Another stray dog!

There is a beautiful black and white border collie (pure blood I think) who has been running around in our hamlet for four days now. Last night I sat and talked to him and played with him, and he let me pet him and brought me a stick to throw for him. Now he has attached himself to me. He is obviously am ex-pet - he obeys commands like 'come' and 'stay' and just loves to play. He can catch a ball in his mouth. He is wearing a collar but has no external ID. I made an appointment at the vet to check for a microchip, only to be told by my neighbour that she had already done it and he is unchipped. No-one either here or in our parent village 2 km away, has any idea who he belongs to but he has been making the rounds for weeks apparently. ANd no-one was prepared to take him in properly. He is now in my garden with food and water and some toys, and just sits in the shade waiting for me to come out, when he immediately brings me a stick and puts it at my feet. He is scared to come in the house though - bounds along with me to the door and then stops dead and will not cross the threshold. I have not tried to force him in.

I am off to the UK next week and then into hospital so I am in a quandary as to what to do. He is a very high energy dog and I am not sure I could cope with him following my operation in ten days time. But I hate to think of him in the Pound. Milkmaid may be able to help look after him, even temporarily while we work out what to do. I am not going to let him roam the forests any more.

Might sound odd are there any farms near you, could be a sheparding dog gone a miss.  I know it happened to a friend of ours out in the lakes.  I know that would be a long shot though

Or could a farmer take him in while you recover (if you have one close) rather than a kennel.  poor little thing! I love collies!!!

You should contact local animal control and tell em you have the dog just incase somebody calls in asking if they found that dog. Also maybe put up a flew fliers where people can see them, you never know somebody might be missing their puppy.
 

I'm doing all I can. I am taking him down to the MAyor's office this afternoon which is what you are supposed to do with stray animals. They then take them to the Pound, though I am not going to let them do that - I will keep him until he either finds his owner/a home or I will keep him. I have wormed him and deflead him today. All the local vets know about him. Lynda (Milkmaid here) came to see him today - she thinks he is around 6 years old, from his teeth, though it is difficult to be sure. She will look after him while I am away, which is a relief, as I know he will be in very good hands. It is very rural here, and as he has been roaming the area for several weeks, I am very surprised that his owner (if there is one near here) has not been able to get back. Everyone knows everyone else.

It sounds as if somebody might have abandoned him, which unfortunately happens all too often when people go on vacation. It's great that Lynda is willing to look after him while you're away and in the hospital.
that he likes cats!

He is a very good dog and has certainly been trained. He seems to ignore the cats completely, which is fine - he has onle been close to Bonaparte and Ellie so far and seen the others through a glass door. But I am worried - Bonaparte, who has so far accepted any dog on my property, visiting or permanent, has really taken against this one, hissing and running with his tail fluffed up. The dog has done nothing to deserve that. Bonaparte has disappeared for the whole day now, three days running, only coming home for dinner and sleep, and last night, when he came into the yard around 8PM, he saw the dog and turned and walked out again. I had to go down the lane, call him and carry him back. I cannot have a dog that frightens my outside cats. So we will see how it goes. I called some other organisations yesterday but no-one knows of him.

Well here is Jenny's foundling, now my lodger    Troy . He is getting on fine with the other dogs and the most amazing thing is he totally ignores the  cats in fact Cookie had to go up to him to say hello 

Is Troy staying with you, Lynda? I've been wondering whether he's found a/his home.

I got to here before Lynda has seen it! Lynda is graciously looking after Troy for me while I am in hospital and rehab. And he is doing really well. He has now been vaccinated and chipped so legally he is now my dog! But of course I have still been checking the 'dogs lost' columns and internet sites just in case someone is missing him. The longer it goes, the less likely it is that a previous owner will turn up. I just hope that when I get home this weekend I will have the strength to deal with him - myy balance is not yet right, and he is a very strong dog. But yes, I have decided to keep him.

Hopefully Bonaparte will take to him now. Having Troy come around the same time you get home after a long absence might change the equation.

After this lenghth of time he was probably abandoned.  He suffered the fate that many high energy intelligent dogs suffer an owner that doesn't know the breed.  It sounds like you live in a small town with a lot of space which is a really good situation for a border collie.  Here in the states Labs are the ones that end up in shelters more than other breeds.  People don't understand what the breed needs they only see a lovable happy go lucky dog.

Yes, I keep checking the 'lost dogs' websites but there is nothing. I actually live in a hamlet of 8 houses, surrounded by fields and forests, idela for walking and playing. My own fields are well fenced in so he will be free to run there and in the garden when I am not walking him.

Well Troy is now in residence chez Jenny, I really hope the cats will take to him but it was a bit of a blood bath when I droped him off, not Troys, not the cats but mine   I sort of got in the way and got got, boood all over the floor, in my shoes and all over my jeens, I really didnt know I could bleed that much , but Im glad it was me and not him, he was so good didnt even retaliate when the cats ganged up on him.

It's a good thing you're a cat person! Imagine them going after Troy like that. that you heal quickly, with no infection.

Wellington started it, in full attack mode, then the others joined in, though I think Wellington was the only one to actually draw blood! Today I have been acclimatising Troy gradually to two or three at a time, keeping the others shut out for an hour or two. I think we will get there in the end, though I don't know how long it will take.