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I just love my border collie/lab mix Kaycee. Boradors are very common in Kentucky animal shelters- probably due to accidental breeding. I was originally looking for an Australian Shepherd (the breed I have the most experience with) and saw tons and tons of Border collie/lab mixes. I ended up falling in love with my Kaycee and decided to adopt her. Best decision I ever made. Kaycee's incredibly loyal, sweet, playful, and friendly to everyone she meets. She hates to be alone, and she loves her "sister" Mika, our boston terrier. They're both a year and a half old and have grown up together. Kaycee is full grown and she is 50 pounds. She has hair that is longer than a lab's but shorter than a typical border collie's. She has longer hair on her tail than anywhere else. She has the white border collie markings on her face, chest, back of her neck, and paws. She has floppy ears like a lab's that perk up a lot. You need to keep an eye on Boradors- if you aren't paying attention they WILL get into mischief! Kaycee had really bad destructive tendencies when she was younger. It took a lot of time to train her out of it, and we had to make sure she always had something to entertain her. She doesn't chew things up anymore, and knows what things are off limits and which things are toys she can play with. We still have to keep her and Mika in a large dog crate together with some toys when we are not home- it keeps her happy and out of trouble. She is very energetic and needs a fenced yard to run and play in. When I first got her we lived in an apartment, so I would take her to the dog park several times a week. The past year we have had homes with big yards for her to play in. She's not particularly hyper, she has a normal amount of energy most of the time, but once in a while she will get a crazy streak and zoom around the yard a hundred times and then flop down exhausted. She loves to play fetch, swim, chase the garden hose, and play fight with Mika. (But Mika's very small compared to her, so she is gentle.) She is a good hiking buddy- unless she sees a bird and tries to take off after it. We have to keep her on a leash and hold her tight- she is VERY strong. But lately she has been listening to us more and doesn't tug on the leash. She was pretty much silent until she was a year old. Now when we talk to her, she will talk back to us, barking a lot. She will speak on command now (the trick that took the longest to teach her, everything else she learned in about a week but speak was very difficult). She is my cuddle buddy and likes to sleep on our feet on the bed, and lay on the couch and watch TV with us. She follows me around everywhere like my shadow. She's always watching over me to make sure I'm okay. If I am sad she will just lay with me and be my cuddle buddy. When I am stressed she will be goofy or bring me toys to play fetch, and it always cheers me up. She just brings so much joy to my life. Both my dogs do. Kaycee's such a wonderful dog. I love her like crazy! Boradors are a great breed and incredibly smart. Smart dogs can be a challenge- you gotta be one step ahead of them at all times! But once they're about this age they are eager to please and don't get into too much trouble- as long as you're watching them. Kaycee is really great, and I'd highly recommend Boradors to anyone who has the space and the time to devote to them. They are so entertaining and will be your best friend for life.
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