About Us

FCI “By Your Side” is our small family kennel of border collies. We are registered with the Croatian Kennel Club, which represents the Republic of Croatia in the international canine federation FCI based in Belgium, and we are also active members of the Kennel Society of Varaždin. The name of our kennel is inspired by the song “By Your Side” by Sade, which speaks of unconditional love – the same love that our four-legged friends give us as they faithfully accompany us throughout their lives. With our work, effort, and investment, we aim to improve this breed through careful breeding to maintain excellent health, conformation, working ability, and temperament. Our dogs are, above all, family members, not kennel dogs. Visitors are always welcome to meet them. We breed occasionally, and our combinations are always thoroughly researched, based on the best bloodlines currently available, which we are very proud of. Our first border collie was imported to Croatia in 2012 after a year-long search for a chosen bloodline. With him, we returned to the world of exhibitions after a long break, quickly completing all championships, learning alongside him, meeting world breeders, and gaining knowledge about the breed, bloodlines, and breeding through communication with them. As the thought of having to say goodbye to him horrified us, we sought a kennel from which we could obtain a female and create a combination with Coll. After waiting three years on the list with a breeder from Germany, Brynn was born. We knew she was the one. And thus began our wonderful journey. I hope that through posts on this page, we can bring you at least a small part of the magic we enjoy every day. I won't write about the breed standard here as you can find the FCI standard everywhere; I will try to convey what life with a border collie looks like and how they function. To fully understand a border collie, it is important to grasp its purpose – it is a working dog whose task is to gather sheep and keep the flock together. Its typical behavior, such as staring and sneaking, triggers the release of happiness hormones, which can lead to obsessive behavior. The trigger for such behavior is movement – whether it is a ball, shadow, runner, or car. This behavior can be corrected with targeted training, and you will receive guidelines when you become the owner of a puppy from our breeding. The border collie is considered the most intelligent breed in the dog world, which sounds great, but as I once read: “They have enough intelligence to question everything and scrutinize all, but not enough to find all the answers!” This is where we, as owners, come in – to guide them. Before you decide on this wonderful breed, it is important to carefully consider whether a border collie will fit into your lifestyle. A border collie owner must be active and spontaneous, with a quick observational ability, as fast reactions are key in situations where you must respond to the behaviors of these exceptionally intelligent dogs. You don’t have to be a control freak, but without consistent training, you won’t achieve the desired results with a border collie. If you follow the important rules, your dog will develop into a stable friend who will respect you and be your fun companion in life’s adventures.