It was December in 2003 when our two oldest granddaughters, Shekinah and Ellyanna, gave Grandpa Dan a little black and white puppy for Christmas. This little Border Collie/ Australian Shepherd cross female became known in our household as Holly. As a puppy, Holly was energetic and full of mischief, and we would never know from one day to the next what she would get into. But she loved to be outside with Dan, following him around, and trying her best to figure out the cows.
As Holly grew the first couple years, she never stopped moving or investigating what was happening around the farm, in the cattle yard, or even on the road as cars and pickups often passed by. Our lane is fairly long, but she still loved to bark or run part way down toward the moving objects. But one yell of her name or a whistle in her direction would bring her right back to the yard. Thankfully she never got in the habit of chasing cars or running on the road.
We loved Holly, but as a young pup she did have an annoying habit of chewing on wood and almost destroying things like picnic tables, bike and lawn mower seats, and even the wooden steps to our deck. Anything that moved or was in motion peaked her curiosity. It could be a squirrel or rabbit bounding across the lawn, or even clothes flapping in the breeze on the clothesline. More than once I had to rescue blue jeans or coveralls from the grass after she “attacked” them from mid air. As she grew, in a few years these pesky tendencies started to wane, much to our liking.
True to her breeding qualities, Holly had high energy and extreme stamina. She could follow Dan all day long back and forth with the tractor in the fields. She loved to run after the cattle when they needed to be brought back from being “out” somewhere. She would stand her ground and keep the herd corralled until one of us would get the gates open to put them in their rightful place. Many times she would come bounding up to the house to greet us after a swim or dip in the creek far out in the pasture. We would have to back up quickly before she shook us full of the remaining water!
Holly has a thick black coat of hair, mixed with a little white on her paws and underbelly. Border Collies are known to shed that hair heavily, and she is no exception. Maybe that is why she has always been a traditional “outside” farm dog. It is best if those clumps of dark hair land somewhere beyond the walls of the house! Being so energy driven, the big outside is her favorite place to be anyway.
Her attitude is extremely friendly, and she likes to play and run and have most any form of exercise. Those big dark brown eyes will just invite you to pet her or kneel down to give her some attention. When visitors come up to the door, she is almost too friendly. She would rather play or come near them for fun, rather than barking or scaring them off. She does let us know when someone is on the yard, but a “watchdog” she is not. She loved kids, and enjoyed being part of their activities. Since she is older though, she sometimes gets aggravated with children.
Holly’s ancestral breeding originally came from the Anglo-Scottish border region primarily for herding livestock. It began mostly with sheep, but they are also good with cattle. For our many years of milking cows, Holly’s energies and intelligence helped bring the cows up from the pasture. Overall she has been a good listener and is a good help.
One characteristic that Holly has had from her puppy stage is that she is afraid of loud, booming noises such as thunder and gun shots. We are not sure why, but she runs for cover when there is a storm outside or hunters in the distance. Most of her life, she would not even enter the garage for protection from the weather, but the last year she has taken up residence there almost every night. In thunderstorms or hunting season, she comes quickly to the safety of the garage and wants in. it seems like it worsens with her age.
In the past few months we have noticed a few other mysterious actions from Holly. When it is hot outside, she digs deep holes around the edge of the house and lays in them. Maybe to cool her self off? They are usually on the north side of the house where there is no direct sunshine.
On several occasions we have heard odd noises coming from the garage. When we investigate, she has burrowed her way through the recycle containers and has begun chewing on the wood in the walls. One day we came home to find cardboard that had been wrapped around unused lumber chewed apart and spread over the garage floor. This week she has a new object of her attention. Our wooden steps into the house inside the garage have been chewed on.
She always has plenty of food and water, but is she missing something else from her diet? Is she not well? She is slowing down with age, but otherwise seems normal. Holly still loves to get outside and run, and she still makes the rabbits and squirrels take flight for their lives.
We have wondered lately if Holly is returning to her “puppyhood” with the chewing on wood phase. Sometimes people revert back to childlike inclinations. Do dogs do that? Do they get bored and just need an alternative activity?
If you have any advice for us with Holly, please share! Right now, some of her antics just remain a perplexity for us.
lbeerman68@gmail.com
