Colt’s life was short but his story is long and worth telling…. 

I first heard about Diane Mongrain and Colt through Donna Naughton last February (2005).  Diane and Donna both work at the Museum of Nature.  Through word of mouth, Diane learned that Donna had some experience with Border Collies so she sent Donna an email detailing the challenges she was having with Colt.  Basically Diane’s email was a call for help and at that time she was seriously considering surrendering Colt to rescue as a last resort.  Donna shared the email with me so I arranged to meet with Diane for a walk so that I could meet Colt and to discuss further some of the issues she was having with him.   

The snow was deep but it was a beautiful sunny winter day.  Colt romped through the snow with the other dogs while Diane and I chatted about Colt and what to do.  Diane and her husband Mike had decided to get a dog (their first dog) and saw an ad in the paper for a 10-week-old Border Collie puppy.  They decided to go and see him.  The place turned out to be a puppy mill and Diane and Mike didn’t have the heart to leave this pup behind so they took him home.  Colt’s cage was made of wire fence material – floor and all – so he had never walked on anything other than wire fence.  When Diane and Mike took him home he was unsure of the flooring in their house.  It took him a little while but he did learn.  This is just one example of the dire conditions that he experienced during the first weeks of his life.  Who knows what else he had to deal with. 

Diane, Mike and their son Shane made a good home for Colt but were not prepared for the demands a Border Collie brings (never mind one that suffered neglect early in life).  Colt had an obsession with cars so was not allowed to run off leash unless in a fenced-in area.  When he did get his freedom his recall was non-existent and he tended to wander off.  In the house he was easily excited by quick movements and tended to nip out of frustration (not unusual for a BC).  Diane and Mike work long hours and were unable to dedicate enough time to Colt’s demanding needs.  They did their best but the short walks they offered were not enough.  Also at 7 months of age Colt was already over weight, which was of immediate concern to me.  I was as diplomatic as possible (I hope) when I pointed this out to Diane and I gave her some guidelines for how much he should be fed in order to get his weight under control.  One of Colts most striking features was his beautiful thick, shiny coat and the wonderful tail he had to go with it.  You’ve never seen such a thick, bushy tail on a BC. 

Diane and I prepared a note about Colt to send to rescue, but the week after our walk together Diane couldn’t believe the difference in Colt.  He was much calmer and more content and the tips I gave her seemed to be working.  She and her family decided that they would keep Colt.  I was thrilled to hear this so from this point on Diane and I met every weekend for walks with the dogs.  She met other members of the club and soon she even became a member of the OVBCC.  We were always willing to share and help with tips on how to deal with various behavioral issues.   

Diane and Mike came out to flyball and agility with Colt, but in both cases the road was too near and Colt was unable to focus on anything other than the cars.  They even came out and helped at the agility trial in June (in sweltering heat) – I was impressed.  Diane and Mike worked on his focus all summer, got the weight off him and he seemed to be doing really well.  Then one day out of the blue Colt had an epileptic seizure.  This was the beginning of a long road that turned out to be a rather serious condition.  Colt ended up on the highest dose of Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide but it was not having any effect on him.  He still had weekly grand mal seizures.

As a result of the seizures, Colt was becoming more and more aggressive, not only to the family cat but also to Mike, Diane and their son.  He was also starting to use the bathroom in the house on a regular basis.  Clearly things were deteriorating.  After some long discussions and heart to heart with the vet it was decided that Colt’s quality of life had deteriorated to the point where it came time for his family to make that final decision.   

There is a saying…”things happen for reason”…but sometimes it is difficult to find the reason when the things that happen are so difficult and unfair.  Why did this happen to Colt – what was the reason?  Is the reason good or bad?  I always try to find the good reason.  I know for me it was through Colt that I met Diane and Mike.  Beyond all the dog stuff I have come to know Diane quite well from all our walks together. I got to meet Colt and learn what a wonderful dog he was underneath all his troubles.  He was cute and loving and touched many in his short time with us.  I was also heartened to see the dedication of a family who were given such a challenge and to rise to it without hesitation.  When I first met Diane she really felt the best thing for Colt was rescue but with a little guidance and advice on how to handle him she and her family decided they wanted to work with him – they loved him and were willing to try.  Then when the challenge of the seizures struck they persevered and continued to remain dedicated.  They’ve had to make a lot of difficult decisions, never mind the financial difficulties (as many of us know) that come along with many visits to the vet.   

I hope that Diane and her family have gained something positive from this difficult situation.  Liane Smail – in her memoriam to her dog “Dutch” - quoted this line from a story about two traveling angels – it is equally fitting to Colt’s situation (it touched me deeply).

“Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every out come is always to your advantage. You just might not know it until some time later...

Some people
come into our lives
and quickly go…

Some people
become friends
and stay awhile...

Leaving beautiful
footprints on our
hearts...

and we are
never quite the same
because we have
made a good
friend!!

I, for one, was very impressed and continue to be with the dedication this family showed to this special dog. 

He will be missed by his family: Diane, Mike and Shane and all his friends in the Border Collie Club.