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LILI DAWIDOWICZ - MILO |
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My rescue dog is named Otter's Milo (Milo). He will begin competing in agility (Novice A) at the National Specialty this October. We're currently registered with AKC and NADAC organizations.
I just found out a couple evenings ago that he shows a very strong herding instinct. So, I've got him entered in the Herding Instinct Test too.
I found him through PetFinder. We adopted him last September; so, he's about 2 1/2 yrs old now. I had no idea if he was suitable for agility or herding for that matter. I was attracted to his calm and shy demeanor and the write up about him, which described him as super intelligent and super affectionate. I was told he was twenty minutes from being euthanized by a dog pound in southern IL. Other than that, I had no other information about him.
Milo is a slender black and white BC, with a mousy-face, not the typical, athletic, muscular and high-strung BC you normally see. He was timid and shy when we met him. He got along with our dogs and seemed like a nice dog, so we decided to take a chance on him.
When we first got him, he constantly scratched and lost some fur because of a bad case of mites. He didn't know how to play with people and was nervous in public areas and around kids.
It took a little time--getting Milo back to health, gaining his trust, teaching him to play, exposing him to a variety of places. But it's been worth the effort. Milo has turned out to be a super dog! He's a lower energy BC, but that's an asset in public as he's quiet and calm. He gets along with all dogs and people. He's learned to be calm around children--he'll let them crowd around, or run around and play near him.
We attend agility seminars when possible, particularly with Stuart and Pati Mah, (attached picture has Milo and me with Stuart and Pati at their home in Florida). Milo has far surpassed me in agility, I'm afraid.
We took Milo out to a friend's to introduce him to sheep couple of nights ago. I really didn't know what to expect. At first, I had to get his attention from sniffing around in the grass to look up at the sheep in the pen beyond. But once we let him in there, he transformed from a low energy dog into a high drive BC. His instincts took over and he worked on remote control, herding and rounding up strays (of course, I had no control over the remote).
It was fascinating to see the instinct bred into these dogs come out through my lowly rescue of unknown origin. His love for herding was evident...and I owe it to Milo to learn more about herding so we can try it as a team next time.
Milo is a great dog and has all the qualities I could ever ask for in one animal. His intelligence, agility and aptitude to learn a variety of things have opened up lots of new experiences for me as well.
I've often wondered where Milo came from, what his life was like before and why he ended up as a stray. I'll never know his past, but I know we can shape his future together.
Page Updated 08/31/2008