BORDER COLLIE X KELPIE DOGS

Hello Internet Visitor.. and WELCOME to my Blog spot!!
We are now the proud owners of a 2 year old Border Collie x Kelpie dog.
After almost 20 years of being without a dog and we do miss our dalmation cross "PEPPER" .. our "KOSMO" is some getting used to..WOW..!! What a dog..
No one really told us just how energetic and active a dog of this breed was..
but we bought him from a local shelter which felt like the right thing to do..we actually saved a life(his life) by buying him from there...as I'm sure that they only keep dogs for a number of months before having to put them down..or to sleep as some people prefer to say!! ..he was so tiny when we saw him and crouching down ..just like a minitarure farm dog does.. and very shy at only 11 weeks old.. He wouldn't come near us at first..but once in our arms and after a bit of coaxing out of his little kennel..there was no looking back..he had found his HOME with the Walker family!!..and he was ready for FUN..and more of it!!!

..as soon as we saw him..we knew that he belonged to us..you know that feeling ..you just KNOW..that's he's yours and..you are his and that's forever..Ha!!
For me..It was love at first sight...

We Love Kosmo very Much and he is now a part of this family..a family member like any of the other 4 of us here.. ..and he really is the incredible
sunshine in our day..

even when it's miserable and cold weather outside like it is today ..Kossie can make
us smile big time !! He recently had his second vaccination, you know that yearly one they need to keep all those diseases at bay.. and the
vet commented on just how healthy he was ..so that was great news to my ears!!
..however she said.. please try not to overfeed him !!... oooomah!! ouch !! trouble there ..
He is perfectly formed and has great muscle tone and doesn't show any real fat bulges or deposits on him or anything of that nature and I'm a very thin person....but I guess "solid" would a good word to describe him at present..solid is good in my eyes..a skinny dog looks a bit worse for wear..and in need of a good feed to me...LOL!! ..but we will try to take it easy on the people/doggie snack foods

Now it's very hard when you have a dog such as Kossie..he sits there and can beg for food ..just with his eyes..He has the most amazing eyes..and we often can't help but give him little bits of "people food"..as he practically salivates at the mouth when watching us with snacks....he sits right up clse when you're eating chips or icecream..or anything for that matter..and he knows that if he sits at the kitchen table for long enough then someone is going to make TOAST..(toast being his favourite snack food)..it can be with peanut butter, jam, vegemite..or butter or just plain toast ..it doesn't matter as long as he has that crispy crunchy bread in his mouth ..he's in dog heaven...LOL!!!
who could say NO to him.. !!..you'd have to be pretty tough to say NO WAY I think .

We do feed him a healthy 2 meals a day..
mostly with a canned dog food mainly select or pedigree and dry food arrangement ..
all from safeway supermarket or big W
this food is then interspersed with a freshly cooked concoction that comes from a local boarding kennel..we know the people there, and the food is irresistable to dogs...they just love this healthy dog food mix.

The boarding kennel owners use fresh chicken,and other fresh meats.. bones and all it also contains a variety of vitamins and supplements and some great protein material.. all of this is lightly cooked ans..the dogs just "wolf" it down and then sniff around for some more..
we heard that this mixture is often used on the young and growing grey hounds as it keeps them in top notch condition..I only give Kossie small servings of this "super dog food" as I like to call it..as I'm sure it's a very rich food..and a little goes a long way..

So If you have a very energetic and active dog such as a border collie x kelpie.. or any other highly active dog..then it might be a good idea to check out your local boarding kennels..and see if you can buy some of their in house dog food..it usually comes in small to large plastic bags though I can't remember the kgs exactly ..and you can then put this into smaller plastic bags and keep it in the crisper part of the fridge..it keeps well for a week or more.

Freeze it if you want to..I know many people who freeze this food and it comes out quite OK.We're not into all those fancy tinned dog foods that you can buy on the supermarket shelves.. all the ones with fancy labels and high prices..we can't afford that anyways..!!! they are all pretty much the same to us and to Kossie going by his interest as he eats them.... and we have tried quite a few different tins for kossie..he doesn't appear to think that one is grander than another..but it's definitely chicken over beef for him..he loves anything "Chicken"...ha!!

so save yourself a few dollars and buy the fresh when you can..it works out to be cheaper this way..and the dogs (especially fussy eaters)..will really love you for it.

Here's some Pics of Kossie..he was still quite small and he's grown a lot more since these pics were taken...

He really does have the most amazing character and knows many words that we say to him..His excitement and enthusiasm is so contagious and I'm so glad that we picked HIM out of all those other dogs at the shelter..and we know that he loves us just as much ...

He has a large back-yard to run around in here..and we play with him every day..he can certainly rough house ..and for a little dog he seems to have amazing strength and endurance.He has a certain "STARE" ..that only a sheep dog could have..and he often tries to use his eyes to get what he wants..I think he's even tried to ROUND US UP a few times there must think we are the new sort of sheep in the paddock ..ha!!..and I keep saying to my family .. awwwww!! Kossie ..he needs something to round up..so how's about we get a sheep next time..
you can guess the response to that one..It was a unanimous NO WAY!!...NO SHEEP HERE...LOL!!!!

Keep well..and enjoy your pet..we never know how long we are going to have them for do we...and they are such Lovable and lovely creatures...I think God did well to make an animal such as our KOSMO..he did very well indeed!!

For further reading and helpful hints on your dog here's
a few good books to buy and enjoy.

thanks for listening to me go on about our dog..
he's worth the conversation!!

regards from cathy walker
If you have any comments to make then you can email me at
try32then2005@yahoo.com.au