A sheepdog who had to have its leg amputated is still happily rounding up animals. And it's just as speedy and efficient at the job as it was before.
Border collie Boss went missing while out working. Despite an extensive search – even using a drone at one point – the dog was nowhere to be seen.
Shepherdess Anna MacKinnon, 25, was sick with worry for eight days. Then, an injured Boss was spotted limping over a hill on the farm Anna's dad manages in Amulree, Perthshire.
The four-year-old dog had nerve damage to its front left leg, and Anna had to make the difficult decision to allow vets to amputate. She feared Boss would have to retire as a working sheepdog – but just three weeks after the dog's stitches were removed, Boss was out chasing sheep again.
Despite missing a limb, the collie is just as speedy and thorough at rounding up the sheep on the farm Anna works on. Anna, from Dunkeld, Perthshire, said: "From the very early stages we could tell there wasn’t much chance of him getting any feeling back in his leg – the outcome wasn’t going to change."
The best decision
She added: "It was really hard to make the decision to amputate as it just seemed so drastic. But we knew it was the only thing that was going to be the best for him.
"He's always wanted to do more and been ahead of the vet's recommendations. Once the anaesthetic wore off, he was keen to get out and have a run around, so I took him 100m up the road and back again.
"He had his stitches taken out at the end of September and three weeks later he was back out chasing sheep! He was really really excited to get back out there."
Anna is close to Boss: "Even when he was an eight-week-old pup he was wanting to chase sheep and run around after them. He’s a once in a lifetime dog and he’s done everything I’ve ever asked of him.
"I'm so happy and proud to see him bounce back doing what he loves, but also it’s hard to watch him be vulnerable. Before he was very hard, and nothing would phase him.
"If he got hurt he’d just shake it off and continue, he still has that mindset but obviously I have the extra worry of him really hurting himself. Going forward I have to just see how things go in his recovery, as much as I’d love to see him back working fully, I’d never risk his safety!"
