The newest addition to our family came out of a Facebook message from a childhood friend. She had recently had a litter of Rough Coat Collie puppies that she was looking for homes for. In seeing their cuteness, I had immediate thoughts of my childhood show – Lassie. Lassie loved her family and always saved the day. Now that we live on a small farm and with an oh -so adventurous boy – that kind of dog would come in handy. We watched the videos of and looked at those puppies and fell in love. It was obvious that the mama dog took such good care of her puppies. Unfortunately, the puppies that my friend had left were male and we really wanted a female. We agreed to wait until she decided to have a new litter. Several months past and due to some personal circumstances, my friend messaged me to see if I would be interested in adopting the mama Collie, adorably named, Glory. I knew my friend loved her dog, but also knew she must be serious when she invited us over to meet Glory.
My son happened to overhear a conversation I was having with my husband about Glory and that night I heard him praying, by himself, asking the Lord if she could be his dog. (Heart melt moment!) With our move, my son changed schools and had been experiencing some emotional growing pains. Our nightly routine had become one where Garrett would wake up with fear and wake us up to pray with him. We were concerned about his continued night terrors.
We decided to go and meet Glory. Upon arriving at their house, Glory came right up to my son and laid her head against his chest. My husband and I looked at each other and we knew that this was happening. I bent down to meet her and she looked at me and put her paw out to shake my hand. (LOVE!) The fact that she is house broken, has had some training, and listens when you call her name were just extra perks.
Glory is a Rough Coat Collie. This breed is known for their herding skills that originated in Scotland. Their temperaments are said to be protective, gentle, loyal, friendly, active, and intelligent. She is all of these things. She protects the chickens. She wants to be friends with the cats. She lies down by the goat pen when they are riled up by the wind. When we go on walks, she walks off leash and stays right with us – unlike our other dog, Jett, who runs ahead and doesn’t look back. She protects us in a gentle manner, and is not aggressive unless she feels we are being threatened.
She really is like our very own Lassie, but instead of Lassie and her boy, Timmy – we have Glory and her boy, Garrett. Every day, Glory waits for Garrett t0 get home from school. If he is ever upset about anything, she is right there trying to comfort him. At night, she sleeps on her bed, which is on the floor of Garrett’s room. Since we’ve had her, he has not had a bad dream or been scared at night.
I can honestly say that we have never had a better dog. Yes, she is well mannered in every way and serves us well here on the farm, but it is her devotion that amazes me. That, and the fact that she really seems to understand her humans – especially her boy. Good girl, Glory!
