KarenCurtis
Forums Sage
Far from boring Caro!
Why did you pick Shelties?
- Thread starter Sharon7
- Start date
ghggp
Moderator
Great thread topic, Sharon!
Love all the stories too!
I also had a collie growing up and his name was Duke. He was a wonderful dog and he was my best friend! I was crushed when he passed at five from an aggressive cancer. My mom would not let me have another dog. I swore one day I would get another collie! After my divorce I purchased a home and my goal was to finally get a dog!
I went to a local dog show to find a collie and as I walked in I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw the most exquisite male Sheltie puppy sitting quietly on a grooming table watching the action all around. I immediately asked the breeder if he was for sale. She said no as it was the first male she ever bred with his perfect confirmation and attitude. I asked her if she ever had another to please contact me!
Unfortunately she lost my business card only to find it a year later in her grooming box! She had a male puppy at that time and called me. I ran up right after work!
When I got there the mom was in the living room welping box. I was offered the puppy to hold... so I laid on the floor on my back with the puppy in my chest adoring the little one. I went on and saying how cute he was and before long he had to go back to mom for a feeding.
As I sat up I looked around to see at least 10 crates around the room! I asked the breeder why they were all in a cage. She responded that many people would be overwhelmed with all of them being free to run and play in the living room. I said, it won’t bother me at all!
With that comment, she began opening up crate after crate... I was in heaven with shelties zooming all around me! It was a blur... that is until she opened up the last crate!
I was sitting Indian style on the floor when the most beautiful little 6 month old female pranced out of her crate and proceeded to curl up in my lap and lick my face! It was like in a slow motion movie! Nothing existed around me but this precious little female!
I immediately pointed down to her to ask if she was available. The breeder said no as she wanted to keep her for breeding. I was heartbroken and said I only wanted her.
As the male pup was too young to leave his mom I went home so sad! A few days later the breeder called as her husband clearly saw the bond we both had and told his wife... ask her if she would allow her to have a litter and I could have a pick puppy, then she would agree to let me have her!
That was my first Sheltie Kelsey! She was smart as a whip and I ended up getting a CD title on her.
After she passed, a friend told me about Petfinder a website for dogs needing homes. That is how I found my beloved Mr. Chance! The rescue had so many shelties that he had to stay in a stall in the barn as the house was full of older Shelties.
He had been abandoned in a motel and thank goodness the rescue allowed out of state adoptions. It was the worst blizzard Ohio had ever seen when we arrived the day after the storm to pick him up! He was the love of my life!
No breed can match the sensitivity of a Sheltie. They are so devoted and sweet! Their goal in life is to please! Their bond is so deep and absolute! They are they only breed for me!
My Shelties purchased and rescued*:
Kelsey, Laddie, Billy*, Bijorn*, Chance*, Jasmine*, Logan, Baron,
Beau, And Liam!
Would have tried to rescue more but many will not allow out of state rescues! So sad!
Love all the stories too!
I also had a collie growing up and his name was Duke. He was a wonderful dog and he was my best friend! I was crushed when he passed at five from an aggressive cancer. My mom would not let me have another dog. I swore one day I would get another collie! After my divorce I purchased a home and my goal was to finally get a dog!
I went to a local dog show to find a collie and as I walked in I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw the most exquisite male Sheltie puppy sitting quietly on a grooming table watching the action all around. I immediately asked the breeder if he was for sale. She said no as it was the first male she ever bred with his perfect confirmation and attitude. I asked her if she ever had another to please contact me!
Unfortunately she lost my business card only to find it a year later in her grooming box! She had a male puppy at that time and called me. I ran up right after work!
When I got there the mom was in the living room welping box. I was offered the puppy to hold... so I laid on the floor on my back with the puppy in my chest adoring the little one. I went on and saying how cute he was and before long he had to go back to mom for a feeding.
As I sat up I looked around to see at least 10 crates around the room! I asked the breeder why they were all in a cage. She responded that many people would be overwhelmed with all of them being free to run and play in the living room. I said, it won’t bother me at all!
With that comment, she began opening up crate after crate... I was in heaven with shelties zooming all around me! It was a blur... that is until she opened up the last crate!
I was sitting Indian style on the floor when the most beautiful little 6 month old female pranced out of her crate and proceeded to curl up in my lap and lick my face! It was like in a slow motion movie! Nothing existed around me but this precious little female!
I immediately pointed down to her to ask if she was available. The breeder said no as she wanted to keep her for breeding. I was heartbroken and said I only wanted her.
As the male pup was too young to leave his mom I went home so sad! A few days later the breeder called as her husband clearly saw the bond we both had and told his wife... ask her if she would allow her to have a litter and I could have a pick puppy, then she would agree to let me have her!
That was my first Sheltie Kelsey! She was smart as a whip and I ended up getting a CD title on her.
After she passed, a friend told me about Petfinder a website for dogs needing homes. That is how I found my beloved Mr. Chance! The rescue had so many shelties that he had to stay in a stall in the barn as the house was full of older Shelties.
He had been abandoned in a motel and thank goodness the rescue allowed out of state adoptions. It was the worst blizzard Ohio had ever seen when we arrived the day after the storm to pick him up! He was the love of my life!
No breed can match the sensitivity of a Sheltie. They are so devoted and sweet! Their goal in life is to please! Their bond is so deep and absolute! They are they only breed for me!
My Shelties purchased and rescued*:
Kelsey, Laddie, Billy*, Bijorn*, Chance*, Jasmine*, Logan, Baron,
Beau, And Liam!
Would have tried to rescue more but many will not allow out of state rescues! So sad!
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TheDailyPainter
Forums Enthusiast
I love all these great stories! My journey started out when I was in high school. A teacher who knew I was an artist asked me to do a portrait of her collie dog. She gave me a reference photo to work with and as it was back in the days before digital cameras the picture was terrible. The dog's face was smaller than a dime. So in search of a better reference I went to the local pet shop and found a book full of pictures of what I thought were collies. I didn't know about shelties. Well I began reading this book of Shetland Sheepdogs and their characteristics. From that day forward I knew they were the breed for me. I have only had shelties. River is my 4rth. My parents would not let me have a dog but I was determined to convince them. I remember returning to this same shop where they had a sheltie puppy. I asked to hold him, and he was as light as a feather. I remember thinking he felt like an eggshell. Well that only convinced me I had to have a sheltie even more. My mother said they were too big. So I made a life sized sheltie out of paper, attached it to a stand, and pulled it out one day after dinner as my mother and I sat talking. Still a no. I was a good kid and never defied my parents...but this time I did. I saved my money until I had enough, and found a sheltie puppy advertised in the paper. Of course eventually both of my parents ended up loving that dog as much as I did. She was the most angelic dog of all my shelties. I think she knew she had to be so as not to get me in trouble. I swear on my life she only had ONE house training accident. This was in the days before crates, so when I had to leave the house I kept her in a large open top cardboard box! She never tried to jump out, or chew it! I couldn't see myself with any other breed of dog.
Piper's mom
Moderator
Beautiful stories everyone! I thoroughly enjoyed reading all your stories! I'm a sucker for a good dog story and these brought tears to my eyes and many laughs... loved them!
RikyR
Premium Member
My wife grew up with a collie, I with a Dachshund. Our children never really bugged is for a dog, probably a good thing, since they were all involved in sports. band, you name it, we were always on the go. Once they all left home, we decided that we were going to get a dog. My wife really wanted a Collie, but I really did not want a big dog. A co-worker, inherited a Sheltie (Nickie) when his mother-in-law passed away. The minute we met her, we knew what breed we wanted. Since we were both working, we thought it best to try to adopt an adult Sheltie. The local Sheltie rescue said since we had not owned a dog since out childhood, that we were not fit to own a rescue. We were heartbroken. One day I just happened to decide to look in the local newspaper at the dog listings. And there it was, Free Sheltie to a good home. I went to my desk and called the number. He was still available, but they had taken several calls. Told her we could be there in 30 minutes. My wife and I left work (we work together), and went to the owners home. When we first saw Cody, we were surprised, he was really overweight (52 lbs,), and really needed grooming. The owners told us that had another dog and a newborn, and just did not have the time to dedicate to Cody. All this time, Cody was under the kitchen table watching us. When he finally came over to me, I reached out to him, and he spun around and gave me his butt to scratch! That was it, he was coming home with us. Cody hit the lottery that day. He went from being the odd man out to the center of attention, and he flourished with us. He was with us for 6 years until kidney disease took him away at 11 years old. He was my heart dog, I still miss him to this day. It is a Sheltie or nothing for me.
SheepOfBlue
Premium Member
Oh and since everyone had stories and I just had a picture. Dow was named after Dow Chemical. When I got him it was from a lady at work (legend has it a Cocker and Spitz purebred parents) she said now he has some fleas. So I got him at lunch and he was a puff ball. Brought him to Mom and Dad's store and told them don't let him out of the box he has fleas and I will get him after work. Now of course Mom could not let that stand and had to check him out. He had a BILLION fleas you just could not see them through the hair. She paramighted him (not supposed to be used on puppies) twice! So the joke was he was a chemical waste dump. Total madman and super active. When I lost him I thought 'I want another wild dog'. Looked at Border Collies but many said they would not do well by themselves all day. So Shelties were recommended. I liked the idea and got Sca, the world's most dignified and proper Sheltie 
Yes Sca could be crazy for flyball but overall he was just proper. So not really the personality I had hoped for but he was super fantastic. Then I got Spitfire as penance according to Mom.
Oh and as an aside Dow was also nicknamed the ghost of Zeek. We had Zeek who was also a total maniac. He and Dow looked so closely the same that it was scary (can't find a Zeek picture now). Except for one thing, Zeek was jet black with almost no white. Thus the ghost of Zeek.
Yes Sca could be crazy for flyball but overall he was just proper. So not really the personality I had hoped for but he was super fantastic. Then I got Spitfire as penance according to Mom.Oh and as an aside Dow was also nicknamed the ghost of Zeek. We had Zeek who was also a total maniac. He and Dow looked so closely the same that it was scary (can't find a Zeek picture now). Except for one thing, Zeek was jet black with almost no white. Thus the ghost of Zeek.
jomuir
Forums Enthusiast
What a great question and I am loving all the replies so much. We had collies when I was a baby/little one and while I don’t have a conscious memory of them I feel very safe and loved when am around collies. I just feel like a child in my mothers arms, all safe and warm and loved. After high school I worked in an animal hospital and met many shelties but few collies. I adored the shelties, they were like an improved collie to me, gorgeous, super smart and high energy, better size etc. Okay okay I adored just about every breed back then and have to confess have always wanted a great dane too.
In my 30’s our mixed breed dog died suddenly and I was looking for rescue dogs and stumbled across the website for Michigan Sheltie Rescue and that was it. I contacted them and I can’t live w/o a sheltie now. We do have a collie and a mini doxie (don’t ask, it was a weird choice but I adore her too). I love the collie but don’t see us getting another as he’s massive and my god the shedding! Compared to collies, shelties are non-shedders. And he is much more reserved than any sheltie we’ve had, you have to really earn his trust but he was mistreated before coming to us which may explain that.
Anyway I guess I came to shelties through collies in a way and am so glad I did as they’re such a wonderful loving breed.
In my 30’s our mixed breed dog died suddenly and I was looking for rescue dogs and stumbled across the website for Michigan Sheltie Rescue and that was it. I contacted them and I can’t live w/o a sheltie now. We do have a collie and a mini doxie (don’t ask, it was a weird choice but I adore her too). I love the collie but don’t see us getting another as he’s massive and my god the shedding! Compared to collies, shelties are non-shedders. And he is much more reserved than any sheltie we’ve had, you have to really earn his trust but he was mistreated before coming to us which may explain that.
Anyway I guess I came to shelties through collies in a way and am so glad I did as they’re such a wonderful loving breed.
ghggp
Moderator
Michigan Sheltie Rescue is the BEST! That is where I got Billy my first rescue Sheltie and Jasmine! Carol is just wonderful!
Little tiny Jasmine!
Billy my first rescue!
GlennR
Forums Enthusiast
Some stories are hard to tell but sometimes things have a way of working out for the best.
Since my wife and I married, we have welcomed five dogs into our family. The first was an Australian Shepherd who we adopted out of a pet store, against all advice and our knowledge of the damage poor socialization can cause. My only defense is that he cried when we walked by his cage. I'm a sucker for sad animals. Buddy was quite shy and frightened at first but blossomed one day while we house sat for my parents. They had a yard and I had him sit and tossed a frisbee his way. He caught it and never looked back. He played every day of his sixteen years with us.
When Buddy passed we looked around for another smart breed and found a local breeder of Standard Poodles. I had read how smart they were and they were non-shedding to top it off. Little did I know just how many hours we'd spend with a grooming table and a kit of scissors, sprays and clippers. As it turned out we adopted Carter, a lovely apricot with a sense of humor and the very best of dispositions, loving, kind and friendly to everyone and every creature. He was with us only ten years before dying of a stroke.
When Carter was five, he was getting a bit chubby, so I thought bringing another standard in would get him moving a bit more and help him trim out. That didn't really work out and Niko, a silver standard, only felt truly happy with family. He had to be watched around anyone else. Mainly he was terrific and devoted to me. The interactions between the boys were never unpleasant, mainly because Carter was way smarter than Niko. If Niko was on the couch resting his head on my lap, Carter would head to the toy box and haul out Niko's favorite toys and walk back and forth in front of the couch until Niko leaped down to take it and Carter would hop up, put his head in my lap and sigh happily.
Niko started sliding downhill as he approached ten. He became afraid of the dark, afraid of loud sounds and suspicious of strangers, and also unpredictable with all family except me. My wife was headed in for major surgery and so we made the difficult decision to put him to sleep before a tragedy forced us to do so.
After a period of grieving, we started looking for another standard. We met with a breeder and we were matched by the breeder with what turned out to be a shy and easily scared black poodle puppy. We had expressed concerns over his apparent reluctance prior to taking him home but were verbally reassured that he was just fine and just over-attached to the breeder. Well, to make a long sad story, shorter. When Loki didn't adapt and stayed fearful of everyone, including my sons, growling at them and running after them when they turned their backs, I returned him to the breeder and gave away all my dog crates, grooming equipment and all dog stuff with a resolution to never get another dog that could turn into a fear biiter and I was heartbroken, but I wasn't going to try and manage through another fear-filled dog.
Time passed. I retired and spent my days alone. The desire for another companion was strong so I started browsing the web and looking at which breeds were scoring high in obedience and other competitions and found Shelties doing well across the board. After some discussions with my wife, we started looking for a Sheltie breeder. Her kennel had over 150 champion dogs here in Canada and she was thoughtful and very accomodating when I said all we wanted was a stable, happy disposition. Colour and sex meant nothing to us. Shelties are small and easy to handle, something my wife wanted, and a quarter of the grooming compared to a poodle. And, so, little Willow came into our family and has happily ruled the house and hearts since she got here.
First day home:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Animals/...3/507EB565-87CB-4484-9DBC-6B3513F86FB1-X3.jpg
Since my wife and I married, we have welcomed five dogs into our family. The first was an Australian Shepherd who we adopted out of a pet store, against all advice and our knowledge of the damage poor socialization can cause. My only defense is that he cried when we walked by his cage. I'm a sucker for sad animals. Buddy was quite shy and frightened at first but blossomed one day while we house sat for my parents. They had a yard and I had him sit and tossed a frisbee his way. He caught it and never looked back. He played every day of his sixteen years with us.
When Buddy passed we looked around for another smart breed and found a local breeder of Standard Poodles. I had read how smart they were and they were non-shedding to top it off. Little did I know just how many hours we'd spend with a grooming table and a kit of scissors, sprays and clippers. As it turned out we adopted Carter, a lovely apricot with a sense of humor and the very best of dispositions, loving, kind and friendly to everyone and every creature. He was with us only ten years before dying of a stroke.
When Carter was five, he was getting a bit chubby, so I thought bringing another standard in would get him moving a bit more and help him trim out. That didn't really work out and Niko, a silver standard, only felt truly happy with family. He had to be watched around anyone else. Mainly he was terrific and devoted to me. The interactions between the boys were never unpleasant, mainly because Carter was way smarter than Niko. If Niko was on the couch resting his head on my lap, Carter would head to the toy box and haul out Niko's favorite toys and walk back and forth in front of the couch until Niko leaped down to take it and Carter would hop up, put his head in my lap and sigh happily.
Niko started sliding downhill as he approached ten. He became afraid of the dark, afraid of loud sounds and suspicious of strangers, and also unpredictable with all family except me. My wife was headed in for major surgery and so we made the difficult decision to put him to sleep before a tragedy forced us to do so.
After a period of grieving, we started looking for another standard. We met with a breeder and we were matched by the breeder with what turned out to be a shy and easily scared black poodle puppy. We had expressed concerns over his apparent reluctance prior to taking him home but were verbally reassured that he was just fine and just over-attached to the breeder. Well, to make a long sad story, shorter. When Loki didn't adapt and stayed fearful of everyone, including my sons, growling at them and running after them when they turned their backs, I returned him to the breeder and gave away all my dog crates, grooming equipment and all dog stuff with a resolution to never get another dog that could turn into a fear biiter and I was heartbroken, but I wasn't going to try and manage through another fear-filled dog.
Time passed. I retired and spent my days alone. The desire for another companion was strong so I started browsing the web and looking at which breeds were scoring high in obedience and other competitions and found Shelties doing well across the board. After some discussions with my wife, we started looking for a Sheltie breeder. Her kennel had over 150 champion dogs here in Canada and she was thoughtful and very accomodating when I said all we wanted was a stable, happy disposition. Colour and sex meant nothing to us. Shelties are small and easy to handle, something my wife wanted, and a quarter of the grooming compared to a poodle. And, so, little Willow came into our family and has happily ruled the house and hearts since she got here.
First day home:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Animals/...3/507EB565-87CB-4484-9DBC-6B3513F86FB1-X3.jpg
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Sharon7
Moderator
Glenn, you took the long route to Shelties, and I'm sorry you had some bad experiences along the way. But you ended up with one of the most lovely, and stable, Shelties I've ever heard of. Your breeder is to be commended. So glad it all worked out.