Tess had spent just over 4 months, from September 09 to February 2010, as a stray. Running wild on Staney Hill overlooking Lerwick on the Shetland Islands.
We understand she had been kept on a farm to be trained as a sheepdog but did not show any interest in herding so in September 2009, she had been given away to a lad to be kept as a family pet. Within a week of him taking her home, she had run off and in spite of all his efforts, she would not come back to him.
In spite of efforts of dog wardens and many local people, Tess had vanished and remained out of human contact for long periods of time. On the odd occasions she was sighted, she stayed well out of reach, running away if people approached her.
This past winter has been particularly bad on Shetland, with heavy, prolonged, snowfall and temperatures down below -15c on some occasions.
On the odd occasions when there was a sighting, Ian Taylor, the Assistant Environmental Health Officer for Shetland Council would drive up into the hills in his pick up, sometimes alone and sometimes with others, to try and coax her in.
She showed the will & ability to survive, gaining the respect of people who also had to cope with the harsh Shetland conditions, but the weather was not improving and if she was to be sure of surviving winter something would need to be done quickly.
Ian decided the only course of action left was to try and trap her. The Council agreed his to plan and they sent for a professional humane dog trap, which had to come over from the mainland. Once in possession of the trap they placed it in the area she had been seen hanging about and baited it with some gammon.
It worked, she was hungry enough to go for the food and the trap sprung.
Ian was faced with a dilemma. Tess had a nice nature but many social problems and needed rehabilitation and training before she could be re-homed. The Council was not empowered to provide such services and funding to keep her in kennels was not a bottomless resource. His only option was to find a dog rescue charity that would take her in and perform the necessary duties of care.
Ian contacted the rescue on the mainland that normally took the dogs they could not re-home on the Island, but was told that in view of her problems they could not help Tess. He then tried other rescues further away with similar results, until one of them told him to contact Border Collie Rescue.
Ian phoned us at the beginning of March and told us her story. He did not put pressure on us and did not say that if we could not take her she may have to be put down, he simply told us about her and asked for our help. We agreed to take her in.
Ian approached the council for consent to have her flown from Sumburge airport on the Shetlands to Edinburgh airport where we would arrange to collect her.
The date was set for 15th March and her ETA at Edinburgh would be 5.20 pm. All went to plan and we collected her on schedule and brought her back down to our rehabilitation centre near York.
This video tells the story of her first two weeks in our care. She is a remarkable little dog.
A more detailed account of her background can be seen on her case history page on our website at - http://www.bordercollierescue.org/tess
Our thanks go to all involved in her rescue, but particularly to Ian Taylor, Assistant Environmental Health Officer for Shetland, and to Shetland Islands Council, for their humanity and for going the 'extra mile' to make sure this spirited little dog has a chance of a secure future.
After all she has been through and her obvious fight to survive, she has earned and deserves all the help we can give.
The Border Collie is designed to be a sheepdog and was originally used for herding livestock in the English and Scottish Borders. Border Collie Rescue assesses all dogs coming into our care for herding ability and will rehome them as stockdogs if that is what they need to do but we also assess and rehome for scent discrimination skills to the Police, Prison Service and Excise to detect drugs, explosives and firearms -- to SARDA and other rescue organisations for mountain rescue and search and rescue work -- to help deaf, blind or otherwise disabled people as well as for working trials, flyball, agility, obedience and other interactive sporting disciplines and many of our dogs have qualified for Crufts in these disciplines. Those that show us they do not need or want to work are rehomed as PAT dogs, pets and companions.
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Tess is such a beauty!
Supercucu123 5 months ago
Horray For Tess..and Border Collie Rescue!...A heartwarming Tale indeed!!!
googleisshittoss 10 months ago
She is an amazing dog, i've alway wanted one but i had to get a smaller dog to fit my yard (i love my dog heaps btw).
millstar10110 1 year ago
Thank you
RUA100 1 year ago
What a sweet Border Collie and such a heart-warming story! God Bless you all for rescuing her. She is beautiful.
bgoldrock 1 year ago
@OloberBMTH389 Did you get her? Hope you did.
mebs178 1 year ago
Amazing job you guys did! :D
Snoozey123 1 year ago
her fur pattern is like that of a dutch rabbits. very beautiful dog.
kayeatsbear 1 year ago
Gorgeous.
mcqueeney 1 year ago
i am ringing up tomoz to see about re-homing her i can't wait :D NO Joke!
OloberBMTH389 1 year ago