Gruff

CBCR courtesy lists dogs for individual owners, other rescues, and shelters wishing to place their Border Collies or Border Collie-mixes themselves. These dogs are not in the CBCR program. CBCR does not warranty any of the information provided about the following dogs. Should any issues arise, CBCR will not be held responsible. Fees requested and policies may differ from CBCR.

BONDED PAIR – See Polly’s listing.

About Gruff :

• Sex: Male
• Age: 6-years-old
• Coat: Red and White
• Weight: 50 lbs
• Activity Level: Active Pet

House Trained, Neutered, Current on Vaccinations

Children – Unknown  Other Dogs – Not a Good Fit  Cats – Not a Good Fit

Biography

Everything was going great for Polly, Poppy, Gruff and Olive on Christmas morning.  Plenty of presents in their stockings hanging from the mantle above the fireplace, the whole family spread out over the Living Room and lots of love and attention for dogs.  A wonderful morning for all.  They had a great day too.  It was cold.  They ran in a local field playing with each other and us.  Christmas night my wife was not feeling well and went to bed early.  Later in the night she got up and collapsed in my arms, where she died suddenly and unexpectedly of heart failure before the EMT’s arrived.  When the EMT’s, Police and Fireman did arrive, I put all dogs in the Living Room, which is separated from the rest of the house by glass French doors, to keep them out of the way, hoping that my wife might be revived.  That did not happen.  We were heartbroken, in shock and absolutely traumatized.  All of the dogs were too.  Gruff would not leave the couch for a week.  They eventually wandered out of the Living Room, thoroughly confused and frightened.  Their housetraining went the way of the wind.  That has fortunately returned.  My wife’s mother took Poppy home with her.  She now lives in a large old farmhouse surrounded by fields and forests north of Winston Salem.  Polly, Gruff and Olive remain with me.  I thought I could care for all the dogs on my own.  I can.  That is all I can offer them. My wife worked from home and was with them all day, keeping them entertained and engaged.  I work full time and cannot provide much excitement for them during the day (I do manage to come home for lunch though) and that is the main reason I hope to find them a better life than I can now offer them.

Olive will remain with me.  She is approaching 14 years old, and I won’t let her go at that age.  She has lived here all her life here, since coming home from the NHC Animal Shelter, and I won’t put her through losing the home, though sadly depleted, she has known all her life.

I would like to try to adopt Gruff and Polly together.  They get along well, play together, and would I think be a comfort to each other as they adjust to a new home.

Gruff is a beautiful boy.  He appears to be an Australian Shepard/BC mix.  He was adopted from a local Animal Rescue.  He is named after a member of the Welsh pop group Super Furry Animals.  He is a super furry animal and sheds copiously.  He is also bi-lingual and takes commands in English and Welsh.  Serious commands in Welsh he responds to immediately.  Requests in English sometimes seem optional.  I am working on that.

Gruff is a 7 year old Good Boy.  He is neutered, up to date on vet care, parasite protection, and walks well on a leash. He is larger than Polly, weighing in at about 55 lbs and stands at 24”.  He is a very affectionate dog, wanting always to be within sight of me or directly next to me.  Gruff was seriously traumatized by the events on Christmas evening and has not fully recovered.  Like everybody here, I know that he misses my wife a lot. Recently, he has shown a previously unknown side of himself; can be aggressive to people he does not know. Example.  When my father-in-law arrived after my Wife’s death, he walked into the house when I was not home. Gruff did not know him and he attacked him, and seriously bit him on the wrist. To some degree, I think this was a natural response but nevertheless he does have the capacity to be aggressive and this needs to be worked on by the person adopting him.  He is also leash aggressive.  When he becomes familiar with another dog, the aggression disappears.  My wife used to take him to one of the local dog parks where he did well, showing no signs of aggression to  dogs or people.

If Gruff is adopted separately-not my choice and one which I am trying to avoid- I believe he would do best with a smaller submissive dog.

Gruff sleeps in his bed next to Polly’s crate in my bedroom.  He sleeps soundly through the night and is excited to hear the alarm clock.  If I sleep through it, he will wake me by putting his nose in my face.  He loves to go for walks.  He is frightened of loud noises (thunder, fireworks, etc.) which manifests itself by crying and pacing through house.  He isn’t destructive.

It is a very difficult decision for me to try to find Polly and Gruff a new home.  I love both dogs very much and they will only be adopted to the right home.  Please do not try to pressure me into making an adoption decision.  Both dogs are members of my family. I never contemplated having to make a decision such as this before and am inexperienced with reaching the right decision.    I arrived at the decision with the thought that another home may be able to respond to their needs and personality better than I can. They will only be adopted to an someone living close enough to me so that I can complete a house visit.  I live in Wilmington NC.   In addition, vet references and completion of an adoption contract is required prior to adopting Polly.  I am going to ask for a $400 adoption fee for each.  This is because I am trying to keep a home on a single income now, because I have spent well over that on their vet care alone, and because I need to know that you are serious and willing to make a commitment to them by adopting them.

Does the dog have any medical issues?
No

Does the dog have any history of aggression such as growling, lunging, snapping or biting any adult or child?
Yes

Please explain the aggression toward people.
Bit father-in-law. See above.

Does the dog have any history of aggression toward other animals?
Yes

Please explain the aggression toward other animals.
Leash aggression.  See above.

Reason for re-homing?
Can no longer care for four dogs.

Location & Contact
Gruff is located in Wilmington, NC.

If you are interested in adopting Polly and Gruff, please email Edward at ewdmccaleb@yahoo.com with “Polly and Gruff” in the subject line.