My name is Bodie!

I realize this bio is long but it is written with care, and lengthy for a reason. Please read entire bio before contacting rescue. Please contact Angel’s Heart Dog Rescue at: adopt@angelsheartdogrescue.com. The preferred method of contact is by way of e-mail.

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Bodie is a 2-year-old Australian Cattle Dog/Australian Kelpie mix. He is an absolutely gorgeous dog who weighs about 40 lbs. Bodie has no aggression whatsoever towards humans or dogs; in fact, Bodie is very dog polite. Being neither dominant nor submissive, Bodie seems to know the art of blending in well with any dog, big, small, male or female. I consider Bodie to be an intelligent dog; he catches on to the routine quickly and understands well what is expected of him. For example, I just need to point to the crate and he always goes right in. He also seems to catch on quickly to language.

Bodie has huge pluses. He is not a digger or barker. He has zero destructive tendencies. He is obedient, and respects my authority and leadership. He is not an escape artist, not a fence jumper, and not a picky eater. He is very potty-trained. He has never had an accident in my house and is not a leg lifter. He is crate-trained and sleeps in a large wire crate throughout the night and enjoys a thick rawhide chew or two as a bedtime snack. Bodie is trustworthy enough to not be crated, but a crate is good to have around. His size is 42 inches long, the wire type. Bodie must be an indoor dog with outdoor access.

But, Bodie is still a herding dog who has strong genetics towards herding. His brain is very hardwired to do what he was born to do. Though he does NOT nip at your heels or hands, Bodie loves to free run. He is an athlete. He loves to do his morning and evening work-outs (please ask to see Bodie’s work-out video) and in my opinion, this seems necessary for Bodie to maintain more of a balance of also being very chill too. Running alongside a bicycle or “jogging” with a human cannot replace this need of Bodie to exercise, because Bodie’s brain gets worked up over the cars or other stimulations. Common to many herding dog types, they want to chase, or “herd” the cars. Cattle dogs love to have a job so it is my opinion that when Bodie runs my property for 15 minutes every morning, and evening (or sometimes at other times throughout the day) that that is his job, and he can certainly hear the cars going by on the busy road behind my property. So in his brain, he is doing his “job,” and “herding.”

Sometimes, if Bodie’s brain gets too stimulated (I notice this typically happens when we are outside, during a busy time when there are lots of cars going by below) he will lick the air - “tasting the air” is what I call this. It is part of his hard-wiring apparently, but Bodie rarely does this when inside the house free or in his crate. In the house, Bodie is typically completely relaxed. He likes to lie somewhere on the floor, keeping cool, or he goes into his open door crate and lays on his favorite pet bed. Bodie is NOT a hyper dog (one might think that I am painting a picture of a hyper or super energetic dog and that is absolutely not the case). What I’m trying to describe is a dog whose brain can get overly stimulated at times because he cannot do what he was born to do. It would be as if your favorite thing to do was rock climb, but you were made to sit in a chair and watch everyone else do it, but you could not participate. Your brain would be going, but your body would not be. This is how many herding dogs are. They have a need to have a job or herd, so something in the environment (for example, the cars) can be overly stimulating to the dog’s brain.

Bodie’s story is a sad one. He was rescued from the Moreno Valley Shelter. He was marked as an “over the counter” stray. He came to my rescue and was soon adopted by an avid hiking woman who wanted him to be an easy dog to manage on leash for walking and hiking. And even though Bodie was perfect in her house, his penchant for wanting to chase the cars made it difficult for her to actually hike with him and so she returned him a week later. About a month later, Bodie was adopted again, this time, to a family who lived in suburbia with a smaller yard, (7,000 sq. feet) another dog, and even a cat. Bodie never had an issue with the other dog; in fact, they played and were good friends. He never had an issue with the cat. However, after 8 months of being in this home, sadly, Bodie was returned. It was their decision that they did not have enough time for Bodie, and that he was not the right dog for their family. But it is my opinion that this family wanted a Lab type, and did not really understand the true nature of a herding dog type. So it was difficult for this family, and the adopter beforehand, to understand and accept Bodie.

The home that I am now seeking for Bodie is as follows: a) Someone who has had herding dog experience, enough to know that most, if not all of this breed type have some type of neurosis, or quirks, and are OK with that, in fact, even embrace it. I need someone who will accept Bodie as he is, and who does not have the standard expectations from a dog to take relaxing walks in the community, or play with toys and retrieve balls. Bodie is more of a ranch dog in his brain, (and no, that does not mean I expect to get a ranch for him).
b) No apartments, condos, townhomes, or people hoping to have Bodie as a running dog. Bodie needs a sizeable property and hopefully not near busy streets or intersections where there is an abundance of cars. I do believe that Bodie CAN hike on trails and do quite well, however, he must be leashed and the owner must be willing to use a prong collar.

c) Another dog or dogs in the home, and not people gone all day long. It’s not that Bodie has huge needs for other dogs. He does not. In fact, sometimes, he can even be aloof, just choosing to lay down in the sun or yard or house by himself. He is fairly independent. He does not have any separation anxiety. But still, he likes to be part of the family structure and could use more stimulation than just waiting around all day. When Bodie can interactively play with the other dog in the home, this also provides a good outlet for Bodie. Though he does not seem to bond super tightly with the other dog, but he can live peaceably just fine with any other dog or dogs, and will never be aggressive or anything but polite. He does enjoy other dogs being around. Bodie is an excellent “pack animal.”

If you believe yourself to be someone who can offer Bodie his forever home, where he does not have to continue to be bounced around, I’d love to chat with you. I have not tried taking Bodie to herding classes or agility classes but I welcome anyone who knows about these things, and wishes to discuss. This is not mandatory.

Bodie is neutered, fully vaccinated, as well as micro-chipped. If you are interested in Bodie, please contact Angel’s Heart Dog Rescue at: adopt@angelsheartdogrescue.com. The phone number to the rescue is: 626-340-9316. There is no need to phone the rescue until you have first submitted an interest via e-mail. Please visit my website at: http://www.angelsheartdogrescue.com and go to the Adoption Tab to read about the adoption process and fees; thank you!