Flora is my regal, one person companion. She has a fairly serious outlook on life in general, but when she is with me and it's time to play, she goes all out. Flora loves the whole household, but she is definitely most attached to me; she is a one person dog, and if I'm outside, she is usually nearby. When I go out snowshoeing, she is the one who sticks closest to me and will go ahead to break the trail if I ask her to do so. She is watchful and protective of her family and territory, and has growled at visitors when we aren't outside to assure her that they are allowed to be on the property, but she has never shown her teeth or acted aggressively. If I introduce her to someone, she relaxes and tolerates them. 

     Flora has tons of drive. She loves herding and works with good natural balance  and plenty of power (sometimes just a little too much.) She also loves playing fetch, especially with a frisbee, or hide and seek. (I'll make her lie down and stay while I go hide a toy somewhere, then I release her to go find it. She usually locates it within seconds, even if I've hidden it up above the ground and she has to climb on top of something or jump in the air to get it.) She also loves water and likes to go swimming or wading in the arm of the river near our house. I've trained her a little bit off and on to pull a sled, and though it's not her favorite activity, she puts her heart into it and pulls well because she wants to please me.

     Flora is big boned and stocky for a Border collie, with a thick, slightly curly coat. She is extremely athletic and can easily jump onto a 4’ high deck from almost a standstill. With her strong build, stamina, warm coat, and alert, loyal nature, she is excellently suited for life in Alaska, and she is my companion of choice if I'm only taking one dog somewhere with me. I couldn't ask for a better Border collie to enjoy life on the Last Frontier.

     Flora is genetically tested and clear for CEA, TNS, SN, MDR1, NCL, and Glaucoma. She carries one copy of IG-S, but none of her puppies will be affected by this disorder because it is a recessive (requires a copy of the gene from each parent to produce an affected (potentially sick) puppy) and I will only ever breed her to a non-carrier.