On Eve of Arrival

Tomorrow I drive 1.5 hours to Delaware to meet and pickup Jayna, a beautiful teeny 1-1/2 year old blue merle border collie. She is one of a group of 15 border collies that traveled all the way from Texas - from a puppy mill confiscation involving 167 dogs - to the "greener pastures" of Glen Highland Farm in Morris, NY. After thorough vetting the dogs were moved to foster homes, where the real healing begins for the tattered mental/emotional states of these dogs.

Having seen video footage of the living conditions the dogs were subjected to... you realize that these dogs have never really had a person in their lives; never lived in a real home; until recently never been on a leash; never known the pleasure of a soft bed; the delights of a regular meal.
From what I am told Jayna is the most shut down of this group of 15. A dog that freezes with any visual or physical contact with a human, hoping that if she doesn't move or make a noise, she won't be noticed. So heartbreaking... but what's past is past. For now it is all about the future.

So tomorrow Jayna is arriving. Food, bowls, ID tags, crate and bedding, all check. Dog proofing the house (which I haven't had to do in many many many years), check. We are ready as we ever will be I suppose. I'm not a trainer or behaviorist by any means... rather I think of myself as an informed, enlightened dog person. Ben and Molly, my seasoned pack, are great stable, collected, calm dogs... wonderful ambassadors to show Jayna that life can be good. We will do right by her... slowly, step by step, knowing there will be a step or two back here and there... but knowing it's all about moving forward.

This blog is a chronicle of this journey: photos, random thoughts, revelations, lessons and observations.

Below are pics from a month ago, showing the transport plane from
Texas to New York, and a first look at Jayna (and her sis, Zan).

How many crated border collies can you fit in a teeny plane?
The answer is 15! Can you see the crates in the windows?

Here is Jayna (right) and her sister Zan after being loaded
into a truck bound for Glen Highland Farm.