Fl’N (Pronounced FLYNN) is a 13+ year-old BC. He’ll be competing in Veterans at Cynosport this year and says he might come back again next year too. He was rescued in 2005 from the Omaha Humane Society when we were there attending an agility competition. Having been Golden Retriever parents for several years we had no intention of getting a Border Collie but when they brought him out for a visit it was love at first site. That face just said “take me home.” We didn’t want him to live in a doggy jail or have to take the soon planned trip to a different, not so friendly, shelter if he wasn’t placed soon so we said we’d take him home with us. We weren’t even back in Colorado before we knew he was part of the family. He settled into the RV with the Goldens and it was like he always belonged there. The Humane society had determined he needed to be in a working/performance home without kids and with someone who was familiar with dog training. Most of the local performance folks weren’t interested in him because he had no visible drive and just seemed to walk around with a sad, depressed look on his face. He was such a handsome dog and very nice structurally and such a sweet/calm personality (or so we thought) we just couldn’t leave him. It wasn’t until we got him home and started to teach him to play that we realized we had a very motivated dog with a ton of drive. We started him with some agility foundation training right away and he became the happiest dog ever. His personality was totally different. That sweet face of sadness that we fell in love with turned into a bright eyed, perky eared, I wanna work Border Collie and we were off and running. He had some “rescue’ issues at first. He barked a lot and he was a bit aggressive toward men with thick black boots. He also loved, and still does, to rummage through the trash looking for any morsel of food. Once he realized he was home forever he got over the fear of work boots and has never shown any aggression toward anyone. He’s done the Superdog performance and the Purina Incredible dog challenge with meet and greets with kids of all ages and he loves to have them pet and hug on him. He still likes to bark but mostly when he’s on course in agility and that’s OK as we know it’s cheers of joy.
Fl’N has always made us feel like adopting him was the best thing for all of us. He constantly shows us his appreciation for being part of our family and we’ve never regretted bringing him home. To anyone considering adopting a rescue dog, it’s one of the most rewarding events of your life. You will create a bond like no other with your rescue and they’ll be your lifelong friend and companion.
Agility is Fl’N’s outlet for energy, he loves the game and he’s done very well at it. He’s competed at every Cynosport since he started competing. Fl’N ADCH Silver, LAA Silver and MACH 2, He is the 2012 Incredible Dog Challenge Large Dog Agility Champion and he’s loved by all his housemates.
This year might be Fl’N’s last year of competing so it’s bittersweet. Can’t wait to see him running around the course barking with delight as he gets to do something he loves.