The Story of Mettle Rose

The Story 

of 

Mettle Rose

The first part of this is from a note I wrote several years ago. It has to do with how we acquired Mettle Rose. I have added an addendum to the original note to bring it up to date. Then I added a second addendum. So in essence, when you read this you are reading something that I wrote at three different times over the years. Thank you everyone for your interest in Mettle Rose. 

From November 23, 2009

Most of you know that I recently acquired a new Border collie puppy whom I have named Dart. Dart is a long story, and this is not a story about him. Rather, it is a story about Merle and Sandi Newton and another dog, a Border Collie named Mettle.

My friends Merle and Sandi Newton run the Crystal Rose Cow Dog College, an eight hundred acre ranch west of Red Bluff, CA. Merle was privileged enough a year and a half ago to get the pick of a litter from two champion Border Collie bloodlines. Merle is no slouch when it comes to recognizing good Border Collies – he has trained literally thousands of dogs. His pick was a little puppy he named Mettle, a little female. He named her Mettle to infuse into her that spirit, the spirit of strength under adversity, the very definition of the word Mettle. 

Merle began training Mettle just as soon as it was appropriate. He begins training very early, within just a couple of weeks of birth. He nurtured that dog, raising her at his ranch. Mettle grew, showing tremendous talent, brains and that wonderful Border Collie instinct to herd and please. 

At the six-month mark, she underwent intensive herding training. Then again at the one-year mark, she underwent even more intensive training. But remember, she lived with Merle and Sandi on the ranch, so she was actually in training every day in the ways of ranch life.

Mettle quickly learned whistle commands, verbal commands, and body language. In addition to being smart, she was a natural. Then came the day when she graduated from sheep to cattle. Cattle, of course, are much more intimidating. Mettle showed her mettle in every way but one: if a steer turned to face her, to challenge her, she backed down. No matter how much Merle tried, she was just too intimidated by the steer’s size to accept the challenge, to take control.

This obviously severely limited her ability to compete in cattle competition, and consequently her value in dollars. As much as Merle loved her, he runs a business. He was raising the dog to be a working dog on a cattle ranch for a good rancher who might be willing to pay good money for her.

So, the Newtons were saddled with a tough decision: make her a pet (of which they already have many), or sell her to someone as a sheep dog. She was a great sheep dog! She would not cower if challenged by a sheep. 

Then, just at that time, a lady came along who was looking for a sheep dog. At the time, it seemed like a perfect fit and the sale was made. They said goodbye to Mettle as they had done so many times in the past with other working dogs they had trained and become attached to. Because of Mettle’s limitations, she fetched a mere $1000, instead of approximately $10,000 if she had not been cattle shy.

Months later, the Newtons received a call. It was the lady who had bought Mettle. The lady wanted to return the dog. It was not working out between them. The Newtons have a thirty-day guarantee, and the woman called right at the end of that grace period. The lady wanted to have just a little more time to see if things would work out between them, and the Newtons agreed to give her a little more time. 

FIVE MONTHS LATER, the lady called again. It was still not working out between her and Mettle. Mettle, it seemed, had begun to refuse to eat. She had lost a lot of weight. Even though Merle and Sandi could not really afford to buy Mettle back (and according their contract, they certainly did not have to), they did so for $1,000, the same price they had sold her for. 

They drove out to the woman’s property, several hours away, only to find that Mettle was on the verge of death. She had almost no muscle mass, much less any fat stores. She had lost two thirds of her body weight. She could not even stand up because she was so weak. Merle placed her into the back of the pick-up, afraid that her bones might break in the process. He would not allow Sandi to see Mettle. Sandi informed me that that was probably a good decision on Merle's part. When Sandi finally saw Mettle, she was very angered. 

Obviously, after having Mettle back at the Crystal Rose ranch, and observing her eating, it became clear that Mettle had suffered something horrendous at the hands of this woman. She had been severely neglected if not outright abused. A highly trained, ultra intelligent, in every way but one she was a champion border collie, taken away and abused. The Newtons told me that when they rescued her, she was less than five days from death.

Merle and Sandi have had Mettle for a few weeks now, and she has gained back enough weight to work sheep again, just a little. We watched her. What a smart dog. She is still not very strong, but her spirit remains unbroken. She didn’t have the mettle to stand her ground with a large cow, but she had the mettle to survive. 

I met Mettle today. She needed a good home and I fell in love with her. She is one of the most affectionate dogs I have ever known, typical Border collie. She is still very skinny, but she has gained enough weight that she has gone into heat for the first time in her life. Because she is in heat, the Newtons are keeping her as a favor to me until after Thanksgiving, when I will deliver my male dog Dart to them for one month of intensive training. At that time, I will take Mettle home. I will have photos of this very special dog soon. 

Addendum One

The past five years have been very special years for us. Mettle Rose has traveled to Southern California many times, and to Northern Idaho once. She was the perfect hotel dog. During our travels, Mettle would go with us to visit elderly people. She was always a perfect lady, relaxed and well behaved. She would shake hands with people, something so simple yet so uplifting for an old person stuck in a home. 

One time, she was able to get an elderly lady to talk for the first time in two years. She had been completely silent, and then when she saw Mettle she just began talking out of the blue. The nurses were astounded. A man named Jerry, who was dying of cancer, asked to see her. When he saw her, Mettle put her front paws up on his bed. He began sobbing uncontrollably as he stroked Mettle's fur. We found out two days later that Jerry died the next day.

Mettle Rose was more than a companion; she was a member of our family. Never was a blessing bestowed on two people so great as being intrusted with Mettle Rose. We always felt fortunate to have her, even knowing she was not fully well. Whatever afflicted her at that woman's property never abated. Still, Mettle learned to catch frisbees, and to play with our other animals. She could herd sheep very well, and cattle reasonably well. 

Mettle Rose had a very loving home during the past five years. Honestly, truly. 

Addendum Two
January 24, 2014 - Today

Our Mettle Rose passed away yesterday afternoon at 4:45. She never really recovered fully from whatever "got her" earlier in life. Slowly, over the five years we had her, she just never fully recovered. She gained some weight, and she would have her good days. For a while, almost all of her days were good days. Many, many good days, as a matter of fact. But, it was always a battle getting her to gain weight. 

Recently, her medical problems became worse. We took her to the vet, and blood tests were taken that showed the possibility of liver disease. We then took her to U.C. Davis Veterinary Hospital in Davis, CA. They repeated some tests, and at first we were mildly optimistic. However, over the past month or two she began to get progressively worse. Finally, we had to do something. There was no definitive way to tell what was going on without a surgical biopsy. Unfortunately, that's a drastic step. The sort of biopsy procedure she needed was radical. She needed to be opened up. We would not have exposed her to this procedure without very careful consideration. We knew the risks. 

Upon examination, it appeared that she had very advanced liver disease, possibly liver cancer. Mettle survived the procedure, and she fought heroically for most of the afternoon yesterday. We went to see her twice. But finally she just couldn't go on. She died at 4:45. 

Because liver biopsies were taken during the procedure, we will finally get some answers in a few days. Liver cancer can be caused by toxins, but there is no real way to tell at this point what exactly happened. There are literally a dozen or more things that could have caused her liver disease. Because we had the sample, and because Mettle Rose gave her life in the process, we want to know what those samples show. We have paid the extra cost to have the lab work done.

Final Addendum

The liver biopsy came back as not conclusive. We have many unanswered questions. Why did U.C. Davis drag their feet and fail to perform a low invasive biopsy, when our vet in Cottonwood called them and clearly indicated her desire for that procedure. Because of U.C. Davis' failures, our vet, we, were left with only one option: The very invasive biopsy. Chances are that the low invasive biopsy would have told us that Mettle would not survive long. She would have survived the low invasive biopsy though, and we could have had her painlessly put to sleep a few days later when her condition deteriorated. Instead, she underwent a drastic surgical procedure, and she was not able to recover from that. When we saw her after her surgery, she was clearly in pain and suffering. Our vet assured me that Mettle was not in pain, but I don't really believe that. We feel very "let down" by U.C. Davis, and to some degree the veterinary decisions that were made at our own vet's office. We were blinded by our love for our dog, so it was partly our fault. All I can say is that we did the best that we could. 

Many of you, especially if you've taken the time to read this entire missive, know the pain that comes with loss. It's not easy. Mettle Rose was dearly loved, and she will be very missed. Thank you all who have enjoyed reading about her over the years. If you met her, you knew what a special girl she was. Every life is precious. Love while you are here.