Wisconsin Border Collie Rescue hosts Fun Day

Dogs strut their stuff to attract new owners

By STEVE LOUDEN – Freeman Staff February 27, 2002 

TOWN OF SUMMIT ­ The dogs were the stars Saturday at border collie Fun Day,
sponsored by Wisconsin Border Collie Rescue.

Dog owners and those looking to adopt a dog converged at the home of A.J.
Marhofke, founder of 911BC K-9 Search and Recovery, to learn more about the
breed.

“Wisconsin Border Collie Rescue is a loosely grouped but tightly knit organization”, board member Linda Clement said. “We are connected by one common thread ­ the Internet”, Clement said. “What we aim to do is rescue border collies. Members from throughout the Midwest work together to find homes for the dogs. The collies may have come into their care from abusive owners or owners who can no longer care for the dogs”, Clement said. “Some collies enter the rescue organization simply because the dogs are just too much for some people”, she said. “Border collies are a highly active
breed and need a lot exercise”, she said. “We try to foster as many dogs as we can”, Clement said. “We work with behavioral problems. We house train them. We make sure the dogs get vaccinations and are spayed or neutered”.

Sick dogs that come under their care are nursed back to health, she said. Once the dog is in foster care and prepared for adoption, the collie is advertised on the organization’s Web site, www.wibordercollierescue.com, Clement said. The Web site also contains an online newsletter, training tips and other information. Prospective adopters should expect to be scrutinized, Clement said. They can fill out an application online, she said. Then we do a home visit, and we track down references. They must have four references. We try to make a good match.

Clement said most matches are based on the dog’s personality. Some are best at herding, others at athletics and some with people. We try to give every dog the opportunity to strut their stuff, she said.
The organization has a success rate of 100 percent, Clement said, having adopted dogs to people throughout the United States and into Canada, England and Germany. And we have a 1 to 2 percent return rate,” she said. We have not had a dog we couldn’t place. If a dog is returned after adopted, Clement said, group members work with the former owner to learn what went wrong so the dog may be adopted again. 

Wisconsin Border Collie Rescue is comprised of about 30 people, including board members, officers, volunteers and foster caregivers.

(Steve Louden can be reached at slouden@conleynet.com)