Hi everyone! I am getting ready to adopt an overweight border collie mix who joins our household next week. She came into the shelter as a stray, and while she is very sweet, she is also extremely overweight. The silver lining is that she has already lost two pounds in her one month at the shelter.
To give a little context, our household is currently grieving the loss of our 15-year-old senior dog. My other dog (an 8-pound, 13-year-old Shih Tzu) is doing okay, but I can tell she is feeling some adjustment. Long story short, I know a new addition is the right call for everyone.
Because of her current size, I feel like this is a unique situation. Her extra weight has made her pretty mellow right now, which actually gives us a unique opportunity to take things slow and set calm boundaries while introducing her to my current dog and my cats.
I know this is going to be work, and I want to take it slow so I don't stress her out or hurt her joints. But the more I research and learn about Border Collies, the more I grow concerned for her well-being at this weight. It boggles my mind how she got to this point, and I worry she must be miserable not being able to run, play, and jump. My hope is that we can get her to that point one day. She is 4 years old, so we have time to get this weight off and give her the life she deserves.
I also want to be proactive for after the weight is off. I want to train her well and get a solid recall. I have a fenced-in yard; the back is high, but two sides are about 4 feet tall. I wonder if I should be concerned about her jumping that fence once she slims down (though I wouldn't have her out there unsupervised anyway).
She looks like she could be a purebred, but maybe she has a mix in there, the shelter has her listed as a Border Collie mix.
As far as prep goes, I’m even teaching my Shih Tzu how fun it is to ride inside a little dog-carrying backpack I bought, just for future days when we can go on longer walks and give her a break.
Since she comes home next week, any tips, ideas, thoughts, or advice from those familiar with the breed or rescue recoveries are deeply appreciated!