Pete

Pete:

Pete is the sweetest, most gentle dog!! He’s had some bad luck, but it hasn’t changed his happy, loving disposition.  A purebred border collie, he was purchased as a puppy in 2012 to be a working dog.  Over time, the owners realized he was losing his sight.  The farm is on a busy road, so to keep him safe, they put him on a runner, where he remained 24/7.   They reached out to local border collie rescues to see if we could help find him a more appropriate home. He came into CBCR on 1/20.  He is adjusting very well, especially considering he had never been indoors, is blind, was just neutered, and has been removed from everything he knows.  The good news is that his owners were never unkind to him, his blindness is due to a common genetic defect (not painful and doesn’t require medical treatment), and he is now neutered, up to date on shots, microchipped and heartworm negative.

Pete is very tolerant of other dogs and children and is somewhat fearful of cats (he prefers to run away).  He absolutely loves people, has quickly learned to enjoy leash walks, does fine crated at night, rides well in a car.  I was told he would occasionally bark at a passing car, but would not chase if he happened to get off his chain.  In our home he has not barked once.  He does love food (nothing at all wrong with his nose!) so he has tried to counter surf a couple of times and we often put him outside the kitchen behind a baby gate during meal prep.  He just gets very excited so gets underfoot.  Pete is a medium sized border collie at 44 pounds.  He is, as the photos show, absolutely gorgeous.

As a blind dog, he will need a few special conditions in his home.  His dream home would be a one level house with a reasonably uncluttered yard with a physical fence and (dreaming here, remember!) a dog door.  I would prefer not to have him go to a home with rowdy dogs or young children, just because it would be risky for him.  He would probably do great in a condo or apartment if his owner was able to walk him regularly.  Because he loves people, a retiree or someone who works from home would be great!  Pete might make a good therapy dog (being trained to visit nursing homes, hospitals, etc).  When leash walking, it’s best to follow a regular route, which he quickly learns.  His relies on his human for gentle guidance via leash or voice to avoid obstacles.  Sometimes he will gently bump against a leg to orient himself, so he’d probably not do well with a fragile or unstable elderly person – might accidentally trip them.