|  We
would like to welcome you to the Wiccaweys Rescue Border Collies and Working
Sheepdogs website. We do hope you enjoy your visit.
Wiccaweys are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of
Border Collies & Working Sheepdogs.
All
dogs that come into Wiccaweys as rescues or for rehoming become part of
our family. We get to know them and make sure we know the type of home they need. Sometime a dog will go into foster with one of our wonderful foster homes. Foster dogs are those that need extra time to learn about 'normal' life or are dogs who require a 'hospice' home due to age or on-going health issues. We do not have short term foster homes. We do not believe in having lots of foster homes so we can take in lots of dogs to keep 'turnover' up. We believe that our foster homes should be for the dogs that need the extra help.
Border Collies do not fend well in traditional kennels, and the sight
of a BC bouncing of the roof and walls of a kennel can send a prospective
new home running in the opposite direction! This is a great shame, because
in the right environment, that stir-crazy dog is probably a fantastic
dog. This is the reason that Wiccaweys is frequently asked to take collies from other rescues.
All the dogs who come to Wiccaweys receive some basic training, are crate trained which makes transition to a new home much easier and
if they like the idea of it - they get to have a go at some basic agility
- all ready for a lovely new active and loving home. Our dogs enjoy group socialising and playtime every day as well as individual time. Our dogs are usually good with other dogs - though of course as with humans, we don't like every other human we meet, so why should be expect dogs to like every other dog they meet. That is just down to personalities.
Wiccaweys dogs are also introduced and socialised with other animals, including cats, horses and livestock; chickens, sheep, goats and cattle. We can soon tell people which dogs are going to be good with other animals and which aren't. It all helps for finding dogs the right homes.
Of course, the Border Collie is not the ideal dog for everyone, and one
of the greatest myths people have is that they are easily trained. In
the right hands, yes a collie will learn quickly - but it also means that
a Border Collie will pick up bad habits just as quickly. A bad habit learnt
in 5 mins can take up to 6 months to train out again.
You
have to remember that the Border Collie is a working dog, and they have
an instinct to herd. This is stronger in some BC's than others. An unchannelled
herding instinct can result in nipping ankles, bicycle, jogger and car
chasing, for example.
Exercise
is nothing to a Border Collie - they were bred to be permanently 'on the
go' and 'alert' at all times. A working Border Collie can run all day,
and still be ready to go should his master need him.
Can
you live with a dog who will easily do that lovely 3hr plus walk you take
him on, and then chucks a tennis ball or toy at you 5mins after walking
in the door?
Border
Collies can do the exercise bit with their eyes shut, so to speak - it's
the mental stimulation that they need to keep them sane. Can you provide
that?
Can
you share your home with the dog that leaps up as soon as you move? "What
we doing, where we going, what we doing?"
The
dog who does exactly the same as soon as you walk through the door? He
doesn't know if you have had a hard and tiring day - he needs his body
and brain exercising - "Come On, come on - lets go.....lets do stuff.....where's
my ball....where's my ball......"
Can
you cope with the destruction that may have been caused because he didn't
have enough to keep him occupied while you where away?
Will
your neighbours put up with the howling and barking of a bored collie
who has been left all day while you are at work?
Are
you prepared for when the cute little fluffy puppy grows up and turns
into a whirling dervish, knocking young children off their feet in his
hurry to be doing something?
These
are quite often the reasons that BC's end up in rescue - that cute little
pup has turned into a manic, active dog that needs something to do - he
needs to use his brain! If they are not mentally stimulated as well as
being exercised, then they will provide their own entertainment - whether
that be re-decorating the house or re-designing the fixtures, fittings
and furniture, or using that extremely strong herding and nipping instinct
on the kids, cat, local jogger or just the nearest moving object.....
the list could go on.
Many Border Collies are wrongly accused of being snappy or vicious, when
in fact, all they are doing is following their natural instinct to herd.
This instinct channelled into something such as obedience, agility or
flyball can produce a wonderful friend and loyal, faithful companion.
The
main thing to remember is, when you decide to take a Border Collie into
your home, you are taking a Working Dog into your lives - not an easy
pet dog.
Above all - ask yourself WHY do you want a Border
Collie and ask yourself; what can you offer the dog, not what can the
dog offer you?
Believe us, the dogs you see on television on programmes like 'One Man
and His Dog', and those on the television coverage of Crufts competing
at Obedience, Agiltity and Flyball will be nothing like the dog you will
be taking into your home. Years of knowledge and patience goes into achieving
that kind of rapour, understanding, respect and trust between a person
and their Border Collie.
We like to find our dogs homes where they can reach their full potential,
and be loved at the same time.
Whilst we like them to go to working homes (agility, flyball, obedience)
we want them to go to homes where those activities are carried out for
the enjoyment of both the dog and the handler.
We are not interested in homes where the dog is just wanted to provide
another rosette on the wall for the handler, and we are not interested
in homes where the dog will spend all day sitting in a crate at a show
to be allowed out to do their competition, and then put straight back
in the crate.
We do not want to hear from homes where negative reinforcement methods
will be used for training. We hate the use of check and choke chains,
and we totally disagree with, and are against, the use of any type of
'shock' collar.
There is little point in ringing us to enquire about a dog if one of your
first questions is going to, "what is the dogs parentage, is there
hip displasia PRA or CEA in the line, what is the dogs hip score, are
they eye tested, are the puppies likely to be the result of an incesteous
relationship...", or even if you are extremely overly concerned about
looks.
These dogs are rescue dogs, most of the time when they arrive, we will
have little or no history at all on them. They come to us from so many
different situations. That is why we assess them with a great deal of
care, either with us here at Wiccaweys in Northamptonshire, or with the
help of one of our wonderful foster homes.
We provide the potential adopter with all the information we have, and
the details on the homes needed page will sum up the dogs personality
and attitude to life.
The fact of the matter is all the rescue dogs need homes, whether they
are big, small, fat thin, handsome, pretty, ugly, big eared, bold, nervous
etc..etc.. Because we carefully assess the dogs as part of the family,
we get to know them very well and we know their personalities and what
home situation they are going to thrive in. Please do not be offended
if you ring up about one dog, and after a long chat with us discussing
your family life, situation etc we point you towards another dog with
us. We do our best to match the right dog to the right home - if the personalities
don't match - what good are good looks anyway?
Rescue dogs are not a 'cheap option', and we endeavour to find them loving
active homes where they will be allowed to florish and become the best
dog they can possibly be. Loved and respected by the new guardians for
the dog they are, and most importantly - be a cherished family member.
We hope that gives you a brief idea of what we
do and why we do it, and what we are looking for from a new home for our
rescue dogs.
If
you feel that you would like to offer any of the dogs a home, please contact
us for a chat in the first instance.
All potential new homes will receive a homecheck and adoptees are required
to sign an adoption agreement.
Please note that Wiccaweys does not have kennels,
this is our home and we are not open to the public. Meeting any dog is
strictly by appointment only.
We
work closely with friends and colleagues at other rescues up and down
the country, and from time to time you will find details of collies at
other rescues needing homes on the site.
Wiccaweys
Rescue Border Collies and Working Sheepdogs receives no funding, other
than the kind donations people give when adopting a dog from us. We are
always grateful of any help that people can offer, whether it be time,
blankets, toys and food, and of course donations to continue our work.
If anyone would like to make a donation towards our work, please visit
our Make a Online Donation
page.
We
also have a Ways to Help Wiccaweys
section, and we would be extremely grateful if you can spare the time
to take a look there.
|
