Astromelias Olivar En Oro
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As a pup, Oliver flew to Washington state all the way from Astromelias Collies in Spain, along with his sister Olinda Fee. He lived here at Romany Collies for his first year of life, then in December 2012 went to live with a new family in Tacoma, where he goes to work with and serves as an emotional support dog for his new owner. He will be contributing to our breeding program in the future!
Ollie's owner says about him, "He is the sweetest, most interactive dog I have ever known. He will be trained for his CGC and then train to be a therapy dog. He has an amazing sense of humor, is very gentle but also has a lively personality. He is emotionally intuitive; at work if I have a client who is upset, he will approach slowly and put a paw on their foot or knee and just look up at them. He has touched a lot of people's hearts this way. Because he is so interactive, I have decided not to train him as a service dog which would require him to ignore all people when working - I think this would be like asking Monet not to paint. So we will play to his strengths."
Oliver was the same way when he was here. He is tied with Clover for the title of easiest puppy I've ever raised. He was so sweet and loving, and so eager to please--a perfect gentleman and also a cuddler. He loved meeting new people and dogs, was gentle with little puppies and the cat, and was just generally a joy to own!
Oliver's CEA status has been a learning experience for me. His breeder explained to me when we first spoke that many collies in Europe are clinically clear of CEA but are genetically affected. I didn't fully understand what this meant. When I took Ollie for his CERF eye exam, the ophthalmologist pronounced him definitely CEA normal eyed. Then, when I mailed a blood sample to Optigen, the results came back that he is CEA affected. So...Ollie's ancestors have been CLINICALLY CLEAR of CEA for generations, meaning they appear normal eyed when their eyes are examined by an eye doctor, but they are still genetically affected. Here in the U.S. some CEA affected pups can "go normal"--their CEA is so mild that after a certain age it is not visible on exam and they appear to be normal eyed. My guess is that in Europe pups "go normal" at a very young age. Maybe, even from the moment their eyes open their CEA is so mild that they appear normal eyed on exam. Anyway, Ollie and his relatives are for all intents and purposes "normal eyed," and I feel very comfortable adding him to my breeding program given his background of generations of health-tested collies!
I brought Ollie to the U.S. (well, his breeder Angela did most of the work!!) partly because I was in love with his father, Vincent, and Vincent's line of East German working collies, and partly to dramatically increase the genetic diversity of the puppies born here at Romany Collies, to maximize the chances of their living long, healthy lives. I also believe that Ollie's European elegance will blend well with our American girls to create some gorgeous puppies...and of course his temperament is absolutely outstanding. And, the ears!!! :)
Oliver is MDR1 normal/normal, meaning he does not carry the "collie drug sensitivity" gene which can cause collies to react badly to ivermectin and some other drugs. The MDR1 gene mutation is very widespread collies, and is something I am serious about breeding away from. I am so excited that Ollie is clear of the mutation.
To see Oliver's pedigree, click HERE.
To see his OFA hip status, click HERE.
Ollie's owner says about him, "He is the sweetest, most interactive dog I have ever known. He will be trained for his CGC and then train to be a therapy dog. He has an amazing sense of humor, is very gentle but also has a lively personality. He is emotionally intuitive; at work if I have a client who is upset, he will approach slowly and put a paw on their foot or knee and just look up at them. He has touched a lot of people's hearts this way. Because he is so interactive, I have decided not to train him as a service dog which would require him to ignore all people when working - I think this would be like asking Monet not to paint. So we will play to his strengths."
Oliver was the same way when he was here. He is tied with Clover for the title of easiest puppy I've ever raised. He was so sweet and loving, and so eager to please--a perfect gentleman and also a cuddler. He loved meeting new people and dogs, was gentle with little puppies and the cat, and was just generally a joy to own!
Oliver's CEA status has been a learning experience for me. His breeder explained to me when we first spoke that many collies in Europe are clinically clear of CEA but are genetically affected. I didn't fully understand what this meant. When I took Ollie for his CERF eye exam, the ophthalmologist pronounced him definitely CEA normal eyed. Then, when I mailed a blood sample to Optigen, the results came back that he is CEA affected. So...Ollie's ancestors have been CLINICALLY CLEAR of CEA for generations, meaning they appear normal eyed when their eyes are examined by an eye doctor, but they are still genetically affected. Here in the U.S. some CEA affected pups can "go normal"--their CEA is so mild that after a certain age it is not visible on exam and they appear to be normal eyed. My guess is that in Europe pups "go normal" at a very young age. Maybe, even from the moment their eyes open their CEA is so mild that they appear normal eyed on exam. Anyway, Ollie and his relatives are for all intents and purposes "normal eyed," and I feel very comfortable adding him to my breeding program given his background of generations of health-tested collies!
I brought Ollie to the U.S. (well, his breeder Angela did most of the work!!) partly because I was in love with his father, Vincent, and Vincent's line of East German working collies, and partly to dramatically increase the genetic diversity of the puppies born here at Romany Collies, to maximize the chances of their living long, healthy lives. I also believe that Ollie's European elegance will blend well with our American girls to create some gorgeous puppies...and of course his temperament is absolutely outstanding. And, the ears!!! :)
Oliver is MDR1 normal/normal, meaning he does not carry the "collie drug sensitivity" gene which can cause collies to react badly to ivermectin and some other drugs. The MDR1 gene mutation is very widespread collies, and is something I am serious about breeding away from. I am so excited that Ollie is clear of the mutation.
To see Oliver's pedigree, click HERE.
To see his OFA hip status, click HERE.