Toff

2024 has had an unexpected ending for us. Toff arrived in our lives yesterday, and here she is with C on day 2. We were testing her recall with an extended length of baler twine. No problems, so then we let her off and she stayed close and then played a game of chase with us.

Toff is three years old, she failed her training as a sheepdog. Like Gus thirteen years ago, she doesn’t enjoy rounding up sheep. The man who trained her reluctantly decided to look for a home for her as a pet, he doesn’t have the space or the time for a pet collie, he has plenty of working collies and terriers, and one pet terrier. We just happened to cross over with him a week ago, and in passing he mentioned that he had a young collie who needed a new home. She has never lived inside and she is strongly imprinted on him, so her new life will take some adjusting to.

The parallels with Gus are uncanny. He arrived between Christmas and New Year, after a chance encounter. He was so timid at first, and so is she. He was a gentle dog, not up to the rough and tumble of rounding up sheep, and she is just the same. Yet Toff is different in appearance and gender, so she need never be a substitute for Gus. We’ve waited two years to take on another dog, and didn’t want to look for a puppy or a rescue collie. C always said if we were to have another dog, one would come along when the time was right. The time is right.