September 8, 2011 - UPDATE!
Leo has been neutered and has gotten his rabies shot. He weighs in at 17 pounds. He is a real sweet guy, but is still shy meeting new people. He is going to puppy class to help socialize and learn new commands. He continues to walk well on leash and is very food driven, so is easy to train. He is housebroken and crate trained. Loves to play with toys. We have been playing with a Chuckit and he will bring the ball back consistently. He does have puppy focus right now though so a flower, flying bug or just about anything will distract him.
August 30, 2011
Leo came from Kentucky with 5 other litter mates after his momma dog (a purebred border collie) was killed by a car when the pups were 3 weeks old. A wonderful and generous couple of volunteers picked up the pups and hand fed them until they were 8 weeks old and could go to a foster home. MidAmerica Border Collie Rescue was able to take 2 of the pups into foster care. See info about his litter mate Dazy Mae.
Leo is almost 5 months old now. Born 4/26/11. He is neutered and up-to-date on all his shots including rabies. He is a bit on the small side, when full grown may be less than 30 pounds, so his dad may have been a smaller breed. He has these wonderful spots on his paws and a spotted white blaze on his chest. He is potty trained, but moving to a new home may require additional reinforcement. He is a very sweet, mild puppy and does not have high drive. He is very focused on his person and is doing well with his foster home's 3 border collies. Because of his people focus he has a natural retrieve that we are exploiting. Throw any toy, ball or small Frisbee a short distance away and he will bring it right back to you.
We are working hard on socializing and crate training. He rides very well in the car in a crate. He is learning leash walking. We are working on his sit and Âsay hello will taking treats from adults and kids. He is apprehensive with small toddlers.
He is timid when meeting new people or dogs, but warms up nicely after a few minutes. He can be startled by barking dogs and unexpected noises, but because he is so toy focused can be distracted with play.
His ideal home will have a fenced yard available for play, exercise and exploring. If his adoptive home has another dog, that dog should be able to play nicely with puppies or smaller dogs. Children should be at least 6 years old, no toddlers since he is somewhat fearful of the noise and movement. The adoptive family has to also be committed to continued socializing and obedience training to ensure Leo turns out to be the wonderful companion dog we know he can be.
