Pat's Border Collie, Star, lives up to her name! She loves to work and totally enjoys dancing, nose work and Treibball! Star helps demo in classes and helps in private lessons. Star started out as a foster of Pat's. She was bought by a family from a breeder when she was only 5 weeks old! They turned her into a shelter in Austin when she was 9 weeks old. She was terrified of everyone and everything. She was labeled a "fear biter" and was going to be euthanized. Her only way out was through rescue. Star growled at Pat when they first met and tried to bite her. She got her name because even through the fear Pat could see that she had "star" potential :). Star won her heart and became one of Pat's foster blessings. She is 8 years old now and I think you'll agree that she has come a long way. When you watch this video, please notice that she stays focused throughout the performance and even when she glances off for a second she comes right back and does what she is supposed to do - even with hundreds of people around the ring watching her. For a dog with her background, this is a very special song.

Rufus, a Papillon, was given to Pat when he was 9 months old. His previous owner loved him, but didn't know how to channel his energy into something productive (he was always getting into trouble and she really wanted a lap dog). As Pat worked with Rufus she found him to be eager to learn and always ready to work. Rufus enjoys dancing and agility, but his main passion is being a therapy dog - he loves to work with children. They currently visit the Children's Assessment Center twice a month where Rufus gets to show off his tricks. Rufus is 11 years old now, but still thinks he's a youngster. Since he lives with Border Collies he works hard to keep up with them, but he does enjoy hanging out on Jim's chair in the evenings.

Bonnie is Pat's demo dog for beginner classes and has started helping in other classes as well. Bonnie was also a rescue - she was bought from a breeder when she was only 4 weeks old. The woman kept her for five weeks and then turned her into rescue. Bonnie had some issues due to being separated from her mom and siblings when she was too young, but with a lot of work she has overcome them! Pat and Bonnie recently started competing in agility. Bonnie totally enjoys agility and is very good at it - she qualified for all the Level One titles in CPE agility in just three days! Each day is a new adventure for Bonnie and she is a joy to have around.

JJ is the newest addition to the Marshall household (named after their favorite football player, JJ Watt :). He is a gorgeous red/white Border Collie who has tons of energy and is always looking for new things to do and learn. JJ was turned into a shelter when he was 9 months old. He was there for three weeks, but no one wanted to adopt him so he was scheduled to be euthanized... Pat and Jim found out about him thanks to Border Collie Rescue Texas and pulled him just in time. He's a handful, but they love him! Stay tuned for more JJ updates!

Gone, but never forgotten....

Trigger was their much loved older guy. He's the only dog that they bought from a breeder and he's the one that started their relationship with Border Collies (over the past 18 years they not only adopted a few of their own, but have also fostered more than 50 Border Collies). Trigger came from a working ranch where his parents herded cattle which is unusual for Border Collies since they usually herd sheep. Trigger introduced Pat and Jim to the wonderful world of dog sports because of his energy (he needed a job!) He was a Flyball champion and Agility champion. He was also Jim's best friend and fishing buddy. Trigger went to work with Jim each day and spent his time at Jim's machine shop. They had a very special relationship and is very missed...

Charlie was their beloved Border Collie who was Pat's partner and demo dog for over 11 years. There really wasn't anything Charlie couldn't do and do it with gusto and joy...Charlie was pulled from a horrible no-kill shelter in March, 2001 when he was three years old. He had been in the shelter for almost a year and when Pat and Jim first saw him they thought he'd have all kinds of issues...but, not Charlie. Every day was a new day to enjoy and he never wasted a moment. They fostered Charlie and fell in love with him and quickly knew he was going to be part of their family. Jim ran him in flyball and Pat trained Charlie to be her demo dog for her classes. Everyone loved Charlie and wanted their dog to be just like him - pretty good for a dog who never had any training until he was three years old! Charlie passed his therapy dog test in 2010 and spent almost three years visiting the deaf and physically challenged children at T. H. Rogers school. He would go up to every child and make him or her feel special. Charlie found the good in everyone he met and each day was a new adventure. Pat and Jim lost Charlie to cancer on June 19, 2013...there will never be another Charlie...

Breanna, their first female Border Collie, was pulled from a shelter in 1999 when she was 3 years old. Pat was looking for an agility dog, but got so much more....it wasn't until they brought Breanna home that they found out she had many issues from fear aggression (people and dogs) to car chasing. As Pat and Breanna worked through the issues, they developed a very deep bond and learned to trust each other. Pat fell completely in love with her little nutbar...she became Pat's shadow and was always close by. Breanna was the reason Pat started Happy Hounds. Using the training that helped Breanna overcome her fears helped Pat develop the techniques she uses today to help other dogs. They lost Breanna on May 4, 2012...no matter how many dogs you have it never eases the loss of one...

Little Sassy came into their lives in 2001 as a foster dog when she was 5 years old. She had been found running the streets of Austin and had been in the shelter for a couple of weeks. She was scared and shaking in the back of her run when a rescue person found her. Sassy was high heartworm positive and had little chance of getting out except through rescue. Pat and Jim were involved in flyball at the time and thought Sassy might be a good height dog (yep, she had foster failure written all over her :). Sassy was scared of everyone and everything at first, but she had a lot of people helping her. All the members of the Lone Star Ruffnecks went out of their way to help her learn that people were good (the guys always brought special treats and Sassy learned to jump in their laps to get them!). Sassy did run flyball for a short time and even earned her FDCH title! She also earned a Canine Good Citizen title, but mainly she was Pat's friend and companion. In August of 2010 they thought they were going to loose her (she had a large tumor on her liver that was inoperable), but were told by their vet to take her home and spoil her since nothing medically could be done and she didn't seem to be in any pain. For over seven months Sassy was able to enjoy many things - going to Happy Hounds and moseying around the field, attending classes, going with Pat and Jim on their annual beach trip and mainly just getting very spoiled :). Sassy lost her fight on March 25, 2011....each extra day was a gift....

Pat found Christy Belle (aka The Blond Dog) at a shelter in 1997 when she was 8 weeks old. Pat was actually looking for another breed at the time, but Christy caught her eye and turned out to be just what she needed! Christy was a Golden Retriever/Finnish Spitz mix and was another one that taught Pat a lot! Pat and Christy showed in obedience and competed in agility and flyball, but flyball was her favorite sport since she LOVED to talk and flyball dogs are allowed to bark :). Pat and Christy learned these sports together and enjoyed every minute of working through challenges, but they also enjoyed just going for a walk or hanging out together. Christy was diagnosed with cancer when she was 15 years old and they lost her exactly one week after losing Sassy....They will never forget their blond dog....

Heidi (the one that started Pat in dog training!) was a beautiful German Shepherd/collie mix. Pat's son found Heidi and brought her home in 1985 when she was about a year old. They found Heidi's owners who did not want her back - mainly because she was a wild one and they didn't want to take the time to train her. Their loss! Pat started taking Heidi to a training school and got hooked on training. The bond that developed between Pat and Heidi was enormous. Pat had owned dogs her entire life, but had never had a relationship with one like she had with Heidi. They learned to understand each other and Pat started to realize how important training is - not only for the dog, but also for the people who own them. She started reading everything she could about training in addition to volunteering in classes, attending seminars and doing whatever it took to learn how to help dogs and their owners have the kind of relationship she had with Heidi. They lost Heidi in 1996....but, her legacy lives on in the lives changed because of this wonderful dog!