My name is COLLIN- HOLD!

Collin is a 25 lb., 8 month old neutered-male, border collie/corgi mix. His coat is silky-soft, mostly black with a white chest and a little bit of white on his snout and toes. He has the “look” of a border collie, but has the legs and physical size of a corgi. To say he is “adorable-looking”, isn’t saying nearly enough.



Saturday, 10/13/2012 – Transport Day

Collin arrived on a transport at around noon. Despite what he’s been through, he was very happy to get out of the van and to stretch his legs. He was very friendly and rubbed up against me, asking for affection. While I was prepared to put Collin in a crate for the drive home, the transport driver informed me that he rode “shotgun” with her for the 19 hour drive, so I decided to let him sit in the front seat with me, instead. You would think he would have been reluctant to get back into another vehicle after such a long trip - but not this guy. He hopped right onto the front passenger seat and was a PERFECT GENTLEMAN for the entire drive home. He looked out the window once in a while, but spent the majority of the drive inquisitively looking at me,… Almost as if he was trying to figure out who I was and what role I was going to play in his new life. When we got back to the house, I put Collin in my small-fenced in area to be introduced to the other four dogs that he would be living with. He was introduced to four dogs in under 5 minutes – the introductions went that well! He has such a laid back demeanor, that he allowed the other dogs to sniff him and he only sniffed back a little bit. I then allowed him in the back yard to run around a play with everyone. He did some exploring, but paid no attention to what the other dogs were doing or the toys. Once we were home, I noticed he seemed to be a little timid with me. He seemed to prefer coming over to me for affection, as opposed to the opposite. This slightly shy behavior had all but subsided by the end of the day. Since Collin needed to eat after his long drive, I decided to take him in the house (which he was reluctant to enter, at first) to give him some food and introduce him to my cat, who came strutting into the kitchen while Collin ate. All he did was raise his head and look at Charlie (my cat), who sat only a couple feet away, and continued eating. I also tested him for food aggression – which he has none. He allowed me to touch his body, face, food, and mouth while eating without any objection. He now eats alongside all the other dogs and is a perfect gentleman – paying attention only to his food dish. Later in the afternoon, I gave Collin a bath. He seemed a little alarmed when I first put him in the tub, but he did not resist the process. Honestly, I think he actually enjoyed the massaging while getting all the grime and filth washed off of him. Afterwards, I had to leave for a couple of hours early in the evening and decided to trust Collin, uncrated. I was very pleased to see that there were no incidents when I returned home! Collin is definitely housebroken and has even barked by the door when he needed to go out to do his business. I have also yet to see him chew on anything except his dog food. He hasn’t even so much as picked up a dog bone yet. In the evening and night-time, prior to going to bed, Collin cuddled up with me and enjoyed receiving pets. If he saw other dogs getting affection, he politely waited for his turn and does not try to push through to get his luvins next. Collin’s first night continued to go as smoothly as the day did. He slept peacefully through the night, uncrated, and did not relieve himself until the morning when he was let outside to do so.



Sunday, 10/15/2012

I am amazed at what a perfect, little boy Collin is! Even as he is clearly becoming more comfortable (and his tail is wagging much more than the day before), he is still as laid back as ever. He is completely indifferent to the other dogs (and the cat) and blends right in with everyone as if he’s been with us all along. In the afternoon, a friend came by with his two dogs, one large, 3-year-old Aussie mix, and a 12-week old puppy that he had just adopted the day before. Collin’s laid back personality actually made him quite appealing to the little puppy who was pretty scared about being around so many dogs. Even with five dogs and a puppy running around, Collin preferred to sit on the lawn chairs with the humans. He follows me around everywhere and just wants to be near people. Aside from getting 10 seconds of his curiosity with a squeaky ball, he has still shown no interest in toys or bones. By the evening, however, I was able to get him to act silly and playful with me on the floor in the living room. While Collin definitely appears to be housebroken, we are working on some basic commands because he doesn’t seem to know any.



Monday, 10/16/2012

Collin continues to be a wonderful, LOVABLE, low-key boy! I decided not to crate him when I left for work this morning and he clearly deserved the trust because he was a perfect angel when let out at lunchtime.


TUESDAY, 10/16/2012

Collin still hasn’t started really playing yet but he was very interested in watching me play catch with two of his furry foster-siblings last night while we watched TV. He’s starting to act silly a little more now, too. He’s doing very well with coming when he’s called and sitting (especially when there’s a treat involved). He also knows “speak” now and does it for a cookie (along with a little dance – which is too cute for words). He’s not a huge barker but he will bark when he’s got something to say. For example, last night he started barking in the kitchen. I couldn’t see him from where I was sitting so I asked, “What’s your problem, Collin?” More barking. I walked into the kitchen and discovered him standing next to the BONE-DRY water bowl. I filled the water bowl and put it down for him, which he happily began to drink from. I went back into the living room, sat down and two minutes later, more barking in the kitchen. “NOW what’s your problem?” He barked again a couple of times. I got back up, walked into the kitchen to discover one of the other dogs (with a goofy grin on his face) standing in between Collin and the water bowl. I told him to move and stop teasing Collin, which he did, and then Collin went back for another drink. LOL! A last example would be from this morning… I let everyone out to do their business. A few minutes later, I called them back inside and my four came right in but there was no sign of Collin. I called him a couple of times, but then closed the door and went to go put some shoes on so I could go outside and look for him. Two seconds later, I hear a bark at the door. I guess I needed to be a little more patient – poor guy was probably mid-poop when I was calling him to come back inside. This evening, Collin really started to “come around” and show me more of his adorably playful personality. I was sitting on the living room floor playing my usual game of catch with two of my younger dogs while Collin laid on the couch behind me. Out of nowhere, Collin took a flying leap off of the couch (and yes, over me), grabbed a stuffed toy and started playing with it. Then he came over to me and started being silly and getting me to wrestle around with him. We also played tug with a toy for quite a bit, too. He seems like a completely different dog. However, he has still not tried to get involved in any of the play my furkidz are doing with each other yet – he just watches them. It’s possible that if they were closer to his size, he might be more inclined to get involved. It’s hard to say for sure, though.



WEDNESDAY, 10/17/2012

Everything is still basically the same with Collin despite him coming out of his shell and being more extroverted and playful. One thing I can add is, this morning, he took a little more interest in my cat, Charlie… He walked up to Charlie and barked at him a few times. I’m not sure what response he was hoping for, but what he got was a dirty look and then Charlie strutting away. LOL. I guess you can’t blame Collin for trying, I suppose. Even though he’s clearly feeling much better and more comfortable, he still seems to be behaving so I continue to trust him loose in the house with everyone when I go to work.


Collin is definitely an intelligent boy! Not only does he come when he’s called, knows “sit” and “speaks” for a treat, but I am also teaching him to “dance” for his treats now. He definitely has the brains of a border collie – minus the mischief that happens when they are bored. He is truly the perfect companion dog and wants to be with his human whenever he can. He enjoys car rides and is still as perfect a passenger as the first day I brought him home with me. He walks well on a leash but does pull a little bit, mainly because he’s darn smart, he wants to check everything out. Collin would be happiest in a family (which could be two adults and children or an active, single young adult) that will INCLUDE him in as much as they can.

This animal is currently fostered in a private home. Our rescue is 100% foster home based. We do not have a shelter or kennel. They are cared for by a loving family until adopted. Each pup has had their first vet exam, a shot, and de-worming, etc We make sure they have no fleas prior to going into our foster homes. They are fostered out of the shelter at least two weeks or more prior to adopting to monitor health. We take their care seriously!

Please note that the adoption appointments will be scheduled after your application is approved. Once adopted, feel free to change the dog's name. You do not have to keep the name listed in this post.

#####PLEASE BE SURE YOUR APPLICATION IS COMPLETE OR IT WILL NOT BE PROCESSED. PLEASE BE SURE TO LIST THE NAME AND NUMBER OF THE VET'S OFFICE THAT CARED FOR YOUR PRIOR OR CURRENT PET. #####

IF YOU ADOPT a pup and live in the State of New Jersey we do have low cost spaying and neutering at very affordable prices. Kindly inquire upon an approved application. We also have an affordable program for out of state adopters.

We also offer low cost micro-chipping! For a low fee of only 20.00 we will have your dog microchipped. You will be able to register the microchip for a low cost fee of only 10.99 at the time of the adoption appointment. The 10.99 fee is a ONE time registration fee. The microchip is for the lifetime of the dog. You have the ability to update the contact information at NO cost. You will also have a one year membership to Home Again. This is a big savings for you.


***** If you're interested in fostering we could always use the help to save more animals. A crate, food, and medical care are provided. The animals are picked up in West Milford, NJ and brought back here for adoption. The time commitment is two to two and a half weeks. Please email letting us know what town you live in and we will forward information to you. *****

Sheryl's Den has teamed up with Petfirst Health care in an effort to offer pet insurance for your adopted family member. If you wish, you can enroll once you adopt or within 20 days after your adoption. Your coverage will begin at midnight following your activation. The first month is only 5.00. If you choose to continue the pet insurance the cost would be 14.95 a month thereafter. Pet insurance protects you from the expense of vet care. No need to worry about unexpected expenses. Details: Use any veterinarian, pay your vet, send claim form to PetFirst, meet the 50.00 deductible, receive your reimbursement check in as little as two weeks. If you would like further information, you can contact PetFirst at 1-877-291-PETS.