The Food Room

Here's what our food room looks like... with all the breakfast bowls washed and ready for use!

All of the feeding arrangements are written up on the board for the morning staff to follow and adjust, depending on the dog's preference or health protocol.

Some dogs are on special food, like a kidney diet, others may enjoy a certain kind, like fish flavored, still others want canned food mixed in to entice them to finish it all! Each dog gets their own bowl and a special meal catered individually to them.

What happens when GHF gets a new dog?

Since rescue is an evolving and continual process, the flux of new dogs and adoptions is essentially constant. Though we are on hiatus, we start back up in November and so here's a run down of what happens when new dogs arrive...

Most of the time it takes a team of transporters to get the dog (typically somewhere in the north east, though we've had dogs from China before!) Each transporter will take a different 'leg' of the journey and eventually, the teamwork from the kind volunteers involved gets the dog(s) to the gates of GHF!

It's remarkable to watch these new dogs, some coming from being chained or from being crated all day--clearly situations where they weren't getting what they needed as BCs--to a green haven filled with different sensory experiences and people dedicated to their well-being, health, and happiness. 

We normally allow the dog plenty of time outside (they have to pee from the long ride!) and give them the opportunity to orient themselves in their new environment, which, as mentioned before, is usually drastically different from where they came.

Depending on how they settle in, we see what their vet histories look like: based on this, they may receive a dewormer or have a heart worm test, which not only tests for this infectious parasite but also checks for 3 different tick borne diseases, including lyme disease, which is common in dogs. 

Due to their circumstances, most of the time the dogs get a bath, to complete their fresh start, and frequently they receive a new name to initiate the journey towards a new and loving life! In the immediate days following, these new guys are given extra attention to ensure their acclimation is smooth and they remain happy; that way, if any changes need to be made they are done sooner rather than later and we can minimize any potential anxiety, which is normal for any dog to experience during such a lifestyle change. 

The dogs realize quickly that the digs at GHF are rather accommodating! 

Rob & his Kong

Here is another farm dog, Robbie, enjoying his peanut butter stuffed Kong. In the morning, when dogs are first let out, or during the day when they are running through the paddocks, sometimes the caretakers will let one of the dogs roam inside the barn; that way they get a chance to have some people-time while the actual care taking 'chores' are done--water buckets are changed and food is mixed.

Usually we stuff the Kongs with peanut butter and put them in the freezer... that way it lasts longer for the dogs to enjoy. And most dogs LOVE peanut butter!

Rob is pictured here with a 'classic' red kong. What is your favorite type of Kong toy and why? What's your favorite stuffing?

Pastoral Paddocks

The farm may be on hiatus, but the dogs sure aren't! 

At the farm, the dogs are rotated between various large paddocks so they get plenty of time to run and bask in the sunshine.

Here is Bud after a long play session with his roommate Pip, a Sprakers dog. They are both close in age and make a great match! Both love to make up 'herding' games, romping, chasing and being chased!

There are a total of five large paddocks for the dogs to enjoy and explore. We typically change-up the paddocks for the dogs so they feel as though they aren't stuck in one place, doing the same activity. Some days are more play-heavy, others are more dedicated to spending quality one on one time. What many of the dogs love most however is walking through the paddocks with one of the caretakers. That way they get plenty of human reassurance but also enough space to frolic and be themselves!

Marvelous Mav

Much of the staff’s job at Glen Highland Farm is ‘outsmarting’ the dogs themselves— keeping their intricate minds stimulated—we have to try and be a few steps ahead of them in order to make sure they get to use their minds and stay intrigued. Maverick, or Mav, is one such dog… he is constantly on the prowl, continuously interpreting, exploring his world.

Mav is very much an ‘old soul,’ more of the classic BC type, a true farm dog at heart, he really enjoys just following around the caretakers and watching them change water buckets and yard cleanup, as he monitors and remains on the lookout.

 He soaks the world in with those huge and eager amber eyes, like a black and white lion roaming the plains… though Mav happily trots about patrolling the paddocks here at the farm. You can see his mind churning the incoming thoughts about his head—a real thinker and problem solver—always ready to confront his next challenge, his next adventure.

Sprakers Update

Everyone at the farm would unanimously agree: our lives and perspectives have been forever altered by the Sprakers dogs.

Many have been adopted by their fosterers.

It has been a remarkable experience to watch their journeys unfold and observe the incredible progress they’ve made. Certainly the physical change is significant and overpowering—as these dogs literally healed physically from the trauma and neglect they suffered—but to feel and see the psychological and spiritual healing of the Sprakers group is unforgettable. They seem lighter, their spirits lifted; they no longer cower or flee in fearful anticipation.

Perhaps most importantly however, they are actually becoming dogs. They run, bark, play, and frolic, as would a typical dog. Not to say that these dogs are normal, and some never will be. But they, now feeling the freedom provided by the farm, are able to truly let go and enjoy life, rather than having to fight for survival and warmth.

To realize where these dogs came from, and not only where they are now but what they have ahead, a limitless future, is to reflect on true hardship and true potential. They deserve utmost respect. If these dogs can overcome such a scarring and damaging past, what paths can’t they tread in the future? We, as their guardians, will route for them with hopeful eyes and eager hearts as their true personalities unfold and they learn how to love, and we will continue to provide them with nothing less than what they have shown us to be possible.

Here are some of their transformations. (From January 2014 to Summer 2014.)

Seen below are two other Sprakers dogs, Annie and Owen, enjoying the good life.

Welcome to the Highland Howl!

Welcome to the Highland Howl, Glen Highland Farm’s online blog dedicated to providing Farm lovers with a more insightful, meaningful peek into Farm life. A place to share all the happenings and adventures that take place here, amongst the wonderful, herding BCs that romp about the Highland hills of upstate NY.

The Farm is a place built by and for BCs, and it’s the only place of its kind where they can truly let loose their inner nature and simply be themselves. As each dog receives what they need to heal, each leaves a piece of themselves—a paw print on the farm—which ultimately assists and supports future rescue rescue dogs.

Some find their freedom by joyfully racing around the paddocks; others enjoy finding “work” by inventing herding games with other BCs. Whether it’s a classic game of fetch, trail walk or swim in the river, the dogs live to bound across the land, ears and whiskers riding through the wind.

So, we’ve created this weekly update to reveal what the dogs themselves experience and what exactly that experience entails. Here you will find pictures, videos, reviews and recommendations… truly a “BC’s eye view” of Glen Highland Farm. We invite you to “stalk” our page, comment and interact with us! We hope that in doing so, we will be able to share the remarkable, determined spirit of all the border collies but also to share the unleashed essence of the Farm itself.

Herd on!