We’re the Thompson family. We’ve lived on the same land in Northeast Arkansas ~4 decades, and we raised Rough Collie puppies here, from 1984 to 1996.
Our Collie Story began on a warm summer day, in 1982, when our mailman knocked on our door. There he stood with a beautiful Collie puppy. She needed a home, so he thought we might want her for our little boy. Though we relented, how could we say no to that precious puppy face?!? What a blessing Goldie was to us. She stayed by our son’s side constantly, as they grew up together, Justin’s Golden Friend, our original “Goldie.” Oh what adventures they had!
The instance that paints the best picture of a Collie, the quintessential Lassie moment, happened when our son, Justin, was three. He was playing with his Tonka trucks outside our back door. Goldie, as always, was surveying his every move. I took my eye off him, to do something momentarily; then, was startled by her “alarm” bark. I quickly turned, and he was gone! I frantically ran toward her, as my heart skipped a beat, and saw she was laying on top of him. At this point I realized what had happened. She knocked him down to keep him from going closer to the creek in our backyard! I was in awe. It was then that I understood how special she was- how amazing Collies are. Goldie was always looking out for her boy, Justin.
Through the years we kept several of Goldie’s offspring, including “Jordan’s Sable Baby” and “John Michael’s Princey Boy.” They “belonged to” and protected our younger children.
New puppies were so thrilling, and watching them grow brought so much joy to our family. There’s nothing quite like puppy breath kisses & cuddles. Letting go of the puppies was always so dreaded. The kids would run to hiding places with the ones they wanted to keep. It was so heartbreaking; yet, ultimately, we would all take comfort in seeing the same joy we felt, on the faces of the adoptive families, knowing they would be so loved and well cared for. As for the Mamas, they had done their part, and would be more than ready to part with the little shark toothed piggies.
We have a lifetime of priceless Collie memories and always planned to keep Goldie’s line going, but it didn’t work out that way. Our last female, Sassy, never had a puppy, so that chapter in our lives closed. Our (first) Goldie was 12 when she left us, and I will never forget Justin pulling her in a wagon, across the creek, to her final resting place. What a loyal, faithful, Golden Friend she was for her lifetime and beyond, as she left us with her legacy of offspring.
After we lost (first) Sassy, we didn’t have dogs for some time; but, because we’re such a “dog family,” we gradually opened our hearts and home to several little loves along the way. Among which include: Bella, the boss, Chaweenie, who is 12; and Heidi, our big hearted miniature poodle (11). We love them dearly!
Our Continued Collie Journey: We always planned to get another Rough Collie for our Grandkids, but intended to wait, to avoid traumatizing our smaller dogs. However, in December 2019, we started researching and planted the thought of raising Rough Collies again. After a lot of prayers and a giant leap of faith, we decided to go for it! We knew that our first loves could never be replaced, but decided to honor them by naming our new girls and boy after them.
It’s been quite the adventure since we drove to Cook’s Collies, in Kansas, to get our dams, Goldie & Sable; then, we traveled to get our sire, Prince, from Olive Acre Collies. They are all exceptionally beautiful and genetically perfect. It’s taken a lot of patience and love, as the girls were almost a year old when we got them. The girls gradually learned to trust us and accept each other, along with Prince, who loves everyone! They are now quite well adjusted, spoiled, and are finally a family. Our little Collie family. (Update: we have since added our pretty lady, Sassy, from Cook’s Collies, to the family.)
We look forward to sharing our continued story, and bringing the joy of a gorgeous, smart, loving, healthy, Golden Friend Collie to many families with each chapter!