MEET RAMSOUR

We recently welcomed a puppy into our home.  On August 29th to be exact.  After quite a lengthy time of talking about it and thinking about it, the decision was made to find a Border Collie.  For a year or so, my son has looked into many aspects of being a dog owner and characteristics to be expected from certain breeds and how to train, etc., so we didn't enter this new phase lightly.  During the "thinking about it" phase, I kept saying that I didn't want something to take care of.  I didn't care if my son (who lives with us) got a puppy--just don't count on me to be a caregiver.  On Sunday, August 28th, my son and I made the 7-hour trip to middle Tennessee and stayed overnight at a really nice Courtyard.  We drove 45 minutes the next morning to finally meet this little guy:

The drive home took 9 long hours, and Ramsour (pronounced Ram-zer) was a most excellent traveling companion!  We stopped a couple of times along the way so he could stretch his legs, have some water, and potty.  He's been on one other short road trip since coming to live with us, and he was fantastic!  The three of us are in love with him!  His potty training is going so well (better than  I expected), and he's already learned some obedience commands.  Ramsour is a loving little guy who appreciates affection, and he never minds if you bring him something to chew, chew, chew, chew, chew.  While he is learning to obey our commands, we are learning to understand some of his whines, whimpers, and barks.  It's been quite interesting to see things through his eyes as he discovers the world--what intrigues him, scares him, his likes and dislikes.  He has a favorite place to lay in the mulch bed--and that's where his favorite stick lays waiting for him on each outing.  Having Ramsour is much like having a baby/toddler/teenager all wrapped into one adorable furry package.

How did he come to be named Ramsour?  Well . . . remember I mentioned that my son did a LOT of research before we made the leap to get a puppy?  Somewhere along the way, he read about the Battle of Ramsour's Mill, which took place in the county where we live.  It is written that the troops gathered for that battle on June 19, 1780.  June 19 is not only my son's birthday, but Ramsour's as well!  Isn't that a cool coincidence?  Since there were some interesting parallels to June 19th and the Battle of Ramsour's Mill, that's how we came to have a puppy named Ramsour.