Barn Doggies!

So I've been witholding some cute news until I figured out if it was for certain or not...

I got a doggie!

Its been a year since my baby Tonka died and I decided instead of smalldogs, I wanted a medium size dog to come to the barn with me. I've always had dogs and hate being without one. My deluge of bad dog luck has been with me since I moved to MO and I'm hoping this little guy doesn't mysteriously get sick and leave me :(

I had a Chihuahua for 12 years in addition to various barn dogs while growing up. My favorite was a White Golden Retriever named Terra and she was the best thing. She was perfect: she loved being at the barn, loved the horses and always went on rides with me. I even trained her to pull a cart to help me haul water in winter. She's now 11 and lives in Ohio still and it left me wanting for a barn dog when I moved here.  Of course I loved Tonky more than my own life, but when he died it was terrible and I decided I was done with smalldogs.

Baby boy!

 I knew I wanted a herding dog and toyed between an Aussie, a Heeler and a Border Collie. For a really long time I wanted a Corgi, but they have such tiny legs that they could never keep up with a cantering horse on trail rides! I also have friends at the barn who have an Aussie and he is great, but my boyfriend already has an Aussie and she is my lady love. A friend from Ohio has a Heeler and he is literally the best dog in the world. All of my experiences with the herding group has been nothing but positive, and I really loved their loyalty and intelligence.

Since I didn't want to spend outrageous amounts of money, and support breeders, I scoured the shelters and Craigslist for what seems like months. I never really found anything that seemed promising.

I needed a dog that was good in the house (no chewing, barking etc) since I have a night job, and one that would stick around off leash.

A few days ago I found an ad for a Blue Heeler and I pretty much fell in love. I went to see him and took him home the next day. I was supposed to have him on trial for a week but 3 days in he's already attached and I absolutely think he is perfect for a puppy.

Gah, those ears. That face.

At 8 months he already seems like an adult and has yet to put a foot wrong. He needs to be fixed and is currently being treated for worms, but after a little TLC he will be perfectly healthy.

So adorbs. I can't even.

I took him to the barn this morning for the second time, first time off leash, and he never strayed from my side. Didn't bite the horses, stayed out of the way, and minded me when I called him. He is scary smart! On the drive home he totally fell asleep, it was adorable.

He gets distracted around other dogs, so I'm hoping a few trips to the dog park will teach him to listen to me when other doggies are around but I'm pretty happy I've found a little buddy to keep me company.

I know a lot of you have dogs that come to the barn with you. Cairo is my favorite so far that I've seen on the blogsphere (Kate's from Adventure's of Lucy), but what do you guys like/own?

I think a good barn dog is something all equestrians should have :)