Our Beginning
MAX at 14 yrs., picture taken through the glass door to the deck
Our beloved Max has been gone now for over a year, but his heart and spirit will be with us until we meet him at Rainbow Bridge. After losing a much loved 17 year old mixed breed dog, it was awhile before Don could bring himself to have another dog in the house. Eventually an ad in the newspaper for a 6 month old male sheltie "purebred" caught our attention. 16" Max came home with us, was proclaimed by the vet "not likely to get any taller" and for a month lay by the side of Don's recliner quietly. THEN - he tore loose! Running circles around that recliner and around the room, bringing tossed toys back over and over, and going everywhere we went became his excited life. When he reached the age of 12 months (by now 19 1/2" tall!) we decided we were TOO OLD to raise such an active young dog alone. He needed a younger companion to keep him busy! Along came Angel, and we have been "into shelties" ever since. The intelligence and personality of the Shetland Sheepdog had won our hearts.
Both Max and Angel were unpapered, farm type shelties. One Christmas our son presented "Mom" with an AKC papered eight week old female sheltie puppy. "There Mom, she'll be one you can enter in dog shows." Well, Megan was the most intelligent, and trainable dog ever! At the first shows we entered, we learned Megan was definitely NOT a conformation girl. :-( But she loved the ring so we entered her in training class, and Megan, by now a "canine soul-mate" to Mom, became her agility partner. What fun! Megan would do anything she was asked to do once she knew what was expected. Megan too has now crossed the bridge - much too soon.
Purchasing a "show quality" female was our beginning of learning what the breed standard was all about. It seems we never stop learning. At the present time we have a total of nine adult shelties in the household and some remaining pups. Most of the adults are showing in the conformation ring, or are waiting for their time to do so. Some of the pups are "keepers" being grown out as show potentials. A few of the pet quality pups are on our "available" page.
We enjoy showing our dogs ourselves, so it takes longer to accomplish the goal, which is to breed the best Shetland Sheepdog we can, and then point and finish them. We show in AKC,UKC, and CKC. Which venue and when depends on the dogs, the distance to the show sites, and our finances at the time.
From Max, our first sheltie, to the present young up and coming show potentials in the family, all are loved and individually planned, cared for, and placed where their life's purpose is best served.