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A Country Dog Finds a Home in the West Village

By Serena Solomon | April 25, 2011 7:57am

By Serena Solomon

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

WEST VILLAGE — When a three-month-old Border Collie called Sky arrived in the West Village, it appeared that the puppy's early life on a North Carolina farm hadn't quite prepared her for her stylish new neighborhood.

On a walk with her owner Carol Lea Benjamin through the West Village's leafy streets, Sky encountered two dogs dressed in stylish sheepskin coats and immediately stopped dead in her tracks, begging to be picked up.

Four years later, however, Sky is proof that a country dog can learn a whole lot of city tricks.

"I knew her training was complete when we ran into this woman with a chihuahua in a pink tutu and Sky stopped to play," said Benjamin, an author and world-renowned dog trainer.

"I said 'O.K we have come a long way from the farm.'"

Sky now takes a staring role in Benjamin's new book, "Do Border Collies Dream of Sheep?" which tells the tale of how two dogs from the same litter were trained into service dogs. One is May, who became a sheep dog in North Carolina where the two were born. The other is Sky, who assists Benjamin with what she calls her invisible disability — the inflammatory bowel disease Crohn's.

The book was co-authored with May's owner, C. Denise Wall, but for Benjamin her part has taken a lifetime to write.

"This was a huge, huge book for me," Benjamin said of the story that reveals how the wolf-like qualities of Border Collies contribute to their working life.

Benjamin, who also wrote the best selling book "Mother Knows Best: the Natural Way to Train Your Dog," trained Sky to assists her during random bouts of excruciating pain caused by Crohn's disease.

"She leans against my side when there is intestinal pain. It is the heat, the energy and the pressure," she said. Without any command, Sky can sense when she is in pain.

According to Benjamin, the very presence of the dog triggers endorphins that diminish the body's response to pain.

Benjamin recalls that life in the West Village with a service dog was challenging at first. Cafés and restaurants refused Benjamin service because of her constant four-legged companion.

Now, Benjamin takes Sky to local cafes, such as Meme's on Hudson and Bank Streets or for a walk along the Highline. She even goes to the Sports Center at Chelsea Piers with Sky by her side.

"When I am with Sky I feel perfectly normal," Benjamin said.

Benjamin's book, "Do Border Collies Dream of Sheep?" can be purchased from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. She also keeps a blog where she shares her thoughts on dogs.