A sheepdog who went through the trauma of getting lost and injured is back joyfully rounding up sheep again—with the loss of one leg.
Boss the border collie works on a farm in Perthshire, Scotland. He went missing for a whole eight days last July, while out in the fields.
Shepherdess Anna MacKinnon, 25, who filmed a clip of the happy dog racing around, was “sick with worry” about what might have happened after Boss disappeared over a hill beyond the farm. An in-depth search got underway in an attempt to find the 4-year-old collie but there was no clue as to his whereabouts—despite searching using a drone.
Just over a week after his disappearance, however, MacKinnon’s Dad spotted Boss a distance away, limping home to the farm in the remote Scottish hamlet of Amulree, according to the video news community Newsflare.
“I couldn’t believe it—I was shaking,” MacKinnon said, according to the outlet. ”My dad had gone up on the quadbike up the road and saw a black movement up the hill. He readjusted his eyes and was like ‘oh my goodness, that’s Boss.'”
The family was delighted to have him back but on learning that he had suffered nerve damage to his left front leg, they feared he’d never be able to go out chasing sheep again.
Six weeks of consultations with the vet ensued, but it was clear from early on that the chance of Boss getting any feeling back in his leg was virtually zero. For MacKinnon, deciding to amputate was agonizing.
“Even when he was an eight-week-old pup he was wanting to chase sheep and run around after them,” she said, adding that she was doubtful if he would be the same ever again.
Amputation seemed “so drastic” but his outlook wasn’t going to change. The family, knowing it was the only option, went ahead. Incredibly, straight after the operation, Boss was back to his old self.
“He just went back to how he was before—although a little less stylish!“ MacKinnon said. ”He was really, really excited to get back out there. Once the anesthetic wore off, he was keen to get out and have a run around, so I took him 100 meters up the road and back again.”
The real breakthrough came just three weeks after the dog’s stitches were removed—he was straight back out chasing the farm’s flock of sheep. Amazingly, as the video demonstrates, despite having lost a limb, Boss is just as quick and efficient as ever.
“He’s always wanted to do more and been ahead of the recommendations,” said MacKinnon, who is taking extra care of the beloved dog she’s had since he was a puppy.
“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 ... 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.”
MacKinnon describes Boss as “a once in a lifetime dog” who has done everything she’s ever asked of him. "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,” she said.
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