As I called to make an appointment for our dog Bella's annual check-up, I was reminded again of what the Vet said when we brought Bella in as a puppy.
"Well, she's a Border Collie. Border Collies are great, but there are a few things you need to know....."
She went on to tell me how they are really high energy, that they need to be active, and that they need a job. They really need a job. She also told me to make sure Bella had lots of toys to keep her from getting into trouble.
All of this proved to be highly accurate. Fortunately, Jimmy didn't mind spending approximately six hours a day throwing a ball for her when she was a puppy. We soon found out that, if she didn't get to chase a ball for approximately six hours a day, she would pace around the house for approximately six hours a night. Because Border Collies are herding dogs, herding N became her job, though we did have to teach her not to grab N's arm with her mouth and attempt to pull her back toward the house. Since then, we have had B and O, and she now has more than enough work to keep her busy. In fact, I'm sure if she could, she would be demanding a raise by now. I'm sure her sweet, obedient, loyal mind is thinking, "Wait a minute. When I came here, you had one quiet, mellow, little girl. Since then you have added two more boys. This is not what I signed up for. Had I known, I would have licked the face of the old lady with the cat when she came to check me out at the shelter, instead of yours."
Because she's sweet, obedient, and loyal, however, Bella has taken it all in stride. She lets B drive her around in the back of his motorized tractor, in spite of the fact that he often yells at her to go away for no apparent reason, right before he starts crying for her to come back. She lets O lay on her, even though he seems to think she's his own personal teddy bear. She lets N hold her hostage in her bed at night, even though she would prefer to be on the couch, which she doesn't have to share with anyone. And while she is equally good to our friends and family, she's also quite protective when it comes to people she doesn't know. Just ask the UPS man.
If B and O occasionally get to be a little rambunctious for her, she doesn't usually let it show. Well, not outwardly, anyway. There was the time that something apparently didn't agree with her, and she threw up. On B's bed. I'm not entirely convinced that was coincidence. But really, haven't we all had days like that? I can certainly think of a few people whose beds I've wanted to throw up on.
I think the main reason Bella tolerates these wild boys so well, though, is because she knows that, in a lot of ways, they are just like her. They, too, need to be active. In fact, Jimmy often throws the ball for Bella, B, and O. They race to see who can get it first. And just like with Bella, if these boys haven't run enough during the day, it's going to be a rough night. They also need lots of toys, or they will find their own. Some people call this creative. Sometimes it is, but since it usually means that whatever they find ends up creatively broken or creatively colored, I could do without the creativity. Just as Bella needs to have a job, so do B and O. This would not only keep them out of trouble, but would help pay for the diapers I thought at least one of them would be out of by now, as well as the forty-seven granola bars they go through in a week. I just haven't found anyone willing to hire and a one-and-a-half year old and a three-and-a-half year old. But I'm still looking.
In addition to the ways they are naturally like her, I think B and O have picked up on some of Bella's other traits just by living with her. There's a lot of growling in our house, and most of it is not done by the dog. And more than once, I have found myself telling someone to get their brother's arm out of their mouth. B also has also mastered Bella's butt scratching technique, though he usually only demonstrates it in Church. Fortunately, I have not found anyone licking their butt. Yet.
In some ways, Bella could probably teach these boys a thing or two. She's a pretty good listener. In fact, I sometimes think I could probably walk her without a leash. At some point this may even become necessary, as there are days when B and O definitely need the leash more than she does. When I feed her, she either eats it, or she doesn't. But she doesn't tell me she doesn't like it, or ask me for something better, or ask me for a snack half an hour later. I can't say the same for one of the boys in our house. I'm hoping he will eventually learn by her example. And, if she could teach him how to just let us know when he needs to do his business, the way that she does, that would be good, too. He doesn't even have to do it outside, though if he wants to, I'm OK with that.
In spite of these differences, boys and Border Collies are alike in the ways that matter most. They both love you unconditionally. They are always excited to see you, even it's only been ten minutes since you left. They are both quick to jump up into your lap--muddy paws and all. They are great to snuggle with, even though they will steal your covers and, if you let them, most of your bed. And, in our house, at least, they've both been known to lick us in the face.
I just wish the doctors had been as considerate when B and O were born as the Vet was when we brought Bella home.
It would have been helpful if someone had told us, "Well, he's a boy. Boys are great, but there are a few things you need to know...."
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