Oakley to see if you are a match, complete an adoption application with WBCR. 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.

July 1, 2024 – Chilling without a crate while being Mr. Social

Oakley is down to 66 lbs and still losing! His energy and stamina are increasing in obvious ways. He wrestles and chases his foster siblings more often and for longer periods. I cannot stress enough how much he enjoys their company. Since Oakley had never been crated in his previous home, we have left him loose in the house while our own dogs are crated in the basement. When we come home, he comes running up from the basement, just hanging out with his friends even though he could be anywhere else in the house.

June 30, 2024 – Loves people; Dislikes motorcycles and “yard” animals

Oakley also adores people. We hosted a gathering at our house when about 15 friends came over, and Oakley was in heaven, wandering person to person all night for pets and belly rubs. Things Oakley hates include motorcycles and other animals near our yard. Oakley barks and runs toward the window or fence when he hears a motorcycle even a block away. And other animals? Dogs walking by with their owners is always cause for commotion, but a stray cat wandered through one day and Oakley lost his mind, bolting across the yard as he barked his head off. Luckily, he’s not agile enough to jump our fence, so he and the cat were safe, but if his potential forever family has cats, it will certainly take some training to live peacefully, and safety measures will need to be in place in the meantime.

June 29, 2024 – Oakley’s Facebook Video

Did you see Oakley’s video on our Facebook page playing with his foster siblings?

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/j3n1DuBeHLx1CQog/?mibextid=KsPBc6

June 20, 2024 – Border Collie Energy; Car Rides

Recently, Oakley was especially squirrelly after several days in a row of thunderstorms. He’s so easy to live with that it’s easy to forget he’s a Border Collie that needs mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. I got out a treat puzzle for him to work through that took the edge off, and it made me reflect on many of our foster dogs’ pasts. One of my own dogs was adopted from a family who was irritated by her energy so, instead of providing an outlet for her, they crated her. By the time she came to us, she would only spin and bark. It took us over a year to teach her how to be a dog. Oakley’s family mistook his energy for anxiety and, not understanding Border Collies, they medically sedated him. Absolutely no sedation has been necessary since he arrived in foster care. Like all Border Collies, he simply needs activities to occupy his brain and body.

The only medication that might be helpful to Oakley is anti-nausea meds when he goes on long car rides. Almost every time he’s in the car for over an hour, he pukes. Shorter rides are no problem, but long rides (over an hour) aren’t very fun for him even though he’s super good in the car.

May 23, 2024 – One month report and still a good boy

We can’t believe Oakley has been with us for a month already! He is such an easy guy to live with that time just flies by.

Oakley absolutely craves attention from people and dogs. He wants to connect with others and be part of the pack. He loves to give kisses and get belly scratches. He’s not a velcro dog that’s super needy, stuck to your side every moment of the day, but he wants to be in the same room. We never find him without one of our dogs nearby, and he definitely runs to check things out whenever our dogs get excited about something.

Oakley’s vet visit confirmed he’s a good boy whose only health concern is being overweight. At the time, he was 73 lbs but he’s been on low-calorie food, limited treats, and lots of exercise and, this week, weighed in at 69 lbs. He’s on the right path! He has been to the doggy pool twice so far. He’s a beautiful swimmer, but he doesn’t have the confidence to leap in and play yet. Since swimming is a full-body, low-impact exercise though, we’re going to keep at it! 

May 14, 2024 – First swim!

Oakley had his first swim lesson and he did it! Check out our Facebook page for the video. All the humans were so proud of him.

April 25, 2024 – Vet visit

Oakley is now up to date on all of his vaccines today. The vet said he is perfectly healthy. He loves to play and run so his extra pounds should come off easily.

April 21, 2024 – Oakley fits in at his new foster home

As far as Border Collies go, Oakley is an easy-going guy. He likes to play with other dogs but respects them when they’re not interested. Oakley naturally deescalated the situation when meeting my own dogs by turning away or play bowing, and he immediately walks away when my grouchy girl sets her boundaries.

While in foster care, Oakley is working on weight loss and crate training. His family reported that he broke out of any crate they put him in, so we’re introducing crate games and acclimating him slowly. So far, so good! He readily enters the crate and is pretty relaxed as long as you stay nearby. He sleeps quietly in his crate next to our bed all night and eats his meals in there too. As we work on crate training, he’s loose in our house for 3-4 hours when we both have to go to work. He barks and throws puppy tantrums when he’s left alone, but even in this distressed state, he hasn’t had any accidents or chewed on anything. He doesn’t even destroy his plush toys.

Oakley has only been in his foster home for a few days, but it’s already clear that he has perfected potty training and being handsome. He LOVES cuddle time and being scratched, and he loves his foster siblings. Even when they’re not playing together, he just wants to be near them. He’s such a good boy!