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A blue merle Border Collie and a brown and white calf sleeping head to head on a bed of straw in a barn. 15 / 36

Hay, Quiet, and a Blue Merle Collie Dozing Beside a Sleepy Calf

AI imageborder colliecalfhay

The two of them have fallen asleep with their faces almost touching. A blue merle Border Collie lies with her gray-and-black marbled head flat in the straw, and a brown-and-white calf rests her chin on the hay next to her with her eyes closed. A rubber boot, a bucket and a tan jacket hang on the barn wall behind them, and a few golden strands of straw are stuck to both coats.

Merle is a coat pattern that gives a dog its speckled, marbled look, and blue merle Border Collies are quite popular. Behind the pretty coat is a working dog who loves a task and enjoys being close to her people. After a morning of work or play, a Border Collie can switch to snoozing quickly, and a deep nap like this one is a sign of a well-exercised dog.

Straw is a better bedding choice than loose hay for many animals, because it stays drier and is less dusty. Whatever you use, keep it clean, since damp or moldy bedding can bother both lungs and skin. A tidy barn also helps keep pests away.

Clover and her sleepy collie look like they are dreaming about the same thing, possibly a very large, very green field. It is the sort of nap that lasts all afternoon, with only the occasional twitch of an ear to prove anyone is alive. The barn is quiet, and the straw is warm, and that is plenty.

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