Lillie and John:  A Border Collie’s Best Friend

by Kim Clune

In the sleepy little town of Morris, NY, you’ll find nestled away Glen Highland Farm’s Sweet Border Collie Rescue, a 175 acre rescue and nature sanctuary with hemlock forests, ponds, a long-winding creek and abundant wildlife. From creekside paths forged by wandering dogs to beautifully manicured camping grounds, the natural rhythms of this place delight rescued Border Collies and dog-loving people alike. From vacationing inner-city kids working closely with the dogs to heal their own wounds to camping adults and families wishing to strengthen their bond to their beloved companion dogs, all are welcome thanks to Lillie Goodrich and John Andersen, a visionary couple whose hearts are in tune with truly being, not just acting out tasks or dreaming of what could be.

THE LEAP OF FAITH

Giving it all up for the dogs? Many of us think we might, if we win the lottery, but Lillie and John really did it – with no lottery windfall involved.

After falling in love with their own Border Collie, Luke, and learning about challenges that face the breed, rescue became their mission. In 2001, they sold their contemporary Connecticut home on 2 acres, every piece of jewelry and their fancy cars. Their friend helped, too, by co-signing on the farm’s property after a 2 month search for the perfet place.

LILLIE AND JOHN MADE IT HAPPEN HERE

Like the Border Collies they rescue, this couple is hard working and driven by the thrill of the chase, herding stray ideas into workable solutions. Lillie has 20 years’ experience leading multi-million dollar projects for Fortune 500 companies. John has been the CEO of six different major US corporations over that same 20 years. Lillie says:

We both like new things and get bored when things don’t change so, switching from our professions to this path was not frightening. Creating Glen Highland Farm came from our hearts. We felt not only was it the right thing to do, it was right for US to do it. We just applied our talents, created something other people could join in and enjoy and support and it worked.

And so they kicked fear of failure to the curb in search of a life with no regret. It wasn’t easy, but it is so very worthwhile.

THE 365 DAY WORK YEAR

Carrying $77K in credit card debt with no money to pay anyone, Lillie, John and a helpful college student spent their first 4 1/2 years waking at 6am and hitting their pillows hard at midnight, every single day while building and running the farm. Lillie recalls:

There were days, standing in the fields in tears, I wondered if we’d ever get enough money to keep it going but we did. It has been a stunning experience to see how the universe, through others, step up to assist you when you have risked everything to do what your heart tells you needs to be done. Our success today comes with the help of so many others combined with our willingness to put every ounce of energy and talent in play.

Today, there are 5 Canine Caretakers doing what Lillie once did alone; one Office Operations person and three property workers plus a Property Manager. And then there’s the mowing, an operation unto itself. John mows 50-60 hours a week with two other staff members doing grounds work and mowing 40 hours a week. Lillie says:

It is exhausting, all-consuming and an amazing journey neither of us would ever have imagined to be really how it is … we are honestly honored and grateful for this experience and we’ve done it together, which makes it far richer.  There isn’t a day that goes by where we are not wiped out, honestly, but we’d rather be ‘spent’ doing this effort than doing anything else on earth.

BY DOGS FOR DOGS

People who visit watch their dogs play and explore in ways they’ve never seen before. Lillie explains why:

We watched all our dogs as we first walked the property, where they darted and headed into woods and that became a path. We built bridges to get across places that the dogs went and people could not. We created access to muddy, messy, smelly forested spots because our dogs went there and loved it! We hear over and over again, that this place is amazing and people see their dogs be so different in ways they just can’t imagine. They adore seeing them so happy. And, THAT is our goal.

BORDER COLLIES: THE DILEMMA

Border Collies, bred as working dogs, need work to be happy. Lillie explains:

Gone are the rural farms where they lived on 1000 acres herding sheep from pasture to pasture. They are in cities, and apartments and over-crowded settings.” If bored, Border Collies self-destruct – chasing cars, destroying the house when left alone, obsessing over shadows, or roaming the neighborhood looking for something to do.

The flip side, according to Lillie, is a recent re-creation “from smart, stable, sheep herding dogs to tiny bred dogs who fly through the air for a frisbee or push off a box, wildly barking to catch a ball in flyball competitions or speedy, neurotic, missile-like dogs who sail through an agility course faster than the person they are with.” Breeding these dogs yields a fortune due to high demand, yet there aren’t enough experienced placements for them. Too many end up euthanized. “It’s truly a chaotic time for Border Collies,” says Lillie.

Why the increased interest in these intelligent, must-have dogs? Popularity has increased for a plethora of reasons:

• Border Collies became a registered AKC breed in 1995
• Border Collies are frequently the lead winner of agility competitions aired on Animal Planet
• Chaser, a dog with a vocabulary of 2000 words, has been featured in National Geographic and the Wall Street Journal

Border Collies don’t need to herd sheep to feel fulfilled, but they do need a devoted life partner working with them on active and complex challenges.

Lillie says:

These dogs are bred to work with a person and are ready to bond as puppies to do a task with someone. When that desire is not fulfilled or even worse, broken, they are lost. At Glen Highland Farm, with the space of large fields and the focused effort on each dog’s very specific needs, we bring them back into balance mentally and physically and emotionally.

This is not a breed for most people who want a family pet and have busy lives.  Smart, misunderstood Border Collies take time to heal after having been crated for 10-12 hours a day, left alone in basements or outside pens while people work.

Lillie and John do not see a sunnier future ahead and only see even greater need for Glen Highland Farm to offer safe haven.

It is heartbreaking to see what has evolved in the last 12 years with respect to the breed. Over 1800 Border Collies have come through our doors, and these numbers are increasing. Hence, we’ll be in the rescue business forever.

GIVING TO GAIN

From the start, Lillie and John gave nothing up at all. They have gained a dream, a meaningful life, and a means to provide sanctuary and inspiration to thousands of beautiful dogs and people from all walks of life.

We bought the property, having created a vision of the rescue, the vacation camps and the kid’s camp. That was 12 years ago and, today, it’s fully blossomed. It’s a tremendous operation lodging hundreds of dogs each year, hundreds of vacationing dog lovers, and hundreds of kids … all sitting in this tiny little rural farm town no one would ever know otherwise. The tiny town of Morris has been forever changed and so have many people who have been here.

DOLLARS TO DOGS

Consider a Getaway camp vacation where you and your dog can have a remarkable experience while helping other dogs!  The Camp programs fund 20% of Glen Highland Farm’s costs.

Double the Dollars, an exciting two month fundraiser, is also underway with a goal of raising $50K for the rescue needs. Visit Glen Highland Farms’ website and Canine Outdoor Adventures Facebook page to learn more, including ways to support or participate in Camp Border Collie for Kids!

Happy Birthday, Dear Doggy

By Peggy Frezon

Dogs do so much for us and all they ask in return is food, shelter and love. But, of course, we want to give them even more. Proper medical attention, a safe and stimulating environment are musts, but some things are just for fun…like celebrating their birthdays!

My dogs Kelly and Brooks are both adopted from rescue groups–which means, among other things, they have no medical records and we have no documentation of their actual birth dates. Even their ages are a guess. While this isn’t really a problem, we still enjoy recognizing a special day to honor what makes them uniquely Kelly and Brooks. But what day?

Pet lovers at North Shore Animal League America, the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization,  acknowledge that the actual birth dates of most rescued dogs are unknown. To give these wonderful animals their much deserved recognition, the Animal League declares the first day August as DOGust, a universal birthday for shelter and rescued dogs everywhere.

Many pet parents are known to select a random date to celebrate their adopted dog’s birthday, such as a significant occasion, a family member’s birthday, a special holiday that reflects the dog’s personality, or in many cases, the date on which they adopted the animal. Now, pet owners can truly designate a celebratory canine holiday, DOGust the 1st.

To learn more about the Animal League and its mission to rescue, nurture and adopt approximately 20,000 animals annually visit, www.AnimalLeague.org.

And as a special birthday treat, here are those adorable dogs from AugieDoggy, to show you the proper way to celebrate a birthday!

BTC Founders Speak at Barkworld

Meet up with us at BarkWorld, THE Social Petworking Conference in Atlanta from Otober 25-27, 2012! Kim and Amy will be talking about how social media, animals and business go hand in hand… and they’ll try not to blow anything up as they put on cooking demonstrations using ingredients from The Honest Kitchen!

WIN A TRIP!

Enter the Iams Home 4 the Holidays “How I Can Help Pet Adoption” contest! 

Write a compelling blog post (or YouTube video) about why pet adoption is important to you and how you will utilize what you learn at BarkWorld 2012 to help get more pets adopted. You could win a ticket to BarkWorld 2012, roundtrip airfare (continental US), 3 night hotel stay at the host hotel, Westin Buckhead (room & tax) and roundtrip transportation to/from the Atlanta airport!

SESSIONS WE’RE PROUD TO BE PART OF

The Social Good: Key Marketing Strategies for Shelters
& Tips on How Bloggers Can Help
Friday October 26, 2012 10:30am – 11:15am