Dog Sports and Rescue.

meepitsmeagan

Meagan & The Cattle Dog Crew
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#21
Thank you for all of the replies!

I will reword her ad a little bit and I'm working on getting some video. I will call around about some hip xrays, and I got in touch with the agility lady that I work with to get a performance eval done. I really wanted to take her to a flyball workout, but the days don't ever line up for me.

I'm not involved nor overly interested in dog sports. Thus, other than my ACD dog sport friends online, I'm not in touch with many other dog sport people locally. I am working with a local BC rescue to cross post and do courtesy listings. I think a lot of it may be my area, too.. Most people would rather buy from a newspaper than rescue, tbh.

I'm now starting to doubt myself on whether or not she's a sports prospect. :eek: I guess the eval next Thursday will tell me.
 

Shai

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#22
I do think it's hard for people not connected in the dog sports world to get random mixed breed rescue dogs into sport homes. So you may not be doing anything wrong, maybe you just don't have the right connections.
This is one of those things that can work for or against you. At first, it's a hurdle. But if you are successful and you get a couple good placements that are then out competing and doing well, it can have a cumulative effect and help you get more future placements. Sounds like that's probably the situation with mfan's post above. And I know of a BC rescue guy near where I used to live with that reputation...if people want a rescue agility dog, especially a BC, they will often go to him and outline what they are looking for, and he has connections in rescue that he's built up over the years who often tell him if they have a potential sport prospect, and he works to match up the parties (so I've heard, I haven't looked at getting a dog through him but have heard excellent reviews from several people).
 

meepitsmeagan

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#23
This is one of those things that can work for or against you. At first, it's a hurdle. But if you are successful and you get a couple good placements that are then out competing and doing well, it can have a cumulative effect and help you get more future placements. Sounds like that's probably the situation with mfan's post above. And I know of a BC rescue guy near where I used to live with that reputation...if people want a rescue agility dog, especially a BC, they will often go to him and outline what they are looking for, and he has connections in rescue that he's built up over the years who often tell him if they have a potential sport prospect, and he works to match up the parties (so I've heard, I haven't looked at getting a dog through him but have heard excellent reviews from several people).
Huh, that is way cool. I'm sorry that I forgot to include you in my OP as I know you run your two rescues seriously as well. Kim and Web are awesome.

Also, I'm in Kalamazoo, MI.. Lucy is 3 or 4.
 

mfan

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#24
Like Shai said, it's a process and often the first couple are really difficult. People do know now that I take in working breeds (mainly Border Collies, Malinois, and Dutch Shepherds) and place them accordingly. Obviously, not all the dogs I rescue want to work, but I luckily have the connections to place them in a great pet home as well. I have had people come to me and tell me what they're looking for and that they'd like to rescue - if they still haven't gotten a dog by the time I come across one that fits the bill, it's a fast and great placement.

Lucy's age is unfortunately a "con" in most people's eyes. Many people who rescue performance dogs want two years and under. I rarely have people ask specifically for a puppy - most seem to like around a year, which is old enough to know the raw drive and stability of the dog.

What you want to ask yourself is does Lucy absolutely need to be in a sport home? Naturally, all (or most) dogs would benefit from doing fun activities like agility and obedience classes, but not all dogs need it to lead a long, fulfilling life. Some of the dogs I've gotten are so high drive and energy that most non-sport people would not know how to handle those dogs. Other the other hand, some of the other dogs I've had (mostly Border Collies) lack any kind of toy drive but generally would jump off of any tall building for food. They were still adopted by sport homes, primarily because of their breed, age, etc. I could have easily just placed them into good pet homes and they would've lead active, happy lives.

Sorry, not trying to be so negative, I promise! It's great that you are being very picky about where she's going. If you want her in a sport home, you'll find it, I'm sure.
 
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BostonBanker

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#25
I do think her age will be a bit of a negative; I got Meg at about 18 months, and that was pretty ideal for me.

I agree that, if she doesn't specifically need a sports home, staying really open to "active pet home" would be good. In our area, a nice herding or retriever type dog that can keep up with long hikes and be off-leash is a huge selling point - especially if they are old enough to already be house-broken and can stay home during a work day. We have a very active population in general, and people are often looking for hiking and camping buddies.
 

meepitsmeagan

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#26
Like Shai said, it's a process and often the first couple are really difficult. People do know now that I take in working breeds (mainly Border Collies, Malinois, and Dutch Shepherds) and place them accordingly. Obviously, not all the dogs I rescue want to work, but I luckily have the connections to place them in a great pet home as well. I have had people come to me and tell me what they're looking for and that they'd like to rescue - if they still haven't gotten a dog by the time I come across one that fits the bill, it's a fast and great placement.

Lucy's age is unfortunately a "con" in most people's eyes. Many people who rescue performance dogs want two years and under. I rarely have people ask specifically for a puppy - most seem to like around a year, which is old enough to know the raw drive and stability of the dog.

What you want to ask yourself is does Lucy absolutely need to be in a sport home? Naturally, all (or most) dogs would benefit from doing fun activities like agility and obedience classes, but not all dogs need it to lead a long, fulfilling life. Some of the dogs I've gotten are so high drive and energy that most non-sport people would not know how to handle those dogs. Other the other hand, some of the other dogs I've had (mostly Border Collies) lack any kind of toy drive but generally would jump off of any tall building for food. They were still adopted by sport homes, primarily because of their breed, age, etc. I could have easily just placed them into good pet homes and they would've lead active, happy lives.

Sorry, not trying to be so negative, I promise! It's great that you are being very picky about where she's going. If you want her in a sport home, you'll find it, I'm sure.
I appreciate all of your help! Thank you!

I do think her age will be a bit of a negative; I got Meg at about 18 months, and that was pretty ideal for me.

I agree that, if she doesn't specifically need a sports home, staying really open to "active pet home" would be good. In our area, a nice herding or retriever type dog that can keep up with long hikes and be off-leash is a huge selling point - especially if they are old enough to already be house-broken and can stay home during a work day. We have a very active population in general, and people are often looking for hiking and camping buddies.
I'm definitely not against her being in an active pet home... she's thriving in mine, for example. I'm not going to rule out a forever home just because they don't want to do dog sports at all. I guess part of it is that I feel people in dog sports tend to know more about training and how to handle a female ACDxBC. Lucy isn't great with all dogs and can be a little bit of the stereotypical ACD witch and she's already been returned once to rescue after a year in a home because she dug up flowers. I may just be being a little over protective. :eek:
 

adojrts

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#28
Something else to consider if it hasn't already been stated. Advertising a dog as a sports prospect can scare off some people that want a companion first and haven't done any sports before. They often don't understand words like biddable either. Saying tons of play drive and tugging, agile, handler focus and fast can be twisted around in a novices head to mean, hyper, needy and high maintenance. One of those double edged swords. :) Good luck finding a great home, it will happen.
 

Shakou

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#29
There are actually quite a few rescue dogs who have gone on to be some serious champions in dog sports, so it does happen. It's just a matter of waiting for the right person to come along.
 

AliciaD

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#30
If you have a bio for her and want specific feedback on it you could post it. Even if you already posted it on chaz people weren't necessarily looking at it trying to find ways to make it sound most appealing while still remaining true.
 
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#31
You should try some new Petfinder pictures. The ones on her page aren't that great yet the one in your signature is amazing. I actually really love that picture!
 

meepitsmeagan

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#32
You should try some new Petfinder pictures. The ones on her page aren't that great yet the one in your signature is amazing. I actually really love that picture!
Unfortunately I have no control over what exactly goes into her description nor the pictures used. :( I've taken well over a hundred since I've had her, and I think one was used.

Thank you! I was quite proud of that picture for being such a newb at DSLR's.
 

mfan

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#33
Contact Melissa over at Border Collie Rescue of Minnesota (http://www.bcrofmn.org). I'm sure she would be willing to courtesy list Lucy on her website. She adopts out a LOT of sport dogs nationwide and is well known for having good prospects. The right people do look to her website and Petfinder for dogs so that might get her more hits. She's the closest to you that I could think of that places sport dogs consistently.
 
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#34
I can tell you why when I was looking for a sport/herding companion that I didn't do rescue, but I don't know if my reasons will be the same reasons for everybody.

I've done fostering and rehoming and that type before. Typically, those were the dogs that found me and then I found them the right home.

I guess none of them were really what I personally was looking for in a companion or sport dog. I had a very specific set of requirements even then, because I knew I wouldn't be a dog-crazy single person forever.

So, when it came time for me to seek out a dog that I really wanted for myself, I was also searching for a mentor as well as dog, and you just don't get that combination of things if you rescue.

I needed a smaller dog with a good amount of intelligence, working drive, focus, who was family oriented but did not have too much energy (like a malinois) and was not overly sharp. For me, Cardigans precisely fit the bill and then when I found my mentor it was just like a puzzle piece fell into place.

For me, a border collie would be too big, too sensitive, and have too much drive for what I personally need in a dog. Plus, I don't have sheep at home and I think those guys *need* a real job to do.

Also, there's the breeding thing...I love Cardigans so so so so much that I want to preserve the breed for future generations to enjoy. There aren't enough new people coming into purebred dogs because rescuing is all the rage right now.

So, those are my reasons. Everyone is different.
 
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meepitsmeagan

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#35
Contact Melissa over at Border Collie Rescue of Minnesota (http://www.bcrofmn.org). I'm sure she would be willing to courtesy list Lucy on her website. She adopts out a LOT of sport dogs nationwide and is well known for having good prospects. The right people do look to her website and Petfinder for dogs so that might get her more hits. She's the closest to you that I could think of that places sport dogs consistently.
If this performance eval goes well, I will definitely get in touch! Thank you so much!
 

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