Petite Nora is now about a year and a half old and remains a happy, healthy, energetic girl.  She shows no signs of the Lyme disease that she was treated for, but she should be rechecked next year.  Now fully kennel trained, Nora sleeps there at night, goes in on command and freely goes in and out at will when the kennel door is left open.  Her coat has improved dramatically and is now stunning.  Nora is very trainable and knows basic commands including "sit," "down" and shake.

While Nora knows her name and has excellent recall, a fence remains a must due to her high energy.  Nora would thrive in an active family that will play ball or run with her.  She gets excited when she sees her leash, as that signals one of her favorite pastimes:  a walk!  Chasing squirrels and waiting for them under the tree remain other favorite activities.  Nora rides well in the car and will jump in when the door is open, though she may try to be a "lap dog." Once back in the house, Nora is eager to please and loves to snuggle.  She calmly ignores lawnmowers, doorbells and other noisy distractions. 

Though her manners have improved, Nora will do best with children over 7 as she may still jump on and overwhelm younger children.  Nora gets along well with other dogs and could pair well with a non-dominant canine friend, but she could also be content as an only dog. Nora's foster mom says that she's about as perfect as a collie can be.  She just wants a family to call her own.  Is your family the one for her?

Update, September 8, 2007

If you’re looking for a little puppy love, Nora is your girl. Although she is over one year old, Nora still acts and thinks much like a puppy. She is a small girl with a big personality and lots of love to give. She also has tons of puppy energy and can’t get enough “fetch” time – as long as you will throw the ball, Nora will bring it back. One of her other favorite outdoor activities is squirrel patrol. As soon as she is let outside, Nora patrols her domain, looking for any sign of an invasion by the fluffy-tailed vermin. And when she spots one – well let’s just say that the squirrels have learned that Nora is not a girl to be trifled with. But even when there are no squirrels to chase, Nora can still find plenty of wildlife to play with. She particularly enjoys chasing butterflies and looks so sweet romping around the yard in pursuit of the delicate, fluttering creatures.

In addition to her puppy energy, Nora also has a puppy’s natural desire to chew. Her foster mom has now crate trained her and when given the command “kennel,” she promptly and willingly goes into her little haven. Because she likes to chew and because she is now so easily crated, Nora’s foster mom does not allow her the run of the house when she is not supervised.

Nora is listed as “Regaining Her Health” because she is being treated for Lyme disease, but as you can tell by her energetic behavior, she has not suffered any adverse effects from it. At a recent visit to her vet, Nora was described as being in great shape, and since it has been determined that she has not been spayed, that will be done in early October.

Nora loves to be brushed (always a big plus with a collie) and she is developing a lovely, shiny coat that is a real head turner when she is out for a walk. She also likes to ride in the car and is a well behaved passenger.

Nora is a happy, friendly, loving girl who will be a wonderful companion for any active person or family. She is working on greeting people without jumping on them, but sometimes all that energy just bubbles up. She gets along great with other dogs – though she is something of an alpha wannabe – and her foster mom thinks that another dog in the household would be a great way for Nora to work off excess energy. Older children would also be great, but younger ones might be intimidated by her rough and tumble style of play. Nora definitely will need a fenced yard, since she refuses to potty on a leash (after all a lady needs a little privacy), and she needs space to chase squirrels and butterflies.

Nora is expected to complete her treatment for Lyme disease and to be fully recovered from her spaying some time in October. That means she will be ready for that perfect, forever home just in time to chase those pesky squirrels away from your winter bird feeder.

New to Rescue!

This beautiful, young female is looking for LOVE. Nora came from a multi dog household where she did not get nearly enough attention. Now she is looking to make up for lost time by loving everyone she meets. She loves to sit on laps and look adoringly into her person’s eyes. She can’t get enough of the children at her foster home and is always ready to play with them or to be petted. Nora even loves cats. Ideally, she would love to chase the cats, but her foster mom is working with her on that. In the mean time she likes to “talk” to the cats. She will sit and look at the cats and then bark. Then she looks at her foster mom as if to say, “See, that cat isn’t listening.” !

Nora is a small collie (barely 22 inches at the shoulder) and a little thin at 52 pounds. When she came to MWCR her coat was very matted and sun bleached, but a quality diet, good grooming and time will help her mahogany sable coat reach its full glossy potential. She is currently taking antibiotics for Lyme disease, but is otherwise a happy, healthy girl. It is not known whether or not Nora has been spayed: the Humane Society paperwork says she has been, but she has no visible scar. This question will have to be resolved and if necessary, Nora will need to be spayed before she is adopted. !

At only 15 months, Nora is still a puppy at heart. She has lots of energy and loves to run and play with the children at her foster home (ages ten and up). Although Nora loves children of all ages, her herding instincts and exuberance might be a little too much for small children. She is good with other dogs, but it is taking some time for her to realize that there will always be enough food for everyone, so she doesn’t need to wolf hers down. She plays with the other dogs, but her first choice is always to be with her people, and she would get along fine as an only dog who was the center of her family’s world. !

Nora is fully housetrained and her foster mom is comfortable allowing her the run of the house. Fortunately, this should not be necessary if her forever home is sufficiently “puppy proofed,” i.e. garbage, stuffed toys, food, etc. kept out of reach. Nora is extremely smart and eager to please. She knows a variety of commands already including: sit, down, and paw (left and right). When given the down command, she will also roll over and present her belly for a good belly rub. She enjoys walks and is pretty good on a leash. She has a strong herding instinct and should probably have some additional obedience training to help control some of her herding behaviors. Additionally, obedience training would be a wonderful way for her new family to bond with this clever little girl.

Nora’s forever home should ideally include a fenced yard, although if she were carefully supervised and had bonded with her family, it might not be necessary. Older children and other dogs or cats would be fine, but not absolutely necessary. What Nora really needs is someone to fall in love with: male, female, adults, kids; it doesn’t matter as long as they love her as much as she loves them!

Nora is being fostered in Duluth, MN.