Tippy the Old English Sheepdog

Tippy arrived today and I am in love! I think my first exposure to Old English Sheepdogs (OES) was the Warner Brothers cartoon of George the OES who would punch in and punch out a time clock. Sure, it isn’t a completely accurate depiction of the breed, but it placed a soft spot in my heart for them.

Tippy is an AKC-registered Old English Sheepdog, seven years old and 52 pounds. She came to us from a breeder where she was gently bred, just three litters. She has a very even temperament, easy going and laid back. She doesn’t get riled up by the puppies, who are fascinated by the walking wall of hair. She patiently lets my adult dogs sniff at her.

This first day with me, Tippy has decided that the place to be is near my feet while I type on the computer. I’ve pulled the hair back from her eyes so that she has a clear view of what is going on and I think that is helping her relax. The puppies are in now and after checking her out have decided that they’ll just wrestle with each other ~ a wise decision! lol After all, Tippy has had a tough couple of days. She first went to Gisele, then she went to the vet to be spayed, and now she is with me. She has taken it all in stride ~ she is a dream in the car! ~ but I think she is a bit tuckered out. A couple of days and I think we’ll see those blue eyes twinkling again!

Oh! did I mention that Tippy has blue eyes? Oh yes, they are sky blue! Right now she is sporting a summer hair cut, which looks lovely on her and is surely much more comfortable in this weather. If you’ve ever been as fascinated as I am by Old English Sheepdogs, then this might just be the girl for you. She’s so easy going and adaptive, I think she’d fit in well anywhere!

You won’t be surprised to know that I’ve already taken a ton of photos of Tippy, so do check out her photo album. I’ll get a video of her sometime in the next couple of days. What song should I use? “Hair”???? lol…….

September 17th Update:

Tippy is finding her inner-puppy! I cannot believe the changes I have seen in her in just 24 hours. Yesterday when she met us, she spent an hour watching before she felt comfortable enough to come up to us and sit down near our feet. Today, when people came over, she just trotted right up to them and followed them around the house!

Yesterday, when we were outside and the puppies were all over her, she just stood there patiently. Tonight she played with them, running around the yard with joy. Then she ran right up to me and jumped up, gently putting her paws on my waist as if to say, “Isn’t life grand?” It truly made us all smile!

September 27 Update:

Three new dogs arrived, giving me an excuse for a new video. Watch Tippy dance with the Papillon and Collie. So cute!

October 4 Update:

 

Well, I knew this day would come ~ Tippy has found her forever home. It pained me to see her go but her response to Kim and Rick was undeniable. This dog, who just a few weeks ago took a day to warm to anyone, was standing right next to them within minutes, vying with the puppies for attention. It was quite the sight to behold. Kim and Rick have a huge heart and a loving home. I know that Tippy will be the apple of their eye. I couldn’t be happier.

Feb 16, 2011 Update:

Hello, just a note to let you know how well tippy is doing. She is not the shy ….never speaks dog she once was. She loves to run and play and jump. The other dogs cannot keep up with her. She barks and jumps with excitement to go outside as she is the first one out the door and the first one back in. She sleeps with us every night sometimes I wake up and she has attempted to curl up in a ball right beside me and the edge of the bed. I do not think she knows she is a larger dog!! She has gained about 10 pounds and all the loose skin on her abdomen has disappeared. OES dogs are very clownish and funny. She loves to roll over on her back and move her back legs like she is riding an imaginary bike in the air. We love her to death!!