Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

The Bearded Collie

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Bearded Collie History and origin:

Believed to be one of the oldest herding dog in Scotland, the Bearded Collie was developed in 17th and 18th century England and Scotland. This breed was used for herding and cattle droving. His weather- resistant coat enables him to withstand harsh, wet climates.

Description:

The Bearded Collie stands 20 to 22 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 45 and 55 pounds. He has an athletic medium-size body and a long, flat, shaggy, shedding coat that mats easily and absorbs odors. Daily brushing and combing as well as regular bathing are essential for this breed. His coat can be kept in a shorter clip to reduce maintenance. His coat may be black or blue-gray with or without white, or it may be fawn or brown, both with or without white. The color may lighten or darken as the dog ages.

About the Bearded Collie:

A natural herder, this beautiful dog is a devoted pet who is friendly, playful and good with children. He is intelligent, active, easily trained, and makes a great show dog. The Bearded Collie is initially reserved with strangers but comes around quickly. This is a sensitive and mildly stubborn breed that responds well to consistent training if the technique is firm but not overbearing. The “Come” command can be the hardest to teach. The Bearded Collie, like most other herding breeds, has a tendency to chase moving objects such as cars, bikes, and joggers. Though reliable with children, he likes to chase them and nip at their heels. Children should not be allowed to play chase games with this breed. The Bearded Collie needs regular exercise. He can excel at competition obedience, agility work, and herding.

Feeding:

Recommended feeding for the Bearded Collie is 1 to 1 ½ cans (13.3oz) of a branded meaty product with biscuit added in the same amount or 3 cupfuls of a complete dry food.

Ideal home:

This breed needs plenty of exercise. A house with a fenced yard is essential. The owner of a Bearded Collie should be a consistent leader who wants an enthusiastic, friendly family dog that can excel in obedience work. Children are fine, provided no chasing or roughhousing is permitted. Spoilers and nervous owners may reduce the dog’s confidence and promote timidity and fear-biting. The elderly and the disabled may have trouble owning this active breed. Time to train, exercise, socialize, and groom the Bearded Collie is important.

Puppy Mills ? Learn The Shocking Truth About Pet Stores

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Pet stores are a very popular place to shop for young puppies and other animals of your choice. There is practically a pet store in almost every city. And it is hard to resist that cute and desperate looking puppy caged up waiting to be taken home. But before you make this decision you really should know a little bit of “insider” information about these pet stores and the origins of the puppies they sell.

Have you ever heard of puppy mills?

Do you know where most of these puppies come from that you see being sold in pet stores? There are certain breeding centers that cater to high-volume puppy production which sells them to pet stores, which then is sold to you. They are called “puppy mills” and are probably the most disgusting form of dog breeding practices that I have seen.

Disclaimer: Let me be clear on one thing: Not every pet store gets their puppies from puppy mills, but enough research has been done to find that a large majority of stores in the United States do in fact use puppy mills as their resource for pets to sell to the public.

What exactly are puppy mills?

To put it in simple terms, a puppy mill is a farm that is found most often in the Midwestern part of the United States. These farms breed animals for profits, mostly dogs. That may not sound that harsh but imagine these puppies being bred in high volumes and mistreated in the same way that cattle or chickens are.

If that doesn’t give you a disturbing vision, then imagine cages stacked upon cages with these small adorable puppies, all suffering and ignored. Now picture rows and rows of these dog filled cages, all with minimal human contact and the only care they are getting is enough food and water to survive. You can easily find pictures by doing research online which would absolutely break your heart.

What is so bad about buying a puppy that originated from a puppy mill?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking home one of these puppies, and it is definitely a positive choice to make. On the other hand, many of these dogs have what is called “early stress syndrome” and may grow up to be nervous and frightened dogs which are very hard to instill confidence with training. Of course there are exceptions to the rule with these puppies, however, before you spend your hard-earned cash be sure to know all there is to know about where your puppy came from when considering purchasing from a pet store.

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