On Feb. 2, 2002, a smooth coated collie mix named Floppy Brown Ears passed away. He was the last remaining childhood pet of his 19 year old owner, Lisa. This was the first time Lisa had been without a dog since age three, and she wanted to get another one to help her through the grief. This tragic incident was the beginnings of what would become the Collie Dog Owners.

After a few days of searching, Lisa entered a local all-breed pet rescue shelter near home and was amazed to find the most beautiful mahogany male rough collie she had ever seen. The two instantly fell in love. A week after Floppy had passed away, 4 year old Rocky the mahogany rough collie and his rough sable sister, Daisy, came home to live with Lisa and her parents.

Although she had been surrounded by mixed breed dogs her entire life, these were the first purebred dogs she had ever owned. Determined to provide the best care for these beautiful creatures, Lisa scoured the internet to find information on the care of collies. Frustrated, she could find nothing. At that time there were hardly any centralized sites devoted to collies. On a whim, that same week she opened a new MSN “group” aptly named “Collie Dog Owners”, with hopes of having the information come to her instead. Within 4 months, 15 members had joined the message boards.

As the group grew, so did the purpose and focus of the Collie Dog Owners. In October, 2002, CollieDogOwners.com website was founded to expand on the information learned on the message boards. CollieShop.com, a store featuring hundreds of unique collie themed designs on thousands of products followed a few months later. At the time of it’s closing in June of 2005, the MSN message board group had grew to over 668 collie loving members worldwide. Sadly, on October 7, 2005, Rocky the mahogany rough collie and inspiration for the Collie Dog Owners passed away after a sudden stroke and a week in the hospital. His sister Daisy still misses her beloved brother and cries for him every time she sees a tennis ball (their favorite game).

In February, 2007, Collie Dog Owners turned 5 years old and marks the commitment of Lisa’s dedication to continually provide collie owners everywhere with easy to access information in one centralized site. It is interesting to note that nothing was ever known about the background of Rocky and Daisy except their birthday – February 2, the same day Floppy passed over the rainbow bridge.

Related posts:

1. Getting involved in Collie Rescue