Audrey Hepbark Border Collie Kiowa, OK

Audrey Hepbark's Story
-By Audrey Hepbark, 6-month-old, 30lb female Border Collie mix.
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This was not how it was supposed to go. My family should have never let me go. I should have never ended up in the shelter. I am getting ahead of myself though, to know my story we have to back in further.

I used to be someone's everything or at least I thought I was. I was adopted as a cutie little puppy. I was fluffy, I was tiny, and I was everything that my owners ever wanted. Life was good at the beginning. They played with me, they cuddled with me, and I got to do everything they did. As I grew older though, suddenly things started to change. I was no longer a cute puppy that could get away with everything. I was no longer this little fluffball that melted their hearts. Instead, they got annoyed with me when I tried asking for pets. They weren't happy that I kept trying to jump on them. They ended up putting me outside. I would patiently wait for them to come outside but they hardly did. And when they did I was so excited and happy that I think I got on their nerves even more so than they ran back inside. It was just me in that yard and it sucked. I was supposed to be family. Yet, I was always looking from the outside in. I saw them playing, I saw them having a good time while I was outside. In the heat. All by myself. That wasn't the life I wanted. I wanted more. I wanted to actually be with my people. Not just someone that was all but forgotten about in the yard.

I tried to hang in there...I really did. They were my family and you don't abandon family. But it got so hard. I was tired of begging for scraps so one day I took matters into my own paws. I found a way out of the yard, and before I knew it..I was on the adventure of a lifetime! I had absolutely no idea where I was going. I just knew that I couldn't stay in that yard any longer. I am unsure of just how long I was on my own. It was fun at first, but when night came things got scary. I am not a very big girl so every sound made me nervous. I tried to hide in small spaces and hoped that I wouldn't be discovered. I did start to get pretty hungry as well. I tried finding food on my travels but it wasn't exactly easy. Water was another tricky thing to find, and if I did find some...it was never really clean. One day my life as a traveling pup came to an end. I ended up getting picked up by the doggie police and landed in doggie jail.

Now, this was something that I hadn't thought through. When I was a street dog, for the most part, things were under my control. Now, my life was no longer my own and I wasn't sure what would happen to me. In a moment of pure hope, I thought of my former family. I started to believe that they would come for me. They were probably looking for me that very minute and I would be getting out of jail any minute now. And things would be so much better. They would have realized that they weren't giving me the love and attention I deserved and things would change. I would get to come inside again. They would include me in their lives again. Yes, everything was going to be okay!

As the days went by and my former family didn't come for me...I started to get worried. If they were not coming for me then who would? Then, I started to wonder why my family didn't come for me. Sure, I left them but all I ever wanted from them was to love me like I wanted to be loved. Weren't they worried about what would happen to me? I ended up getting on the urgent list due to a lack of space and another abandoned dogs needing a place to go. The shelter wanted to see me safe though and ended up reaching out to this rescue. Thankfully, I had a foster family step up for me which allowed this rescue to take me in!

It was not long after that I started my new leash on life. And let me tell you, things are so AMAZING! I get to come inside, I get to play with other dogs, I get to play with my people, I get to play with toys, and most of all...I get to be part of the family! I am an active, playful, and cuddly girl I want to be the center of attention and am not someone that is easily forgotten. I will smother you in kisses and tend to be glued to your hip. If I am very excited I will jump on you and can be a bit of an energizer bunny when I do it. I know that isn't exactly a good thing, but I spent so long in that yard all by myself that it is no wonder that sometimes I get a little overexcited when it comes to attention. With some training and patience, I know my excitement and energy can be redirected. I am very eager to please and also incredibly smart. I think that one day, if my owner wanted to go that route with me, I would be one heck of an agility dog! I am unsure of what fetch is and haven't shown too much interest in it, but if someone took the time to teach me and show me how fun it can be, I think I would really love it. I think I could even be one of those dogs that I have seen leaping in the air to catch a frisbee out of the air! Now that is some cool stuff! I think ground agility would be really cool, but then I would also love water-based sports. I am a WATER dog. I love to play in the kiddie pool and have a blast splashing around in it.

I do very well when my foster mom takes me on walks and seem to enjoy them very much. I am quite an energetic girl, so anything that helps release some of my energy makes me the happiest girl around. Well, that and the fact that I am with my person. Yes, that definitely makes me very happy. I have never been hiking but I have heard about it. The idea of going on an adventure and exploring a totally new place with my family, now that sounds like a dream come true! Maybe we could even hike where there is a hidden pool of water and take a swim once we get there! If we happen to come across any people on our adventures outside the home, I wouldn't have any problems with that. Sometimes I am a little shy when it comes to meeting new people. Other times, I will run right up to them and try to give them a hug. Yes, yes, yes I know that not everyone is a fan of hugs and I am working on it. I just want to make sure that they feel very welcomed and loved. I spent so long feeling like I wasn't really loved that I want to make sure no one ever feels the way I did.

Speaking of making sure that everyone feels loved and included, I also love other dogs. I tend to befriend them pretty quickly and am always up for a game of wrestle or chase. I am not currently being fostered around any cats. Given my energy level though, I feel that I probably would try to chase them if they ran from me. I also have not been fostered around kids. I do believe that I would do well with older dog savvy kids. I can be energetic and would feel terrible if I accidentally knocked someone over or was too rough with them when I was trying to play.

I absolutely love getting to be inside and feeling like I am part of the family. So, I try extra hard to be a very good girl inside the house. I am both potty and kennel trained. I am not a big chewer but will destuff toys. I am still a puppy and enjoy chewing on oinkies, nylabones, dreambones, and rawhide chips! While I have not really gotten into anything I shouldn't, I hope my new family has things puppy proofed. I want to be the best girl possible, but if there are a lot of things lying around I may give in to temptation since I am still a young and curious pup!

All I ever wanted in life was to feel like I was part of the family. I have so much love to give and am so incredibly happy when people include me in their activities. I am your up for everything kind of girl and will always have a smile on my face. I have so many dreams of the future. From being an agility dog, to being a professional frisbree catcher, to diving into pools, to traveling across the country with my family exploring nature parks and trails, and so much more. But at the end of the day, when I think about the thing I want above is a family that will love me as much as I do. A family that won't one day cast me aside when I no longer fit their life. I cannot...no I won't go through that again. Someone already made me an until dog once, and now it is time for someone to make me their forever dog!

If you are interested in adopting a lovable and energetic girl, please apply to adopt me at
https://www.pyrpawsandfluffytailsrescue.com/adoption-app

Once you have submitted your application, it will be sent on to my foster family for consideration.

I am being fostered in Tulsa, OK. I do ask that my new family pick me up, none of that outside transport stuff. If I am going to move in with you, I expect to start our journey in the car together driving home TOGETHER. To help sweeten the deal, you should know that I do very well on car rides. I like to look out the window and watch traffic go by.

My adoption fee is $250.00.

That will include my DHLPP, Rabies, and Bordetella. I will be micro-chipped, have a fecal done, be de-wormed, be spayed/neutered, and will be current on heart-worm and flea/tick prevention.

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EPILOGUE

-Below is an excerpt from Audrey Hepbark's foster family.

"Audrey Hepbark is a 30 pound female border collie mix. She is black with a white chest and white patches on her toes/ feet. She is a total cutie! She has a fluffy coat and a long, curly, fluffy tail. She is on the smaller side, and we don't expect her to get much bigger. She is a playful, sweet girl in a smaller package! Audrey's favorite hobbies are: playing with the other dogs in her foster home (favorite games are Chase, Wrestle, and Keep Away), going for leash walks around the neighborhood with her foster family, splashing around in her kiddie pool, and working on learning Sit (her fosters use little pieces of hot dog and she is a big fan of hot dogs!). Audrey does well riding in the car. The lucky family who adopts her is going to fall in love with her- she has b