Latest news with #Bordercollies
Newsweek
21-05-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Woman Tells Cockapoo He's in Charge of Other Pets, Then She Checks Dog Cam
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A South Carolina cockapoo named Ollie has earned praise on social media after taking it upon himself to keep order in the house when his mom is out. In a viral TikTok video shared on Sunday under the username @ Ollie can be seen sitting up on the couch, attentively watching over his two Bernese mountain dog friends, ensuring that they don't break any rules while mom is gone. "Every time we leave the dogs together I say 'Ollie you're in charge," and I just found out he takes that very seriously," reads layover text in the clip. A caption says: "Keeping the big dogs in line." Judging by this clip, Ollie definitely understood what his owner asked of him, and did his best to not disappoint her. But how much human language can dogs actually understand? The American Kennel Club said that, while dogs are able to learn words and distinguish them, they don't really focus on the phonetic details the same way humans do, and so similar-sounding words may sound the same to them. A study by Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary observed dogs' cognitive responses to familiar words, similar sounding words, and nonsense words, and found that while they were able to distinguish between familiar words and nonsense words, similar words didn't seem to make much of a difference to them. For example words like "sit," and "sid" tend to get the same reaction. However, just because they don't make this distinction, it doesn't mean that they can't, it's probably because they don't think it's important. Some dogs, especially Border collies, are able to learn more complex words, that don't necessarily need to be commands, like names of specific toys. A screenshot of the viral video shows Ollie watching over his bigger brothers. A screenshot of the viral video shows Ollie watching over his bigger brothers. @ The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 665,500 views and more than 220,200 likes on the platform. One user, Kylie, said in the comments: "I love seeing how deeply dogs understand what we're saying." Caroline Valade wrote: "Doing the lifeguard scanning method and everything." Another user, Maggieandmartha added: "When I worked in dog day care, I'd do this with some dogs and they'd always do something like this lol. Dogs love a job." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
The Independent
12-03-2025
- The Independent
Estimated 1,808 dogs stolen across the UK last year, police figures show
An estimated 1,808 dogs were stolen across the UK last year – with French bulldogs now the most likely breed to be taken, according to police figures. Some 51 French bulldogs were stolen over the 12 months, an increase of 38% on 2023, analysis of Freedom of Information requests to UK police forces by Direct Line Pet Insurance shows. French bulldogs can cost up to £5,000 when bought from a reputable breeder, meaning criminals can secure large sums of money for these animals by selling them on. Rottweilers saw the highest rise in thefts – a 180% year-on-year increase, followed by Border collies, up from five stolen to 13, and Chihuahuas, rising from 14 thefts to 26. In contrast, thefts of XL bullies have dropped by 49% following the ban on the breed introduced in England and Wales last February. While the overall thefts figure is a 21% fall on 2023, only around one in five dogs (19%) were returned to their owners last year – one of the lowest levels in a decade of tracking by Direct Line Pet Insurance. The Pet Abduction Act came into effect in May last year, making pet theft a criminal offence in England and Northern Ireland, punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. The reduction in thefts may be an early sign that the new law is having a positive impact, the insurer said. Over the past 10 years, 23,430 dogs have been reported stolen to police, according to Freedom of Information requests, with 5,005 (21%) being returned. Overall, dog theft has declined by more than a fifth (22%) in the past decade. Despite the decline in reported thefts, 61% of owners say they are worried about the possibility of their dog being stolen – with 40% saying they would only ever walk their dog on a lead and 17% using a tracking device. Adam Burgin, head of Direct Line Pet Insurance, said: 'As a nation of pet lovers we hope to continue the downward trend in the number of stolen dogs. 'Our research over the last decade has shown dog theft is a persistent issue and hopefully the Pet Abduction Act 2024 will encourage a change in criminal behaviour in the long-term. 'Those who have fallen victim to dog theft will know the intense stress and trauma that comes with having their beloved pet snatched away from them, often with no closure on knowing what happened to a member of their family.' Anne Maynard, whose female Jack Russell 'Mouse' remains missing since she disappeared from Gerrards Cross golf course on December 3, 2023, said: 'It's now over 15 months but it feels like yesterday. We can remember that awful day so clearly. 'We can't seem to move on. Who would think that this tiny little soul would have such an impact on our lives. 'Every day we suffer from heartache, guilt, depression and such a heavy sadness that never leaves us, it's the not knowing that makes us go over every scenario of what could've happened to her. 'We've had a huge poster campaign, sending out her picture right across the country, and we've set up her Facebook group 'Help find missing Mouse' which we encourage people to join as that one share could get our beautiful girl home to us. 'She's not sitting next to me so she's out there, somewhere. It's our silent life sentence, we'll never stop looking.' Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today magazine and patron of Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance, said: 'We've seen some amazing re-unifications this year, for dogs that have been gone for many years. 'Dogs never ever forget their people and our video footage of them being reunited proves this. My heart aches for all those still waiting for that phone call that says their missing dog has been found. 'The market for stolen dogs is sadly still here and we have a role to play to continue making it much harder for crooks to monetise our best friends as breeding slaves. It's important to regularly check your dog's microchip data and make sure details are correct – it's something so often forgotten.'
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Estimated 1,808 dogs stolen across the UK last year, police figures show
An estimated 1,808 dogs were stolen across the UK last year – with French bulldogs now the most likely breed to be taken, according to police figures. Some 51 French bulldogs were stolen over the 12 months, an increase of 38% on 2023, analysis of Freedom of Information requests to UK police forces by Direct Line Pet Insurance shows. French bulldogs can cost up to £5,000 when bought from a reputable breeder, meaning criminals can secure large sums of money for these animals by selling them on. Rottweilers saw the highest rise in thefts – a 180% year-on-year increase, followed by Border collies, up from five stolen to 13, and Chihuahuas, rising from 14 thefts to 26. In contrast, thefts of XL bullies have dropped by 49% following the ban on the breed introduced in England and Wales last February. While the overall thefts figure is a 21% fall on 2023, only around one in five dogs (19%) were returned to their owners last year – one of the lowest levels in a decade of tracking by Direct Line Pet Insurance. The Pet Abduction Act came into effect in May last year, making pet theft a criminal offence in England and Northern Ireland, punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. The reduction in thefts may be an early sign that the new law is having a positive impact, the insurer said. Over the past 10 years, 23,430 dogs have been reported stolen to police, according to Freedom of Information requests, with 5,005 (21%) being returned. Overall, dog theft has declined by more than a fifth (22%) in the past decade. Despite the decline in reported thefts, 61% of owners say they are worried about the possibility of their dog being stolen – with 40% saying they would only ever walk their dog on a lead and 17% using a tracking device. Adam Burgin, head of Direct Line Pet Insurance, said: 'As a nation of pet lovers we hope to continue the downward trend in the number of stolen dogs. 'Our research over the last decade has shown dog theft is a persistent issue and hopefully the Pet Abduction Act 2024 will encourage a change in criminal behaviour in the long-term. 'Those who have fallen victim to dog theft will know the intense stress and trauma that comes with having their beloved pet snatched away from them, often with no closure on knowing what happened to a member of their family.' Anne Maynard, whose female Jack Russell 'Mouse' remains missing since she disappeared from Gerrards Cross golf course on December 3, 2023, said: 'It's now over 15 months but it feels like yesterday. We can remember that awful day so clearly. 'We can't seem to move on. Who would think that this tiny little soul would have such an impact on our lives. 'Every day we suffer from heartache, guilt, depression and such a heavy sadness that never leaves us, it's the not knowing that makes us go over every scenario of what could've happened to her. 'We've had a huge poster campaign, sending out her picture right across the country, and we've set up her Facebook group 'Help find missing Mouse' which we encourage people to join as that one share could get our beautiful girl home to us. 'She's not sitting next to me so she's out there, somewhere. It's our silent life sentence, we'll never stop looking.' Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today magazine and patron of Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance, said: 'We've seen some amazing re-unifications this year, for dogs that have been gone for many years. 'Dogs never ever forget their people and our video footage of them being reunited proves this. My heart aches for all those still waiting for that phone call that says their missing dog has been found. 'The market for stolen dogs is sadly still here and we have a role to play to continue making it much harder for crooks to monetise our best friends as breeding slaves. It's important to regularly check your dog's microchip data and make sure details are correct – it's something so often forgotten.' Sign in to access your portfolio
CBS News
17-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
Why this Massachusetts farm is doing things the old fashioned way with sheep dogs
A sheep farm in Massachusetts is doing things the old-fashioned way by herding dogs instead of ATVs. It's at Little Brook Farm in Sunderland where 6-year-old sheepdog Bett does her job. "She's waiting for me to give that command that says 'go get the sheep,'" Farm owner Kristen Whittle says. Training a sheepdog for herding Whittle says it's about the relationships that the dogs form, not only with the owner but also with the sheep. "People think sheep are stupid, sheep are smart, they read the dogs too," Whittle says. She began training Bett as a puppy, building on her already advanced natural instincts to herd. "Sheepdogs work better than any other tool for this particular job because they have something that's bred into them, Border Collies are a fetching breed, so their instinct tells them to get out around the livestock and bring it back to you," Whittle explains. Whittle says that Bett is a confident dog with a natural feel for the sheep. But there is a lot of training that goes into getting the dog ready to herd. They are trained as tamed predators, like a wolf, which means there is a lot of eye contact involved in the process. "Border collies are unique in how they move sheep and livestock because they use eyes. So they drop down, and you'll see them get very intense, and they move them by staring at them, not with bark or bite," Whittle explains. There are a few basic commands that the dogs need to know to be able to do their job. "The basic commands are come by, which is circle clockwise, so always to the dog's left. And away to me, which is a circle counterclockwise, always to the dog's right. And then we have walk in, which is walk straight into the sheep from wherever that dog is," Whittle told WBZ-TV. Not a dog for everyone Whittle also breeds the dogs. Bett's daughter, 9-month-old Gaia is also being trained to herd sheep on the farm. But Whittle says that while the dogs are sweet and intelligent, people should think hard before getting them as pets. "I talk more people out of border collies than into them because border collies are, it's like having all precocious children," Whittle says. The dogs do get to enjoy their time off and be just like any other dog, but they prefer to be working. Whittle says that if given the opportunity the dogs would work until they passed out because it's what they want to be doing..
