6 Acres of Safe Exploration for this Border Collie: Minnie's Story

May 6, 2021

Meet Minnie from New Hampshire!

Before SpotOn, Minnie would visit the neighbors’ yards often and chase cars! Now, with SpotOn, she can safely play on her 6-acre property. Minnie is one lucky pup, able to tag along on family road trips to their vacation home and roam freely with lake access for swimming. She has a about 300 feet of water frontage that she patrols and the boat traffic is sure to keep her busy!

“SpotOn has made our lives so much easier, we don’t have to worry about Minnie wandering to the neighbors or getting injured while tied up. When we visit friends and family, she knows her boundaries instantly and can play with other dogs without us intervening.” – Owner, Laura R.

Three years ago, the family was fast on the lookout for an active dog with endurance for hiking and other outdoor activities, and a Border Collie fit the bill! Laura had seen a demonstration of a farmer working with his dogs to herd sheep and ducks and she was mesmerized - the thought of being able to train tricks and agility was exciting! Minnie was picked from photos once the litter was born and then in early May 2018 the family drove 4+ hours to get her! She was a little black and white fuzzball. The litter was so small with their black floppy ears that you couldn’t even distinguish them from one another as babies. She was named Minnie partially because of the black and white markings, but also because her pet parents got married at Disney and have Mickey and Minnie Mouse items all over the house. And yes, her brother’s name is Mickey!

Before SpotOn, Minnie would visit the neighbors’ yards often and chase cars! Laura would have to keep a constant eye on her, and also make sure she didn’t go into the garden. She loves eating the cherry tomatoes that have fallen off the plants! Minnie tends to pick one up, cradle it in her mouth and run to another spot to mouth it around for a while before finally chewing and swallowing them - it’s quite funny to watch!

The family knew they didn’t want a traditional wired system. Their yard is too big for it and they really liked the flexibility that a GPS system gave them to bring Minnie with them to other places. The family has used a tracking solution in the past, but it didn’t contain the dog and they really needed that with her affinity for chasing cars.

Now, with SpotOn, Minnie can safely play on their 6-acre property! Most recently, she has been enjoying her time “hunting” in a spot where a baby bunny was hiding. There is nothing in there but some old fur and grass, but she keeps pawing around at it. She also runs up and down their 900’ long driveway often and lays in the shade under trees or under the truck in the driveway.

Minnie currently has 2 saved maps, but has had as many as 7 in the past. The family also utilizes the circle map feature as a quick and easy way of setting up a containment area on the fly. It was fairly easy for Minnie to pick up on the system at different locations. Once she was solid at home, she was able to understand her boundaries at new locations instantly!

Minnie is a lucky pup, able to roam freely at the family’s vacation home in Maine and friend’s home on Wentworth Lake in NH. She often goes swimming in the lake. Although she doesn’t swim as quickly as her brother, it’s still one of her favorite activities! Her tail floats on top of the water so the family calls her “Minnie-gator.” She has about 300 feet of water frontage that she patrols at their house and the boat traffic is sure to keep her busy!

Minnie is always itching to get outside, and now she can do so without being restricted to a leash! All Laura has to do is pick up a toy or say “it’s time to work” as a kickoff to training and she perks up with excitement to get outdoors. Minnie is one smart cookie – she knows countless tricks and has even achieved her AKC Intermediate Trick Dog title!

Her brother Mickey tugs on her floppy ears, he is still all puppy at 13 months and is not trained yet on SpotOn. He is a bit faster than her so Minnie is normally chasing him through their yard or trails. She is very serious about a game of Fetch, returning a ball, frisbee or toy back to you endlessly. Mickey doesn’t understand how serious she is, and she gets frustrated that he intervenes − so lots of barking ensues!

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