Emma the Wildlife Rescue Resident

From her mom, Molly:

When my 9-year-old Aussie, Sky, passed away from lung cancer, I went looking. I was just so sad and although I already had 2 BC/Aussie girls (Bossies) and an old Pom, for me there is no such thing as too many dogs!

Plus—We have plenty of room for more. I live on a ten-acre ranch property with horses and some unusual residents: foxes, bobcats, and birds of prey for starters, the numbers total about 50 animals. We call our Wildlife Care Center “The Nature of Wildworks” and here in Coarsegold, CA our mission is to provide lifetime quality care for non-releasable wildlife and displaced domestic animals like Emma. When I saw her face on the internet I was smitten.

My young dog Swifty and I went to meet Emma at her foster home. I was told she had been a stray and her behavior suggested that she had not been treated very kindly. Understandably, she was very shy and worried about a new person. I wasn’t worried however. 

Once at home Emma fit right in. She looks like a border collie but she doesn’t act like one. She doesn’t herd the horses, doesn’t chase the housecats and she isn’t in the least bit bossy. She plays with all of my dogs, my cats if they let her and even a marbled red fox named Cory! 

Thank you to Border Collie rescue for everything you do and for sending us the sweetest dog ever. Emma is home to stay!

Mollie Hogan

Natureofwildworks.org

https://www.facebook.com/natureofwildworks

Finn the Foster Buddy

(Brother to Freddie below)

From Finn's mom Rebecca:

Finn is doing great. He is so very sweet and smart. He was a big foster brother to a couple puppies this summer for a local rescue and was amazing with them. He loves car rides and is developing into a great fetcher. We go to training at the Zoom Room about once a week and go on lots of outings. He has been a model BC and very similar to the bonded pair I had before. Round two of border collie is definitely a success so far. He is also the best family dog, with the kids and his dog sister. Our cat is still challenging for his impulse control. He is big at over 50lbs already (9 months) and taller than our 60lb golden. DNA test said 94% border collie and 6% cattle dog. We love our Finn!

Freddie the Athlete

(brother to Finn above)

From Freddie's dad Jerry:

Freddie is a brilliant developing athlete who will outrun any dog at the dog park. In pursuit of a ball or his "ring" he never fears that it will be conquered by another dog before he gets there. He is fond of catching frisbees, chasing balls and taking flying leaps in the process. Freddie has no fear of people or other dogs. He wants to meet everyone and everything. He will approach another dog in a crouch, and then at the last minute lay down at their feet and roll over just to let them know he is a friendly guy and means no harm.



He is also really sensitive and when he meets an older fragile dog, he knows not to jump and play. One day in his dog training classes at 4 months of age, a puppy the same age as him was attacked by another dog and scurried back to his parents, while Freddie ran over to his friend Aspen and laid down next to her to comfort her.

Day care is a dream-come-true for him since he can play 5 hours straight with the other 15-20 dogs and not get tired, at least not until he comes home and collapses for a few hours of napping. When we pick him up, the camp counselors usually comment on how much fun Freddie has had being active with all his buddies.

Hiking will be a favorite pastime of his when we get back to the Sierras and our shorter hikes when he was a puppy showed his interest in never straying from us by more than 40-50 feet. When one of us would hide behind a tree, he would know it almost immediately and come uncover our hiding spot. 

Freddie is growing to be very affectionate and now alternates between our bed and his crate at various times of the night. During the day when we leave the house, we let him know it is time for a "nap" and he freely wanders into his crate and curls up.

He is delightful and loved beyond belief. We are so thankful NCBCRA saved Fred so we could make him a part of our family.

Jackson AKA Cracker Jack - A Wobbly Start

From Jackson's mom Lori:

Cracker Jack (CJ) was one of 10 in the Skittles Sweets & Treats litter and was a “wobble head with selective hearing.” I was afraid he and his siblings were too much, but in yard play with the puppies CJ picked me and I took the leap. At 9 weeks old, the clumsy little guy with ears that stuck straight up, and were too big for his head, came to his forever home just in time for Thanksgiving 2022. We changed his name to Jackson and, that first weekend, we started puppy preschool at Zoom Room. We started on basic manners and socializing, using positive reinforcement with a clicker and treats. He learned very quickly and was wicked smart when he wasn’t being just plain wicked.

In December he was examined by a neurologist who determined he was “just a goofy puppy…but deaf.” He didn’t always listen or respond, but I had never considered he was deaf. In mid-January he underwent a BAER hearing test at UC Davis and it was confirmed…those ears didn’t work. The doctor felt that once the ear canals opened he had some hearing but the cells started dying off when he was 6-9 weeks old. Best guess was oxygen deprivation during birth resulting in the wobbliness and hearing loss.

Time for a new plan; How do I train a deaf dog? Thank goodness he is a very smart boy. Given that he’s deaf, Jackson is even smarter than I thought. So much for clicker training. We were already using some hand signals in our training so we continued our normal classes but replaced the clicker with a thumbs up and started learning and creating sign language that works for us. He has progressed through various obedience training levels and at six months old we were able to start using a vibrating collar with visual commands while calling his name. Training is reinforced at home and on walks, and we’ve completed various levels of scent work and agility while participating in controlled play groups weekly. This boy needs to be kept busy and challenged.

Training a deaf high energy Husky / Border collie mix has been extremely challenging and incredibly rewarding to say the least. The training is really paying off. At just about 1 ½ years old, Jackson tested and passed the “AKC Canine Good Citizen Test” on our first attempt and graduated from Obedience 3. His trainers say that’s a pretty big deal for any dog, but especially a deaf dog. We are very much a work in progress. We inspired our trainer to create a new class “Advanced Obedience & Life Skills”. We are making great progress in becoming a really well behaved dog.

We are also continuing with agility classes and plan to take a Therapy Dog Workshop. Jackson is a confident, outgoing, extremely friendly pup that loves to meet new people and other dogs. He can be stubborn and frustrating, but is starting to mature and make good choices. I love my Wobble Head and he has almost grown into those big useless ears.

Thank you for reading our story.

Lori & Jackson

Sweet Miss Tabitha

Tabitha is a 4-yr-old, classically marked, rough coat BC with a beautiful personality to match her beautiful coat. She came to us in February, 2025 from a shelter north of Sacramento. She had tested positive for heartworm while still at the shelter, and we knew we had to bring her into rescue so she could get the care she needed.

Once in foster care, we discovered she also had a couple teeth that needed to be extracted. The bad teeth were removed, she is back to eating normal food and her mouth has healed well. She will get the first of 3 shots this week. Then 30 days after the first shot, she will get 2 more shots - one day apart. 30 days after the last shot she can be re-tested. If she tests negative, she will be posted for adoption. It sometimes takes 1-2 more months for them to test negative. From the time that she has her first shot, until she tests negative, she will be on crate rest and restricted activity. As you can imagine, this is not easy for any dog. She will get lots of stuffed kongs, brain teaser toys and pupsickles to keep her occupied.

Here is what her foster mom has to say about Miss Tabitha:

Tabitha is a gentle soul who has been a very good girl since day one. She was a little quiet and reserved at first but it did not take long for her sparkling personality to come through. She is sweet to all her foster brothers and sisters, big and small, even the cats like her! She has bursts of energy and will run zoomies around the yard with her 3 foster siblings chasing after her. She flings plush toys around playing on her own. She will chase a ball and sometimes bring it back. Her favorite thing is a hard chew toy like an antler or bully stick. She also seeks out attention from her foster mom. She is a sensitive and smart girl who is a real gem.

If you want to follow her story, we are posting regular updates about her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/norcalbcrescue

The microchip company, SaveThisLife, has gone out of business

NCBCRA used this microchip company until last year when we switched to 24Petwatch. If you registered your pet’s microchip with SaveThisLife, please know that their registration is no longer active. That means if your pet ever gets lost, their microchip won’t help bring them

home. We suggest using 24Petwatch. They offer free registration. You can start here: https://www.mypethealth.com/ All you need is your microchip number. They do offer additional services at a cost, but they are optional.

A microchip can be registered with any microchip company. It does not have to be registered with the same company who issued it. You can look up your microchip here: https://www.aaha.org/for-veterinary-professionals/microchip-search/ to see what type of chip you have.

If you do not have your microchip number, and you adopted from us, you can check your adoption agreement for the number. If you don't have the adoption agreement, please send an email to adoptions@norcalbcrescue.org with the dogs name at the time of adoption, the date the dog was adopted and the name of the person who adopted the dog. We will look up the number in our records. You can also take your dog to your local veterinarian or shelter and they will scan the dog for a chip for free.

It is very important to register your chip and keep those records up to date so your pet can be located in the event of an emergency or if they are lost.

NCBCRA T-Shirts

NCBCRA now has T-shirts available for sale as part of a fundraising campaign. We have 3 designs and many styles and colors to chose from. All shirts are shipped on demand, so you should receive your shirt within 1-2 weeks of ordering. All proceeds go to the rescue and will help us to pay for medical costs and to be able to help more dogs!

Fostering Border Collies

Being a foster saves lives! We cover all medical costs, and provide dog supplies as needed. You can foster as much or as little as it works for you. Even short term vacation fostering would be very helpful. Our fosters are the backbone of our rescue and we could not save these dogs without them. Even if you are just curious about it, lets talk.