My Border Collie, Pickles adopted me on April 13, 2015 and she has been my constant companion and faithful sidekick ever since. My friend, Rebecca was excited to get some puppies to foster that had been abandoned in a field. She received them on a Sunday night, I went over “just play with them” on Monday morning and by the end of that visit, I knew that she was destined to be my dog.
That little 6-week old puppy had the sweetest temperament and was clearly desperate to bond after being taken from her mother and abandoned out in the Wyoming spring. The clincher was when I stood up from the lawn… she stepped over, put one weighted paw on my foot, and stared up at me relentlessly until I scooped her up. Well played, Pickles!
I could not bring her home until she was 7 weeks so I spent the next week practically living in Rebecca’s backyard, helping with the pups, snuggling with my new love and inhaling that innocent puppy scent! After a few days, we took a field trip to my house and she saw her new home, bed, toys, food station and yard. I brought her back to her litter mates with an old T-shirt that I had been sleeping in and put it in her night kennel. After a few more day trips, we finally we came home to stay.
We are lucky enough to have been together nearly 24/7 ever since. Pickles is so smart and intuitive that she trained up in a snap and having all of the puppy time was honestly a pure joy. Training each other continues and it just keeps getting better. She is practically famous around Jackson Hole as everyone she encounters loves her. On more than one occasion, I have been introduced to someone and after a bit of conversation they say, “Oh, you’re Pickles’ Mom.”
