from four dogs down to three

 Friends, family, and those who have read my blog know that having Phoebe the JRT in our house has been a challenge for the last five years.  While Phoebe was an amazing flyball dog, a phenomenal ratter, and a great JRT all around, her personality conflicted with my border collie pack and led to several fights (one of which put her in the hospital).  In order to manage the conflict, Phoebe was rarely allowed to wander loose in the house and always under supervision, and she spent most of her time leashed to a piece of furniture in whatever room we were in at the time so that she could not attack the border collies if they pissed her off.

With the advent of Phoebe's retirement and the impending arrival of our new border collie puppy, it was time to find Phoebe a new home where she could be loved and spoiled as an only dog for her retirement.  I put Phoebe up with several rescue groups, including WA/OR JRT rescue, Old Dog Haven, and New Rattitude, in addition to posting at several local companies and at our own vet.  We tried a trial placement with a coworker of mine, which did not work out, and I was starting to despair of finding her a home and worried that I would have to put her to sleep instead.  Luckily, one day in January, I got not one but two inquiries about her within two hours of each other, and the first one panned out and we arranged the adoption of Phoebe to a lovely retired couple in La Grande, OR.

Phoebe with her 2011 Region 7 MVP plaque, her retirement plaque from JCJ, and her retirement blanket which reads "Phoebe - Always A Jet City Jumper."

Phoebe ran in her last flyball tournament a week and a half ago (February 16/17), and on Saturday February 23 my teammate Tami and I drove to Sunnyside WA to meet up with Phoebe's new family.  Having Tami go with me was a very fitting end, as she's the one who discovered Phoebe at the breeder so many years ago and brought her into the Jet City Jumpers flyball club.  We had a smooth trip to Sunnyside where we met up with Phoebe's new family, had a nice lunch at a nearby cafe, and then separated to go to our respective homes.

 

Tami, Phoebe, and me on the handoff day.

 

Phoebe with her new family - she will be so happy!

 Phoebe waiting for us to finish lunch so she could go to her new home - she rode all the way there on her new mom's lap!

Her new family was so excited to bring her home it was amazing.  I am thrilled that they want her so much and they're already happy with her, having settled her in on Sunday and taken her to the vet for a checkup on Monday.  Phoebe will have a fenced half-acre to run and play in, recently checked and reinforced by her new dad, as well as squirrels to watch from the windows, laps to snuggle in, and a bed of people to sleep with.  And best of all, she won't have to deal with any pesky border collies in her life anymore!

We will miss Phoebe in the flyball lanes and on the barndog course, but will not miss the stress and trouble she brought to the house of border collies.  I hope she has a long and spoiled life with her new family, and even though she's about to turn 14 in May I expect she's got a lot of adventures left to enjoy with them.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.