Samantha LaBonty loved her Border Collie, Floyd, so much that she decided to give him his dying wish – one she knew he would appreciate. At 15, Floyd’s legs were racked with arthritis and he had difficulty getting up. But in his younger years the pair went every week to herd sheep together. It was an activity that he dearly loved.
The pair shared a great bond from the very beginning. But as a puppy he had a lot of energy and directed it towards destroying things. “He tore up my sectional couch, he tore up carpet all the way down to the foundation. He chewed the doggy door out of the wall, he chewed holes in wood fences,” Samantha told KREM News.
Someone suggested to her that she take him sheepherding, and she decided to give it a try. After that he was a dog transformed and never did anything wrong since that day.
They enjoyed herding together every week, until seven years ago Floyd’s arthritis set in. Knowing his days may be numbered, Samantha thought she’d like to give him one last time to herd some sheep.
So she posted her request on Craigslist to see if someone with sheep could help and a Border Collie training facility (HandHill Border Collies) responded. Floyd got his wish. He got out and enjoyed herding some sheep.
Floyd kept at it for a short time as his old instincts kicked in.
“I think this is his last sheep herding until at least he gets somewhere where he could do it without being in pain,” Samantha told the news channel. “It’s bittersweet.”
He had a wonderful time and didn’t want to leave. His contentment at having gotten to do what he loved was written all over his face.
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