Where he decides the good and bad, the wrong way from the right,
And where his judgement carefully is hidden from our sight.

A dog must have a secret place, where every thought abides,
A sort of close acquaintance that he trusts in and confides.

And when accused unjustly for himself, He cannot speak,
Rebuked, He finds within his soul, the comfort he must seek.

He'll love, tho'he is unloved, and he'll serve tho'badly used,
And one kind word will wipe away the times when he's abused.

Altho' his heart may break in two, his love will still be whole,
Because God gave to every dog an understanding Soul!

Unknown

                 

                  The Life Of A Puppy

This morning, I woke up & kissed my dad's head.
I peed on the carpet, then went back to bed.
"The life of a puppy, oh my, this is great."
Then I thought about breakfast," I hope it's not late."

Mom took me outside, we walked for a while.
This never fails to make Mama smile.
I sniffed of everything, that we did pass,
I ate something weird - it gave me gas.

I'm sure God loves me, I know that is true.
He gave me so many great things to chew.
Rugs, plants or rocks, I really don't care.
What I truly like best, is Dad's underwear.

That obedience book, was sort of yummy.
Though it didn't sit well on my poor puppy tummy.
I threw up a bit, but that was all right,
When Mom found it later, I was well out of sight.

I made streamers of T. P., while running at full speed.
Mom is pretty quick -- but I was still in the lead.
I flew under the bed, and Mom flew past,
She stopped-shook her head, and breathed,
"You're too fast."

Mama later phoned Daddy, and said, "It was frightening!"
That afternoon, she was sure I'd pooped lightning.
She'd sat at the computer, while I chewed the cord,
She thought I was mad, but I was just bored.

When Mama had enough, couldn't take anymore,
That's when my tushy got shoved out the door.
I love it inside, but outside is best.
Lay in the cool grass, and had a good rest.

That didn't last long, there was too much to do--
Can't quite remember where I hid Daddy's shoe.
I found an old bone, and scratched at a flea,
I watched the dumb squirrels as they jumped in a tree.

I barked at the kids, when they got off the bus.
I can't figure out why this makes Mama fuss.
I barked at the neighbor, I barked at the wind.
I barked and barked, till Mom yelled, "COME IN."

The sun dipped in the west-soon Daddy would come!
I sure love my daddy: we always have fun.
I barked at my daddy, then turned on my charms,
I woo-wooed, "Hello," then jumped in his arms.

Sitting under the table -- it's sooo hard to wait.
Daddy slipped me a goodie right off his plate.
I raced through the house, and scattered my toys,
Ricocheted off the furniture, and made lots of noise.

Mom found her purse - the one I abused.
Daddy let loose a chuckle. Mom asked "Amused??"
I cowered down low, I must be in trouble.
Dad said, "Wasn't MY boy, it must be his double!"

Mom turned off the TV, and said,"Time for bed."
Dad said "Let's go boy," and patted my head.
I got in my spot, between Mom and Dad,
I thought 'bout my day and what fun I had.

Mama kicked out my bone from the covers below,
Then let loose a sigh -- a sigh deep and low.
She gave me a kiss, and snuggled me tight,
And whispered so softly, 'My darling goodnight'.

Unknown

                                     

Inscription on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog

Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who
possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferocity,
and all the Virtues of Man,
without his Vices.
This Praise, which would be unmeaning
Flattery if inscribed over human
ashes is but a just tribute to the Memory
of Boatswain,a Dog.

Lord Byron

    "Happy Border Collie Loving"
                       Wanda xx

I thought that I would take this opportunity to write to
you all today to share with you our story.

Our Story started in April 1995, this was when I added a beautiful Black and White male Border Collie puppy to my family. His name was Coop,and he was the start of my addiction to the Border Collie breed.
Coop was a fantastic puppy and he grew into the most intelligent dog you could ever meet.  But fate was to set in though, and Coop only lived to 2 years old. This was due to an horrific accident when he was out on his morning run with his dad.  They were struck down by a hit-run driver and Coop was dragged 200 meters up the road and died instantly.  His Dad was badly shaken but was ok, it was an extremely traumatic thing for him to have to go through though.  Our family was distraught and it took such a long time to heal the wounds in our hearts. 

I had fallen so much in love with Coop's temperament that I had already ordered another puppy from the same breeder before the accident happened.  So we decided as a family that we just had to still take him, especially since he was from the same bloodlines and we called him Topper.

Topper was Coop's nephew and he joined our family helping heal the grief of losing his uncle, making it just a little bit easier to get through.  So as time passed and our Topper matured and he turned into such an adorable dog, it only made me realize even more that what I really wanted to do with my life was to start breeding and showing Border Collies. 

Yet another curve ball came though in 1999 when I was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Cytopathy (a Muscular Dystrophy).  This is a non curable, and non treatable muscle disease, so my life as I knew it was gone forever.

As my disease progressed and my marriage collapsed because of it, my children and I knew that if I was ever going to fulfill my dreams I was going to have to do it on my own.

But fate once again stepped in, and in early 2004 a wonderful new man entered my life and we married that September.

Even though with him knowing fully well what the future would hold for me with my disease, he made it very clear that we would get through it together and my dreams could still come true.

So as my birthday present in 2004, I was given an adorable female black/white Border Collie puppy from my new husband, and I called her Coco.  She was to start my dream off he said, and so Jordyalan Kennels was born.  Coco had three litters of puppies, having produced 21 adorable and perfectly marked black/white babies over her three and a half years as our Dam.  Coco has now been retired to the couch!!.

Our beautiful Topper passed away on the 22nd November 2005, and was nine and a quarter years old.  He was absolutely a Border Collie with a personality that astounded everyone!!. He is so greatly missed every single day. 

We then purchased a Blue/white male Border Collie called Bert in late 2005, who is our stud dog here at Jordyalan.  He sired two of Coco's litters for us, and is now looking forward to many more with some new girlfriends!!.  Bert is an absolutely wonderful boy, and he knows that if I am really in pain and need to stay in bed sometimes, he just settles down for a day in front of the TV. He then watches over me until his Dad comes home from work!!  (my very own companion dog).

In December 2007 even though I know I am getting worse, we decided to get a new Dam for our kennel now that Coco is retired.  I know that I have wonderful family and friends around me that are there to help out, and no-one wants me give up on my dreams.  So I took possession of the cutest little chocolate/white Border Collie puppy I had ever seen, and I called her Elsa. 

Now in 2008 as the severe muscle pain and lethargy is progressing at a fast rate, and my mobility has been severely affected.  I can sit back in my wheelchair at any outing or event, and watch my husband or friend running my dogs around at an obedience trial or a dog show.  And I can still feel just as involved as ever, even if someone else has to be my legs!!  I truly feel blessed to have been able to fulfill my dreams, despite having such a severe disability.

It is with no doubt at all that I can say, my dogs truly make my life complete!!!

Proud owner of Jordyalan Border Collies Est 1996

See Topper & Coops Page Here