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Charlie Sue
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Big news! Charlie Sue likes Alaska so much she wants to stay, so she has adopted the Templin family in Craig. Brian & Donna and their kids, Daniel, Lora and Donald, are pictured here. Not pictured is Beau, their black Lab dog, or the cat. We'll miss Charlie Sue, but we know she has a wonderful new family now - and she won't have to make that long trip back to Kansas City! |
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April 27, 2004 |
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Charlie Sue was born in May 1998.
We adopted her May 26, 1999, in Kansas City, so we consider her birthday
to be May 26. We suspect she's all border collie, but we have no
papers to prove it. It's probable that her original owners simply
gave her away because she has no white on her face.
The woman who gave her to us said the dog was always wanting to go outdoors and she had no space available there in the city. She sure had Charlie Sue figured out, because she would rather be outside than in! |
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| When Howard ("Grandpa") decided
he wanted a female border collie to take along with us when we moved, he
decided to call her Charlie Sue, a name our son Larry made up in
1968 when we kept an adorable foster baby girl for a few months.
A teenager, Larry seemed to think Jennifer was just too formal a name for
him to say, so he called her Charlie Sue instead.
In October 1999, Charlie Sue moved with us to Klawock, Alaska, and she was very happy there with "Grandpa" and "Grandma." All border collies are very intelligent, and of course Charlie Sue is no exception. She would rather work than play, so she's usually "on guard," and sees absolutely no reason to "fetch" her toys. She had her own house and she kept an eye on things for us. I usually gave her a treat when I left the house, telling her she was in charge, and when I returned home, I rewarded her with another bone-shaped cookie. She really liked it when Grandpa tossed her popcorn, and she was very good at catching the kernels. When he acted like he was going to chase her, she gladly participated in the way she would probably herd sheep if we'd had any! She learned to "roll over," and she really had to work at it - but usually came up with it if a reward was involved. She loves a bite of any kind of cheese. She was good entertainment for us, and was always excited to see us come home again. |
On guard |
Christmas 1999 |
A little snow is okay... |
but don't let the "snow monster" get me! |
| Southeast Alaska is "Rain Country," so the snow is heavy with moisture. It collected on our metal roof and then slid off all at once. Charlie enjoyed having snowflakes fall on her, but when large amounts plopped onto the back deck, she acted like a snow monster was after her! Things were better after a snow guard was mounted on the roof breaking up the drifts as they melted (or were rained away). |
This dog LOVES to roll in snow! After a fresh snowfall, she even makes a bed in it and snoozes comfortably. |
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An excellent border collie resource
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Credits: Running tracks, www.bellsnwhistles.com;
Microsoft WordArt; photos, Marge Marshall
