BC breeders for me

[RD]

Laur, is it because of your experience with Mia that you want to have the extra security behind your dog's health with OFA certifications and such? I'm not questioning your choice at all, btw, just asking.

A lot of people say it's just the BC people, but really it's everywhere in the world of breed enthusiasts. You're always going to need to defend your dog because snotty bitches are going to pick at you. Sometimes they do it because they genuinely think they have the breed's interest at heart, but most do it because they have nothing better to do and it's fun to rile people up and put others down.

BC people can be mean, but Laur you've dealt with Papillon people, who in my experience are a thousand times more snarky, petty and bitchy. lol

[Laurelin]

Originally Posted by RD

Laur, is it because of your experience with Mia that you want to have the extra security behind your dog's health with OFA certifications and such? I'm not questioning your choice at all, btw, just asking.

Partially. Just want to stack the odds. However I will say Mia's breeder has been very supportive of answering questions about her knees, which is great. I'm not unhappy about that, but I want to stack the odds as much in my favor as possible. Between Mia's knees and Summer's back, my ability to pick out sound sports dogs seems to be pretty cruddy. There's a bit more to that lately that just has me somewhat spooked about dog health...

Bottom line is the more open the breeder, the better. Power tripp is really appealing to me because of that.

A lot of people say it's just the BC people, but really it's everywhere in the world of breed enthusiasts. You're always going to need to defend your dog because snotty bitches are going to pick at you. Sometimes they do it because they genuinely think they have the breed's interest at heart, but most do it because they have nothing better to do and it's fun to rile people up and put others down.

BC people can be mean, but Laur you've dealt with Papillon people, who in my experience are a thousand times more snarky, petty and bitchy. lol

Oh this is truer than you know.

[Aleron]

Originally Posted by Linds

You see, I can understand why Barbie Collies could be insulting, but Sporter I just don't get. I mean, I guess I put it up there with the way some Aussies address conformation people as Showies (Showey's? Can never remember). Just a shortened but descriptive name. And if a BC breeder was breeding primarily for sport I want to know why they find it insulting.

Yeah I can see how Barbie Collie could be insulting for sure. It makes me laugh though that even some other conformation people call them that (they don't necessarily say it in an insulting way the way working people do though more like "I really like the Barbie Collies"). But I don't know how working, show or performance/sport bred is insulting and as such, Sporter Collie doesn't seem insulting to me either. Really, I don't think most people I know who do sports with their BCs would care less about if working line BC people think their dogs are "real BCs" or what the BC Board crowd would say about them. Their dogs were bought and sometimes bred for performance sports and that's what is most important to them.

[Laurelin]

Oh and this will be the absolute last dog I can get for hopefully a long while (until Summer and Beau are gone) so if this dog doesn't pan out for competitive sports, I don't even want to think about it.

[Fran101]

I stumbled across this breeder: http://bordercollies.tv/
Contact point border collies

Don't know much about them but their videos are awesome and agility seems to be their specialty

[RD]

I'm checking out Power Tripp, and I agree with you about how open they are about their dogs' health. I like that a lot. I've never met any of their dogs or dogs from their lines, though, so I can't comment on that.

[Shai]

Originally Posted by Fran101

I stumbled across this breeder: http://bordercollies.tv/
Contact point border collies

Don't know much about them but their videos are awesome and agility seems to be their specialty

Yeah those are the "CP" dogs referenced in a couple places in this thread

[Dekka]

Originally Posted by Laurelin

Oh and this will be the absolute last dog I can get for hopefully a long while (until Summer and Beau are gone) so if this dog doesn't pan out for competitive sports, I don't even want to think about it.

If this is a concern, and I can see why it would be. Why not look for a young adult, either failed breeder dogs or rescues? That way you could have them fully checked out and know what you are getting. Many amazing (really amazing!) agility dogs around here have come from the BC rescue. The rescue here often has young athletic dogs needing homes. Sport would (will?) make a kick butt agility dog and we got him when he was 11 months.

[Fran101]

Originally Posted by Shai

Yeah those are the "CP" dogs referenced in a couple places in this thread

Woops! lol probably should've put that together..

[elegy]

I don't mind Steve being called a "sporter collie" (and call him that myself) as long as it's not being used as an insult. I really don't have much to do with the hardcore non-sporting Border Collie people because my dog is immediately judged as bad because he didn't come from a ranch and he is merle. (Only "color breeders" breed merle dogs, don't you know?)

His breeder really isn't strictly a sporter collie breeder, I suppose. I mean, Steve has Red Top (Patrick Shannahan) dogs behind him on his mom's side and his mom is off a cattle ranch. Folly's dad was a herding dog who never did any sport stuff. I'm not sure how often she's trialed him, but I know he works sheep effectively (and he's the son of the only red BC to win the International). The last litter she bred with the intention of making herself a new herding dog to fill the shoes of her girl who is getting old. But I still think of her as breeding primarily for sport dogs, since most of her dogs *are* sport dogs, and most of her puppies go to sport homes.