Brown Acres Collies

In 2009, Wes and I had our first litter of Collie puppies. My wonderful, best girl, Bekah and the original Prince of Brown Acres had just 4 little puppies. We had no grand scheme of launching a prize-winning kennel, and I confess that I am too lazy to try to show dogs in the ring. We just loved having the joy of little puppies, and in a few weeks 3 of the puppies were claimed. The other one had disappeared one night before we could get them put up in the barn for the night. We searched and searched in the fields around our 6-acre yard until well after dark, and our hearts were heavy as we went to bed. Wes was up first the next morning, and there on the doorstep was the lovely little tricolor Savannah. That was it. Wes couldn't part with her, and oh how Savannah loved Wes. Sometimes, still, after losing Bekah in 2019, . . . she shows up in my dreams. If you have loved and lost a Collie, you may be able to relate. In the early years when we had puppies, I would get dozens of phone calls asking about the puppies, but in every call, I first heard about the Collie that the grieving person had just lost. And the ones that preceded that one! And we would emote together. I get it. You get it! There's nothing like a Collie to win your heart, and losing one aches in the deepest way. As much as I loved Bekah, and as much as Bekah loved me – she loved me to the point of growling at our other dogs whenever they came near me – just once that I can remember, but I loved being possessed by her: I was hers, and she was mine! As much as I loved my Bekah, the one that won my heart and became, I believe, the best Collie we ever had. Wes would probably pick one of the fine guys we've had, but I always loved the way that Rosie would run ahead on our walks on the farm and then turn around and look at us every few seconds. It seemed as though she was looking for our approval or our directions, and she was always so instantly responsive. I loved how she looked deep into my eyes when I looked at her. A funny thing was that I could be in our upstairs window looking out at her, and she would be 30 yards away from me, and she would see me and smile and wag her tail. And then one day she was gone. Her life ended too soon, like every other Collie we've ever had. I don't why today I am missing her. It's been a year and a half since we lost her, but I am pensive now as I think about her constant Collie smile. If you have a Collie, you know what I'm talking about. I know you would have your own nomination, but here is my tribute to my nomination for the Best Dog Ever – Rosie Lynn of Brown Acres, descendent of Champions and National Champions and one International Champion – dear Rosie, the unpretentious yet most endearing of farm Collies.