Border Collie Rescue SA

 Hi pawfriends it's me Luna again! 🐾 Today I want your pawttention for a very special dog rescue:

Border Collie Rescue SA! Yes you read it correctly, this rescue is specialized in Border Collies! Border Collies have the best working drive, they look cute and perfect for families and they easily melt peoples hearts with all the cool tricks they can do.. but therefore it goes very often wrong. If they are rehomed by normal shelters quiet often they end up in homes with people that are not educated enough how to handle the specific breed which can end up dramatically with a dog that starts herding kids, cats and everything that moves or even worse serious bite incidents.. 

Border Collie Rescue's target is to find the best new home for their rescues and spread awareness at the same time about the wonderful Border Collie as a breed. 

Border Collie Rescue is a registered non-profit organization since 1999 that:

-Provides rehabilitation for abandoned and abused Border Collies

-Provides foster homes for Border Collies in need and takes care of the full costs such as kenneling   fees, sterilization, food, etc..

-Finds forever adoptive homes when the dogs are physically and mentally ready for a new family 

-Provides counseling/referral services to Border Collie owners

- Help Border Collie owners that through no fault of their own, can no longer care for their beloved friend and need to find a new home.

-Raise awareness and educate the public about the very specific needs of the Border Collie breed

- And so much more..

In the years 2019/2020 they had:

• 532 dogs in kennels rehomed
• 7715 kennel days paid
• 238 dogs microchipped
• 91 dogs sterilized and neutered (some dogs arrive into the rescue already fixed)
• 108 dogs received all the necessary veterinary treatment
• last but not least they travelled 18575km!!! to collect dogs in need

Sounds amazing, isn't it? 

All this hard work is done by staff & volunteers that do not receive any remuneration but purely do it for the love they have for the breed. They spend their time for free to ensure the abandoned and abused Border Collies get the care and love they deserve. In my opinion this are real life heroes! 

But here it the thing.. they need our help! 

"Because together we achieve what no one can achieve alone." 

This is their favorite quote and I love it too!

Here are 11 easy ways how we can help: 

1. Adopt a Border Collie (currently this option is only available for people that live in Africa since the procedure and cost to bring a dog to EU, UK or USA are very difficult. 
2. Help cover kenneling costs, you can do this for one month or more. Border Collie Rescue organization will keep you up to date about the dog that's in "your" kennel. 
3. Become a friend of BCR: You will receive a quarterly newsletter. Membership fees are R1000.00 once off or annual R200
4. Sponsor a spray or neuter: this is super important, all dogs get sprayed or neutered before moving to their forever homes.
5. If you are in the South Africa area you can foster an older dog in need. BCR will cover the costs for food and veterinary care.
6. Send pawsome pictures that can be used for the yearly calendar, the funds raised from the calendar sales will be used to cover the shelters costs.
7. Suggest companies that might be interested in sponsoring BCR
8. Leave a legacy to BCR
9. Download the CollieMoji app, 40% of each download goes to BCR. To participate download the app from this link You can also turn your own dog in an emoji! Available for any dog breed, click here for more info. 
10. Shop online at the Border Collie Rescue website, you can find merch and other cute Collie related items. BCR online shop
11. and last but not least: spread the word, so the world knows their wonderful mission!🐾 If you have any fun ideas to set up your own fundraiser campaign don't hesitate to contact Dina-Vera, she is super friendly and will gladly discuss about the possibilities.

Zapper: Scan to donate easy&fast

 

A little bit more details about the costs of the rescue organization:

On average a dog remains 39 days in a rescue before finding a home during this time several things are done such as:

-Deworming (R50 per dog)

- Microchip (R150) 

- Vaccinations (R400)

- Neutering (R800)

- Cost per kennel day R180 in high season and R99 normal rate + food expenses.

- Average costs per homed dog: R4689,00

Because Border Collie Rescue is located in South Africa the amounts are shown in South African Rand. R100 = 5.75 euro = 4.87 Pound sterling. 

Easiest way to donate from overseas is through this link. Giveandgain makes it easier since you can choose your own currency.

This means that if we even donate a "small" amount in euro or pound this can already help many dogs in SA in need. 🐶

SnapScan: Scan to donate easy&fast

 

Impawtent info/contact details:

Address: Border Collie Rescue Non Profit Organization 

Nr. 006 620 P O Box 21161 Roodepoort Helderkruin 1733

Bank details:  Account Name: Border Collie Rescue 

Standard Bank Cresta Account Nr: 226 387 399 IBT: 051001

General info: DV (Dina-Vera) +27 82 772 8525 / Dinaverasch@gmail.com

Adoptions: Julie:  mwmoz@mweb.co.za / +27 11 3952259 or +27 82 887 9668

Website: https://bordercollierescue.co.za/

Page with all details about adoption or volunteering: 
https://bordercollierescue.co.za/volunteer/#adopt

Social media channels: 

Twitter and Instagram : #collierescuesa 

YouTube Channel: Border Collie Rescue South Africa 

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Border-Collie-Rescue-SA/130068410401353

©️All the pictures in this article belong to the Border Collie Rescue organization, do not use or reproduce this without their permission. 

The importance of responsible breeders

Hi pawfriends it's me Luna again! This time I would like to write a little bit about the impawtance of responsible dog breeding. The current lockdown situation has lead into a tremendous amount of new pup owners. If you are thinking of getting a (second) pup please check out your breeder before you buy!

Currently there are a lot of scam breeders going around because of the puppy popularity it even happened last week to my humans when they where walking wif me in the park. A random person came and told them: "I have pups for 250 euro if you want one call me and come pick it up." As you can imagine mum was super angry.. He didn't cared at all who we where, he didn't showed the parents of the pups etc., the only thing he said is pricing and his phone number if we wanted to have one. This is clearly the kind of breeder you don't want to come from! 

Let's start with the short definition of a responsible breeder in my eyes:

Responsible breeders are people with great love for the pups that have educated themselves with specialized information such as historical research, behavior, bloodlines, heritable defects and temperament of the breed of their choice. They also educate and screen potential buyers and keep providing support if the owner needs this. Breeders that care keep connected and supervise the dogs they bred during their entire lifetime. Last but not least they never breed for making money because they know that with the time and effort they will spend on educating and caring for the pups they will not make profits out of this. 

 A responsible breeder:

• Screens and fully tests the breeding dog's for any heritable diseases
• Avoids at all time inbreeding
• Keeps the pups in a warm and clean family environment with enrichment and place for the pups to play
• Can tell you why she/he choose the mother and father combination and what are the characteristics of both parents
• Bases breeding frequency on health of the mother (max. 1litter/year)
• Complies with all applicable laws and will gladly show you their breeding license and registration papers of the dogs
• Will take back any animal of their breeding in case owners can't take care of the dog anymore (this can be temporarily when the owner is injured for example or permanent when the owner died or any other reason that might apply)
• Never sells puppies to dealer or pet shop
• Let's you visit the pup as many times as necessary before moving permanently to new home
• Asks you a lot of questions and talks with you about the future of the dog (Will the dog be used for sport, herding, does the breed fit with you?) And also gives you the space to ask all questions you have about them
• Provides a clear purchase contract and gives you the time to read it before you sign
• Chips and vaccines the pups and provides all health care needed

Now after reading all this you can maybe understand why mum sterilized me, it was never her plan to get pups from me from the beginning even though I am her favorite dog ever. Even if she would like to breed one day in the future she would have to educate herself so so so so much more and pick up the best pawsible parent combination ever. The mission of breeding should ALWAYS be "breeding to improve the breed" and not just get pups out of your dog.

Big paw from me,
Luna 🐾

Potty training your pup

Hi furiends! It's me Luna again! As most of you may know I am already 5 years old but there was a time that I was a mini puppy that didn't knew how to poo outside the house, my mum would like to give all the new puppy owners an idea how I was potty trained, my mum was lucky enough to be with me at home the first weeks after I managed the potty training I would go for short periods of time in the crate. Please keep in mind this is our personal experience and each of us pups is unique!

If you go with your pup to the dog school or vet most of the time the first thing you will hear is ' take the puppy outside if he peed in the house'. The truth is that this kind of 'punishment' is not working for puppy's. It took a while for my mum to realize how she could easily convince me to do my thing and make this a positive experience instead of telling me that "I was a bad puppy" when I peed indoors.

First of all it is impawtent to observe your pup daily as much as possible, most pups show some 'signals' when they feel they have to pee or poop. I would start walking around in small circles for finding the spot, other dog's may start crying/barking, scratching the door,.... Experts suggest to start training your dog around 12-16 weeks old.

How my mum teached me:

We where living in a house with a garden at the time. After several months we moved to an apartment without outside garden so I had to adapt to this with different way's.

Garden training:

This one was the most easy for me as a pup. The first weeks the moment my mum would see me turning small rounds she would pick me up and carry me to the 'dog spot' in the garden. She was staying there with me until I would do my wee. Honestly the first times I was making her wait very long and sometimes also while it was raining. 😜 Afterwards she would start screaming from happiness and bring out my favorite toy, honestly I thought she was a little crazy. 😂 After a while she would take me out on random times of the day and I realized this is my potty time. 

In the house without garden: 

When we moved to the apartment without garden I was struggling a little more not only did I had to go outside to pee but also this time it was in an environment with distractions and on a leash?! Mum trained me already inside the house on a leash and would carry me to the field next to our apartment. We would go out every 2 hours. The difference was now that I can not walk free and other dog's off leash would try to distract me. Mum was always telling the owners to not let their dog's play with me so that I could focus better. In the beginning it was really difficult focusing on doing my potty training instead of playing and biting my mum's shoes 😂 My mum was standing patiently giving me the vocal command and ignoring my attempts to play. After I would do my wee she would play with me, throw my toy and bring out cookies! 

Puppy pads: There is this thing called 'puppy pads' to use inside the house. For me personally I would only use it the first couple of weeks when the pup is too small to go outside (before the vaccinations). My pawrents decided that they would instantly teach me to go outside to avoid creating the habit of peeing in the house. Ofcourse there happened some accidents the first couple of weeks but your pawrents should just clean it up and keep going with a smile. 😊

Most common problems:

-Pup keeps peeing on the same place indoors after an accident: This may be caused by the smell that stayed after cleaning use specialized household products for pets (pet stain cleaners)

-Accidents happen often during the day: Take your pup more out in the beginning, recommend after eating/drinking, when the pup wakes up from a nap, after playing indoors and ofcourse always first thing in the morning and last thing at night before sleep. Also controlled feeding might help, don't give your pup unlimited portions of food but structured feeding moments. 

Ps. Tell your pawrents this: Great things take time! 

Paw Luna 🐾🐶

Why do puppies need to exercise only for a short amount of time?

The answer is very simply explained. The growth plates, the areas of cartilage at the ends of the leg bones are still developing. 

They can become damaged very easily causing early arthritis. This damage is NOT gonna be recovered by growing up and can cause deformities for the rest of their life. It is your responsibility as dog owner to make sure your pup keeps a moderate amount of exercise. Just as kids, pups don't realize when they are overdoing it.  

Once they are fully grown, they can go out for much longer, but remember this is completely depending on the breed, temperament, health and many other variables. There is never a one size fits all approach. 

How should it be done to not harm the pup?

A good rule is a ratio of five minutes exercise per month of age maximum twice a day until the puppy is fully grown.  Don't take your puppy for jogging or jumping until he is fully grown. Make also sure they're fully vaccinated before coming in contact with other dogs. In case this is not done yet you can make short 'walks' in the garden or another safe play area.

Never exercise your puppy on a full stomach as this can contribute to GDV (Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus also know as bloating or twisted stomach) wait minimum 2 hours after dinner to go out. This also counts for adult dogs!

Paw Luna🐾

Heatstroke

Hi it's me Luna! This blog is about heatstroke's in dogs. Since I live in the Mediterranean and the temperatures in summer can rise up to +35°C it is very impawtent to raise awareness for this common dangerous health threat. A very interesting fact is that 'heat strokes' are not only caused by environmental temperature but also living conditions and humidity. Since we dogs mostly release heat through panting and through our little paw pads it's more difficult in summer to stay cool then in comparison to our humans who sweat all over the body. 

What is a heat stroke? 

Heat stroke is a term used for hyperthermia or elevated body temperature. For dogs we speak of hyperthermia when their temperature gets over 39.4 degrees Celsius (103 degrees Fahrenheit). A heat stroke occurs when their body temperature exceeds 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher without signs of inflammation, a heat stroke can lead to multiple organ dysfunction. 

Causes

-Environmental heat and humidity 

-Upper airway disease that inhibits breathing: the upper airway includes the nose, nasal passages, throat (pharynx), and windpipe (trachea)

-Underlying disease that increases likelihood of developing hyperthermia, such as paralysis of the voice box or larynx; heart and/or blood vessel disease; nervous system and/or muscular disease; previous history of heat-related disease

-Some poisonous compounds, such as strychnine and slug and snail bait, can lead to seizures

-Anesthesia complications

-Excessive exercise

-Being left in the yard without access to shade or fresh, cool drinking water

-Staying alone in the car on a hot day 

-Being left in the house with the central heating to high and no fresh air 

Which dogs have higher risk? 

- very young/old dog's

- short nosed/ flat faced dogs (brachycephalic breeds) such as pugs, boxers and      bulldogs

- dogs that are muzzled with a (too) small size muzzle that does not give them the possibility to pant 

- Long and thick haired dogs such as my breed the Border Collie

-Dogs that stay in the yard and have no access to fresh clean Drinkwater and shade 

-Obesity patients 

It is impawtant to remember that ALL dogs cannot control their body temperature by sweating as humans do, since they only have a relatively small number of sweat glands located in their footpads. Their primary way of regulating body temperature is by panting.

Symptoms

-Dehydration (dry nose, visible tiredness, extremely excessive panting, and sunken eyes)

-Excessive drooling 

-Increased body temperature: Above 39° C (103° F)

-Bright red, gray or purple gums and moist tissues of the body showing different color as normal 

-Only small amounts of urine or no urine at all 

-Acute kidney failure

-Rapid/irregular  heart rate (you can feel this by putting your hand on your dogs chest)

-Stoppage of the heart and breathing (cardiopulmonary arrest)

-Fluid build-up in the lungs, sudden breathing distress

-Blood-clotting disorder

-Passage of blood in the bowel movement or stool

-Black, tarry stools

-Small, pinpoint areas of bleeding

-Generalized inflammatory response syndrome

-Changes in mental status, stressed state

-Muscle tremors, shivering or shaking 

-Wobbly, uncoordinated or drunken gait or movement also know as ataxia 

-Unconsciousness in which the dog cannot be stimulated to be awakened

-Vomiting or diarrhea 

What to do if your dog shows signs of heat stroke?

If your dog loses consciousness or seems severely ill (vomiting, seizing,..) rush to a veterinary hospital immediately!

1. Take your dog to a cooler/shady area.

2. Lower their body temperature by wetting them thoroughly with cool water, it may be poured over the head, stomach, armpits and feet, or cool cloths may be applied to these areas. Rubbing alcohol may be applied to the footpads to dilate pores and increase perspiration. DO NOT use cold water! It seems counterintuitive, but cooling too quickly can cause a shock reaction use lukewarm water instead of cool.

3. Apply more cool water around their ears and paws. This helps reduce fever.

4.  If you have a pet thermometer handy, check their temperature every few minutes. Once their temperature drops to 39.4ºC (103ºF) Stop applying water and towel dry the dog.

5. As they continue to cool down, provide them with small amounts of lukewarm or cool water to drink. Again, NOT cold water, and no ice!

6. Call your veterinarian asap. Even if your dog seems to be recovering, they may need to be monitored for shock, dehydration, kidney failure, and other possible complications of heat exhaustion. Your vet will be able to advise you about next steps in most cases you will have to go visit the clinic so that the doctor can check your dog. 

Why is it so impawtent to handle as soon as possible? 

If a heat stroke is not treated on time your dog may experience permanent organ damage or may die at a later date from complications that developed secondarily to the hyperthermia. Pets that have experienced hyperthermia are at greater risk for subsequent heat stroke due to damage to the thermoregulatory center.

Heat stroke is a serious thing! Take care of yourself my furiends,

Paw Luna🐾