10/11/2026
This is Dave Anderson, Adoption Director,
Orshie is still ready and available for adoption. Orshie is a striking 8 year, 10 month old rough female. She is mostly white with a few sable patches. Orshie came to us from a couple where the husband passed away and the wife is moving out of the country and could no longer keep her. You can see in the pictures she needs to lose some weight and has been doing so while in foster. She is great walking on a leash. The foster reports that she is a barker. She does bark a LOT when they are eating/cooking dinner as she was obviously fed people food at those times. She responds to being told “no” and her barking is improving. Continued correction and praise for not barking over time is helping her control. One part of the barking though that is good is that she will bark when she needs to go out to the bathroom/wants to go outside. She is not stressed and has no anxiety, other than she paces around when thunder/lightning storms come through but doesn't "freak out”. (I don’t know too many dogs that are fond of thunderstorms!) Most importantly, she won't be a candidate for a house with only stairs or steps to the outdoors or inside the house (think different levels like a sunken living room). She needs a gently sloped ramp to get in and outside of the house. She is a fall risk. She has an arthritic shoulder and her front paw turns in and she tends to trip while walking down stairs which would potentially be disastrous for her especially in the winter time or when wet. A two story house with an easy entrance and exit would be fine though, as long as she stays on the first floor and there are ramps to get in and out of the house. (my 9 year old collie has never once been upstairs - perfectly physically capable but just has not interest). Extendable ramps are available at places like Petsmart, where I got one for a different elderly collie to navigate our 2 back door steps - about $100 - nice and sturdy aluminum with non-skid surface). Orshie is creaky getting up. A runner she is not, but she does walk fairly quickly. Orshie would be fine in a home without a fence, being taken out on leash or outside being supervised at all times. She wanders but won't "run" away. She would be good for someone looking for a low energy, older dog.
She is being fostered where there are some wide open spaces and you can see in the pictures she is very comfortable with that. Also, the first time she saw sheep she walked over to them, briefly investigated and then laid down next to them while they grazed. She gets along great with her foster siblings, and bounces around playfully with them. Orshie does not really like to be groomed, especially in the front. We think she may have had some rough handling in the past. It will take some work to get her more used to this and her confidence back, which the foster has been working on and can give some tips.
If you already have an approved application on file with us (they are current for 2 years) you have already received an email about Orshie and you can reply to the email if you are interested in her. If you do not have an application on file, you can start the process at . Download the pdf application and mail it (paper mail) to Jay at the address on the top of the form. Also please read that adoption page as it explains the process. There are currently about 100 approved adopters, but rest assured that if you express interest, you will be considered.
When I post collies for adoption, I will wait several days for people to have a chance to read and respond. Then it may take a couple of days to discuss applicants with the foster before we contact someone for a potential adoption. Thanks for your understanding and patience.
