September Morn is a professional dog trainer and the author of several books and many articles about dogs and training. Her other interests include gardening, spinning, weaving, and foraging for dye mushrooms and medicinal herbs. September shares her heart and her mini-farm with two Rottweilers, 46 chickens, and a Shetland sheepdog puppy adopted during the COVID pandemic.
I asked September if she would tell us about her recent decision to adopt a puppy and to raise that puppy with the constraints of pandemic protocols and quarantines. She shared Daisy’s story so far.
September B. Morn (Washington) I adopted Daisy two months ago, when she was eight weeks old. Daisy is a Shetland sheepdog and she is very bright, willing, and a sweet joy to be around. Of course, she still pees and poops in the wrong places sometimes, but she’s still a baby and that’s part of the deal.
How did I find this pup? Well, I was hoping for a sheltie pup from one of several excellent breeders, and I managed to get on a couple of their waiting lists for a puppy. But I knew it might take years to get to the top of those lists, so I stayed open to finding a sheltie—pup or mature—that would meet my list of qualifications and would be a good match for me and my current dogs, both eight-year-old male Rottweilers.
Then one night, I was up late on Facebook, and I read a post on a local farm-related page. Someone had four female sheltie pups for sale. It was posted at 11:47pm. I messaged the person immediately and asked for photos of pups and parents. She messaged me pics of three nervous-looking black-tri pups and one sable who just looked curious but not worried about why they’d been woken up in the middle of the night for a photo shoot.
In the pic of the dam, she looked as nervous as the three black-tri pups. But the sire looked calm and unbothered.
I thought the sable pup looked promising, so I asked to meet her and the sire. I didn’t need to meet the others. The person said she had big dogs, too, which jump all over visitors’ cars and scratch the paint, so she wanted to meet some place other than at her home.
Oh, boy, this was sounding worse and worse. But, okay, I would do it that way.
Photo by September B. Morn
So we ended up meeting in the parking lot of a shopping mall near her home. I never thought I would ever even consider buying a puppy from a stranger in a parking lot. But I actually did that.
The seller and her two little girls all wore masks to protect from COVID. Plus, we were outdoors and we stayed six feet or more apart, except for the moment it took for her to hand me the pup to examine.
She let the pup’s sire out of her truck and he stood with us, unfazed by all the noise and traffic. When I patted my leg to invite him to check me out, he came over and gave me a sniff; he neither showed fear nor did he solicit more attention. He seemed to have a good, stable temperament—so he passed my test. His coat was dull and ragged, though, with clumps of unshed fur. I’d estimate that he hadn’t been groomed in months, if ever.
When I held the tiny puppy and felt and smelled the thick coating of cheap flea powder all over her, I started to realize that this puppy might actually need me to take her home.
I paid the woman what she’d asked. I put the pup in the puppy crate I’d brought along. The “breeder” gave me the “puppy care package” she’d brought along. It consisted of three potty pads and a three day supply of the absolute worst and cheapest dog food that exists in this country. I said thank you and took them. I used the potty pads but immediately switched Daisy to a much more nutritious diet. I also bathed her to get that awful flea powder off her.
Our pandemic-style vet visit went well, though it seemed so weird to me not to be the one to carry the puppy into the pet hospital and to hold her for her shots. Because I was concerned it could be a hard experience for Daisy, I didn’t opt for just any veterinarian—I took her to my most trusted vet and friend, whose hospital is an hour’s drive from my home. I’m so glad I did! My vet and all the staff fawned over my adorable puppy and fed her bits of the roast beef I’d brought for puppy treats. She had a very happy first vet experience.
The surprises I’ve had with this puppy have been wonderful. She and my Rottie Boyz are great together. She adores them and follows them around. They dote on her, even when she “herds” them around or “invades” their space.
But the biggest surprise came when Daisy started showing a real interest in and natural talent for herding. She’s only 13 weeks old now and she is already a big help on my little farm. She holds my chickens in their coop and keeps them from escaping when I open their door to feed and water them and collect eggs.
Before Daisy, I had to fight with these naughty hens to keep them from rushing by me and out the door every time I went to care for them. I had to squeeze into their coop and shut the door behind me without accidentally smashing a hen. Not easy when carrying buckets of water and scoops of feed! Now I can leave the door wide open and Daisy stands there and guards it from escape attempts. She is very good at it and she doesn’t hurt or upset the hens at all. Even the naughtiest hens don’t try to slip by her!
Photo by September B. Morn
I should mention what I’m doing for the all-important early socialization period (pre-four months old). I started by taking her on short car rides to a couple of my friends’ homes. We met outdoors and wore masks and social-distanced.
Daisy had had no immunizations prior to becoming mine, so I fixed up the back of my SUV as a puppy travel-break pen, with a couple of potty pads so she wouldn’t need to touch the ground. There is also enough room for her to move around and to visit with our friends.
Now she’s had two sets of shots, so she’s at least partially protected from dog diseases and I’m letting her walk around in selected places. We visited a friend in her driveway and yard the other day and Daisy got to practice walking on-leash and seeing/hearing/smelling things that are new to her.
A few days ago, I took Daisy on an outing to the local big-box farm supply store where she got to walk around and to see and sniff amazing things, and to pick out a toy to take home. It gave her another leash practice and broadened her experiences.
She met the cashier, who petted her and was very nice. Daisy didn’t seem worried about “stranger danger” with the cashier. She warmed right up to her new friend. Daisy also experienced big shopping carts being wheeled past. The carts were a little scary the first time Daisy saw one moving toward us, but then they became something interesting to observe.
Daisy has also met my egg customers when they come for eggs. We wear masks and are outdoors. At first, these “strangers” coming right to our house were scary for Daisy, but now she’s used to people on our porch. She greets them from my arms. Now I can start leashing her up when they come; I’ll let her greet them from normal dog-level.
Yesterday, I took her to the post office in our small town. We got out of the car and stood off to the side and watched the cars and the people come and go. I think she’s amazed that there are so MANY. We were doing fine until a man parked his truck about 20 feet away with two full-grown German shepherds in it—unsecured and barking. That didn’t feel like a safe situation at all, so we got back in our car and did our people-watching (and dog-watching) from there.
Socialization to new sights, sounds, situations, and people is so important to puppies. Our social lives have changed so much during this pandemic, and puppy socialization opportunities are not as vast. They’re still there (the opportunities), though. We just have to work harder at finding them while keeping our pups and ourselves as safe as possible.
