I decided to make the household more lively by getting a dog. I wanted a breed that is known for its intelligence, with a potential to be highly trained. A large size dog was out of the question during my search, we just don’t have the space or capacity. A small, toy dog was also out of the question, because what’s the point in those? So my target size was in the medium range, around 30-45lbs. Lastly, I specifically wanted the coat of the dog to be of the Blue Merle variety. It is more unique and harder to breed (you need to breed a Blue Merle dog with a Normal dog to avoid the risks associated with double merles). I initially wanted a Blue Merle Australian Cattle Dog (like the one in Mad Max), but decided their appearance and build wasn’t quite what I liked.
Then I started searching around for Blue Merle Australian Shepherds and contacted a few breeders. Eventually, I was lead to discover that Border Collies also came in Blue Merles, and the choice became clear and simple. After contacting various Border Collie breeders, many did not have available litters, but one breeder referred me to Pam at Fallon Border Collies who did. Not only did she have a few Blue Merles available, but also a male with blue eyes. Long story short, after exchanging emails for about a week, I met up with Pam (who drove over from Nevada) and picked my new dog.
I’m still trying to finalize a name, but right now I’m settling on calling him “Blue”. Seems to be appropriate enough. When buying a pure breed dog, it’s very important to find a breeder who is genuine, not someone who will randomly pair up dogs to pump out puppies for profit. In my case, Pam was very thorough and really loved what she did. My dog has all the necessary paperwork and pedigree information. The sire was a Champion Blue Merle and the dam was a Grand Champion Black & White.
On the left, with a sibling.
At his new home.
He is quite well behaved for a puppy. We are still in the process of house-training him, but luckily our house has wood floors. My Dad smartly blocked off access to the living room, which is the area downstairs that has carpet.