OWNER: Mike
LIVES: Barrow-in-Furness
FAMILY NAMES AND AGES Sister’s kids – Jake (aged 7), Luke (aged 5) and Macey (aged 2).
DOGS Kye - Fell Collie (aged 10 years) and Mya - Border Collie (aged 3 years).
DID YOU HAVE DOGS WHILST GROWING UP?
Yes, always had dogs. The first was Tig, and he was a mongrel. I don’t remember him much, though he was stroppy and bad tempered. He bit me on the leg once… though I was kicking him at the time so you can appreciate his annoyance. I was only a kid and he was quite old when I was young. He was 12 years old when we had him put to sleep. Arthritis had gotten the better of him and he didn’t have much quality of life anymore. We had a few years without a dog and then we got Joss from animal rescue. She was a 2 year old Border Collie. She had an abusive owner beforehand and as a result, she was very timid. It would take a lot to coax her out from under the table. She lived until she was 20 years old… which is really old for any dog! For about 6 winters, we expected her to go to sleep one night and not wake up, which would have been a blessing really. She was determined to hang on though and just when you thought that she was going, she’d develop a new lease of life. In the end, even she succumbed though. Be the end, she was blind and deaf and rather senile! She could get quite stroppy with Mya, who was only a puppy at the time. We got Kye and Mya whilst we still had Joss, although Mya is specifically my dog (as oppose to a family pet).
WHY DID YOU GET A DOG?
I just wanted a dog for ages. I wanted a dog that I could actually train and have as a companion on fell walks, etc. As sad as it sounds, it was more about companionship and you see a bond between owner and dog that is on a completely new depth. It’s a friendship which is second to none.
DID EVERYBODY IN THE FAMILY WANT A DOG?
They weren’t opposed to it, so long as I took responsibility for the dog. Although, because we already had Kye and Mya, I was told I could have one when Joss passes. Joss refused to pass, and so I grew impatient.
WHERE DID SHE COME FROM
A farm up at Broughton. I saw the advert in the paper. I had a criteria. I didn’t just want any kind of dog. Firstly, she absolutely had to be a Collie. Notice I said ‘she’, because the dog had to be a bitch. They’re far more biddable and not as headstrong. Secondly, she had to be long-haired… for the simple reason that they don’t moult quite as much. Lastly, she should be tri-coloured and that was purely personal preference. I like the look of tri-coloured collies.
When I got up to the farm, there was one dog which matched any of the criteria. She was the only bitch, the only long-hair and the only tri-colour in the litter. I pulled the pup out and after giving me a sniff, she ran off into a cow pen and started dancing around its feet. I don’t know if I chose her or she ‘chose’ me, but I asked the farmer to pull her out before she got herself squashed.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SPECIFIC BREEDS THAT ARE TARGETED AS DANGEROUS?
I think it’s ridiculous. Any dog could be aggressive and dangerous. I know you get dogs that are specifically bred to fight, and there’s a stigma attached to that, but any breed can fight. In that respect, they’re no difference to any other creature on the planet. If you think dogs are bad, you should see some people fight. Maybe we should pass a law to destroy anybody who has been seen to be aggressive to others? Like I said, it’s ridiculous. You cannot justifiably punish the many due to the acts of a few.
IS HAVING A DOG HOW YOU IMAGINED IT TO BE?
It’s much harder work. It’s more tricky than I thought. I think it’s probably like having kids, although I have no basis for comparison. You do have to look after their every need. They are hard work, they take a lot of training and time. You have to take vets bills into account as well. There’s more to it than you think because the dog isn’t just a furry toy to play with on whim. If that’s what you want a teddy dog. Real dogs are a commitment, and not always a convenient one. I slept downstairs with Mya when she came home from being spayed so that when she woke up in a panic – due to the cone around her neck – I was there immediately to comfort her. Sleeping on that sofa wasn’t exactly comfortable either, but it was necessary because at that moment, she needed help and comfort. I do have to consider her at all times. It is a lot more responsibility than people think. Especially Collies! People think they are cute – and they’re dead on there - but they need a lot of exercise. If you don’t exercise them enough, they’ll destroy your house.
WHAT ISSUES (IF ANY) HAVE YOU HAD WITH YOUR DOG?
She has not been a problem dog in many respects. She had a bit of a chew on little things around the home. She had a couple of ‘accidents’ which needed cleaning up. She once bit me when I went to take her bone off her, but I sorted that straight away. She can be a little aggressive towards other dogs whilst on the lead.
HOW DID YOU CORRECT HER?
She is very obedient and reacts to a command immediately. She will back down when I tell her to. She went to dog training for obedience but it was all part of it and it is ongoing but not an issue. It came to light perhaps at training classes when socialising. It may have stemmed from the relationship between her and Joss – she’s quick on the offensive because she had to learn to be. If Joss got the upper hand (or paw), then she was like a dog with a bone! There’s far too many puns in that sentence to be comfortable with.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PETS?
Yeah, we’ve got rabbit. He’s called Magic and he’s 12 weeks. Mya’s a little scared of it. When it comes in the house, it’s all she can do to get away from it. She usually goes outside, to her kennel. Kye, on the other hand, just ignores it. That’s all down to their upbringing though. We got both Kye and Mya at 8 weeks old (albeit 7 years apart) but Kye grew up with about a dozen Guinea Pigs running around. Mya never had that, and so there’s suddenly this little furry thing which is a little too curious for her comfort. It’s amusing to watch.
HOW DOES THE DOG SPEND HER DAY?
I get up and we go for a walk. If I am rushed, it’s a quick one. Often my brother will take her out running when he’s home from the rigs. She’s in and out of the house and garden doing her own thing mainly. Playing with her ball. They have the run of the house. Dad gets home from work before me and usually takes the two dogs up the abbey or down the beach. When I get in I will do the same. There’s no shortage of exercise for her and still, as she’s a Collie, it never seems to be quite enough. She’s always raring to go again. She tends get fed at lunchtime and teatime, although the times are flexible depending on whether we’re out running at the time.
WHAT IS THEIR FAVOURITE ACTIVITY?
She likes playing with tennis balls. She always needs to be doing something. Always needs to be busy. Her favourite game is that she rolls a ball down the hill at the amphitheatre and chases after it, before taking it back up and repeating the game. It’s a game she also plays on the stairs at home... and she’s not quiet about playing it. It sounds like a stampede of elephants running up and down stairs.
WHERE DOES SHE SLEEP?
She generally sleeps on the landing or under the ladder of the loft. That’s where my room is, so it’s the closest she can feasible get to it… until she works out how to climb the ladder.
WHO IS THE DOG MOSTLY FRIENDLY WITH IN THE HOUSE?
Mya mostly friendly with me although she is friendly with everybody. Kye is friendly with anybody, just as he’s grumpy with anybody as well, depending on his mood. He does go a bit daft when Jo visits with the kids, that’s because he used to be hers before she left.
WHAT TIME DOES HE/SHE SPEND IN THE HOME WITH FAMILY MEMBERS?
Kye likes to chill out on the sofa in the evening when we are watching the television. I’m not sure he’d survive as a working dog now, sleeping in a barn on a straw bed. He’s too use to his home comforts. Mya, on the other hand, prefers to lie in the corner. If we are on the computer, she will be nearby. She prefers her own space. She’s not anti-social… she’s just happy in her own company – a bit like her master. She will say hello when the kids come but then she’ll go and lie down again.
TELL ME A FUNNY INCIDENT INVOLVING YOUR DOG
They happen far too often. She’s ‘answered’ the phone to insurance companies by attacking the receiver because the ringing was annoying her. She’s snapped for a tennis ball a split second too early to have it come down right on her head. She’s run into ‘puddles’ only to find them somewhat deeper then she thought. She also has a habit of not looking where she’s going, as she’s running, and tripping over her own paws or running into something else. Trees are a popular choice of ‘emergency braking system’.
The one that sticks with me though was one winter, over the north end of Walney, and she went to jump into a ‘puddle’ only to hit the surface and skid across it – Bambi on ice style. Legs splays, a slight look of confusion on her face and then a sudden <crack>, and she disappears vertically through the ice. It wasn’t deep and she got out easy enough, but the entire image just stays with me. It was brilliant to watch.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW DOG OWNER/OR PEOPLE THINKING OF HAVING A DOG?
Just think about it before you do. I mean really think about it. Do you honestly have the time and commitment to devote to it, because owning a dog is a massive responsibility. As clichéd as it sounds, a dog is not just for Christmas. Consider the costs involved. The seemingly simple things, ranging from food, training, insurance and vaccinations. You have to invest a lot of time and money into them. And for goodness sake, only get a Collie if you are 110% sure you can give the time it needs.
I had a friend who asked if a Collie was the dog to get if he wanted a dog that could keep up with his active lifestyle and walking on the fells. The question isn’t “Can the Collie keep up with you?” The real question is “Can you keep up with the Collie?”
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