I'm Blue, and this is just a little topic I created to document the events of my first ever dog. His name is Sammy and he is a year old Border Collie. We viewed him a few days ago (unfortunately, I was unable to be there) and decided that he was the one. On Saturday, we will make the 12 hour drive to pick him up and hopefully begin an exciting new chapter.

Growing up, I was surrounded by animals, from the cats my family had when I was a child, to taking my first riding lesson aged 5, to the three dogs and two cats my grandmother owns (which I spend most days after school and weekends walking and feeding when she is busy). Unfortunately, with both parents working full time jobs with shifts, we never had the time or opportunity to have a pet of our own- until now.

From what the kind owners have told us, Sammy is a timid yet playful dog, who is not particularly food-driven, but would do anything for a squeaky toy. He had troubles with the dogs he lived with previously but is fine with cats, children and other dogs on walks. (We believe that something happened between him and another dog which caused this agressive behaviour towards him specifically).

Sammy is a KC registered Border Collie who is very clever, but struggles to learn tricks and essential skills such as sitting, staying and walking to heel. We hope to improve his manners and, indeed, his overall nervous behaviour by introducing him slowly to social situtations such as the forest directly next to our house and some dog training sessions held locally.

Hi, Blue here! This is just a quick update to say that everything is ready, all the toys, treats, brushes and beds have been bought. His crate is coming with him, as well as a few of his toys from his old home. We've chosen red for his collar, lead and tag, as it will suit his tricolour coat. It's a long drive to collect him and we'll be leaving really early, but I'm sure I'll be able to update on the journey, and hopefully with a few photos of him on the way back home.

Congrats! I'll chime in as the owner of a dog-agressive boy. He was outgoing and playful with dogs of all types until he was mauled by a bully-type, around 75-80lb (my dog weighs 12lb). He's been incredibly fear-aggressive around other dogs since then, to the point where I don't think we'll ever own a second dog during his lifetime. Be very cautious, even if your dog is on a leash, around other dogs, at least until you get to know his behavior and body language. If my dog had the chance, he'd attack another dog on a walk. Not saying that's definitely what's going to happen with you, just sharing my experience so that it might help in some way. Enjoy your new baby <3