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Gypsy
Shetland Sheepdogs is a small hobby kennel, currently located in
Columbus, Ohio. All the dogs are part of the family, but
they also work in various activities including:
conformation, obedience, agility, and herding.
I
fell in love with shelties at the age of 6. Our neighbor had one,
and I thought it was the cutest, smartest dog.
Our
first sheltie was Shelly. We bought her through an ad in the
newspaper in 1992. We hadn't researched shelties and their
possible health problems, I just knew that I wanted a sheltie.
After a few weeks of her wanting constant attention, we knew that she
needed a playmate. So... we did what a lot of people advised
against.... We bought another puppy as a companion.
That
companion, was of course another sheltie! His name is Buddy and he
was definately NOT a mistake. It turned out that another dog
companion was JUST what Shelly needed, and the two together were
actually easier for us as working people to care for. Shelly was
no longer lonely... she had her "Buddy".
After
being drug around on walks... we decided that obedience class would be a
good idea. Yes it's true! Buddy and Shelly didn't start out
being the wonderfully behaved dogs they are now. We started out at
a neighborhood obedience class, with the typical jerk the collar
method. Then, I found out about Ann Arbor Dog Training Club.
One of the BEST clubs for teaching obedience and agility that I have
found. Thanks to some of the wonderful instructors, both Buddy and
Shelly turned into dogs with wonderful attention and Buddy went from a
dog that lagged when at obedience trials to the dog that won 4th place
(with a 197.5 out of 200 score) in the Veterans Obedience Class at the
1999 ASSA National.
The
next chapter in my world of shelties came when we moved from Michigan to
Pittsburgh. I met some wonderful people that I'm proud to count as
part of my extended family. In 1997, Rusty Cromer (of Merlyn
Kennels) trusted me with one of her puppies, as a conformation
prospect. That puppy (Merlyn's Touched Bi Magic "Mack")
and his littermate Coal (Ch. Merlyn's Fire and Ice) turned out to be two
exceptional bi-black dogs, with Coal winning the Open Black class at the
1999 ASSA National. Mack currently has one of his majors and has
had multiple Major Reserves and one Best of Breed. He starts
obedience school this week, though he already knows many obedience
commands.
Then
to round out the pack... I added Ben (Merlyn's Mark of Fire) in
1998, also from Rusty Cromer. Ben is a bi-factored sable, son of
Ch. Merlyn's Fire and Ice (Coal). He has had limited conformation
showings as he grows up, and he shows lots of interest in obedience,
agility, and herding.
Thanks
for letting me brag! See you at the shows!! |
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