My Life With a Border Collie

Jennifer Bonn
3 min readMay 17, 2024
Photo by Pauline Loroy on Unsplash

Before my Border Collie Bandit entered my life, I knew nothing about this breed. I have never had a dog like this, and to describe my experience would be to say that there have been days when I wondered if I was the right human for him. There are other days when I need to take a break before I lose my mind but through it all I am honored to be his owner.

Bandit became mine shortly after I retired. I was dreaming of sleeping late, reading quietly on the couch, and taking naps in the hammock. After 40 years of teaching, I was tired and I was ready to rest, but then there was Bandit.

Our neighbor is a dog trainer, and she is the one who brought Bandit to me. She took him from a couple who had purchased him as an emotional support dog, but he had too much energy for them. I asked if my husband and I could see him when she came back. Lynn opened the crate, and four-month-old Bandit came running into my arms, and I lost my heart.

During the first few days, I realized how much attention he needed. I wasn’t sure if I was a good enough owner for him. At the time, I wasn’t sure what he needed. My friend Lynn helped me by giving him some basic training. She also gave me more than one pep talk. She told me to talk to him. This breed is smart and sometimes I think Bandit’s vocabulary equals mine. I also tell him what I’m about to do to allow him to adjust…

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Jennifer Bonn
Jennifer Bonn

Written by Jennifer Bonn

My specialties are education, running, parenting, and self-help. My book 101 Tips to Lighten Your Burden can be found on Amazon. www.jenniferswriting.org

Responses (3)

What are your thoughts?

have never had a dog like this,

I am dreaming of getting a border collie

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I do think I am going to hide the tennis balls.

🤣 i can relate! Border Collies are definitely challenging dogs but I love them! We haven't had a BC since we lost Bailey- we've now had 2 Mexican rescue dogs of who knows what breed(s). The first we got as a senior street dog who we only had for 2…...

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I’m sure not all Border Collies are the same, but mine is high-energy

Our Bailey, who we had for 15 years (and lost in 2019) was a lazy border collie! Lol we were worried there was something wrong with him! 🤣 he was ball obsessed and could chase it all day but otherwise he was pretty laid back and chill!

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