Our dogs make great - Companions, Pets, Friends

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.
George Eliot (1819 - 1880)

This is a Keepers and Strike son that is a Fido's for Freedom trainee. He is doing very well.

Cynthia -

Great to hear from you!! I thought I must have the wrong email or something...

Anyway, 'Ability, Beauty, and Brawn" should be augmented by BRAINS, because both of those dogs have that as well.

Cooper, the smaller of the two, is a hearing dog and works (or will work - he's in his first 30 days, during which he doesn't go to work with Rhonda) at Bethesda Naval Hospital. He's in love with her and really has fun at everything he does. He gets along with all other dogs and his public manners are wonderful. He loves little kids and knows when out in public he better look away or he'll be tempted to make googly eyes at all the little kids who are attracted to him. He loves to work and will pick up things other people drop and give it to me - somethimes scaring them or tearing their money right out of their hands if they tried to pick it up themselves before him.

Augie is a mobility assistance dog for a man in a wheelchair with dexterity issues. I only got to work with him for a few months as his trainer, but he learned any task I put to him in only MINUTES. He is more methodical and practical than Cooper and capable of multi-tasking, whereas Cooper is more of a party animal and needs to go right on to the next task. John saw Augie as a puppy and said "I want that dog." It rarely happens, but he got that dog and couldn't be happier. For fun and recreation, Augie plays Flyball and I understand he's quite good at it.

Hope all is well. Thanks for writing!

Judy

Hi Cynthia -

thought I would send you a couple of pictures I took last month of Kiah. Hope they come through. Love her, she's 100% a princess. She still makes the "umph" sound and the funny look when I pick her up and she doesn't want to be picked up. She's 16 inches tall now (not sure on her weight) and solid muscle. She loves to herd the kids into the swimming pool, float on her raft, play Frisbee, chase the birds and squirrels.

Tammy

Hi Cynthia -

Sorry it has taken me so long to email you. I wrote down your email address someplace weird and then couldn't find it until now. I hope all is well with you and on the farm. I hope Oliver's brother is as happy as he is. He is sleeping in my lap right now as happy as can be. :) He LOVES to play with the big dogs and they are surprisingly gentle and patient with him. He favorite game is "try to get me" with the other dogs. He is faster than them (for his size) and since he's smaller he can go places they can't and he uses that to his advantage. He is eating well and growing fast. I took him to the park for a school picnic a week or so ago. There were many dogs, but he was the smallest and the most energetic. Everyone loved him and were amazed that he was not scared of any of the other dogs including the big golden retriever, but the golden was scared of him. haha. There was even another rat terrier there whose markings were almost exactly the same as Oliver's. He makes us laugh everyday and we are so glad he is a part of our family. I haven't been able to get a good picture of all the dogs together yet...he doesn't want to sit still long enough. When I do, I'll send it to you. If you still have those pictures of Oliver at hand, could you please send them?

Thanks,

Katrina Woodring

Dear Cynthia -

Just wanted to let you know that Call Me Blue Boy got the first 2 legs of his rally title this weekend at his first show. Blue and I took Rally classes through our local humane society over 2 years ago as a way to prepare him for the arrival of our daughter, and while we use the techniques often, we weren't drilling for a rally show. My husband saw that the Hoosier Kennel Club was hosting a show close to our home and encouraged me to enter Blue. He was 2nd on his first day in the Rally Novice A. He got so many compliments at the show on his looks and personality! Blue has been a SUPER addition to our family. He goes to work with my husband every day, he goes with us to visit my mom's nursing home, is the only dog invited to all family and holiday dinners, and we rarely plan an overnight outing that doesn't include Blue Boy! Thank you for sharing such a quality dog with us! We look forward to adding to our ACD family from your farm in the future.

Best regards,

Nancy

Hi Cynthia,

Wanted to tell you that Casey beat her illness. Last week we got the clean bill of health and the go ahead to not give her pills anymore. Finally, she's been on them since May! Her blood count was at 50%!!! Above the norm. Obviously just monitor her with no pills in her to see how she is but should be great.

We took her to downtown farmers market Saturday to celebrate. She was prancing around like she was the star in the parade...

HA! Here is your Casey Key with Santa! Daughter of ShyAnn and Boz 8 years old! Happy and Healthy and TOOOOO CUTE!!! Thanks for letting me ask you questions, and vent my scared voice.

Amanda Kulaw

Dear Cynthia,

I was talking with Sheila Bell and she thought you might like to have an update on Little Tip. He is such a sweet dog and didn't take long to find a special place in my heart. He is such a loving companion. He loves going for rides and sleeps with me even though his bed is in my bedrooom. He will actually sleep in it if he is away from home, but at home he considers my bed his bed.

He traveled with me twice this summer. The first time I spent a week in Arkansas with my sisters. He fell in love with my brother-in-law as Edward would take him for rides in his truck. All Edward would have to do is jingle his keys and say, "Tip, do you want to go for a ride?", and he would be dancing around his legs and running to the door. Was really cute to watch.

He also traveled with my son, his wife, and me in their motor home and was a great little traveler. I have a huge fenced back yard so he can go out when he wants to, but of course traveling he had to be on a lead, but he seemed very patient about it and seemed to enjoy the other dogs that were being walked.

I have formed a habit of sitting on my patio around dusk and letting him play for awhile as he will stay out longer if I am out there with him. Earlier in the summer as it was just beginning to get dark I opened the door to go out there with him when we discovered a young man in my back yard. Tip dashed toward him barking for all he was worth and started nipping at his heels. He knew that young man was in his yard and did not belong there. I was so afraid the guy would kick him, but he ran instead and quickly climbed over the back fence. So I told him he saved me. I don't know that the young man meant any harm, but my yard is fenced with a high wooden fence and this young man had to unlock my gate to be in there. It frightened me as I am a 70 year old woman and live alone and he had no business being in my yard. It made me really glad I have Tip.

I really want to thank you for letting him "retire" with me. I promise to continue to give him a good home and enjoy my time with him.

Again thanks,

Nancy Maffitt

Dear Cynthia,

How are you? We are doing pretty good with Meeko, he is adapting really well, is very playfull and just like a little kid. Play, play and play and sometimes he is at 150% speed. Typical Rat Terrier, he loves naps with us on the couch and is a bundle of joy.

We are at the crate training stage and taking him outside and we are making very good progress. Sometimes he is pure Rat Terrier, that hunting instinct comes into play, or sometimes he starts digging, he is a character!

Tomorrow he has his second Vet appointment for some vaccinations. By the way they were very surprised at the paperwork you gave us, they haven't seen forms as complete and detailed as yours in years.

Here are some pictures that I took last night.

Enjoy!

Edgar

Sisters Forever

As many people can attest to, an adopted sibling can be as dear as a blood one. Call Me Waltzing Matilda Blue (aka Tilda), an Australian Cattle Dog and Call Me Carol's Lil' Mishka (aka Mouse), a toy Rat Terrier, were adopted from Cynthia Humphrey's kennel and home. They are members of Tom and Carol Clark's family, who seem to find extra joy and comfort when in each others company (especially if Dad and Mom have left them at home by themselves for a couple of hours.)

Hi Cynthia,

Dingo continues to grow and is a bundle of joy to us. His dog obedience is improving and he is getting better at not chasing cars on a leash as we are walking! He has been introduced to the beach and loves it! He also is showing an interest in the Frisbee but still doesn't care too much for dressing up! Hope you are well!

Enjoy the pixs!

Ursula

Hi Cynthia,

I hope all is going well for you this summer. It sure looks like you've had some incredible shows lately!

I am sending you a few pictures of Spike (Call Me The Last Straw aka Spike). He is 4 years old now (6/11/03) and certainly a big part of our family. I could send you hundreds of photos and videos. He is the favorite subject for the boys. Their current favorite video is of Spike singing along to the harmonica!

Marcie Burland

Hi!

I was just telling Ben that we needed to send some new pictures to you and tell you how he's doing. I can start by saying that he's doing just great!!! He is just so much fun and is so loving (major lap dog). He goes to the door or sits in front of us when he needs to go out, sits on command, comes to his name, plays fetch, is learning to drop items instead of playing tug-of-war, is sleeping through the night, and gained a half pound this week. He loves taking naps after playing hard and is getting to where he goes right to his kennel if he sees we're getting ready to leave the house. I personally think he does that because of the Kong stuffed with treats and peanut butter I give him. And the newest fun activity he has taken to is swimming. He came up to the pool when we were swimming and I let him get on the float I was on. Then he decided to get off and swam to Nick. I've attached a picture of that for you. He loves being outside and gets tons of attention from all the neighborhood boys that come over to play. He has also been introduced to 5 other neighborhood dogs and has loved every minute with them. We have a wonderful dog on our hands!

I'll keep you updated on his progress! Take care!

~Christine and Nick

Cynthia,

Buck is doing wonderful - we love him! He and Kiva are getting along fine. He is eating well, playing with lots of toys, and has really settled into the family. We took him on his first boat ride last weekend. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first but was soon moving around the boat and looking at the water just like Kiva. When we got to the sandbar, Kiva went in to swim and he jumped in right after her! He really enjoyed himself playing around in the water. We will be starting a basic group obedience class with him next week, and will see if he has any interest in agility.

He is a great dog! We will send more pictures and updates later.

Thanks again,

Cale and Karole Ferguson

Cynthia,

Hey how are you doing? We're great, Crocket is so much fun, he does know how to push your button though. We see such a change in him every day. His favorite toy right now is boxes. I think it's because he can shred them all over the floor. I have gotten to the point if it keeps him busy it's not so bad to clean up. The K9 kindergarden is going good, but he is scared to death of other dogs now. I have no clue where this came from, but we're trying to work through it. Teaching him stuff is unbelievably easy. He picks it up in 20 - 30 minutes. He loves to show off his tricks, and is a good preformer. Thank you for such a cool pup.

Becki Elliott

Cynthia,

I cannot express how both grateful and thankful I am that you have allowed me to make Xena a part of my life. She is such a loving and wonderful companion. Then as a bonus she is the Grandmother of my other two border collies, Jake and Miss Jezebel. What a family. She has fit in perfectly, I guess there is another bonus also, she has the personality of my late Katie, who was my best friend, it is like having her back again. Xena learned very quickly when snack time and feeding time was. She particularly loves going out with the other two outlaws and chasing the poor squirrels with them. Once more I have not been disappointed with your line of Border Collies. She has found her forever home, where all she has to do is eat, sleep, and run around as she pleases. Now if she can only teach her grandchildren some manners. Thank you once again.

Your long time friend, Sharon

Cynthia,

He is doing great & graduated from Puppy II on Friday.

He starts Basic I Nov 7th. This is Call Me A Quest In The City aka Quest. He is out of Tudy and Bolo.

He gets along great with all my dogs & is very good.

See ya, Tami

Hi Cynthia,

Just a quick hello...

Papi is great...everyone loves him...everywhere I go people stop me...I forgot about that part.

He is starting training with the boys on 11-11...The trainer I found seems like she'll do great with the boys and Papi...

He loves the beach and I also live near a wooded area (Lynn Woods) and he loves to hike...ran into some people on horseback and he wasn't phased by them a bit...

Here are some pictures of him playing in the yard and at the beach...He loves to play fetch with his tennis ball...There is another one of him on the couch...I caught him up there chewing on a cow hoof...I Know...I need a digital camera...

Enough rambling for now...We will keep in touch...

Michelle Ennis

Cynthia,

As I mentioned to you before, we could not be happier with our little rat terrier, Brandy. She is so loving, fun, loyal, desirous to please, sweet natured, incredibly smart,.. the list goes on. We also think she is very pretty. She is so uplifting; after a crazy day at work, to come home to her is such a pleasure. When my husband and I take her on walks, we both smile at her stately little gait and laugh at her cute antics when exploring new turf.

It has been wonderful having her as our pet, although she seems more than that to us; she is our family. Thank you for helping to bring her into this world and providing for her healthy start in life.

Our only concern is that we hate seeing the sad look on her face when we leave her to go to work, out to eat, etc. Also, she is so smart and fun-loving that I think she gets bored sometimes, because we can't play with her all the time. So that is why we contacted you about another puppy. I remember when we picked up Brandy from you, she and all the other little dogs seemed so happy and content and not at all bored. Now, I wouldn't want so many and I admire you that you can and are willing to take care of so many of our canine friends, however, having two little rat terriers should suit us just fine and would give Brandy a full time companion.

See you soon

Brian and Karen Martin

Hi Cynthia,

Everything is great and Lucy is doing very well. She seems to be very happy, (like she wasn't before). She has stolen my husbands heart too! Our vet thinks she's a lap dog disguised as a Cattle Dog...too funny. She's just loves being Lucy.

Lucy's loves laying on her new bed while I'm cooking or doing the dishes, and on Easter Sunday, she got her own basket full of toys. Her favorite spot to chew her toys is a little folding chair on the patio.

Thank you Cynthia! We are blessed to have her in our home.

Hi Cynthia,

Attached are two photos of Jetta and Wendy at the recent Human Remains training she attended. Jetta is doing fantastic with her search work and even the lead instructor of the class <30+ years in cadaver work> said Jetta is a GREAT dog and will do wonderful things with her work. She is also the princess of the house and is certainly Wendy's other baby!

The photo with her by a cone is part of her "alert"... there are human remains under the cone. It's almost cute as she kind of slaps the area with her paw(s) whenever she gets a whiff of the "smelly stuff" LOL

Scott

UPDATE:

Hey Cynthia, Just wanted to give you an update

Saber and Jetta are both A wilderness dogs and Jetta last month was certified in Cadaver. They are such good buddies to each other. Jetta has truly shined and is very happy, both go out on the boat with me weekly and get to run and play on the beach for fun. I am no longer with SSAR, I am with another team in Fort Myers. Randy is hanging in there and I have a Golden who he plays with at home when the other two are working. All 4 swim daily for hours and are extremely fit. It's fun to watch them try to out smart each other. Jetta always wins she is Alpha, she is also up to 40 lbs, Saber is 55lbs, Randy is 42lbs, Randy is so handsome his eyes make me melt. The Golden was a rescue from Naples and weighed 120lbs when I got him, he now weighs 76lbs thanks to the Borders herding him around, sometimes they keep him in a corner, mostly Saber, wont let him out of it. It is romper room here daily and I would not want it any other way, love my BC's thank you

Hope all is well with you, Wendy

Hi Cynthia,

We're all doing fine. Sue has graduated to the "rest of the house". Now if I can just get the boys to wipe off her dirty feet when she comes in, it would be great. She is thrilled to be allowed in with Steve in the evening. She goes to work with him every morning and goes snake when he picks up his briefcase. I think I will like her a lot more when she is 5 or 6. ;-)

So many people have commented on what a great dog she is at the store. Have given a few your number - hope they reached you. Here are her latest pics. Hope you are surviving the summer heat. Keeping fingers crossed this lull in the storms will continue!

Jill

Hi Cynthia,

Rocky is quite a character. He loves entertaining us and sneaks things that he knows that he should not have and then drops the items in front of us when he wants attention. He has a lot of energy and loves to play ball and is a pretty good Frisbee player. I think that he’d be great at agility, so I’m hoping to get him started in that direction even though obedience is what I’m working on right now.

Thanks again for keeping in touch. I’ll keep you posted on his success!

Debbie Shapiro

a wonderful Christmas Card sent to me by Bradley & Jenna

Hi Cynthia,

We were just think of you and saying that we needed to send you pictures of Sadie. She is such a wonderful dog. We just love her to death. Yes she is spoiled. She is so loving and we are just so happy to have her. How is Marilyn doing? Can you send some pictures of her? We will continue to send you pictures of Sadie as she gets older. She's 45 lbs. now, but very sleek looking. She takes a 2-3 mile walk almost every night around our neighborhood. She also has a big yard where she plays with all of her outdoor toys. Here are some pictures...enjoy!

Take Care!

George and Lori

Hi Cynthia,

Here's a couple of pics of Cosmo. He's about 9.5 years old now but strong and healthy as an ox. Look how much he looks like Walkabout. I saw where you did great at the show in Tampa in August. I'm going to stop by sometime when passing thru Parrish. If you have any digital pics of Walkabout or Brumby I would like to have them.

See Ya,

Jeff Myers

Hi Cynthia,

Peabody is a lovely dog. From the first day we brought him home until today, he has been one of the smartest, kindest dogs we’ve ever had. Don’t even get us started on how beautiful he is.

Thanks to Call Me Farms for the chance to bring such a wonderful dog into our family. The quality breeding shines through.

Abel

Hi Cynthia,

I know it's been forever and I've yet to mail pictures (though I do have some set aside to mail - the actual sitting down and doing it is the problem for me!), but here are a couple of cute ones of our Rat Terrier.

We are VERY pleased with her. She has become a special part of our family. We are amazed at how well she gets along with all of our kids (from 5 yrs old to almost 18 yrs old!). Everyone loves her. She does lots of tricks also and is very healthy. Though we did find out that she has a bit of an allergic reaction to one of the vaccines. We had to rush her back to the vet's for a shot of benedryl. Her sweet little face was swelling up terribly! Next year, benedryl first, then vaccine.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures and thanks so much for such a wonderful dog.

Jean Ann Gogerty

Hi Cynthia,

Well, she is something! She loves old people and is very eager to be with them. We spent our first PM at The Pines, nursing type home, and it was very good. She is going to be a super therapy girl. We will do the Humane Society "Good Samaritan" certificate starting Nov. 10th. I have completed Hospice training, which was rewarding. I think we will end up there, but they don't want her until she is at least 8-10 months old. The "Pet Therapy,Inc" requirement is one year.

I did call Top Dog and they were to send out info, but so far nothing. I did not talk to the owner, and have misplaced her name. If I don't hear from them in a few more days, I'll call again. Rosie is now 31 lbs., ears up, and a constant joy!

Susan

Hi Cynthia,

I had a couple of new photos of Bailey, and he is just sooo beautiful I had to send them to you, the other proud Mom! He really is an exquisite animal, and he is so precious to us.

His latest love is going out on the boat! He is an avid swimmer, and is always so well mannered around other people, everyone just adores him! Hope you are doing well, would love to see some young BC's some time if you have a litter due!

Take Care!

Nickie, Kyle, and Bailey Struthers

Cynthia,

This is John Cone. We bought that pup with the black patch on his body out of Jake and Gem. You called him Pinto. We named him Call Me Desperado Blue Ace. We call him Bandit. My son Troi and I ran into you at a dog show in Palmetto and told you he was coming along nicely. I wanted to write and give you an update. I probably should have written sooner but you know how that goes.

Bandit was about 12 weeks old when he left your place. Right now at a little over 2 years of age he grew into a fine dog. He weighs in just shy of 50 pounds and is well muscled with a beautiful coat. He gets looks everywhere we take him. And we take him everywhere. He loves people and is friendly with most everyone. He has a different type of relationship with everyone in the house. I am his master(alpha), Troi is his playmate, and my wife is his cuddle buddy.

I have had dogs my entire life but I have to tell you Bandit is the BEST dog I have ever owned. He is super smart and obedient(although a bit stubborn). He has a fiesty/firey personality and is always in search of a new game. I have never seen a dog that is so completely fearless of everything and self confident. Any time Bandit is in a new situation he looks at it as a new adventure. The great thing about a dog like Bandit is you can take him almost everywhere. He is so outgoing and friendly with people. I started taking him with us everywhere I could from the day we got him. His two favorite places to go are fishing on the boat with Troi and I, and the dog park. When we fish he likes to bark at the seagulls and he growls at the fish when we bring them up. The county built a dog park near us and we take Bandit severel times a week. He LOVES to chase the other dogs. He herds them. His favorite dogs to chase are greyhounds and other fast dogs. He amazes everyone with how fast he is. Only the greyhounds can outrun him. But even then Bandit will figure out how to cut corners and catch them. He has two good dog buddies over there. Angel a pit bull/boxer mix and Adolf a German Shorthair Pointer. Those three will wrestle and play for hours.

As friendly and outgoing as Bandit is there is something more about him. Something that sets him apart from just a good dog. Its hard to explain because its not always visible. Its his devotion and protectiveness of the family. He watches over us. Its his self appointed job. I watch him make the rounds of the house nightly. He walks by the doors and sniffs then goes in and checks on my wife and son sleeping. He doesn't bother or wake them, he just looks at them. He does this all night. We crate him when we leave the house but leave him free run of the house at night. More than once I have woken to find Bandit staring me in the face. When I wake up during the night, I usually find him in bed with my son, at the foot of our bed, or laying in the hallway. One evening there was a hit and run accident nearby. The driver ran on foot through the woods and ended up on our back porch. He was trying to get in our sliding glass door. Bandit was the first to realize the guy was there. I thought Bandit was going to bust through the glass door after the guy. He was barking so loud and fierce that the 911 operator could hardly hear my wife. The guy took off quick and got caught down the street but Bandit kept him out of our house. He had to know someone was home because the lights and tv were on. So I figure he knew he was going to confront someone inside. But the guy didn't count on Bandit being there. That proved what I knew Bandit was up to. He is watching over us. There have been other more subtle signs too. Like with certain strangers Bandit will insist on positioning himself between one of us and the stranger. My work keeps me out late sometimes and occaisionally I am gone over night. I can't tell you how comforting a feeling it is knowing Bandit is on the job. I know my wife and son are always safe with him around.

I have rambled a bit trying to fill you in on two years in one letter. But I just can't say enough about Bandit. As I said before he is the BEST dog I have ever had. And I have had some good ones. Cynthia, you and Bandit have hooked me on ACD's for life. When I was looking into getting an ACD almost everyone I spoke with said ACDs have to have a job to be happy. Bandit doesn't compete, show or work. His job is simply being Bandit. Fishing buddy, Troi's playmate, and protector of the family. Its a full time job!!!!!

Sincerely

John D Cone

---

This is Max who lives down south. He runs the household, and as part of his reward, he gets to join the family for loxs each morning.	This is Busta and Fawn, who reside in Boston. Busta is the son of Isabel & LittleTip, and Fawn is the daughter of Bunny & LittleTip.	This is Tucker with his new owners the Catlett's that reside in Naples. They are both in awe of each other. Tucker is a pearl male out of ShyAnn and Torch born in January.	Goofy is the son of Thunderheart & Maude. He resides in St. Pete and is very loved and has a big job taken care of the kids.
This is Isabelle and she lives in Englewood and belongs to the Queen Family. She is out of Lil Cowgirl and Shooter	Call Me Tampa, she lives in Louisiana with the William Rose Family and loves it. She is out of Jake and Noosa.	This is Tucker he lives in south Florida and is out of Brumby and Jessie.	This pretty girl is Jesse, she lives in Atlanta she is out of Gem {Aus. CH Import }and Shooter. I should a kept this one!
Sky is all grown up and happily living in River Wilderness as a very spoiled pet. She is out of Ch. Klan Corella Play it again Sam and CM Finders Keepers.	This is the day Mary took lil Fly home. She now has one point towards her Championship that she received in Tampa on Sunday at her first big show. Call Me Farms couldn't be prouder	Feisty has his own family in St. Pete that plan to have a great time including him in their daily activities. He is out Keepers and Jack.	Jake- This guy was out of Fanny and Cash and lived in Sarasota. He is now deceased. He lives on in a book about Border Collies written by Rick Beauchamp and published by Barrons.