A Very Good Girl

With Nala's litter coming in just a few weeks, you're definitely going to be hearing a lot about this sweet girl... this is her time to shine, lol!

Every time I take Nala out in public somewhere, I am reassured that she is a truly excellent choice to be the mama of my first litter of farm Collies.  

To be clear, she is not quite my end goal as far as physical appearance goes - yes, she is gorgeous, but she has far more coat than is practical for a farm Collie, and I prefer a little broader muzzle, etc. But her temperament is what gets me excited. ♥️ 

This past Tuesday's outing was a case in point - we left the dome, and she happily hopped up into the truck, without fuss.  She rides very well, though she firmly believes that I should be petting her the entire time.  😂

We arrived at the vet's office, and she quickly won over the lady at the front desk, getting perhaps more than her fair share of cookies. ;) She made friends quickly with the vet and vet tech too, and submitted without any fuss or nervousness to the physical exam.

Then we went to the back room for the ultrasound, where Nala was lifted up and had to lie on her back on a special cushion.  My sweet girl held perfectly still while on her back - no struggle at all! ♥️ 

Afterward, we hung out at my parents' house for a while, where she behaved very well. On the way home, we stopped at the local pet store to pick up kibbles - and Nala totally ignored the shop dog that was sitting right by the door!  THAT impressed me - anyone who has had dogs knows that it's often a huge challenge to teach them not to go bonkers when they see another dog. 

She's not without flaws, of course - no dog is completely perfect.  She is a little OCD in some of her behaviors on the farm, though I suspect that's just because she has a high level of drive, and I simply don't have enough work for her.  And she is a little shy with some strangers, though it's far from the level of fear I saw in Thea, the English Shepherd I used to own, and she can be won over.  She's also sometimes annoyingly pushy about demanding attention, lol - you have to watch out that she doesn't nudge that long snooter under your arm while you're trying to drink a hot beverage! 😂

But overall, I'm extremely pleased with her temperament... I think her puppies will likely be very confident, friendly, able to fit into any situation, and very affectionate and eager to please.  She is such a good girl, and I can't wait until early April when I get to meet her babies!!  ♥️