a busy puppy

People always told me that Border Collies were hard workers. I knew that they were great for working on farms, herding sheep, or competing in dog shows. I read somewhere in a magazine that the Border Collie was declared the world's smartest dog. Now that I have the great blessing of sharing my life with a beautiful Border Collie named Lindy, I do not doubt that statement. Nor do I doubt that Border Collies were made to work. Lindy is nearly 8 months old now, and the best way to describe her is: BUSY. She always has an agenda. She always finds a job to do. Sometimes they are good useful jobs, or silly jobs, even cute ones. Other times they aren't so pleasant. As she gets older I am committed to finding legitimate useful jobs for her to channel her work ethic into. But for now, I am enjoying watching my busy little puppy grow up into the busy dog she will be for the rest of her life. :) I'm sure in her mind, Lindy has a rhythm to her day. I imagine she has a great checklist in her head of "things to be done." I've come to notice several of these things, and I chuckle to myself when I imagine her going down her list, placing a check or a star next to each item as she succeeds in completing them each day. I've listed some of her favorite jobs below.

• Chasing squirrels up a tree

• Staking out the tree that the squirrels are hiding out in (Lindy would make a good cop...she's relentless)

• Digging holes in the yard, especially around the oak tree

• Creating nice cool burrows in the dirt underneath the azalea bushes to rest in during the day

• Herding the other dogs (much to their chagrin)

• Gathering firewood (there is a new pile of large sticks at my back porch nearly every day)

• Killing mice and depositing them on the back steps

• Antagonizing the neighbor's cats

• Playing referee for the neighbor's kids when they play ball in their backyard. This consists of Lindy running the length of the fence calling fouls on the game and trying very hard to get control of the ball.

• Fetching just about anything that can be thrown. (favorites include tennis balls, sticks, Frisbees, and squeaky toys)

• Working on rawhide bones

• Getting treats out of kong toys (actually this is quite a difficult task)

• Opening the porch screen door, even when it is locked

• Greeting all visitors at the door with overwhelming excitement and wagging tail
  

• Taking me for walks in the park

• Sitting for treats

• Waiting by the fence for me everyday when I come home from work

• Chasing me when I am swinging on the tree swing

• Pulling out the garden hose into the yard

• Chasing water

• Cuddling on the couch with me

• Resting her head on my knees when I'm sad

• Being cute, pretty much all the time

• Teaching me to be less selfish and more responsible

• Being the best physical companion a single girl could ask for

This is only the short list, though that may be hard to believe. At the end of the day, I feel so blessed to have this busy little puppy constantly working for me, and more importantly working on me. I am her biggest project. :) It's a good thing for me she's a Border Collie. A different dog might have given up by now!