Collies In The Meadow-he was the runt of the litter!

Its sometimes hard to believe that this guy was the runt of the litter. He was the last to eat.  He was the last to crawl, he was one third the size of everyone else.  When everyone else was standing, he was still working on standing.  When they were walking he was trying to stand.  He was too weak to get his own nipple so we rotated others off a nipple so he could he could eat or else he would've died.  They were running when he was trying to take his first step.

I worried a ton over this little guy and he was so weak he was always being picked on by his litter mates but I would calmly pick him up and place his paws on their backs and they would take off and find others to pick on.  While his other brothers and sisters were running acorss the backyard he was trying to run and couldn't keep up.

Then, just as his brothers and sisters were leaving home he all of a sudden grew, got strong, and was able to equal them although he had such a loving, laid back and docile temperment he didn't mind the others pushing him around.  But, one by one his brothers and sisters with the exeption of Lil Hallie found their new forever homes and this guy who was the runt all of a sudden spurted in growth in a rapid manner that shocked me.  That growth spurt continues to this day!  110 pounds of the most gentle, loving and wonderfully tempered collie I have ever known he is now the behemoth of the family now!!!

When he was around 90 pounds Ginger came to us and she weighed maybe 20 pounds when she walked up to him and pulled his back leg. Mick looked at her and fell over and let her jump up on his chest and rip at his fur. He looked so happy!  He wrapped his body around her the first day she came here as she slept and has been her friend ever since. 

Mick recently made his first forays into the area of fatherhood breeding with a female collie at Red Fern Farm Collies.  He is so beautiful, so loving, so big and so happy and he looks wonderfully beautiful with one eye being part blue!  So, his children should be interesting!!!

Below are some pictures of Mick saying hello to me today.....  look at him.. this was our little runt we worried about surviving.... my how things change!!!

 
Hi dad!!!

Look everybody I am almost as tall as dad!!!!

I love you dad!!!!   Give me another week or two and I will be as tall as you!!!!