Our Creed...

As we pass through this life, we actually take on a creed of sorts by following what we believe.  Sometimes you may not even know it because you haven't really thought about it.  A creed can take on many forms, but it's a set of beliefs or aims which guide your actions.  Sometimes you have a faith or doctrine and don't even realize it, and usually, it's about something you are passionate about.

Some people have a creed, and it often gets stronger as you dive into your passion. Clancy's Dream has a Creed that states, "Bringing Help and Hope to Border Collies and their Owners in times of Need through Rescue Efforts, Veterinary Care or Cancer Assistance." When Clancy's Dream was started, things changed because the needs have changed, and I am even more passionate to help the dogs and see a greater need for urgency in their plight.  Just this last week, I saw an entire group of people helping with a cause with a deep passion, and I was humbled.

When a call was put out where nearly 20 Border Collies needed help in the worse way, many people came to the sound of the alarm, which was ringing loudly, and they were running at full speed.  We were flooded with offers to donate, transport, helping with physical labor, pray, and to do whatever it took to help these desperate animals in need, a team came together. 

Most of the time, we didn't even need to ask, people filled in doing whatever it took.  There were whole days that we needed to evaluate, wash, and scrub the kennel and dogs and transport.  As I write this, there is an all-day transport that will last from 8:30 am until late in the evening.  On one occasion, a group of men transported a 24-foot horse trailer and tool all the dogs to a clinic at once, something that 9 vehicles would have been needed.  This trip alone took over 18 hours because they had to wait at the Clinic until they were done and then transported them to a new clinic.

While it's about a 4-hour drive from me, and while I was dreading it, on the day we washed the dogs and sanitized the kennel, one couple drove from Kentucky, which was much farther than me.  I was humbled and even felt guilty that I was complaining.  Many groups stepped up to foster and adopt the dogs and help with whatever needs.  While some of us have been involved with puppy mills, this was a first for Clancy's Dream.  One of my favorite groups, Glen Highland Border Collie rescue, stepped up you take dogs that were positive for Heartworm, but they were adopted by one of our members.

As the progress developed with the transport today, every dog has left for its new home.  Thanks for all the help from everyone who helped. As I thanked as many people as I could, If I heard it once, I heard it many times, "It's all about the dogs." I am humbled is an understatement...  Find your passion; it's rewarding.   Ken

Megan Chasteen – Grooming 

Marybeth Haar – Adopting Peggy & Stormy

Gail Beach – Evaluations, Fostering Kimber & Peggy and dog washing

JD Hasty – Dog washing

Dr. Shanna Ewert & staff at Community Animal Hospital in Warsaw, IN – 

Lou Anne Denny – Dog washing

Barb Parsons  - Dog washing and kennel cleaning

Jeff Persons Dog washing and kennel cleaning 

JoDee Lawson (Imogene) – Transport organizing for 3 transports

Staff and Vets at Lafayette Low-Cost Spay & Neuter

Sharon Dull working and visiting the dogs as they recouped

Jo & Pat Miller – Transporting 9 dogs in a horse trailer

Max  – Pat's helper

Liz Crawley - helping get dogs loaded and transported from Clinic to kennels

Jeremy Hooten – helping get dogs loaded and transported from Clinic to kennels

Nita & Crystal Creek Kennels

Katie Crawford – Transport of Penny, Lady & Jan

Morgan Hancock - Transport of Penny, Lady & Jan

Other rescues – Sally Hull/Hull's Haven, Dede King/Heart of a Border Collie, Deanne Harris/Border Collie Rescue & Rehab & Naomi Walker-Byrne/BC Save

Glen Highland Farm

Karen Newhall

People that donated, prayed & followed

**I'm sure there are more, many more.  Please forgive me...

Too Late?

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As I saw the older dog, my heart broke.  It looked like one of my dogs, and I just knew they were related, but they were not.   Several years ago, we worked with several people who had confiscated dogs in a situation because the dogs needed a home, and the faces of all the dogs broke your heart, well, I brought that dog home.  What was I thinking of, another dog along with mine, am I crazy? 

This dog was matted, dirty, and stinking so bad you didn't want to be around it or even touch it.  I also had to keep the windows open as we were driving back to the farm.  The dog was in their senior years, and I thought, "is their hope for this dog, is it too late?"   "What have I gotten myself into," I thought.  Sometimes you can't fix everything. 

I took the dog to the Veterinarians office for its initial shots and was actually embarrassed to go in because I thought someone, I knew would see me.  What would they think?  "Look at that dog, and it doesn't seem he cares about it." I knew what they were thinking in the back of their mind, and it probably was worse.  I sat in the corner until my time, and when I summoned back, the first thing I said, "it's not my dog, I'm trying to help it."  "Wow," said the Vet tech.

After the visit, the dog got a bath and brushed out, he looked much better and even much spunkier.  We spent several days together, and he would play around the farm and ran with the other dogs before they left for their new home. What shocked me was the transformation of the dog and how his spirit changed in many ways. What always comes back to me, is if you put a little effort into something, you will get significant results in the end, and I see it every day. 

Many times, we see a dog that appears broken with little hope or future, it could be that it's emotional or physical, but an effort to help the dog it always pays off in many ways.  Just this week, we took home another senior dog that appeared “things were just too late" to be able to help, but things changed. Today, that same dog is part of our family and is a very loving dog, even with medical issues.  No, it's not too late, and if there were struggles in the early part of her life, what will always be remembered is the peace and comfort and they now live in hope, compassion, and love.   Unlike us, we sometimes let the past dictate our future because we can't forget the past.  I wish people were more like dogs!  Myself included!

Sometimes it's easy to give up even in life, and we know it always has struggles.  You just have to pull up your bootstraps and change the situation no matter how hopeless it seems.  What a mess the dog was in, but when the dirt was washed off, and she was cleaned up, it was amazing, and life by everyone was changed for the better. 

In just a few days, volunteers are going back to the kennel where we will wash and groom ten more dogs that are in the same position as the dog, I brought home, dirty, stinky and matted with no hope.  This is needed to prepare them for the spay and neuters they will also receive.  When we wash the dirt off and change their life, I will only imagine we will even wash some of the dirt out of our life too.  It is a blessing and a lesson we could all learn.  If you don't help others, you may never help yourself...   Ken

Getting There...

Getting there;

Approaching or progressing toward a particular goal or outcome.

While this is true, it's not always the goal.  Most of our lives we work so hard to get "there."  All of our life we finagle to do things that may not be pleasant such as working two jobs, pinching pennies and we do without things to make ends meet.  Each of us has a story that most of us can relate too because we probably have done the same thing.

From birth, we strive for goals, we crawl, walk, sleep all night, learn the potty chair, 1st grade, middle school, graduation, marriage, and depending on your lifestyle, sex.  We all have goals, and we reach then at different intervals in our personal life.  One goal we all reach is getting old.

Mom are we here yet?  Yes, Jonnie we're here!

Years ago, I would get mail about Credit Card offers, vacations now I get mail about old-person things: hearing aids, catheters, investment dinners and one night I turned to Elaine after seeing a TV ad and said: "Who wears a catheter, is there really a market for this?"  That's right: I get catheter mail, who knows, it may be heading my way.  I can see this in the future, "Kenny, are you ready to leave for the movie, do you have your wallet, phone, and catheters," "sure, thank you, I brought two." 

I I also, get a lot of letters from AARP.  AARP is, of course, the last sound you make before you die. AARP!  I remember when I first got my AARP card, I would pay for three years ahead of time now I only get it one year because I don't want to give them money if I'm not around.  But they also help older people deal with being old, by telling us that age doesn't really matter; that no matter how old we get, we can still do anything we set our minds to.  Of course, this is a lie, I mean, no matter what, aging, sucks. For people, anyway. But not for dogs.  Dutchess turned 13 around the same time I turned 65, so if you go by dog years, she is 91  But I've noticed that Dutchess seems a lot happier in her old age than I am. Everything makes her happy and excited. Like when it's time to go outside, she will grab a ball, I'll be like, "Oh crap, I gotta take the dogs out to pee, we don't have time." But Dutchess sees it like, "A WALK!! WHAT A GREAT IDEA!! HOW DO YOU THINK THIS STUFF UP?"  and I would say "It's because I don't want you to poop on the floor."

Dutchess loves to make new friends. I seldom make new friends. I'm not even sure all my old friends are still around and if they are, they don't remember me. But Dutchess immediately makes friends with everybody she meets. She has lots more friends than I do, but only because she thinks they are carrying a snack in their pocket and she will effectually check them out wagging her tail but sniffing.

She also has more fun. Despite her age, she still loves to play. I'll be sitting around wondering who wears a catheter, and Dutchess will find a ball trotting up and taunting me, daring me to try to take it away from her.  Dutchess is old, but she finds joy in life, all the time.  I envy that, and I'm going to try to be more like Dutchess, to take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like play and sleeping. I'm going to make a point of doing the things that Dutchess does that make her happy.

Although I draw the line at sniffing your pockets, drinking from the toilet, licking my butt and eating rabbit poop.  Maybe that's not a good idea.    Ken

The Follow-up...

In my heart, I wish we could save every Border Collie, but sometimes it's impossible.  I remember when I worked at a Veterinarian's office and an emergency came in, it wasn't in the cards that the dogs who was injured would be saved.  While I was visibly upset, I remember so well when the Vet put his arm around me and said: "Ken, we can't save them all."  In my perfect world, I dream that we can, and I believe all of us share that same dream but it's not possible.

Saved, one happy Boy...

While Clancy's Dream is a Border Collie specific organization, we owe that to the breed and to the people who want a Border Collie.  Just because a dog is black, and white doesn't make it a BC.  I remember driving several hours to a shelter in northern Indiana with a board member, and after evaluating the dog, the worker took the dog inside, and the two of us discussed it.  Nearly at the same time, we looked at each other and said: "I don't think this is going to work," and it wouldn't work for several reasons.  We went inside and spoke to the shelter worker, and I said: "We won't be able to take the dog, I feel like a heel, and we let you and the dog down."  I learned a valuable lesson at that very moment when the worker said "Sometimes, you can't fix something somebody else screwed up," and she was right, sometimes you can't.

Several months ago, we took in a little girl into Clancy's Dream who was a senior dog and very active.  She was with a Foster, and after a few weeks, they mentioned that they would like to keep her, it was perfect.  Just a few days after that statement, the unthinkable happened, her attitude changed, issues occurred, and this was not the same dog.  When they called me, I said: "take her to the Vet, and let's get her checked out."  I called the Vet and talked about her behavior and made an appointment as soon as they could get her in.  On my way to Louisville to get her, the Veterinarian called with bad news.  She had gone into a seizure and would not come out of it.  Knowing the Vet and trusting his opinion, and after everything was tried, he was sure it was a brain tumor.  Nothing helped at all, and the decision was made to take the pain away and let her pass with dignity. 

We try so hard to make Clancy's Dream and the Nellie Effect happy, pleasing, and safe, but at times, it's not, it hurts deeply.  She had a private cremation, and she came to the farm with our past dogs and became a part of Clancy's Dream along with The Border Collies of Dogwood Ridge.  When her ashes were picked up, I called her Foster parent and told them they were here.  When time allowed, the Foster came up, and we took that walk down the driveway to a place under the tall trees, where the sun shines through an open canopy and wind chimes that sing with the breeze.  Our Senior rescue girl was home, and we sprinkled her ashes to forever rest with Clancy, Mollie Abbie Nellie and friends and rescues dogs who also passed before...

Several days after the Fosters Dogs passed, this was found and the photo was sent to me, sweet but sad memories

Walking to the gravesite, I noticed the wind chimes tinkling and thought how normal and pleasant it is every time I visit.  After her ashes were scattered, we hugged, and I said, "I'm so sorry," and I was.  We talked about the dogs that have crossed the bridge, at one point, our Foster said: "the wind chimes are singing, but there is no wind, look at the leaves."  "It usually happens this way," I said, "but I believe they are talking to us," and in my heart, I know they are...

Scattered Ashes

The very day our Foster came up to spread the ashes, she also transported a dog that had significant medical issues who was picked up for us from another state and she had been doomed until this day.   Later that day, that very dog was transferred to a Foster who would treat her special needs and has.  Fate has a funny way of working when one door shuts, another one opens.  Laying to rest, our senior girl was heartbreaking, but today our special needs girl is thriving and living in a home where she is loved and coddled and well on her way to recovery and a new life.  There are many happy moments here at the farm but sad ones too.

Just this Saturday another Border Collie was adopted from the farm, and as I walked to the main gate to open it as the adopters left, I walked by Clancy's grave.  As it is a custom when I approached Clancy's resting place, I heard the sweet tones of the chimes, but this time I heard "One more is saved, but more are coming."  Ken

My life as a rescuer:
Always up
Always down
Always anxious
Always looking
Always more...