Shetland Sheepdog Rescue

Compiled by Dorothy Christiansen, National Sheltie Rescue

Find a Sheltie Rescue Near You:

National Sheltie Rescue

What is Rescue?

Sheltie Rescues take in abandoned, lost and unwanted Shelties and attempt to find them new loving homes. All the dogs are vet-checked, spayed or neutered, and given current vaccinations. Many are fostered in loving homes that attempt to determine temperament in order to facilitate proper placement. The aim is to find the right loving home for each dog regardless of the time it takes. A nominal adoption fee is charged for each dog. A few rescues work on referrals only, putting prospective owners in touch with the people or organizations that currently have the dogs. While AKC papers are not given with the dog, each dog can apply for an Indefinite Listing Privilege number so that it may compete in all American Kennel Club performance events such as obedience, agility, or herding. Sheltie Rescue believes there is a loving home out there for every homeless Sheltie. Are you the one?   If you are a Sheltie fancier, please consider helping out with the growing need for Sheltie Rescue.  Please contact Dorothy Christiansen for information about how you can help.

Our entire Sheltie Rescue Network depends on your donations to succeed in all we do for the Shelties in need.  Please consider donating to your local group, or you may donate  to the National Sheltie Rescue, and your funds will be used to help the most urgent Sheltie at the time, which could be in any group.  All of us work together in our endeavor.  National Sheltie Rescue is a non-profit, fully tax-deductible organization.

National Sheltie Rescue

Links worth visiting:

• AKC’s companion animal recovery program
• Lynnlea Shetland Sheepdogs
  
• Facts about Debarking your Sheltie

Visit Sheltie Rescue Near You

National Sheltie Rescue

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 In memory of my sweet little Cher – This is for you. I am sorry I didn’t know then what I’ve learned now. I’m forever missing you.

The first time I saw Cher it was love at first sight and I knew she was meant to come home with me. I already had two Sheltie dogs and wasn’t looking for another one but this tiny puppy stole my heart instantly. She was my little soft touch Sheltie. She had a gentle soul and the sweetest expression of all the Shelties I’ve known.

I felt blessed to have three wonderful dogs sharing my life. As the years passed things changed. The dogs and I moved from Texas to Minnesota, I got married and a new baby joined our pack. The dogs adjusted and thrived with their new life.

Tara was 6-years-old when her uterus ruptured and she spent a week in the hospital. No one thought she would survive but she did. While she was in the hospital Cher was spayed to save her the risks Tara had suffered. This was the only health problem any of the dogs had for many years.

Cher started sneezing a little and I noticed a small bump on her nose. I took her in for a check-up thinking it was just a dental problem. The vet said that’s what it looked like but they would check it out when she was under for a dental cleaning. Two hours later I got the call that changed my mind set about pet care forever. She had cancer and it was inoperable because of where the tumor was. I was told to take her home and love her for maybe 3 months.

I was devastated because January 21, 2003  three weeks earlier my big Sheltie, Max had suffered a stroke and died 20 days after his 15th birthday. I was still grieving for Max so the thought of losing Cher so soon was more than I could take. I spent the following weeks lavishing attention on her. We took her and our older sheltie Tara camping every weekend. I spent many nights sleeping on the floor beside Cher. Except for the sneezing and her nose starting to bleed a little she still seemed like a healthy happy dog.

Cher started acting like a sick dog on her last camping trip with us early August. For the first time in her life she wouldn’t eat. She was always our little cubby girl so when she turned down food I knew her time to join Max was near. This camping trip broke my heart. I would take the two girls for walks and end up having to carry Cher back to camp. I knew her body was shutting down. We came home from camping Sunday night and I knew I only had a few hours left with my sweet little girl

I spent all day Monday sitting with her, petting her, talking to her, telling her what a good dog she was and how much I loved her. I slept on her bed with her that night.

She woke up at 5am Tuesday, August 8, 2003 wanting to go outside. A few minutes after taking her out she had a seizure. I had never witnessed anything like this so my reaction probably didn’t help her. I carried her back in the house and held her until the seizure passed. She seemed fine after 30 minutes but I knew it was time to help her.

It took everything in me to make the call to her doctor. We arrived at the animal hospital at 7 am. I spent another 20 minutes with her telling her she was a good dog, I loved her and she would see Max soon. I didn’t want to let her go but couldn’t have her suffer. I held her as the doctor gave her the shot. She died instantly and that’s when it really sunk in that my girl had been taken from me because of cancer.

She joined Max at the rainbow bridge on August 8, 2003, 20 days before her 13th birthday. She was the baby of my three Sheltie dogs and should have been the last to die. Before the cancer she had never been sick or had any health problems.

Five days later I picked up her ashes. My family and I talked about having a service to celebrate both Max and Cher’s life and bury the ashes under the Lilacs where they loved digging holes. We never did this. I couldn’t let the ashes go yet. I’ve decided to wait until Tara joins her brother and sister and take some of their ashes back to Texas where they lived over half their lives.  Update, Tara has passed and I still have their ashes.

During the next few months I became frantic about learning more about cancer in pets. I read dozens of books about natural and soon realized I might have killed my dog. The food she ate probably caused the cancer and I had put over 100 pounds of chemical preservatives in her body over her lifetime. I’ll never forgive myself for this. At the time I didn’t know the difference in pet food. I didn’t buy the cheapest so I thought I was doing the best I could. I mistakenly took advice from veterinarians and listened to the pet food giants, like Purina. Now I’ve done my due diligence about pet food but it was too late for Cher.

My old girl Tara did eat the same food as Cher and luckily she lived to be a  healthy 18 -year-old dog. I don’t know why some dogs get cancer and not others. I do know my pets will not be harmed from low quality food every again. I never want to feel guilty or second - guess myself when a pet dies too soon. I know there are lots of other things pets die from but cancer related to the food I give them is not going to happen again.

For the health of your pets I ask you to learn what’s in pet food and switch if you have too. It doesn’t make sense to be loyal to the companies that don’t have our pet’s health and well-being top on their priorities.

Sorry pet food giants, but I won’t give my money to any company that uses by-products, chemicals, artificial anything in pet food.

I don’t have artificial pets so I won’t feed them artificial food.
My pets are not disposable; they are living beings that depend of me for every breath they take.

In memory of my sweet little Cher – This is for you. I am sorry I didn’t know then what I’ve learned now. I’m forever grieving for you and hope you, Max and now Tara are having tons of doggy fun at the rainbow bridge. Tara has been with you a little over a year.  She was the lucky one to not have any cancer or health problems.  I know you three are happy and whole now.

I love you Cher,  Max and Tara.

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I started with Lady, a pup from a backyard breeder that died at 4 months.  The pups were never socialized and I found out too late that they were not healthy at all.  At least Lady had a few good weeks with me before she died.

Next it was Happy - a 100% puppy mill Sheltie that I got from a pet store before I knew about puppy mills.  She was a good dog and I made sure she was healthy and stayed that way.

The so called breeder of Lady my first sheltie that died surprised me with a replacement puppy.  The puppy had papers but they were fakes because the Mom was listed as the same one my Lady had.  I kept the puppy and named her Casey.  Happy and Casey got along great and made me know I would always have Shelties in my family.  Next came my BIG oversized Sheltie, Max.  He was a beautiful Shaded Sable with the full white collar and a nice white blaze. He was white factored and the accidental litter of pups he sired were color headed whites. 

I loved the color headed whites.  Cowboy was my favorite.  He had a tri colored head with only one black spot on his side.  He was beautiful.  I placed all the pups in good homes and had Max nuetered so there were no more accidents.

When Max was 2-years-old I got Tara, a tiny Tri-colored Sheltie, 6 months later Cher joined our family.  Now I have 6 Shelties and wonder how that happened!

I wasn’t breeding them except for an accidential litter from a 6 month old sire.  I had no idea a 6 month old pup could sire a litter of pups.  It was all good and I learned so much from the few litters of pups I helped raise.

I’m down to 2 Shelties now. 

Happy and Casey died of kidney problems when they were 11 years old.

Max died after a stroke on his 15th birthday.

Cher died of cancer a few weeks before her 13th birthday and 5 months afer Max died.

Tara, my best dog friend ever, died 15 days after her 18th birthday.  She was with me for 18 wonderful years and will always be a one of a kind sheltie.  I’ll never forget her and after a year I still miss her as much as I did the day she died.

I have two rescue Shelties now.  Scotty came from the shelter I worked at, Riley came from a local family who didn’t have time for him.  They both came to live with us when they were 9 months old.

I will get another sheltie.  I miss having a girl around and I want to find a Sheltie puppy from Tara’s bloodline.  She was strong Banchory. 

I believe in adopting and I have adopted two Shelties.  I need to have another Sheltie pup with a similar temperment as Tara or little Cher.  I would never buy from a pet shop again and I know what a good breeder is.  I will make a very educated decision when I get my next puppy. 

So that’s how I started with Shelties and how I plan to share my home and life with them forever.

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Tips to help your Sheltie stop excessive barking!

Shelties are prone to excessive barking, they are a herding breed, it is in their nature to alert you to strange animals or people that are getting near the parameter of their property (i.e. people walking by, stray dogs or cats on the loose, they may even try to "herd" cars, which is why it so important to have your sheltie in a securely fenced yard when outdoors for their safety!), this is their herding instinct in action! But with gentle firmness and consistency they are relatively easy to train.

Here is an easy tip that I personally use and it works great on my shelties (and I have several!) I no longer get complaints from neighbors and my dogs are quiet, obedient and relaxed. Shelties are eager to please you, but you have to let them know what you want!

If your sheltie begins barking and it is not desired, burst outside (or into the room where they are if they are inside, though shelties seldom bark indoors) and firmly say the command "Quiet!", keep doing this every time they start to bark. Within a few days, the problem should be resolved. Just don’t give up and be consistent (use the same command every time, and do this every time you notice them barking), this is the key! Soon you will have a quiet sheltie and you and your neighbors will rest easier.

I start this process over with new puppies and with any new dog I introduce. Because of course new puppies will get excited and want to bark, with patience and consistency, they too will learn to be quiet. It is reinforced quickly when they observe the older dogs are not barking. Here’s to a quieter future for you and your sheltie

Author: Kimberly Helgeson Sams   Kimberly Helgeson Sams has raised and trained shetland sheepdogs (shelties) for over 18 years and is a professional dog artist (shelties are of course her specialty!), she owns Studio Stage Dragon and Stage Dragon Shelties for more information check out http://www.stagedragon.com

You may reprint this article for free as long as you include the author’s information. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kimberly_Helgeson_Sams

Ten Reasons Why Dogs Bark
If you are considering using a bark collar as a solution to your dog barking problem, then it is important to first understand why dogs bark. Barking is normal behavior.

Barking?
We dont mind them barking if its a stranger but when were about to leave or we just pulled in the drve way and get out she still barks, when she knows it us! 
 

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Here you will find helpful reviews, informative information and tips and much more. More times than not you will read about things that I’ve learned about grooming, training, and loving my dogs. 

You can navigate through the site by using the menus on the sides of the page. Also don’t hesitate to follow the links you see in bold throughout each post to learn more about the product being spoken about.

I hope you find the information I provide valuable and helpful.

All the best,
Robin, Scotty and Riley’s Mom

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