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New group hoping to rescue area cattle dogs

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Contributed by: Charmaine Robledo/YourHub.com on 5/14/2008

A new rescue organization is working to help an often-misunderstood animal, the Australian cattle dog.

The Rocky Mountain Cattle Dog Rescue, founded by Bunny Eisele, of Denver, is a group dedicated to saving and fostering cattle dogs to be adopted into homes around Colorado.

The Australian cattle dog is a heeler breed -- a mix of collie, Dalmatian and dingo, according to Eisele.

"They are bred to herd and bred to be tough," she said. Inherently, cattle dogs were bred to work on a ranch, herding livestock.

However, because of this attitude, Eisele said often many of them who end up in shelters are put down because they aren't sociable dogs. Cattle dogs are suspicious of strangers, so they won't run up to people and ask for attention. Instead, Eisele said, cattle dogs prefer one-on-one care and develop bonds with their owners.

Because of their unusual character, Eisele, who has spent about 15 years working with cattle dogs, hopes her rescue group can help save them put the animals into loving homes.

"Cattle dogs are extremely smart," said Eisele. "They have very high energy; they need some place to exercise and attend to that need." And, with their pre-disposition to herd, Eisele said cattle dogs have to be given a job or some activity to keep them preoccupied.

The Rocky Mountain Cattle Dog Rescue currently has nine members fostering cattle dogs around the metro area.

Each member takes in a foster cattle dog and works with them, modifying their behaviors and "making them housedogs," according to Eisele. "Foster homes put a roof over their heads, provide food, training and observation," she added.

The most important aspect for Rocky Mountain Cattle Dog Rescue is follow-up, Eisele said.

"Part of our rescue is to partner with the owners," Eisele said. "If they're having an issue, we'll work with them."

"One of our goals is to educate owners," said Jen Giacchi, a member of Rocky Mountain Cattle Dog Rescue and a resident of Westminster. "Teach them how to handle the dogs, do follow-ups and encourage owners to become members."

Recently, Giacchi was fostering Blue, a 6-month-old purebred cattle dog who had lived in a farm near Springfield, Colo. However, Giacchi said Blue liked going out to the roads too much, so the owners gave him up instead of risking anything happening to him.

Giacchi, who also runs her own pet sitting and dog walking company called Friendly Visits, has a cattle dog, Neisa, 4, whom she adopted at a year old. Giacchi said Neisa actually helped her train Blue while he was in foster care.

"Dogs learn a lot from other dogs," she said. "They talk to them, pick up things from them and learn a lot from the pack."

Eisele said Blue was just placed with a young couple that had a 6-month-old female cattle dog and wanted a playmate for her. Since both are the same age and have very high energies, Eisele said it was a good match.

Because the Rocky Mountain Cattle Dog Rescue is in its infancy, Eisele said the group is working hard on networking and fundraising. The group has partnered with the Denver Dumb Friends League, whom Eisele said has helped them with educational materials for the cattle dogs. Giacchi said the rescue group also has partnerships with the Boulder Humane Society and All Breed Rescue Network.

"It's definitely about getting the word out," Giacchi said. "And having the shelters contact us before putting them (cattle dogs) down."

Eisele said the group charges $200 to adopt a cattle dog to a home. This amount includes veterinary checks, spaying or neutering and microchipping the dog. The rescue group has made appearances at the Colorado Pet Expo held in April, the Furry Scurry held May 3 and will be appearing at a book signing event at Boulder's Muttropolis on May 31.

For more information about the Rocky Mountain Cattle Dog Rescue, go to www.rmcdr.com or call 303-991-1869.

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Submitted By: Jeff Millman

posted on 5/15/2008 @ 8:23:33 AM

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I am a trainer in Chicago, IL and recently wrote a blog post about high energy dogs. I definitely included Cattle Dogs on the list. In my experience, Cattle Dogs are one of the more challenging dog and absolutely not good for novice dog people. Jeff Millman http://www.watchandtrain.com

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