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There is no question that "Sally" was born to care, she is after all a Border Collie, it's in her job
description! In my mind the fact she is a Borderfame Border makes the desire even stronger, but I could never have imagined how seriously she would take this duty.
From the moment Sally became a member of my extended four legged family she has been surrounded by babies. Orphaned lambs,
kids, piglets, calves and yes even baby Joey's (kangaroo's) all of which have needed a mum to love them.. Even thought it is I who feeds them it is Sally that loves them, licks them, lies with them and answers their call when they think they have "lost mum".
Sally especially loves the pigs, she will lie with a new born, letting it rub her tummy with it's
snout. As they grow older she will play gentle chasing games with them and help them dig tunnels in the playground sandpit. Many an impromptu scene from "Babe" has been played out at "The Little Farmyard" to the delight of the school children and the adults who accompany them.
Sally's devotion to children is her other extraordinary strength, she started "work" as the farmyard "sheepdog" when she was just four months old. Flash came to show her what needed to be done but after two weeks Sally knew what was needed. She never barks around children, never gets over excited when they are near and if the children become a little over excited she never gets angry with them.
Sally "The obsessive, compulsive, mother"
It was with Sally's first litter that she showed me that she would "mother" any living
creature. She had four puppies when along came the smallest lamb I have ever seen. I called him "Tom Thumb", he was far too small to join the other lambs in the barn so I placed him on a rug while I went to make a bottle, Sally lifted him gently into the box with her babies licked him and as he stood on his wobbly legs she stood for him to drink from
her, I took over and fed him but afterwards he snuggled up with Sally and the pups . She looked so content as she washed him, she was after all "his mother".
Sally's next litter was equally as unusual, the farm was busy and Sally started to have the pups during "visiting
hours", I had to lock her in the house and call for Helena to stay with her, I have never forgotten the look of amazement on Helena's face as she recalled the scene when she arrived to stay with
Sally. She opened the door to find Sally in her box in labour with one baby already born , but beside the box watching, as if to give support were Sally's friends, Arizona the
German Shepherd, Donna the Whippet, and Oscar the cat, but there was also Kakadu the "joey" half out of his "pretend pouch of a pillow slip" quietly watching the proceedings. Helena's words were "that she has never before experienced the harmony that those animals shared that morning".
Three weeks later Helena phoned to ask if Sally would help as a friend had lost her bitch during an emergency
caesarean and there were five babies without a mum, Sally looked confused as I set up another smaller box next to her babies. However as I opened the door on my return Sally greeted me (she had heard the newborns cry and was frantic to help them), she jumped into the new box lay on her side and looked at me as if to say "hurry up they are
hungry", within seconds the new puppies had a mum. Once they were content she transferred to her own babies and started to look after
them. Time for my help here Sally I thought, so her puppies got their first taste of solid
foods. She raised both litters and never missed breaking out to see the children on their visits, and as the time progressed she took her family to see the children.
Nothing will keep her from her work (Nothing!)
Not even the time that disaster hit! Sally was in the yard when a visitors dog leaped out the car and headed straight for the lambs and the children, Sally saw this and immediately ran to stop the intruder, the dog stopped upon seeing Sally, the driver swerved to miss to miss his dog but never saw Sally till it was too late! Sally's leg was broken and she was in shock when we reached the Cottesloe vet. They did a
marvellous job and Sally returned home one week later with her leg pinned, plated and a cast on with instructions to rest! Sally could not bear to do that, when the farm still had to be looked after even if
Flash had come to help again, and the sound of children arriving was too much for her! she broke out of the yard through the smallest of holes she made and slowly walked to greet the children, my vet said let her do what she feels she can, so Flash did the moving of the animals and Sally looked after the small animals and entertained the children who were busy drawing Sally with a broken leg . The children gave Sally the best therapy she could have and she made a speedy recovery.
I have never had to ask Sally to go to work she beats me to the door! When the farm is ready for it's visitors Sally's
favourite words are "here is the bus"!
If you are in Perth you are always welcome to come and see Sally and her friends at
The Little Farmyard in Armadale
Written by Debbie Cutler
(a.k.a. Farmer Brown.)
(Footnote) I would like to thank Debbie for sharing these wonderful stories of Flash and Sally.
Sadly Flash left for "The Rainbow Bridge" aged 17 years young and on her last day took her mum for a long walk (something she had been unable to do for some time) then came home to lie beside her mum and peacefully go to the "Bridge".
Sally is fit and happy enjoying her farmyard life and friend to over half the children in Perth. We are proud to say she is also the mum of
American Ch Borderfame Choc Chill, American Ch Borderfame Turkish Delite and American Ch Borderfame True Blue. Eileen Madrigale in America has Sally's daughter Borderfame My own Delite who is showing great promise as an agility competitor as well as being shown in the conformation ring.
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