Zio the Border Collie: Let the 2011 Flyball Season Begin!

Rescue a Border Collie

Border Collies are my favorite breed for all of the reasons that get too many of them into trouble with owners that aren't prepared for living life with this breed. Not everyone is cut out to provide the activities, exercise, and mental stimulation needed for the majority of BC's.

I try to help with rescuing abandoned border collies from kill shelters when I can, but it's a heartbreaking issue at times. At any one time, there are at least a dozen that I'm following across the country that I'd adopt myself if I could. Instead, I do what I can to help and try and get them out of a bad situation. If you're ready for a border collie, please be open to the idea of rescuing one from a shelter.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Let the 2011 Flyball Season Begin!

Yesterday was our last practice before the first tournament this coming weekend. We started a little early to make sure we had time to get some practice in with the Dogs Gone Wild team from Tulsa. The off season went by pretty fast! A year ago, Zio and I were craming little training sessions in every chance we could so that he could race singles in his debut tournament. Little did I know that he would actually get his first taste of team racing on Sunday afternoon. I've been trying to correct his turn ever since, but I think it will always be a constant training issue.

We picked up a nice passing drill from DGW that should help us desensitize some of the dogs to the dogs coming at them. We worked with one of their dogs that liked to chase and made some good progress with him. Zio (aka Tank) almost had a scarey moment with Cody on a pass that was too close. They bumped into each other, but it must have been a glancing blow, since they both continued with no harm done. I really need to not worry about simulating real passing with such a short runback area. I little slip could cause an injury.

We're holding a little team contest to try and predict the fastest time for the Speeding Sheepdogs team. I haven't revealed my guess yet, but I think we have the potential to race under 18 seconds. Below is our new team logo.