Remembering Mike
It's been a while since I last posted here, and this is one post I certainly hadn't planned to write this year...one Friday a short while ago, I received a phone call from a family in another state that had purchased two collies from us. Their first sable boy was adopted 7 years ago, and though I hadn't had a lot of updates from them, everything was positive. So, I was delighted to send them their second little tri baby boy last year. They called him Mike. I hadn't heard anything from them since shortly after they received Mike, and I was sorry to hear during that phone call that they were having problems with him. The lady said that he had been showing signs of food aggression, and the day before he had bitten her when she picked up his food bowl. Thankfully, the bite had not broken the skin. They wanted to return him immediately. I told them that I could be at the airport anytime the next day, and I helped them make the flight arrangements. On Saturday while I was in Wichita, I received a phone call from the family that the airline had refused to accept Mike's crate, so his flight had to be rescheduled. We planned to have his flight rescheduled for 3 days later on Tuesday. When I checked my email on Monday to get the flight arrival time from them, I read with disbelief that they had euthanized Mike. I read the email over and over - just stunned at what I was reading. I had been making plans to pick him up the very next day! I thought of responding to them about breaking our agreement, how our health guarantee has a provision for returning an unwanted puppy, how I could have helped them find a place in a rescue for Mike, but at that point, what did it matter? Mike was gone, and I was too late.
This situation has shaken me to the core. I try to screen the families that get our puppies, and I just didn't see this coming. I have lain awake at night since then trying to figure out ways to keep this from ever happening again. We will be making some wording changes to our guarantee forms. I plan to do more following up with new families. And, I plan to put together a list of resources to aid families who need to find an immediate foster-home for their puppy/dog. This doesn't change what happened to Mike, but it's a place to start. I love raising animals on our farm, and I am passionate about our collies. Each tiny life is precious to me, and I love watching them grow into magnificent dogs. Getting updates and pictures from our Cook's Collies family is truly the highlight of my day! Our retirees are our daily companions around the farm, and it's a heart-wrenching day when we have to say goodbye forever to one of our old friends. I know many other collie breeders that feel as passionate about their dogs as I do. So, here are a few things to keep in mind if you are considering getting a puppy from us or any other breeder:
1. Make a plan for training your puppy. All dogs need good manners to be happy members of their family. Families also gain valuable experience from learning training techniques from experienced trainers. If you begin training your puppy yourself and begin experiencing a tough issue, don't hesitate to seek help. Tackling a bad habit early on is much more productive than letting a bad habit take root. If you don't hit it off with your trainer or your trainer just doesn't seem to be getting through with your dog, seek advice from other experienced dog owners/trainers. I have heard all kinds of dog training stories over the years, and some trainers are clearly more qualified than others. Many years ago, a lady had one of our young dogs, and he had developed a bad habit of trying to chase bicyclists when they were out on walks. This was obviously a serious issue, because he could have easily pulled free and gotten out in traffic. Their trainer advised them to take a bag of cut-up hot dogs on walks; then when a bicyclist goes by, throw the hot dogs on the ground to get his attention. It wasn't too much of a surprise to hear that this wasn't working well! Finding a better trainer made a huge difference.
2. Set reasonable goals. Not every puppy is cut out to be a therapy dog or an agility star. It is impossible to predict a puppy's personality at 2 months of age. While there are some signals that give us clues to their little personalities, puppies grow and change so much at this age.
3. If problems begin to arise, contact your dog's breeder early on. This will give you and your breeder much better options for helping your dog. Not every family and puppy will be a perfect match. Speaking for our family, we are committed to helping every puppy find a forever home. We have some very happy stories where a puppy was returned to us but soon a new family came along which was a much better fit.
4. Finally, if you find yourself in an emergency situation and can't contact your breeder, there are an amazing network of people involved in collie rescue. A quick search on the internet can put you in contact with people who can help you find a safe place for your collie at a moment's notice.
It still makes me tear up to think about Mike. I have asked myself a lot of what-if questions. But one thing I know, that doesn't have to ever happen to another puppy.
