My name is PIPER (Courtesy List)!

Please Note: This dog is a courtesy listing and is not part of BCIN's program. If you are interested in Piper, please contact Ellen at denhampiper@gmail.com. BCIN provides this serviceto help owners who must re-home their dog. Please be advised that BCIN has not evaluated nor tested the temperament of any of the dogs that are courtesy listed on our website.

Piper is a beautiful 43 lb collie mix, who has been with us since she was a puppy. Her mom was a pure bred rough collie but no one knows who dad was. She's 9 years old and in great health - she's frequently mistaken for a much younger dog because she is so full of joy!

Unfortunately, Piper is not good with children and we had a baby last July so we recently made the very difficult decision to rehome Piper. We really wish we could keep her because she is such an awesome dog and a member of our family but it's just not working with the baby.

We love Piper and we have worked with multiple trainers. But Piper has shown us time and time and time again that she is deeply uncomfortable around children (the screaming, funny movements, excitement, etc.) and she will react with aggression when she is that uncomfortable. The worst case scenario is that Piper bites my daughter, injures her, and has to be put down. It is totally manageable if she is infrequently around kids - just keep a close eye on her, watch for her signals that she's uncomfortable, and take her out of an environment where there's potential for a bad interaction. But keeping Piper and a baby/toddler in a house together is not a good idea. Even after 6 months of trying to have positive interactions with our daughter, Piper still gives off signals that she is anxious and uncomfortable around her.

Piper is looking for a home where she can be the only dog and can relax with her people regularly. She likes to go for hikes but is also very happy just hanging out with her people being lazy. She went to work in an office with one of us for years and adores getting attention from adults. Belly rubs and rump scratches are her favorites.

She can be leash reactive and it's 50/50 whether she will get along with other dogs, so it's best to rehome her where she can be the only dog. She needs an experienced dog owner because when she gets anxious or nervous, she will react badly, so she needs a consistent, firm owner.

Our preference would be to keep Piper within a couple hours of the Bay Area but we'd be willing to drive her further for the right home. Please email denhampiper@gmail.com or call Ellen at (978) 807-3213 if you're interested and we can go from there.

Below is some more information about Piper:


Location of dog (please give city/state) - Oakland, CA
Your name - Ellen Your contact information: denhampiper@gmail.com

Are you a foster, shelter or owner - Owner

Name of dog - Piper gender - Female age - 9 breed - Rough Collie mix color eyes - Brown approx. weight - 43 lbs

spayed/neutered? Yes vaccinations - Yes, up to date microchipped? No

good with other big dogs? (state if dominant or submissive) Please give detail - Yes, most of the time, although she is better with male dogs than female. She is dominant.
good with small dogs? Please give detail - Sometimes, but not as good as she is with big dogs. She is dominant.
good with cats? We don't know, but perhaps not because of her prey drive.

walks nicely on leash or pulls? Walks nicely. good recall off leash? Yes, fairly reliable.

well behaved indoors? Yes, very! housetrained? Yes crate trained? Yes

separation anxiety? can the dog be left home alone? destructive? give detail - She does get separation anxiety in new places. She will bark/cry if you leave her someplace new until she gets used to the new locale. (Usually takes about a week to settle in.) She has never caused any destruction in our house or houses. We leave her home by herself all the time and she mostly just snoozes.

what height fencing does the dog have now? Six feet
escape artist? if so how? jumps, climbs or digs? be specific - Not an escape artist.

food aggression with people? No
food aggression with other dogs? She doesn't always share well

any training? Yes
fearful or shy? Please describe - She can be fearful sometimes - particularly of strange movements - skateboarders, running children.

good health? arthritis? any special medical needs - Great health! And she has been on pet insurance since she was a puppy.
Last time to a veterinarian - 2018

bite record? please give detail She bit our nanny while our nanny was holding our daughter, which is unfortunately why we have to re-home her. The bite did not leave a mark, did not bruise, did not break the skin. While she was being watched by a dogsitter several years ago, she bit a child who ran by. Again, the bite did not leave a mark, did not bruise, did not break the skin.

dominant or submissive with humans? Submissive
dominant or submissive with kids? Afraid and anxious around kids

does the dog ride well in car? Yes
past history of abuse or neglect? No

what do you currently feed? The Honest Kitchen Grain Free dehydrated

How did you obtain this dog? We adopted her as a puppy from a woman who owned an unspayed rough collie that got out of the house and came home pregnant and had a litter of 11 puppies. This was in the Washington, DC area.

Tell us anything else that we need to know - good and bad - no surprises! Include all behaviors ... Piper is the sweetest dog and will make a great companion for someone without children! She can be dominant with other dogs so it is best to re-home her in a house without other animals. She is not an "outdoor only" dog. She loves being with her people inside. Please see detailed description of Piper below.

Why are you giving up this dog? Please describe in detail ... We had a baby in July and despite our best efforts, Piper cannot get comfortable around our daughter.

What is your deadline? We don't have a firm deadline in mind, but our daughter will be mobile soon and I'm afraid that will make things worse.

Are you willing to help with transport? Absolutely!
How far will you travel? As far as we need to to find her a good home.