Why did you pick Shelties?

I don't have a cool sheltie story, I was a child of strays and mutts. As a young adult, I had a Golden and Dobermans.
I didn't pick Shelties, my husband did. Well, he got *a* sheltie. While visiting his uncle in Oregon, he met his cousin's dog, Foxy. Rod thought he was a really neat dog, didn't even know what a Sheltie was! The cousin was moving out to the other side of the state and she asked Rod if he wanted him. So he bought a crate and flew him home to Tucson. Foxy wasn't a name Rod liked, so bringing Foxy to the desert--desert fox--he was renamed Rommel. Rod's a big student of WWII LOL.
Big dog girl meets sheltie and discovers a small breed that was wonderful. Rommel lived to be 16. Putting him to sleep was so hard on Rod. We didn't have a dog for years after that. I finally couldn't take it any more, found the only Sheltie breeder in Tucson and got two shelties from her. When they passed I met the breeder of my current pack at our big dog show and the rest, as they say, is history.
 
I love reading these stories!!

I grew up with a black lab, after their 1st dog passed away my parents took me to the breeder and I had the pick of the litter. I picked the only black dog out of the litter and for whatever reason I named her Sugar (I was only about 4 so who knows why I picked that name). She was my best friend growing up and was an amazing dog who had 2 litters of 11 puppies each. I cried when each puppy was sold. After Sugar died my parents then began adopting from the local humane society.

My husband’s parents had toy poodles.

When we bought out 1st house and moved out on our own I could not stand not having a dog. I would constantly bring my parents dog to our house for “visits”. Being dogless lasted about 6 months. This is the longest I have ever went without a dog my entire life.

I wanted another lab like I grew up with. My husband wanted a Sheltie. He says he had always wanted one and always said that’s what he was going to get one day. I never even heard of a Sheltie until he mentioned it. I was just happy to get a dog, so a Sheltie it was.

We adopted Hollie in November of 1996. She was such a great dog, very dedicated to us. Would do anything to make us happy. She is even in our wedding pictures. She was so easy to train and never did anything wrong. We loved her so much. Unfortunately she passed away in June 2010. We were heartbroken. Of course again I could not bear not having a dog in the house. So unknown to me my husband was looking at breeders on line and one day he shows me this picture of this adorable black and white ball of fur. We spoke with the breeder and decided to “just go take a look”. Well you know you can never “just look”. That same day in July 2010, we came home with that black and white fluff ball - now known as Shelby.

Shelby is the complete opposite of Hollie and I swear she was brought to us to teach us patience. Shelby is VERY smart and independent and honestly doesn’t have a care in the world. Life is about having fun regardless if “fun” doesn’t make us happy (digging holes, chewing walls, furniture etc.). But she has grown into a well adjusted, easy going girl, who loves everyone, especially children. And loves doing nosework.

When the time comes that we loose Shelby my husband wants to take a “little break” from having a dog. But we already know that our next dog will be a Sheltie. As my husband says “I couldn’t imagine not having such a smart dog”. Even if Shelby is so smart she knows how to outsmart us and manipulate us all the time.
 
I wanted a dog when I was young but my mom was terrified of dogs. We happened to have a sheltie breeder who lived somewhere near us, on our way home. I begged, I was the youngest, so of course mom agreed to stop 'just to see'. Our Sarah Lee came up to my mom and laid a paw on her leg - mom was smitten. Sarah had been purchased as a pup, was a calm, quiet sheltie - the purchaser wanted a hyper playful pup - Sarah was abused, then returned to the breeder. The breeder did not plan on letting Sarah go to a new home, but liked us and on Christmas Eve, I was gifted with Sarah Lee. She was terrified of all noises, newspapers, magazines, fires and did run off once. We were lucky to get her back - she was a scared thing - mom had me take obedience lessons with her and then I showed her a few times. I still have my one first place ribbon I got with her so many years ago. Sarah gained confidence, was such a love - she allowed our house to be broken into and we found her locked in a back bedroom and mom and dad said she must have been so excited to see someone and wanted to be loved on and petted that they put her behind a door. Sarah was spoiled rotten by my parents - she moved multiple times with us as we went coast to coast and all places in between. She traveled with us always, stayed in hotels, mom built her a bed and she had to have her pillows fluffed every night. She slept with my parents, you'd hear a trio of snoring - mom, dad, then Sarah. Dad always said, in a house full of females, he was met very time at the door by Sarah - happy as a clam to see him. Sarah lived out her days, got bladder cancer and my parents just could not say goodbye - she wore diapers around the house. I remember New Years Eve one year coming home from work to see Dad removing Sarah's Dog bed from the back of mom's truck. It was a few years before Dad could speak of her.

When our kids wanted a dog, we got Buddy - a small standard dachshund who was with us for 14 years. As with Sarah. Buddy traveled all over with us. We got a second, Kooper who is still with us - mostly deaf now and has to pee every 2 - 3 hours or else. I wanted a Sheltie again - not that I didn't love my doxies, I do. But I do love the Sheltie personality. I don't think I could have kept up with the energy when my kids were young - I had 3 kids in 4 years so it was nuts around here as is. One of my husbands coworkers bred doxies and had multiple litters, took weeks to talk my husband into okaying one, when the pups were ready, the one I thought we were going to end up with she gave to someone else and I was heartbroken. Hubby said it was not meant to be - we never would have ended up with Brodie. Three years later, a breeder we had contacted a few years prior had a bi-blue, not quite the merle I thought I wanted, but she knew we had waited a long time so before she offered up her pups, she allowed us to go meet them. Secretly, both hubby and I were smitten with the tiny bi-black; the bi-blue was okay, but he was more interested in the other pups than us. We decided to bring our daughter to meet them. In showing her pics of the pups, Brodie had photo-bombed every single pic. We three showed up, the bi-blue was more interested in daughter's scarf, all three of us were smitten with Brodie. He picked us!

I pulled out Sarah's pedigree a while back, apparently her breeder became big in the Sheltie world. Her pedigree was handwritten, btw.

We may be adding a second sheltie IF one picks us. Brodie's litter-mate will eventually have pups - hubby would have taken both her AND Brodie if allowed. Funny, the guy who was the 'no more dogs!' guy, now wants a female. I'm not quite set on a female, would have to meet the pups, see if there is a 'click' as with Brodie. Other than Tigger, our really old cat we lost a few years ago at 19, all my pets have been males - chosen because I wanted a family pet, not one tied to 1 person - I worry about that an moodiness with a female - I am so used to happy go lucky, silly, awkward boys.
 
My parents always had dogs when I was a kid, (nevermind my dad "didn't like dogs") We had two big mutts, and after that all smaller breeds. I loved dogs, even if I wasn't as close with them as my sister and my mom, I loved walking with them, and just the way they fill a house. When I moved out I hated not having one, but both myself and my husband agreed we shouldn't get a dog when we were both gone most of the day at work. When I quit my job to start a photo business, we floated the idea of getting a dog, and my husband who had grown up with a Collie, would only consider the apartment sized version of one, shelties. Unfortunately none of the breeders in our area had any litters, so it never went past that.

A year or two later, the day after shooting a wedding I was to exhausted to cook, so we went out to eat at a restaurant next to a pet shop, and on a whim after I decided to go inside to look at the dogs. I had no intention of buying one, but low and behold behind one of the glass cases was a litter of 8 week old shelties. I wasn't completely convinced, they were expensive, and not from a breeder, but decided, well maybe we should just try holding one?

I went up and asked, and the worker, asked if I meant the 4 month old one. I hadn't seen her, but asked about it, and was told that since she hadn't sold she was marked down to $200. No she wasn't a 'designer mix', full sheltie with AKC papers. I said yes, and they brought out Honey. She was aloof, and looked more like a chihuahua than those fluffy little babies we first saw, but she was very responsive to workers she knew, and that was enough to convince me that she'd probably bond just fine. Knowing nothing of what we were getting into we took her home. I hate that we bought her from a pet shop, in learning about the breed I learned about just how bad pet shops were, but I can't regret getting her. She's been trouble since day one, but also the best companion I could ever have.

When we wanted a second dog I tried to rescue a sheltie, it didn't work out, and traumatized Honey and us enough that it got put on hold for several years, but eventually Mango came into the picture. She's not a sheltie, but I think herding breeds are just the right match for me. That focus and how strongly they bond with us are what I've always wanted.
 
I am so enjoying all these stories! What a great thread, Sharon. I finally have a few minutes to join in and share mine.

I was an only child and always desperately wanted a dog or even a cat, but my mother absolutely would not hear of it. I vowed when I grew up I would have all the dogs I wanted and I've pretty much kept that vow LOL. But I didn't start with Shelties. When our kids were little, we had a Westie, and then a Pomeranian. When my son was 12 we were driving past a house where a young boy was playing with a Sheltie in the yard. My son declared that he wanted one of THOSE, a dog he could actually play with, and not a little puffball.

I didn't think much of it, but as fate would have it, a horse friend had an accidental litter of her Shelties and told me about it. Son was being confirmed, so we decided we'd investigate getting one as a gift for him. That was our first Sheltie, Scruffy, and the rest is history.

Scruffy, named by Jay, was anything but scruffy. She was as regal as they come, the only Sheltie I've ever known with naturally tipped ears; independent, wicked smart, full of personality and fiercely loyal. As Jay grew up and got involved in teenage things, she became mine and the love of my life, always by my side. We eventually added Bandit, a blue merle rescue, and then Ivy, a tri pet store rescue who was a wiz at agility which my daughter and I enjoyed together, me with Scruffy graciously agreeing to participate for me even though it was clear she'd rather be on the couch.

I lost Scruffy suddenly on an August day in 2005 to a cancer we didn't even know she had, at 13. She was fine in the morning and gone that night. I was devastated for a year. We lost Bandit the following year at 13 to Lyme complications, and Ivy a few years later to bladder cancer. Eventually my family convinced me that a puppy would help distract me, and we added Pixie, and then Barkley. Checkers, Barkley's littermate, came to us through the generosity of Barkley's breeder, Tofupup's mom, when I wanted to learn to show, followed by Lacey, Ruffles, Sprite and Flurry, my current crew.

I know that I will never be without a Sheltie now, probably in multiples. I'm so used to dealing with several, and there's no antidote for puppy fever except a puppy. And Flurry is 3 now, so who knows........
 
Ann said:
I am so enjoying all these stories! What a great thread, Sharon. I finally have a few minutes to join in and share mine.

I was an only child and always desperately wanted a dog or even a cat, but my mother absolutely would not hear of it. I vowed when I grew up I would have all the dogs I wanted and I've pretty much kept that vow LOL. But I didn't start with Shelties. When our kids were little, we had a Westie, and then a Pomeranian. When my son was 12 we were driving past a house where a young boy was playing with a Sheltie in the yard. My son declared that he wanted one of THOSE, a dog he could actually play with, and not a little puffball.

I didn't think much of it, but as fate would have it, a horse friend had an accidental litter of her Shelties and told me about it. Son was being confirmed, so we decided we'd investigate getting one as a gift for him. That was our first Sheltie, Scruffy, and the rest is history.

Scruffy, named by Jay, was anything but scruffy. She was as regal as they come, the only Sheltie I've ever known with naturally tipped ears; independent, wicked smart, full of personality and fiercely loyal. As Jay grew up and got involved in teenage things, she became mine and the love of my life, always by my side. We eventually added Bandit, a blue merle rescue, and then Ivy, a tri pet store rescue who was a wiz at agility which my daughter and I enjoyed together, me with Scruffy graciously agreeing to participate for me even though it was clear she'd rather be on the couch.

I lost Scruffy suddenly on an August day in 2005 to a cancer we didn't even know she had, at 13. She was fine in the morning and gone that night. I was devastated for a year. We lost Bandit the following year at 13 to Lyme complications, and Ivy a few years later to bladder cancer. Eventually my family convinced me that a puppy would help distract me, and we added Pixie, and then Barkley. Checkers, Barkley's littermate, came to us through the generosity of Barkley's breeder, Tofupup's mom, when I wanted to learn to show, followed by Lacey, Ruffles, Sprite and Flurry, my current crew.

I know that I will never be without a Sheltie now, probably in multiples. I'm so used to dealing with several, and there's no antidote for puppy fever except a puppy. And Flurry is 3 now, so who knows........
Click to expand...
Time for a puppy Ann!
 
I adored dogs for as long as I can remember. My first puppy, Corky, was a Christmas present -- oh, that rocking, bouncing box!! Sadly, Corky died of a stroke at six months. When I was nine, Mom and Dad brought home Duchess, a tiny Cocker Spaniel, right before Christmas. We were inspearable for so long. DH and I inherited a red tick hound in college, Shelly, who eventually went to my cousin.

But I always remembered a darling blue merle Sheltie owned by a couple I babysat for when I was 14. I adored that dog -- so smart I would spend the time after the baby went to sleep to teach him tricks. Flash forward to military years, and we didn't have a og because we could both be deployed. When I was on my final assignment in Washington DC, in our house in Northern VA with DH and DS, I said, "I want a dog that will give me the holy card look like Bear (the big red dog) gives DS." DH said, "Well, we always talk about how God "shelties" us to show us the right way to go. What about a Sheltie?"

So I searched the internet, found ASSA and their breeder list, called the most likely for me, and the rest is history!!!
 
I love these stories!

My story is really my mom's... she grew up with all kinds of animals (dogs, cats, horses, goats, a mouse...). When she was in her early 20's, she bought her first dog of her own: a Schnauzer-Poodle puppy from a newspaper ad. Mom says, "The people wanted five dollars for her, but I talked them down to three!" That was Daisy, and she was my mom's best pal.

After they married, Mom and Dad went to Colorado to visit Dad's brother. My dad's father and brother were both dog people (Grandpa kept hunting Viszlas), but Dad sadly didn't get that gene. Dad and his brother went off for the day, and Mom hung out at the apartment with the dog, a Sheltie named Buster. Buster was a terrific dog: smart and handsome, just an awfully nice dog. Mom decided that Shelties were the breed for her.

Mom's aunt and uncle were also dog people. They bred and showed (and raced!) Siberian Huskies in the 70's and 80's. Mom decided that showing dogs looked like a lot of fun.

So, when Daisy the Schnoodle was getting very old and I (age 4) was begging my parents for a dog of my own, Mom decided she was going to get a Sheltie, and that she was going to breed and show some dogs herself. And so that's what she did. Thirty years later, that's still what she's doing.

As a footnote to this history: after Buster the Sheltie breathed his last, my mom sent my uncle a Sheltie puppy she'd bred. And she was an awfully nice dog, too.
 
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