Meet Faber,

Update 9/2023

“Faber passed his AKC Canine Good Citizen test with flying colors on his first attempt. He is a quick learner and works happily for verbal praise. He is wonderful with other dogs of all descriptions and turns out he is a fantastic puppy-raiser – he is just phenomenal with the pushy and obnoxious baby border collie that has joined the household. He is also showing amazing speed and agility in his games with her – like a little border collie cutting horse! Faber is fully enjoying life as he waits for his forever home.”

Faber is a red tri-color smooth-coated male estimated to be born in January-February 2022. He is named after a top-of-the-line art pencil (Faber Castell), a nod to his truly artistic coat coloration: he is a deep dark rich red accented by copper-to-blond points which transition subtly into white feet and facial markings, with coppery highlights on the side of his thighs and striking green-yellow eyes that dominate his first impression. He has prick ears, with a left ear that is variably upright or slightly tipped. Faber is a convenient smaller size Border Collie at about 19.5” at the withers and 33lb lean weight. Faber is being fostered in Savoy IL.

Faber was found as a stray running in Southern Indiana when he was about 6 months old – he was afraid of even well-meaning people and had to be trapped. He was fostered in a private home before being transferred for foster with Come Bye Border Collie Rescue in January 2023 and has been with his current foster since then so, between the two foster homes, a lot is known about him. Faber LOVES, LOVES, LOVES other dogs and gets along very well with dogs of all types and sizes. He comes alive in the presence of other dogs and will need to go to a home where there will be abundant opportunities for him to play and be around others. He is reported to also be good with cats. He has shown no interest in chasing rabbits or other wildlife, bikes, cars etc. while on his walks. He walks exceptionally well on a leash, adjusting his pace to match his handler’s and calmly stopping and waiting when his handler stops to talk or do something else. He is environmentally very stable except will sometimes startle if surprised by a sudden human appearance or human-related noise. Otherwise, he is neutral to random noises, traffic, different surfaces or structures or weather elements (storms, rain, hot/cold) and completely non-reactive to other animals.

Faber potties readily on or off leash but prefers to ‘go’ when he is taken out for that purpose, not when he is on his pleasure walks. When travelling, we establish a potty area and he readily understands and uses it promptly when taken there. He rides extremely well in the car and readily jumps in his crate as soon as the door is opened. He has done very well when having to spend long hours crated in the car – he likes his crate and is content to watch quietly, occasionally working on a chew toy. He has superb crate manners at home as well – he loves his crate and will often go there to signal that he believes it’s time for dinner or for bed, at times he wants to rest, or if he becomes uneasy about something. He is clean, quiet and content in his crate and pretty much ignores anything meant as crate-time enrichment – he is content without it. He has great house manners – he doesn’t get into things and has only played with or chewed dog toys meant for that purpose. He does tear up cardboard (paper towel or toilet paper tubes, 12pk beverage boxes) but those are considered and given as dog toys in his current home. He absolutely loves toys, especially those made of gel plastic, and he will happily entertain himself endlessly with them. He is not destructive of toys but will ‘defluff’ the plush ones if a hole develops or continue tearing one that another dog has damaged. He is still figuring out about playing with a human – he is interested in human-toy-Faber interaction and shows a natural retrieve but is uncertain about bringing the toy back all the way back seemingly because of residual distrust of an approaching or reaching person. He likes to gather toys into a pile or hide them in the crevice between dog beds. He is a typical level of ‘selfish’ about toys with other dogs which manifests as playing keep away but he has given NO reason for concern about resource guarding: other dogs can come and take anything away from him without issue. Faber is a very quiet dog but he will alert bark if someone comes to the door or approaches the yard when he is outside.

Faber is super smart, playful and athletic – he is extremely fast and can turn on a dime. As he becomes more confident in his current home, he has started to show some herding tendencies which are easily interrupted if indicated. He learns readily and very quickly comes to understand and cooperate with household routines. Formal obedience training has not yet been initiated because he will first need to have a stronger foundation of trust and building of a reward system that is meaningful to him (his wariness about direct human interaction makes him reluctant to accept rewards of food, attention or praise i.e. those are not yet rewarding to him because his caution about the person is still paramount). He is wonderfully behaved for grooming: though he doesn’t love baths or nail trims, he is always fully cooperative, and he has come to really enjoy being brushed. He readily eats dry kibble and does well on it. It is easy to give him medications (but he isn’t going to fall for the hide-it-in-food thing!). He is just a super easy-care, easy-to-live-with easy keeper with tons of potential.

Faber’s difficult start in life, likely dominated by people trying to grab him or draw him in with food to capture him, built a dog that at 6 months of age was terrified of people. Even then, he never showed any tendency whatsoever to bite (he is a freeze or flee kind of guy and if he can’t flee, he freezes). He has made tremendous strides since then in learning to trust and he clearly shows the desire to bond and interact with his person but there remains some wariness he will need to continue to outgrow with continuing positive associations with people who are patient and aware. He can readily negotiate new environments, but it will take him a longer period to have confidence in his new human family. It is definitely worth the wait for this exceptional boy!

Faber is most comfortable and seeks attention when his person is seated – he will then come up for petting and seems to enjoy stroking of his head and ears, firm rubbing of his muzzle with a cupped hand, and relatively firm thumping pats on the sides of his chest. When his person is standing, he will veer away if approached but otherwise follows around the house to watch what is going on. He accepts being hugged or picked up, but it worries him. When going out to the yard, he prefers to have his person go outside with him and will wait at the door until the person steps through then will go out. If the person turns to go back inside, he will turn and run inside but will stay outside to explore or play with the other dogs if the person stays outside. He now will occasionally go outside before the person steps out and has stayed out to play a couple of times. He loves chasing toys and playing tag or wrestling with other dogs, in or out of the house. He is always very appropriate with other dogs and adapts his level of interaction to the other dog’s personality and interest. He also settles well in the house and will curl up on the floor near his person for hours at a time.

Faber is looking for a child-free home (not because he is a threat to them but because the type and level of activity of children and their natural desire to cuddle and pet the dog would be extremely stressful to him) and a home where he will get to share life with another dog. He will need a patient person who will help him continue to grow his trust and confidence and who understands that it will take a while to build the foundation that allows him to be the loving, devoted partner he so wants to be.

A home with a secure fence would be best for this boy!

UPDATE 6/13/2023: Faber has really accelerated his progress! He actively seeks out attention and petting and looks to engage with his person in play, now seeing people as the source and integral part of the best games. He now finds reward in happy verbal praise and will work for it. He has come to enjoy pausing on his adventure walks to sit with his person for getting rubs and pets and watching the world together. He is an all-weather, all-terrain kind of guy. He shows no concern for wind, rain or thunder and seems very heat-tolerant. He readily navigates different surfaces and would-be environmental barriers (creeks, downed trees, rocks, bridges, tall grass etc) with ease and calm. He really responds to toys as well as verbal praise and shows a good natural retrieve in fetch games. He is jumping a single bar off leash when asked – he is not sure why that pleases his handler so but he enjoys the game for the shared engagement with his person and the praise he gets afterward. He often shadows his person around the house or curls up by the chair for computer time but is equally content to play independently or hand with the other dogs.

Faber gets along exceptionally well with every other animal on the planet and delights in happy play with other like-minded dogs while respecting the boundaries of dogs not wanting his company. He is fantastic with cats, greeting interested cats politely, playing gently with those inviting him to do so and ignoring the rest. He has done a fair bit of travelling at this point and absolutely LOVES hotel rooms! He is super in the car and is good about waiting patiently and quietly in his crate while the other dogs are out working. For such a young dog, he is very mature in his behaviors while still being playful with the energy to be up for anything. He is about to embark on the new adventure of group training classes with other beginner dogs which he will continue until adoption. He is a really nice little dog who is coming along very well!

Please contact 
ridgway@illinois.edu if you have any questions about Faber.  You can complete an application to adopt Faber or any of the dogs on our website at www.comebyebcrescue.org .