You must complete an adoption application with WBCR before we will consider you for one of our Border Collies (under the “adoption” link). One of our volunteers will check your references, and then another will come to your home to meet you & your family in person before the board will vote on your application. If you are approved, we will arrange a time for you to meet the dog(s) you are interested in. If you decide he/she is perfect for you and the board agrees, we will schedule a day for you to pick up your Border Collie, sign adoption paperwork, and pay the $250 minimum adoption donation. This whole process may take a month or more, as all WBCR members are volunteers and we’re commited to making a perfect match for our border collies. Thanks for your patience!
Please contact Lori for more information on Mikey
January 7
Mikey continues to be a neat dog who is very easy to live with. Our dog sitter says he is the easiest one of the bunch when she stays here. Mikey is great with other dogs and adults, but he definitely can’t go to a home with cats or kids. Our cats have learned to avoid him, but having Mikey here means our 6 cats don’t hang out with us when the dogs are loose. Since Mikey is crated when we are gone and at night, the cats do have a chance to sleep with us. However, he has never hurt a cat, but he is VERY intense with them and jumps on top of them while mouthing them which they do NOT appreciate at all.
While he has adapted to our children who know that they must call him to them for petting rather than approaching him, he has nipped at the neighborhood kids that come to play, so we always just crate him when they are here. Mikey enjoys playing in the yard with the other dogs and trots around exploring when we are all outside together. He is not a pushover, but he has a knack of getting along with even very crabby dogs. Our very bitchy females will even romp and play with him which is nothing short of amazing. He doesn’t show Border Collie intensity at all with the ball so he would probably enjoy walks to get more exercise. He has lost some weight while we have had him but still needs to slim down some to be at a healthy weight.
Mikey is perfect in the house and never has an accident or chews anything. This lovable boy normally curls up near me, but he doesn’t need to be touching me or be “in my face.” He would be a lovely companion for a couple without children or cats. He is enthusiastic without being intense, and he just really enjoys being with his family. If I didn’t feel it was unfair to our cats, we would probably adopt him because he is a fun and easy dog. We know there is a forever home out there for Mikey somewhere.
August 29
Mikey is a nice boy who is super easy to live with. If it were not for the cat issue (he is very intense with them), I would hardly know he was here. He was easily crate trained and is fine crated while we are at work and while we sleep. He is not a push over, but he fits nicely into our pack and will play with the other dogs. He has been good with my daughters, but did snap at a neighbor girl when she put her face into his face through a stairway. I am cautious with him, and my girls know not to man-handle him. He approaches them for petting, and it has been fine. I would not place him in a home with young kids, because I do think he might snap or nip.
He is a lower energy dog who enjoys exercise but settles easily and can go a day without hard exercise. While the other dogs are racing after tennis balls, again and again, he is happy trotting around the yard sniffing and exploring. Mikey loves attention and is normally near me in the house. He is not a velcro dog though, and is content without me also. He has never had an accident nor has he chewed anything. Mikey will be a great addition to a family without young children and cats.
June 20
Mikey has moved to his new foster home and is living with 4 other Border Collies, 6 cats, 2 rabbits and 2 children (age 7 and 9). He fits into our doggie pack easily and enjoys running and playing in our big backyard with the crew. He is not nearly as driven as our dogs and we would characterize him as a low to medium energy Border Collie.
Although his previous home reported that he was good with their cat, that has not been the case here. While he has not injured any of our cats, he jumps on them and jumps at them when given the chance, and even our “dog trainer” cat is intimidated by him. Because of this, I would not recommend that he go to a home that has a cat. Except for one warning growl when our youngest daughter leaned over him the first night, Mikey has been good with our children. We will continue to monitor their interactions, but at this point, feel that he is best in a family with no children or older children.
Despite Mikey’s lack of crate training before coming into rescue, he was easily crate trained and happily trots into his crate. Mikey is completely housebroken and has never had an accident in our home. He is not a velcro or underfoot dog, but he does like to be near us. Mikey is a nice boy who is very easy to live with, and will make a nice companion for a lucky family. Although we have only had him a week, he is such an easy dog that it feels like he has always been here.
June 13
Meet Mikey, a gorgeous tri-colored 5 year old male. His family had to give him up when he started to go after their very active baby/toddler. They purchased him from a pet store that had him labeled as a Border Collie/Jack Russell Mix. After asking a lot of Border Collie enthusiasts, we’re guessing that he is probably a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd Mix, although we don’t know for sure. Mikey’s family originally gave him up to a local humane society, but Mikey, like most other herding breeds, did not do well being cooped-up and on display in the shelter. That’s where our rescue came in!
Mikey arrived at a temporary foster home 2 days ago. He was a little overstimulated and uncomfortable at first, and that’s why “Peace & Quiet” is always a technique we recommend. Basically, we slowly introduced him to our pack, but most of the time, he was in a crate in our main living room, where he could observe the way we live, what the pack order is, what to do, and what not to do. Mikey is extremely smart, because he had it all figured out by the second day. It was as if he was living harmoniously with us for months. He got along beautifully with the other 3 dogs, and he was not only appropriate, but very accepting of other dogs acting inappropriately. Mikey knew when to get out of the way, when to join in the play, when to stop playing, and when to snuggle up to us. He’s very sweet, you know! 
In the car, he rides like a dream with or without a crate. Mikey also walks nicely on leash. If he would pull a little, I would lightly pop the leash, and he would respond by slowing down and looking at me for direction. At home, Mikey would jump on the furniture at first, but at the very beginning of my vocal utterance, he would immediately jump off. After that, he rarely tried to jump on the furniture again. This dog should be easy to train. He’s so eager to please his handler. But given his past, we would not recommend him in a home with small children.
Mikey is in excellent health. He’s a little overweight, but that problem should be corrected by the time he gets adopted out. As of today, Mikey arrived at his regular foster home. He chases the cats when they run, but otherwise he’s pretty good with them. Today, he was around other dogs, and he could see some sheep, goats, and ducks. Mikey behaved very well (no pulling, no jumping, no barking – just a little whining from excitement, but who could blame him, being on a farm)!
We only had Mikey for 2 days, and we kind of miss having him around. Hopefully, that gives you an idea of what a nice, friendly, happy, go-lucky dog he is. Mikey will be nice addition that will quickly bond to his people. He will steal your heart!