My dog isn’t dying, at least no more than the rest of us are. But I have joint custody of a lovely, blue-eyed Basset Hound / Border Collie named Spoon that I see only rarely. She normally lives in San Diego, but I have the good fortune of seeing her for 6 weeks while my ex is on vacation. Most people don’t drive from Seattle to San Francisco just to see a dog for 6 weeks, but I can’t imagine doing anything else. I would have gone all the way to Maine, if I had to.
Spoon is one of those absolutely amazing dogs that can speak to other dogs on their own level – playing with those who can handle it, giving space to those who need it, correcting puppies when they need some guidance about not jumping up on 7 year old dogs. I’ve brought her to puppy class and am awed by her ability to manage the crowd of playing dogs. She calmly splits up some rough play one one side of the room, then goes to the shy dog on the other side and helps bring him out of his shell. She’s the best dog trainer I know.
Here’s a video of Spoon playing with my live-in dog, Peanut. He’s a Border Collie / Whippet mix that has only one real playmate. Spoon. It makes my heart ache to know that he’s losing his friend in 3 weeks and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Regular people get to take their dogs for granted, although we shouldn’t, of course. I know every day with Spoon is precious. I breathe in the slightly houndy smell of her fur. I watch her sleeping, breathing slowly in and out. I marvel at her ability to talk with all kinds of dogs. And speaking of living in the moment, I’m headed back to Spoon now, for a few more precious moments. I’ll try to really live in the moment, instead of thinking of that future where she’ll no longer be by my side. I’m the only one of us who’s feeling all sentimental, of course. She lives in the moment every instant, and they’re all precious to her.
P.S. The brindle bullet that you see in the video is Sagan, who we’ve accidentally taught that tackling your friends leads to treats. She has the unfortunate habit of breaking up Spoon and Peanut’s play.
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October 14th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Hello,
I will be meeting a basset hound/border Collie mix tomorrow. I can’t find much info on this hybrid breed. What can you tell me about Spoon’s temperament? Does he behave more like a collie or basset hound? The dog I will meet looks like Spoon, the basset face and little legs. Any info would be helpful. Thanks!
Natalie
October 14th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Hello,
I will be meeting a basset hound/border Collie mix tomorrow. I can’t find much info on this hybrid breed. What can you tell me about Spoon’s temperament? Does he behave more like a collie or basset hound? The dog I will meet looks like Spoon, the basset face and little legs. Any info would be helpful. Thanks!!
Natalie
October 15th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Every time you mix two breeds together, you get something a little bit different. For one thing, the early and late socialization of a dog makes a huge difference.
Spoon is wonderful. If I could clone her, I would. But then her upbringing would be different, this time around, so she might not be quite the same. She has a very solid temperament. She’s not bossy, loves to play, isn’t too driven. The border collie half isn’t predominant, in that way, but she’s also not stubborn, as some bassets can be. So she has the even temper of the basset with some of the drive of a border collie (but thankfully, not all of it!)
I think Spoon is going to be a puppy forever. She LOVES to play with other dogs. She’ll play with us some, but will only fetch if there’s not something more fun to be doing.
My main message? Judge the dog in front of you, not this one. Read up on both breeds and see what you have when you get there. Best of luck!