A New Beginning

So, seven months have now passed since Storm left us. Have we decided to take the plunge and get another puppy?

Over the last couple of months, yes, we have been searching for a ‘replacement’ – not that she could ever be replaced, of course. Lists are the thing now – some litters are booked up to a year in advance. Getting on such a list has seemed impossible, though I have tried several places. I contacted a few breeders with whose names I am familiar – some have stopped breeding (well, it has been 12 years since I was last on this quest!); others were having the final litter from a certain dog; yet others agreed to let me know if and when they decided to breed from their dogs. I initially went to the breeder I had looked at when I got Storm – Bryning Border Collies. I had wanted a pup from her gorgeous merle Spark. Sadly, while I was looking he died unexpectedly. However, Storm was his granddaughter, via his son Kai. I was happy with that.

Bryning has a beautiful dog who is also an offspring of Spark – and a merle just like him. I contacted the owner and she said she ‘might’ be planning a litter in the spring 2026. Meanwhile, she ‘might’ (there’s that word again) be planning a litter between two other dogs she owns in the autumn of 2025. I heard nothing, so I went on several other sites to find a suitable puppy. Ideally, I’d like a blue or slate merle puppy, but colour is less important than the dog’s personality – don’t think I want to go through what we went through with Storm all over again!

I saw one advert for a 2 year old collie that needed rehoming. She was Kennel Club registered and relatively local. She was definitely not a merle of any colour – rather she was a chocolate and tan tri-coloured girl. I contacted the advertiser – no reply. I tried again – still no reply. Then the ad was taken down and labelled ‘sold’. I was disappointed, but realised I would actually be happy with an older dog and maybe breed a home-grown puppy, or buy in a puppy later.

So when I saw an advert for a four year old chocolate and white collie that needed rehoming due to health issues of the current owners, I contacted them and asked to meet her. We spent some time on the phone discussing what we had to offer the dog – she is agility trained, but hasn’t done any for a year or two. I of course have never done any agility with a dog, but I wanted a hiking companion and a running buddy.

After a few days, we made the trek south – to Eastbourne in Sussex. When we arrived, we were met at the door by a very friendly chocolate and white girl, who was so shiny (think new conker colour) she must have been polished recently! She took to us straight away. They answered all our questions and offered to let us take her for a walk to a local park. She was as good as gold, though she pulls a like steam train on the lead. We met lots of other dogs, children, scooters, bicycles, pushchairs and, of course, other adults. She didn’t flinch at anything – such a change from Storm.

While we were away, the owners had time to discuss whether they liked us as potential owners or not. Apparently, they did, as they agreed to let us collect her the next morning to make the 300 mile journey home with her! That journey was so strange. She was so quiet you could almost forget she was there. And when we stopped the car (to let her out to stretch her legs), there was no yelping, cage rattling, or screaming from the back of the car.

Anyway, she has been with us for almost two weeks and seems to be settling in well so far. We are (slowly) correcting the pulling and have found a couple of quirks about her – such as she doesn’t understand a sit-stay. She will sit on command, no problem, but on adding ‘stay’, she automatically lies down. She also doesn’t like other dogs in her face, though she’s happy to walk past them when we’re out. She also doesn't play with toys, though she has engaged a little bit with a toy duck, and she had to be taught how to get treats out of a treat dispensing toy - and hasn't touched it since the first day, despite there still being some treats inside it. It is however lovely to be able to take her for walks and to let her off lead, knowing she will come back when called. And I think I might have found a dog club where we can go together. It’s a whole new world.

Meet our new family member:

 

Which brings me to this blog...

My original idea had been to take Storm on hikes and write about those; to take her to agility where we could learn together; then at an appropriate time, have puppies which would continue the line – puppies named in similar fashion, eg ‘Storm Chaser’, or ‘Shadow of the Storm’. Obviously our new dog is not related at all, so should I keep this blog, rename it, or start a new one? I think, on balance, the answer is likely to be yes, because I intend to do the same sort of things I had not been able to do with Storm and Storm is the reason I started it, so the name would remain too. But what do my readers think? I’d value your input.