I still miss my border collie ?Ticka? We lost her 3 years ago. She used to be at my side no matter where I was. Loved coming down with me to the bees. Unfortunately, the bees did not enjoy her playful nature. They used to attack her on mass on a regular basis. After a few painful trips, she decided it was safer to watch me from the top of the hill (well away from the bees).
I fell in love with border collies when I was a young boy. I remember visiting some friends (over 50 years ago) The owner of the farm ran a dairy herd. We were sitting around having some afternoon tea and cake and the owner of the farm turned to his collie and told her to bring the cows home for milking. With that command, the dog took off out of site over a distant hill. About 10 minutes later the dog and cows came into site. All the cows were guided into a holding yard by the dog with no instruction from the farmer. When the cows were all inside the yard, the dog was called by the farmer and given a beating. He held the dog by the collar and pointed to a cow and her calf that should not have been returned to the holding yard. I remember feeling really angry yet impressed at the same time. I could not believe that an animal could be so intelligent. I made a promise to myself that I would one day own a border collie.