Photos and video courtesy of Riverside County Search Dogs in So CA

Who would have thought that this adorable tri colored border collie puppy I called ‘Guiness’ in the Prism x Journey litter (born on 5/23/12) would be destined to be “The Best Hob Nob Search and Rescue pup” as dubbed by her owner Ember Delannoy!

If you choose to use a border collie for search & rescue, Hob Nob is great for many reasons. I researched many breeders all over the US . There are two types of BC's: the show and the working....you need the working. The working are the ones that possess the drive, smaller boned or not as square headed....not as long of coat and faster more energy.

Jan's BC's are working dogs, and second biggest is the structure. I feel if you are going to invest in that much time and money be sure you have good structure. Jan is one of the best,  you can see on line the hip x-rays...she has been doing this for a long time, she tests her dogs for any and most everything there is (like eyes, hips, hearing, etc.).  I have found that some do not test for anything and I warn you some say they do and don't.

Jan also does more than other breeders after they're born that will really help the prospective puppy owner. Playing sound tapes and handling the pups a lot and exposing them to toys that encourage the drive and the balance that is excellent for our needs. She takes tons of pictures and daily videos that is excellent for the people on her puppy list to feel more connected and watch personalities of pups as they start moving around.

Journey is an air scent or live find at this time...she is on two teams California State Team (CARDA) and a county team with the sheriff department at the Riverside County Search Dogs

Journey is VERY agile (another reason BC's are great at agility and SAR) and she is working on certification as a BUDD  dog, (Basic Urban Disaster dog) after that cross train to HRD (Human Remains Dog ...cadaver). Journey loves people and gets along with other dogs and has a great hunt and prey drive.  She is really smart and easy to train.

Journey is pictured at left with Ember’s husband as they did a PR event for search and rescue at the new Temecula Valley Hospital and got to take a special guided tour ...this is in the new state of the art open heart surgery room...such a good pup!

The above video is of Journey’s first time in a helicopter.  Journey is not afraid of thunder or loud noises, she is small and light enough to lift into a helicopter ...or if for any reason she hurts a paw on a rubble pile filled with sharp objects (she hasn't ever yet) but I could carry her to safety if needed and pick her up to put her into area I need for her to search, she is like a monkey she climbs on top of things and light enough not to further collapse something....so she is perfect for our needs.

We are very happy with Journey, and so is our team.  She is going to do great things.

Ember Delannoy, CA

photo courtesy of CARDA