A Border Collie watches. Owners all say the same thing: you couldn't pick up your keys, put on your boots or even look at the back door without being noticed. They learnt your day better than you knew it yourself, and they were at the gate before you'd decided to go out. After one has gone, it's the lack of being watched that feels strange.
They were bred on the hill farms either side of the English and Scottish border to gather sheep, often working miles from the shepherd and making their own decisions. That's where the famous stare comes from. Shepherds call it "eye": the low crouch and the fixed look that moves a flock without a bark. In a family home the same eye goes on a tennis ball, a cat, or a child who has wandered too far from the others.
Each Small Goodbyes portrait comes in oil, watercolour, charcoal, line or pastel, with a free preview before you pay, and is made to order for your Border Collie. If a friend has lost their Border Collie, see our dog memorial gifts.
| Kennel Club group | Pastoral |
|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth, UK | 12.1 years (Royal Veterinary College, 2022) |
| Coats you see most | black and white, red and white, tricolour, blue merle; rough or smooth coat |
| Styles that suit | charcoal or line for black and white; watercolour for merle |
What owners remember
Most of it is small. The ball dropped at your feet and nudged an inch closer every time you ignored it. One ear up and one ear folded. The way they rounded up visitors in the hall, or walked a tight circle round the children in the park. Plenty of collies had a single person they worked for, and the rest of the family were the flock.
They also need something to do, and a bored collie found its own jobs. If yours herded the hoover, chased car tyres or learnt to open the fridge, those are the stories worth keeping with the picture.
Choosing the photo
The eyes carry a collie portrait, so pick a photo where you can see them clearly. Merle collies often have one blue eye or a blue fleck, and it's worth choosing a picture that shows it. A lying-down shot with the head up and alert usually looks more like them than a posed sit. Bright sun on a black coat loses the detail, so open shade or a cloudy day is best.
Which style suits a collie
Black and white coats suit charcoal and line especially well, because the drawing is built from the same contrast. Watercolour is kind to blue merle and red coats, where the colour shifts softly across the body. Oil suits an older collie with a grey muzzle. The preview is free, so you can try two styles before you choose.
If it has only just happened, the practical first steps are on our dog memorial portraits page, and how to write a pet eulogy helps if you want words to sit beside the picture.