11.......... a messy beginning

8^th July 2008. The day after my return from SADAA Southern Cape Regionals, I went to Border Collie Heaven to collect Mac. (Victoria had come up with the name: Mac - it’s a makeup range and he looks like he’s sporting eyeliner). Karen had already left for a film shoot so it was up to me to find and catch him. Let me paint the picture: pouring rain…zero lawn, terrified and incredibly muddy mutt…wellies with no traction. I eventually had him cornered him in a pen, picked him up and put him into the back of my station wagon. No fuss at all - he just “scuttled” as far back as he could - something he still does today and points out his first “issue”:  he always needs to have his ‘back’ protected.

I thought the drive home was uneventful, but the boot revealed a different view. Too much vomit for such a small shivering pup - a combination of nerves and being sopping wet. I picked him up and put him straight into the bath. Only objection I got was him splaying his back legs to stop me getting through the door. I bathed him twice and cut the dreadlocks from his “pants”. Rightly, not considering using the hair drier, I carried him to a continental pillow under my desk where he “disappeared” against the wall.

He remained there until I decided he needed to wee. No response to my coaxing meant I had to fish him out from under the desk; I carried him out onto the front lawn where he dashed into the nearest hedge. I had to eventually follow and drag him out and carry him back into my office where he claimed his previous spot. At supper time, the same scenario, fetch and carry him to his designated eating spot. Not yet grasping that he couldn’t relax in an open space; I left his back exposed to the whole open-plan area. I sat on the floor next to him to stop him bolting back to the study. (He scared himself silly the first time he tried, not realizing that running on laminated flooring doesn’t get u very far and the noise scared him witless; it still does.)

Eating was a messy sight. The pellets seemed to be falling out of his mouth?! He gobbled everything up just so he could disappear back to my office. (It was later discovered that his teeth are under-developed and he can’t hold pellets in his mouth properly. Surmising, he’d been fed on mush since he was born? (It’s like that today still, but at least now he cleans up the pellets that spill out of his mouth). I also use metal food bowls and had no idea that this was a huge issue for him.

Not a sound from him during the night, but I was greeted by a sight that was repeated many, many times. The mess was huge and the smell overwhelming - thank goodness I get up before my husband and thank goodness for laminated flooring. Obviously frightened in his new surroundings he had relieved himself of everything (and more,) he had eaten. Talk about force feeding!

Time for him to wee again …………….and day 2 .....

Mac and Me

C’est la vie