Road of Featherburry at Bonnie Brae
Health and Registration
SCPS registered
Health-tested through UC Davis' BetterBred, Embark, Paw Print Genetics and Pennhip. She carries rare haplotypes, a big need in the collie population. Diverse haplotypes contribute to healthier immune systems and improves the overall vigor in the breed(s).
No known allergies.
*MDR1-affected dogs cannot take certain medications that are frequently used in deworming or anesthesia. Dogs with one copy, previously labeled "carrier/unaffected", can still be sensitive and have adverse reactions to medications. It is an "incomplete dominant" gene, though the reactions would be more mild than for dogs with two copies. You will be provided with a list of safe and unsafe medications with your puppy. I treat a dog with one copy the same as a dog with two.
Our breeding program will ultimately work towards "clear". It can be very hard to find collie-type dogs (rough collies, English shepherds, Aussies) that do not carry MDR1. 75% of rough and smooth collies are MDR1-affected. Many breeders are working towards unaffected dogs. The tricky thing here is, you can't only breed clear to clear because then you will 1) create more of a genetic bottleneck which is one of the main goals to avoid in these alternative registries, and 2) lose out on every other positive quality a dog can bring to a breed like temperament, structure, and working ability.
Road will have one more litter before being retired from breeding.
Personality
Around the house Road is cuddly, calm, and watchful. If we get up and go to another room she will follow then lay down straight away in the new space. She will walk or play as long as we let her, but when playtime is up she is done too; she does not obsessively stare at a ball waiting for it to be thrown again like some dogs can. She is fairly quiet. She barks when we run around, at dogs passing the yard, and at people by the house when we are not home. She chases bunnies when off leash but her attention can be redirected easily from bunnies while on a walk. She has caught mice in a field. She matches energy very well: fetch looks very different with our toddlers than the husband. She has a playful side but is more serious and less goofy than some other collies. She is a very smart girl; you can tell there's a lot going on behind her eyes. She is more interested in people than dogs. She responds to correction very well.
She took a herding instinct test at 3 years old and was not interested in the sheep. She had never been exposed to sheep before and was content to lie down and let them smell her. The instructor said the sheep tell her a lot about the dog and they were not concerned about her. She did follow me behind the sheep, but didn't show interest in wanting to fetch them herself. I do wonder if she may have shown more instinct if I was no there or the sheep were moving. The instructor observed that she has more of an old-style collie tendency that wants to be with their people, a jack of all trades but master of none, and she would likely push livestock with her person but not interested in leaving her people to go out to get them. To me she does seem to still have some herding dog qualities like when the kids get running around too much. She seems more of a guardian. I have not played around with her with any other dog sports like agility or barn hunt yet. But check out our instagram @bonniebraecollies to see how athletic she is and how quickly she learns new things, while being very relaxed house dog.
