A Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization
Serving Northern California
and Surrounding Areas
Serving Northern California
and Surrounding Areas
If possible, would you consider donating a small amount more to cover PayPal's service fee?
* NorCal Collie Rescue is California non-profit public benefit 501(c)(3) corporation C2798651 EIN 20-3381549.
Your donations are fully tax deductible.
Your donations are fully tax deductible.
Website Developed and Maintained by
Website to the Rescue
Website to the Rescue
2008 was a difficult year for my husband and me. Within a single month during the summer, our two beloved Bernese Mountain dogs passed away, due to cancer. It was a devastating loss. As the months passed, we learned to adjust to the sadness but the feeling of an empty home nev er left. There was an unspoken understanding that some day we’d want to have dogs again, but talking about it was too painful. Finally, a day arrived when the subject was hesitantly raised, quickly abandoned, but surfaced again a few days later. Soon there was open discussion about how we might go about finding the right pet, perhaps a dog of a different breed, perhaps two, and this time, perhaps, offering a home to a dog in need, instead of a puppy.
These conversations escalated into an active search, including an internet review for collies, a breed we had both admired. Within a day or two we found NorCal Collie Rescue and, sure enough, among all the beautiful dogs pictured and described, there were two older bonded females, a sable and a blue merle. Their picture and their story seemed to be written for us.
Our intent to move slowly was immediately abandoned. Within a matter of days, these two beautiful girls were at our door in the company20of their foster family. They never left. We had found two of the most gentle and well mannered female collies we could have ever imagined. Our home is full again and more importantly, our new girls (Jessie and Taylor) have a place where they’ll be loved and treasured. While we’ve always admired people who devote themselves to the well-being of animals, this first hand experience has given us a new measure of respect for them. Of course, they enhance the lives of the animals, but they also set a high standard for the rest of us. We owe a debt of gratitude to the exceptional people at Nor Cal Rescue, but especially to Sherry and Rick, who fostered our girls until we could find them, and enabled us to return to being a full family again. 12.2008.
These conversations escalated into an active search, including an internet review for collies, a breed we had both admired. Within a day or two we found NorCal Collie Rescue and, sure enough, among all the beautiful dogs pictured and described, there were two older bonded females, a sable and a blue merle. Their picture and their story seemed to be written for us.
Our intent to move slowly was immediately abandoned. Within a matter of days, these two beautiful girls were at our door in the company20of their foster family. They never left. We had found two of the most gentle and well mannered female collies we could have ever imagined. Our home is full again and more importantly, our new girls (Jessie and Taylor) have a place where they’ll be loved and treasured. While we’ve always admired people who devote themselves to the well-being of animals, this first hand experience has given us a new measure of respect for them. Of course, they enhance the lives of the animals, but they also set a high standard for the rest of us. We owe a debt of gratitude to the exceptional people at Nor Cal Rescue, but especially to Sherry and Rick, who fostered our girls until we could find them, and enabled us to return to being a full family again. 12.2008.
|
Jessie & Taylor
December 2008
December 2008
Finally hair ALL over--underbelly, inside legs,tail,shoulders, neck, etc.etc. We don't even call her our Borzoi anymore, and everyone else now says what a beautiful collie, instead of "what is she? She gets along great with our other collie-but her playmate is the rescued German Shepherd. She loves to grab long sticks and small logs--go up to him, and then start running. He can't catch her and she loves to tease him and show off that she is faster than lightening. I really have never seen a dog run this fast. She is the happiest dog I think I have ever known. 09.2008
|
Lizzy
September 2008
September 2008
We all have heard about a “man’s best friend.” Bowie is a girl’s best friend. He’s big, furry, fun loving and occasionally goofy. He would rather do nothing more than greet the kids when they arrive home from school. Amanda and Connor could hardly imagine life without a greeting committee of collies at the end of the day. They get full court press every afternoon.
Learning to wake up to be at kindergarten for the 8:05 am bell takes some adjusting. When 7:00 am rolls around, Bowie dutifully goes to wake Amanda up for school. No morning would be complete without Bowie kisses.
Not all dogs are cut out to be with children. Bowie has the patience of a saint. He has had his whiskers “painted” for a make over. He’s been dressed in Hawaiian shirts, bows, Halloween costumes and “jewels.” He has loved every minute of it. He is happy to play any games the kids can cook up. Some days its class and he is the student. Other times it’s hide and seek. It’s hard to hide when a dog stands outside your hiding place as your tell.
Everyday ends with story time. Bowie never misses story time even though dinner is being cooked downstairs. He could miss out on a yummy snack. No matter, story time is the time for kids and dogs to gather around the big bed. He would not miss story time. Many of the books feature Bowie’s canine friends. Literature is full of dog stories.
Growing up with a dog is a very special experience. My husband grew up with a collie. She has long since passed away but she will live on in his heart forever. Amanda will never forget the big puppy joining her family when she was a kid. Kids and dogs go together like peanut butter and jelly. Bowie’s life as a family dog may not be as glamorous as a Hollywood dog. He is cut out for his work. He is happy in his new role as alarm clock, playmate and snuggle bug. 09.2008
Learning to wake up to be at kindergarten for the 8:05 am bell takes some adjusting. When 7:00 am rolls around, Bowie dutifully goes to wake Amanda up for school. No morning would be complete without Bowie kisses.
Not all dogs are cut out to be with children. Bowie has the patience of a saint. He has had his whiskers “painted” for a make over. He’s been dressed in Hawaiian shirts, bows, Halloween costumes and “jewels.” He has loved every minute of it. He is happy to play any games the kids can cook up. Some days its class and he is the student. Other times it’s hide and seek. It’s hard to hide when a dog stands outside your hiding place as your tell.
Everyday ends with story time. Bowie never misses story time even though dinner is being cooked downstairs. He could miss out on a yummy snack. No matter, story time is the time for kids and dogs to gather around the big bed. He would not miss story time. Many of the books feature Bowie’s canine friends. Literature is full of dog stories.
Growing up with a dog is a very special experience. My husband grew up with a collie. She has long since passed away but she will live on in his heart forever. Amanda will never forget the big puppy joining her family when she was a kid. Kids and dogs go together like peanut butter and jelly. Bowie’s life as a family dog may not be as glamorous as a Hollywood dog. He is cut out for his work. He is happy in his new role as alarm clock, playmate and snuggle bug. 09.2008
|
Bowie
September 2008
September 2008
Sorry that it has taken so long, but I realized that I owe you a long overdue Rita update. If you will recall, we adopted her over Labor Day Weekend, and I sent those first weekend photos. We renamed her Shasta, and that name has stuck.
First and foremost, let me say thank you for choosing our household to be Shasta's forever home. She is the most perfect wonderful dog ever, and she chose me to be her person. Although of course we artificially engineered that by not letting Dan do anything for her; right from the get-go, we made sure that I attended to her every need. Dan was not allowed take her out, feed her, give her treats, etc. I did it all and still do it all for her, the positive result being that Dan has his dog Bailey (Sheltie), and I have my Shasta.
Through consistent feeding, I was able to get her weight down to 50 pounds. We walk both of them to the Pet Food Express and weigh them every few weeks. This week she was 50.4 lbs and last week 50.6 lbs, so she is pretty much stabilized at that weight. Please let me know if you think that is the proper weight for her, but I recalled that you still wanted her to lose several pounds; she was 56 lbs when we adopted her.
Her constant presence next to me is always so reassuring and calming for me. She spends hours with me in my home office (where ever that may be) and is the perfect travel companion. I will send you a photo summary from Christmas 2008 - May 2009 so you can see how she is doing. From Lake Tahoe at Christmas, to Denver for three weeks in January, Lake Tahoe in March, Sonoma wine country in April, and Carmel/Monterey May, she has been with me. I never would have made the drive out to Denver by myself (because Dan had work commitments), but having Shasta on the drive with me made it seem like a fun road trip, and I think also made it safer for me because people always see Shasta/Lassie first and are immediately friendly towards us both.
As you can imagine, we routinely get lots of Lassie / mini-Lassie comments when we are out with both Shasta and Bailey. Sometimes we correct people that one is a Collie and one is a Sheltie, but other times we just pass and let them think that we have the momma Lassie and baby Lassie. Actually the other day, something happened for the first time: I was walking Shasta (Dan was way up ahead running Bailey), and a man driving a car across the street yelled out the window "Pretty dog!"
I still love grooming her, and she is very tolerant of all of the brushing. I affectionately term her as "My walking fur explosion". She is getting better at letting me groom her feet, but definately prefers not to have her nails trimmed. So her front black nails are generally too long; I've had them professionally trimmed before, but I also bought a nail grinder instead of the nail clippers and bribed her with treats to deal with the nail grinder. I also think I have finally found the right combination of teeth cleaning treats to reduce the amount of brown stains on her teeth; I definately see an improvement in her teeth, and thankfully our vet said she doesn't need her teeth professionally cleaned; I would be very leary to put her under general anesthesia for teeth cleaning.
All in all, adopting Shasta was a major highlight of 2008, and she continues to bring lots of joy and happiness to our lives on a daily basis. Dan has probably gotten tired of all the times I say "She loves me!" when she follows my every move or lays right down next to me or wiggles her way between our two chairs to be next to me. 09.2008
First and foremost, let me say thank you for choosing our household to be Shasta's forever home. She is the most perfect wonderful dog ever, and she chose me to be her person. Although of course we artificially engineered that by not letting Dan do anything for her; right from the get-go, we made sure that I attended to her every need. Dan was not allowed take her out, feed her, give her treats, etc. I did it all and still do it all for her, the positive result being that Dan has his dog Bailey (Sheltie), and I have my Shasta.
Through consistent feeding, I was able to get her weight down to 50 pounds. We walk both of them to the Pet Food Express and weigh them every few weeks. This week she was 50.4 lbs and last week 50.6 lbs, so she is pretty much stabilized at that weight. Please let me know if you think that is the proper weight for her, but I recalled that you still wanted her to lose several pounds; she was 56 lbs when we adopted her.
Her constant presence next to me is always so reassuring and calming for me. She spends hours with me in my home office (where ever that may be) and is the perfect travel companion. I will send you a photo summary from Christmas 2008 - May 2009 so you can see how she is doing. From Lake Tahoe at Christmas, to Denver for three weeks in January, Lake Tahoe in March, Sonoma wine country in April, and Carmel/Monterey May, she has been with me. I never would have made the drive out to Denver by myself (because Dan had work commitments), but having Shasta on the drive with me made it seem like a fun road trip, and I think also made it safer for me because people always see Shasta/Lassie first and are immediately friendly towards us both.
As you can imagine, we routinely get lots of Lassie / mini-Lassie comments when we are out with both Shasta and Bailey. Sometimes we correct people that one is a Collie and one is a Sheltie, but other times we just pass and let them think that we have the momma Lassie and baby Lassie. Actually the other day, something happened for the first time: I was walking Shasta (Dan was way up ahead running Bailey), and a man driving a car across the street yelled out the window "Pretty dog!"
I still love grooming her, and she is very tolerant of all of the brushing. I affectionately term her as "My walking fur explosion". She is getting better at letting me groom her feet, but definately prefers not to have her nails trimmed. So her front black nails are generally too long; I've had them professionally trimmed before, but I also bought a nail grinder instead of the nail clippers and bribed her with treats to deal with the nail grinder. I also think I have finally found the right combination of teeth cleaning treats to reduce the amount of brown stains on her teeth; I definately see an improvement in her teeth, and thankfully our vet said she doesn't need her teeth professionally cleaned; I would be very leary to put her under general anesthesia for teeth cleaning.
All in all, adopting Shasta was a major highlight of 2008, and she continues to bring lots of joy and happiness to our lives on a daily basis. Dan has probably gotten tired of all the times I say "She loves me!" when she follows my every move or lays right down next to me or wiggles her way between our two chairs to be next to me. 09.2008
|
Shasta
September 2008
September 2008
|
|
"This dog is not socialized, has failed his behavior test, and cannot be adopted. He can only be taken out by a licensed rescue organization." These were the words I heard when I called the Pinole Shelter regarding a Collie that Billy Reiydelle of NCR had alerted me to. I placed a quick call to Billie, and after commenting that she had been to the Shelter the day before and the dog was fine, suggested that she pick-up the dog, keep him overnight with her four Collies, and bring him by the next day if he passed muster.
Morgan was very frightened when he arrived, cowering when we gave him quiet reprimands, and even when we raised our arms to play with him He didn't like the leash, slinking away when it appeared. It took a good amount of calm patience and praise to get him to come and be hooked up, but when accomplished, he was ready for a walk. The biggest problem, if you can call it a problem, was that he wanted to greet and play with every dog he saw. This resulted in tractor-like pulls whenever we were within fifty yards of another dog!
We have had Morgan, who we think is about two, for a year now and he is maturing nicely. He still likes to play with every dog (unless they convince him otherwise) and approaches them in a less impetuous manner. He has also decided that meeting and greeting new people is a lot of fun. Many people on the reservoir where we walk call him "Happy" because that's what he is when we walk. He is aware of everything around him, and is the most curious of the four Collies we have had He obeys commands...mostly...we are working on that.
We are very pleased to have him as a family member. Thank heavens for Billie and NCR. You can imagine what the Shelter would have done if they had not pulled Morgan out! 06.2008
Morgan was very frightened when he arrived, cowering when we gave him quiet reprimands, and even when we raised our arms to play with him He didn't like the leash, slinking away when it appeared. It took a good amount of calm patience and praise to get him to come and be hooked up, but when accomplished, he was ready for a walk. The biggest problem, if you can call it a problem, was that he wanted to greet and play with every dog he saw. This resulted in tractor-like pulls whenever we were within fifty yards of another dog!
We have had Morgan, who we think is about two, for a year now and he is maturing nicely. He still likes to play with every dog (unless they convince him otherwise) and approaches them in a less impetuous manner. He has also decided that meeting and greeting new people is a lot of fun. Many people on the reservoir where we walk call him "Happy" because that's what he is when we walk. He is aware of everything around him, and is the most curious of the four Collies we have had He obeys commands...mostly...we are working on that.
We are very pleased to have him as a family member. Thank heavens for Billie and NCR. You can imagine what the Shelter would have done if they had not pulled Morgan out! 06.2008
|
Morgan
June 2008
June 2008
|
After losing our 13 year old American collie "Pinky" who we also adopted from NorCal Collie Rescue at 10 years old, it was way too quiet at our house, but, not for long. We salvaged a 6 month old border collie "Rascal" from a most assured train wreck of a living situation, border collies do not make good condo dogs. We have enough room for her (as you may know, border collies are serious working dogs - non-stop action), but we were having a hard time keeping her occupied and a bored border collie is not a good thing We call it " destruction derby", Rascal calls it keeping busy! So, we decided Rascal needs a friend.
Our experience with adopting Pinky was so wonderful that NorCal was the obvious place to start looking for our new family member and there we found Dana. She had been in a very bad situation and was being fostered by a wonderful volunteer. The night we picked her up, she climbed right up into the car and onto my wife’s lap and into our lives. Dana hasn't looked back. She has so much grace, is so well behaved, and like most collies, she is incredibly loving. She and Rascal have become best friends. Dana loves to play and can, at 7 years old, keep up with Rascal pretty good. She loves to go anywhere especially camping, she walks on her lead like a master, and has great manners.
Thank you NorCal Collie Rescue for saving all of these wonderful dogs, giving them a positive future, and giving all of us a chance to love them. Like us, it’s really all they want! I know now there will always be a collie in my life. 01.2009.
Our experience with adopting Pinky was so wonderful that NorCal was the obvious place to start looking for our new family member and there we found Dana. She had been in a very bad situation and was being fostered by a wonderful volunteer. The night we picked her up, she climbed right up into the car and onto my wife’s lap and into our lives. Dana hasn't looked back. She has so much grace, is so well behaved, and like most collies, she is incredibly loving. She and Rascal have become best friends. Dana loves to play and can, at 7 years old, keep up with Rascal pretty good. She loves to go anywhere especially camping, she walks on her lead like a master, and has great manners.
Thank you NorCal Collie Rescue for saving all of these wonderful dogs, giving them a positive future, and giving all of us a chance to love them. Like us, it’s really all they want! I know now there will always be a collie in my life. 01.2009.
|
Dana
January 2008
January 2008
As a NCR area coordinator, I received a call to go check out an older collie who had been left at a local shelter. I found an older male collie whose owner had died and the family had surrendered him to the shelter, which is unfortunately a very common scenario. He was abandoned there along with his chocolate lab companion. I took him out of his kennel and we had to walk past his old friend. I will never forget the lab’s sad expression and I am haunted by my decision to only rescue Leo. I tell myself all the time that we can’t save them all, but it doesn’t ever get easy. Leo was in the worst condition I’ve ever personally witnessed. I had to wash him five times to remove the filth and cut most of his heavily matted coat off. He loved the warm water and being groomed. Leo’s age was reported to be 12 years which meant he would be hard to adopt out. My beloved collie Belle had passed away and I was looking for another older collie, so I adopted him myself.
He is the most energetic older dog I’ve ever seen. He can run hard and fast, and has tremendous stamina. Cosmetically he has many flaws and wouldn’t win any dog shows but he’s very cute and his personality is pure collie. He is really sweet, loving, protective, and loyal. He has also become best friends with my other collie Sky, who needed a friend, which is great. Old timers have such a calm, grateful nature and in my opinion they are well worth adopting. We definitely count the love, not the years. We love Leo very much and we’re glad he’s a part of our family. 01.2008.
He is the most energetic older dog I’ve ever seen. He can run hard and fast, and has tremendous stamina. Cosmetically he has many flaws and wouldn’t win any dog shows but he’s very cute and his personality is pure collie. He is really sweet, loving, protective, and loyal. He has also become best friends with my other collie Sky, who needed a friend, which is great. Old timers have such a calm, grateful nature and in my opinion they are well worth adopting. We definitely count the love, not the years. We love Leo very much and we’re glad he’s a part of our family. 01.2008.
|
Leo
January 2008
January 2008
Happy Tails -- 2008
Stories of Adopted Collies
Stories of Adopted Collies
|
Steve and Robin fell in love with Spencer. But of course, whats not to love. He is a great dog, and now he has a great home to match. They were all as happy as can be when I left.
Spencer aka Tucker
October 2008
October 2008
|
Upstairs with his new dad, Steve
Steve, Robin and Spencer
All is well. Shelby and her new family hit it off very well. Margie has transformed Shelby in just one months time. It was almost hard to tell that she is not a normal dog!
Margie cried, but is happy with the wonderful home that Shelby has now. It is uncanny how alike the Gee's and the Steinwinder's are in the things that they have done in their lives.
Margie cried, but is happy with the wonderful home that Shelby has now. It is uncanny how alike the Gee's and the Steinwinder's are in the things that they have done in their lives.
|
Shelby
May 2008
May 2008
|
Rescue a Life and It May Save Yours - a Story about Kenya the Collie Mix Saving her Rescuer’s Life.
Kenya was adopted as a 4 month old rescue from NorCal Collie Rescue. Her life began orphaned and tenuous as she was dropped off at Stanislaus County Animal Control in January 2008 with 3 siblings. When Karen Boselly of Collie Rescue arrived, she noticed immediately that the litter was not full breed Collie, but rather a Collie/Cattle Dog mix - not the typical dog Collie Rescue takes in. However when Karen learned that Animal Control was exterminating the puppies at the end of the day, she decided to take the puppies home. Within 2 weeks Kenya became part of Craig and Ellen’s family - little did we know that adopting the “runt of the litter” with her submissive shy disposition, that Kenya would transform into Craig’s protector and defender under threat of gun violence.
On April 11. 2012 in a quiet community only houses away from Governor Brown’s residence, Craig took Kenya out for her last “daily business.” In the midst of their nightly routine, a car stopped and two men got out and approached Craig and Kenya. While Craig and Kenya were able to cross the street into their gated yard, the men did not hesitate, pointed a gun and shot Craig. Craig, wounded, crossed the threshold of his front door running for safety, while Kenya on high alert defended our property line refusing the men to pass the gate. Captured all on video surveillance, Kenya transformed herself from the hesitant, shy, affectionate family dog, into Craig’s rescuer and savior. While apparently not afraid of guns and violence, the two armed men were scared off by our 42lb loyal Collie mix. Channel 4 news did not miss the opportunity to declare “From Rescued to Rescuer, Family Dog Saves Owners Life” showing viewers all over the Bay Area how truly this Dog was our Man’s Best Friend!
While Kenya has always been our hero, she is now recognized as an “Official Emotional Support Animal” from the National Service Animal Registry to support our family’s healing from this traumatic event.
Thank you Karen and Collie Rescue for saving Kenya’s life who in turned saved ours.
Kenya was adopted as a 4 month old rescue from NorCal Collie Rescue. Her life began orphaned and tenuous as she was dropped off at Stanislaus County Animal Control in January 2008 with 3 siblings. When Karen Boselly of Collie Rescue arrived, she noticed immediately that the litter was not full breed Collie, but rather a Collie/Cattle Dog mix - not the typical dog Collie Rescue takes in. However when Karen learned that Animal Control was exterminating the puppies at the end of the day, she decided to take the puppies home. Within 2 weeks Kenya became part of Craig and Ellen’s family - little did we know that adopting the “runt of the litter” with her submissive shy disposition, that Kenya would transform into Craig’s protector and defender under threat of gun violence.
On April 11. 2012 in a quiet community only houses away from Governor Brown’s residence, Craig took Kenya out for her last “daily business.” In the midst of their nightly routine, a car stopped and two men got out and approached Craig and Kenya. While Craig and Kenya were able to cross the street into their gated yard, the men did not hesitate, pointed a gun and shot Craig. Craig, wounded, crossed the threshold of his front door running for safety, while Kenya on high alert defended our property line refusing the men to pass the gate. Captured all on video surveillance, Kenya transformed herself from the hesitant, shy, affectionate family dog, into Craig’s rescuer and savior. While apparently not afraid of guns and violence, the two armed men were scared off by our 42lb loyal Collie mix. Channel 4 news did not miss the opportunity to declare “From Rescued to Rescuer, Family Dog Saves Owners Life” showing viewers all over the Bay Area how truly this Dog was our Man’s Best Friend!
While Kenya has always been our hero, she is now recognized as an “Official Emotional Support Animal” from the National Service Animal Registry to support our family’s healing from this traumatic event.
Thank you Karen and Collie Rescue for saving Kenya’s life who in turned saved ours.
|
|
|
Kenya
January 2008
January 2008