Border Collies originally came to America to be an important tool for farmers and ranchers to herd sheep and livestock, just as they had in Scotland and England for hundreds of years. The breed is critical to successfully managing herds over large acreage, successfully doing in minutes what would take a man a day to do. They have always been invaluable to a farmer. Border Collies were bred as a working dog only, unrecognized by the AKC.

There was no need for rescue until the mid-nineties when the breed was recognized by the AKC and shortly thereafter catapulted into the spotlight with the movie, “Babe”, and their overwhelming success in sports competitions on shows like Animal Planet. As their popularity soared, these dogs landed in tiny urban lots, suburban neighborhoods, and apartments, all poor choices for a dog that is bred to work 1000 acre farms. And, increased popularity led to over-breeding by backyard breeders and puppy mills, saturating the marketplace with a challenging breed, thus the birth of rescue.

Their working heritage produces a highly intelligent, highly driven, high energy, intensely focused dog: characteristics that do not fit well in most homes. The dogs are misunderstood and penalized for their behavior, leaving thousands of dogs abandoned at shelters or relinquished to rescue. The lack of education about the breed as well as general misinformation has resulted in greater and greater numbers of dogs in rescue year after year. The growing problem is inherent to the breed itself, misfit from a historically appropriate working situation into more often than not, a totally inappropriate situation. The breed is now one of the most frequently euthanized dogs today due to behavior issues arising from this misfit. Often described as ‘hyperactive; neurotic; quirky; obsessed; frenzied and tireless’, the breed is in serious trouble.

Glen Highland is meeting a need that is growing exponentially rather than declining.