Prince's Girlfriend: Blondes Are More Fun

No rendition of Prince's relations with his canine companions would be complete without mentioning his girlfriend.  It might also be appropriate to say, when talking about Prince's relationships with other dogs, I saved the best for last.

As a child, I was a devoted fan of the collies stories by Albert Payson Terhune.  I can't remember how many times I read Lad: A Dog.  I also was (and still am) a fan of Lassie, and with these collies as examples, I grew up to have an extremely high opinion of the character and intelligence of the collie. Therefore, when my other sister asked my advice about whether or not she should purchase one, my immediate answer was yes!

My sister's collie comes from Northwest Iowa, which her veterinarian told her is where they breed some of the best collies in the Midwest.  Her name is Tira, and she is everything I always thought a collie would be.

Tira only needs to be told not to do something once, and she never does it again (or almost never)!  She immediately heels when put on a leash, without ever having been taught. She learned how to sit, stay, stand, and lie down on the first try!  She is also amazingly calm, and an extraordinary watchdog...all at 1 year of age.

After reading about Lad and the other collies from The Place, and watching Lassie innumerable times, I told my father (as a child) that I thought collies were just as smart as German Shepherds (his favorite breed).  He pointed out the difference between all the things that German Shepherds can be trained to do, and the more limited things collies have traditionally been used for, as an example of German Shepherds being more intelligent.  After knowing Tira, though, I still think collies are just as smart.  They just have a different physiology and different personalities.

Fortunately for Prince, my sister let him meet Tira when she was a puppy, and he often goes over to play with her on the weekends now.  The first time he met her, and she jumped on him, he actually growled a little, but a short time later, I saw that familiar gleam in his eye, and the next thing I knew, he was running after her and pawing at her in a rather familiar manner.  Of course, he is almost twice as big as her, but she really doesn't seem to mind.  I think he's finally found the love of his life, and considering the fact that he's always preferred blondes, I'm not surprised it was her.

I just hope the relationship turns out to be a truly compatible one.