|
Rocky Top goes to the Rainbow Bridge
It is with a sad heart that I have to report that my beloved collie Rocky - the one who inspired the beginning of Collie Dog Owners - has passed away. He took ill over a week ago and he spent a week in the hospital. The doctor thought he was better - and he did seem to be improving, but he suddenly went down hill yesterday and passed away through the night. We believe he had a stroke, but the doctors really didn't know for sure.
I rescued 4 year old Rocky and his sister Daisy from the Pets Inc. animal shelter in my hometown in February of 2002. My first beloved smooth collie I had had since childhood had passed away a week before - and in my heart I new I had to have another collie. And there they were - Rocky and Daisy - the most beautiful creatures in the world. I vowed to learn everything I could about collies, so my search on the internet began. However at that time, there was not a lot of collie information to be found online. So, I opened the Collie Dog Owners MSN group to fill that empty collie void and began recruiting other collie owners to join me! I figured, if I couldn't find the information I needed, I would get it to come to me. And thus, the Collie Dog Owners was founded.
Rocky was a great dog. You can see his black and white photos on the top of every page on our site - and he was the inspiration for many designs at the CollieShop.com.
Rocky, my love, you are greatly missed. I'll see you again one day, my sweet Rocky Top, and we'll once again "play ball". :(
~ Lisa, CDO Manager
. Return to Top
|
|
Childhood Memories, Bygone Pets, and My First Collie Floppy
 Summertime picnics, going barefoot, pop quizzes, mudpies, bubble blowing, skipping rope, ice cream trucks, and long lazy days - those are some of the things that characterize "childhood". For many of us, we always desire to recapture those innocent days. And for those of us who grew up with dogs, it sears our heart and etches a permanent milestone into our memories that horrible moment when we lose each our beloved childhood pets.
For me, I remember the very first dog I ever got to call my own. I remember going to the pound when I was only 3 years old with my mom and dad and picking out a shy, lonely looking mixed breed puppy that was sitting all by himself in the back of his cage while all the other hyper ones clamored at the gate wanting me to "pick them". I was only a toddler, but I clearly remember my heart going out to the dejected little reddish colored pooch and feeling a deep-rooted connection with him. So, a few minutes later there he was - riding home with us on my lap in the small cardboard box we had brought along with us. I named him "Pup Pup" (a.k.a. Pooch) and thus began my love affair with dogs.
Over the course of my childhood, we had numerous dogs pass thru our home... all of which were mixed breeds (and, until a year or so ago, I preferred them over purebreds). There were even a couple of litters of pups that my female dog Bandit produced over the years (sired by none other than Pup Pup himself). However out of all the doggies that passed our way and thru our lives, there are only three that in my heart I consider "my special childhood pals". These are Pup Pup (who lived to the age of 14), Pup's own son Pup "PJ" Junior (who passed away shortly after his father) and then there was my first collie Floppy.
One morning during the first part of my second grade year, I was awoken by the feel of something wet touching my nose as I lay on the living room couch catching a few more moments of sleep before school. Thinking that it was daddy dropping cold water on me to wake me, I wiped my face groggily and moaned. But, to my surprise as I opened one eye, there was a little puppy sitting there in my dad's hands! It was his cold little nose I had felt. In my excitement, I almost didn't make it to school that day! I named the little guy Floppy Brown Ear, due to the fact that one ear folded over and the other stood strait up. At the time I knew nothing about collies.
Floppy, or the Flip-Flop as we affectionately called him, had come from my Aunt Faye. Her dog Lady, a rough sable white collie (the only one I'd ever seen in person) had gotten herself pregnant by a doggy pal down the street (who was not a collie). The litter produced 4 little pups - and Floppy was a surprise to me from my parents, who wanted to help my aunt out by taking the pup in. They also knew how much I loved dogs by that point in my life! I obsessed over them - reading everything I could about dogs in general. But still yet, since I preferred "mutts" over the snooty purebreds (and well, perhaps simply because we couldn't afford one) -- I knew nothing about collies, and would not begin my fascination with the breed until over a decade later!
He was a brilliant dog. Being a child however, with parents that only liked dogs but didn't know anything about dog culture, it never even occurred to me to research into the details of his breed. I only knew he was smart and that he was a "short haired lassie dog". I loved him all the same though! He never had any formal training (again, due to the fact that I wasn't ever encouraged to do so as a child since I didn't know of anyone else who loved animals like I did). But, Floppy picked up on daily words and things very easily. All of our dogs have always understood full sentences and he was no exception. He could say hello with his paw, lay down when told, go to wherever we told him to go, and would pick up on what we wanted him to do by just us looking at him. He knew the names of every place outside (our dogs live outside with a huge air conditioned shed house to stay in). It was uncanny. But, as I would learn years later, this was all typical of the collie!
As I grew and hit my teen years, a time period came when my love of dogs (or at least the time I wanted to spend with them) started to fade. The dogs became too "smelly" to hold, paws too muddy to let them jump on me, and too "doggy" to let them get on my brand new "popular" clothes that I started wearing. Boys, friends, clothes, and school activities suddenly became more important - and I lost touch with the strong bonds that I had with my childhood friends - Pup Pup, P.J., and even Floppy.
With the passing away of my beloved Pup Pup at the turn of the millennium and his son P.J.'s death a year later, it suddenly hit me that my childhood was suddenly, and unwontedly, ending. My old pals that I had spent so many hours with when I was younger were leaving for the rainbow bridge - never to return again. The time surrounding their deaths was a horrible time in my personal life as well, making it that much harder. Many people I loved were dying (5 in the space of 1 year), I lost my (human) best friend due to conflict, and I was getting ready to graduate. Everything was changing. Everything I loved and cherished was disappearing.
Finally, the last true link I had left to my childhood and happier times was my collie Floppy. Dear sweet Floppy, who I use to dig in the dirt with when I was 8. Dear sweet Floppy, who use to bring me bits of old trash when I was 10 and I would hug him tightly because I believed my pal was presenting me with a sacred present. Dear sweet Floppy who would cower ashamedly during those horrible adolescent years of mine when I would snap at him for putting a dirty paw on my new white skirt. Dear sweet Floppy who would always forgive me completely no matter what..
On the night of Friday February 1st, 2002, I had a fight with my mom. I had just turned 19 years old and was emerging from a huge transitional period in my life. The first place I went was to where my old childhood friend Floppy was snoozing outside in his favorite comfy spot. He had been sort of sick the past couple of days, and we were beginning to worry about him. But at the moment, it was he that would comfort me. I laid there with him on the floor, crying, holding onto his neck wishing with all my might that I could go back to being 8 years old again. Wishing that my Grandma, Uncle Lee, and my Granny were still alive instead of freshly buried in a cold cemetery. Wishing that John, my first true love and best friend, hadn't gone out that fateful day in the summer of 2000 when his motorcycle was hit by a van - killing him on the spot. Wishing that Pup Pup and PJ were still around to play Frisbee. Wishing that I could just close my eyes and be transported back to childhood - a time of innocence, before the ironies of this world catches up to us and rears its nasty ugly head.
Floppy just laid there softly licking my face as I held him tight, calm and quiet in his ancient doggy wisdom, seeming to understand my pain. It was the first time in ages that I had been that close to him. The last link to my wonderful bygone childhood days all wrapped up in a little precious sable & white canine body.
Many hours passed right there, and I finally stood up to go to bed. I was covered in fur, dirt stained tears, and collie kisses. And I was tired. As I patted his sleepy body and kissed his collie nose good night, I could tell in his eyes that he hadn't fully recovered from his the illness which had sprang up the past couple of days. We hadn't been worried because it hadn't seemed serious. But for some reason it was lingering. It was Friday night. "I'll take you to the Vet first thing Monday morning baby, I promise. I love you Floppy."
Those were my last words to him. The next morning, Saturday February 2, 2002, my mom came into my room crying hysterically. Floppy was dead. He had passed away in his sleep that night. The last link to my wonderful childhood filled with bubble eating dogs, Frisbee games, long walks around the block, and hours of long intimate talks with my canine friends were over.
It was the first time since I was three that I didn't have a dog by my side. They were all gone.
. Return to Top
|
|
Hello everyone and Happy New Year 2005!
 This past year was an exciting year for the Collie Dog Owners. Sure we had our ups and downs in the group a few times, but that's to be expected anywhere humans gather. All in all, it turned out in the end to be a great year. This coming year, look for a lot more integration of the group and the main CDO website, such as links to favorite topics, highlights from games we play on the boards, events postings, and much more. There will also be, as always, more fun things to do on our message boards including monthly games, special holiday events, and photo contests (with prizes!). Our options are limitless!
Furthermore, if you haven't been to the site in the past month you'll notice there has been some major updating going on! There are now quite a few new main collie sections to help quench your thirst for "everything collie"! Here are just a few of the newest additions:
> Collie Games such as Sheepish, Find the Bone, and Herd the Sheep
> Collie Links to some of the best informational collie sites out there
> Collie Rescue
> A revamped home page
> A new "Collie Blog" featuring site news, reviews, and more
Now that you know our plans, what about you? What are your plans for the new year? I'd love to hear them! or hit me up on the message board! If you're not already a member of CDO, then come on and join us. :)
. Return to Top
|
The Collie Blog
Choose a Posting to View
