So now we come to our Swamp Collie Ember.
Ember is one of the two Golden Retrievers we currently have and is the daughter of our other dog Mica.
Based on this and if you’ve read about the other dogs we’ve had over the years then, it will be no surprise that Ember came to us from our breeder friend Maggie.
Ember came to us in autumn 2014 when she was just getting on for two years old.
Maggie had kept Ember from one of Mica’s litters to be one of her show dogs and join her breeding stock.
Unfortunately it was discovered that Ember had an early onset cataract (probably hereditary) and as a result could not be used for breeding.
With a limit on how many dogs Maggie could keep Ember was going to need a new family and it was an easy decision for us to say yes.
Ember was a lean, fast bundle of energy that didn’t know what to do first! When off the lead in the fields she would be going flat out investigating anything and everything! The adrenalin build up in her would often result in her having a mad moment where she would run as fast as she could in a wide circle round us until she’d burnt it off.
Of all our dogs Ember has been the one that, particularly in the early years, just couldn’t resist chasing rabbits and squirrels or getting in the nearby lake and swimming after the ducks and swans. He hearing would switch off and she would be away like a rocket when she spotted an opportunity!
There were a few occassions where she caught us off gaurd and we would find ourselves having to track her down. Eventually we got her trained to respond to the whistle and though she still loves the chase she’s pretty good at coming back when called.
As Ember grew older her cataract grew and the vision in her right eye deteriorated. By time she was 7 she had lost significant vision in the eye and now at nearly 8 years old shes blind in that eye.
The good news is she has coped with it really well and it hasn’t stopped her or slowed her down.
Ember like Barley is a real water baby – she loves being in it and takes every opportunity that presents itself. You can tell how happy she is as even today she’ll come out of the water then run and find a patch of ground to throw herself down on and cork screw along – pure pleasure for her. She really is a Swamp Collie!
Of all the dogs we’ve had Ember is the most vocal – barks with excitement when your getting ready for a walk, barks to let you know its getting towards feeding time. Don’t get me wrong she’s not a constant barker but when she want’s to communicate with you or gets excited she barks.
Another of her traits that stand out compared to our other dogs is her focus on food! If food is about then so is Ember and she will stare at you endlessly in the hope that she might get some. If she fails to secure any she will often lie down and put on a look that you can almost imagine is her saying ‘I can’t believe you didn’t give me any!’
That’s Ember our Swamp Collie a fun dog that we love to bits.
