jonithebordercollie

What a Save!

Posted by Ellie
A young black and white border collie is standing on the green grass of a football (or soccer) pitch in front of a goal post. Her tongue is hanging way out and her black ears are half raised. She has a big red ball in front of her on the grass.
What a Save!

When Joni was this age, we couldn’t take her off the leash near any ball game that might be happening nearby. She would (and did) run in and get involved. And, trust me, you’ll not easily get a ball past her. This is what she was born to do (with sheep, not balls, but you get the idea). The first time this happened was at a school tryout and she was accepted for the team as a goalkeeper. Joni! Joni!

The newest thing, it seems, is a game called Sheep Balls, where the balls represent sheep, with her playmate (me, I guess) moves the balls (at least 3) in such a way as to exercise her natural herding ability and blocking skills, as well as disciplining her to follow instructions rather than acting randomly. I will have to wait for spring to try this one out, but am grateful for a reader who told me about this great new game, invented specially for border collies. It looks as if it’s a great exercise for her trainer, at the same time. Just what I need!

Joni and the First Blue Ball

Posted by Ellie
A black and white border collie pup is lying on some old beige floor lino. She has a blue ball between her white paws and has her mouth over it, chewing it. She is looking up at the camera sideways, with her lovely brown collie eyes.
Joni’s First Blue Ball

It’s a day for a puppy photograph. Thinking about it, though, most days are good days to see a puppy pic. This was Joni when she was about 10 weeks old, with her first blue ball. She was a terrible chewer, as you can see, and was on her way to destroying this, but was able to spare a few seconds to glance up at me.

A friend posted that she wished she could hit rewind on her life and just pause for a few moments. So this is my rewind moment. Joni is now almost 10. Have a lovely day, friends.

Seeing Into the Heart

Posted by Ellie

See the whole album here: Joni, the Border Collie

I had taken this photo of Joni a few weeks ago (just before we were hit with the horrible flu virus that has kept me silent for weeks). I wanted to post it, but it wasn’t until I made a reply to a comment from someone on a post that I had the thoughts right for what I wanted to say about it.

You see, you look at this picture and you see a dog, someone else’s dog. If you like animals you might like the photo, especially if you are a Border Collie fan. But you can only see so much. The picture shows bright shiny happy eyes a snowy face, obviously from a time of play, clean white teeth (could be scary for some). But you can’t see the heart of this dog the way you can with your own.

What I am saying is that all dogs are special to their owners who love them and who have seen into their hearts. So when I look at your dog in a photograph, as lovely as it is, I only see a small part of this special animal. It’s a bit like an iceberg. So much is hidden beneath the surface. Isn’t that the same with us all? You have seen some child misbehaving, perhaps, pitying the poor parents as you see them struggling. They alone really see into the heart of this child and know the beauty hidden in there. Or a good friend of yours might be going through a rough patch and when someone who doesn’t know them very well is taken aback by a careless (or cutting) remark, you understand and stick with your friend from the love you have which opens your eyes to see into their heart. You see below the surface.

So I hope you enjoy the photograph of this dog. My dog. When I look at it I see the heart shining through in her eyes. I see a smile.