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Summary: The aim of Sheltie Nation is to foster a sense of community, make visitors smile, as well as educate & inform about the breed known as the Shetland Sheepdog. We encourage visitors to submit their own photos, stories & leave comments. On our forum, visitors can network with other like-minded dog lovers.
My name is Kelly & I currently reside in the beautiful state of New Hampshire. I haven’t always lived here; I started my life living in the midwest.
I was fortunate enough to have a dad who grew up having dogs & wanted me to have the same fun experiences. When I was 4 years old (& with a little convincing of my mom), we were off to a local Kansas pet shop. There in the middle of the store’s floor was a pen full of puppies. I remember one particular puppy that wanted to play with me & he just happened to be a Sheltie.
At that time I nor my family knew about puppy mill breeders & I can only assume that is where he came from. We named him Buddy.
As an only child, he was my constant companion & playmate. He put up with all my silly games & imaginary adventures with grace and dignity. Sadly, when I was about 17, Buddy passed away. With his passing, my family realized we needed a dog to make our family complete. Without question, we knew it was going to be a Sheltie.
We got Bentley and Winston in 1988/1989. Bentley was a big butterball of a Sheltie and was the most gentle, tender-hearted dog I’ve ever met. A year later, we added Winston, who was an intelligent & sensitive soul who would nudge you for lots of pats. When they passed away in 2003, they left a very big hole in our hearts & big paw prints to fill.
When I finished college & moved out on my own, I immediately knew I wanted a Sheltie. I told the breeder a personality suitable for therapy work was important & a year later she said she thought she had a good candidate. In 1998, that puppy became my Sheltie, Trevor. My muse, my inspiration, my “soul dog”.
After a little more than a year of training, Trevor obtained his therapy dog certification at the earliest age allowed (impressing many of the testers that day). We then began visiting patients on a rehabilitation floor at our local hospital here in New Hampshire. I wanted to share the joy of this Sheltie with everyone & I ended up doing just that. Trevor brightened the days of thousands of people. From doctors, hospital staff, patients and visitors, not one would pass him by without a smile, asking about him or for a pat. Because of his sweet, “not in your face” nature & beautiful appearance, even those people who were generally afraid of dogs warmed up to him quickly. He was a wonderful ambassador for the breed.
My husband & I added two other Shelties, Toby & Tyler to our family in 2004 & 2008. Not quite therapy work material, they still make all the people they meet smile & laugh. (In case you were wondering, Toby, Tyler & Trevor are related…Trevor’s mother & a few cousins are in both their pedigrees. All 3 have roots in the Zion & Tar-Ri lines.)
Even though Trevor was retired from therapy work, I still wanted to find a way he could make a difference in the lives of both people and other Shelties. So in 2006, I started Sheltie Nation & a year later, the forums.
Update: On May 2, 2010 we had to help Trevor cross the rainbow bridge. I was devastated.
Sheltie Nation was created directly because of Trevor’s influence in my life. I’ve found it hard to carry on without him. I began to doubt the future of Sheltie Nation & my ability to continue. But during this time I have been flooded with reminders & well wishes. Many people missed the posts, told me how Sheltie Nation had touched their lives or how the forum helped them better care for their dogs. The website has become a community of Sheltie lovers & many people understand my grief.
So now this little slice of the web is a lasting tribute to Trevor & the special breed he represents. If you don’t already know, I hope you discover why Shelties are so special after spending some time here!
Thank you for visiting Sheltie Nation and the Sheltie Forums.
Kelly
Awesome website!!! Since I was a kid, I’ve loved dogs, (I’ve even written some dog stories in my new book, “A Tree Grows in Trout Creek” about the dogs we had while growing up.) But I first “discovered” shelties about twenty-five years ago. Who were these little dogs who looked a lot like collies, I wondered? They are the funniest, most-loving, smartest barkers you’ve ever met. We have rescued two of our three shelties, the 3rd came with “papers” before we knew about rescuing. Ginger, Carrie and Bonnie are the my three angels! They are ages nine, ten and eleven now, but still lively as young puppies! Eventually, I have no doubt at all that we will rescue other wonderful shelties!
Just found your web site. I have two Shelties – a three year old and a eleven
year old, and I’m thinking about getting a third one.
How great is this site?! I am so delighted to have found it. I had a sheltie as a kid and just adopted one two months ago. I am so in love with him! He is the cutest thing! Thanks for sharing the info. I love to learn more about my little guy so I can spoil him even more!!!
I live in England. I had my first Sheltie when I was 25 years old, and adored her.
now I am 71 and hesitated to have another, though I have had 3 others meanwhile. A breeder encouraged me not to consider my age, and I am so glad that I went ahead. My Bridie is 6 months old now, she is not perfect for showing having an under shot mouth, to me she is perfect, and so lively . so pleased I found this “site”??? whilst surfing…
This is my first time on your wed site and its awesome. I am proudly owned by 3 of the best shelties in the world. how do I post their picture on your site?
Hi Michele,
Welcome to Sheltie Nation! All you have to do to submit your photos is to email them to us at sheltienation@gmail.com. Be sure the photo is clear & of about 100-150k in size…and of course, cute or funny! We look forward to seeing your Shelties!
I just love your sight!! We have a 4 mth sable male sheltie. After a 6 mth search for a breader we liked we found our puppy!! We finally picked him up on Sept 23.. He has been house broken for over a month and is so happy, loving, and listens so well!! Every day when I come home from work he is waiting for me at the front door!! Jumping all over me and just wanting his hugs and kisses ( and his walk around the block)!! He is so good with all the kids in our neighborhood ( as long as he knows them..if he does not know them he runs and hides…he is very shy) I knew this about the bread before we got him…
he is getting better…
He is just the best!! We love our Casey
hey,
I love your website we have a sheltie ,and I learned lots about them like a mini collie that is cool. We love our Choco.
HI! I love this site! I stumbled upon it by complete accident but Im so glad I did! I have a 1 yr old sheltie named Rosco and am looking for another to add to the mix. My co-worker, and fellow sheltie owner told me a year ago that I couldn’t just have one…..and well, he was right!
I also stumbled across this site and am very glad that I did. I have 3 shelties (Emily, Max & Rusty.) Max and Rusty are rescues. Each one of them has his or her own personality. I love getting the emails of everyone’s shelties. No matter how down I am, they always bring a smile to my face. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for sharing your story, I have passed it on to some of my friends who think I am crazy about my love of shelties. My first sheltie, Bailey, came to us as an 8 week old puppy 17 years ago and we have had at least one since. We are in the process of adopting a 2 year old male right now to be a little brother to Misty, our 7 year old “baby”
Thanks again for the story and helping to explain that special feling a sheltie can bring!
You are such a good writer. I have had two Shelties. My frist was very protective of me(Laddie). I still miss him so much. However I now have Dasher, loves everyone and all dogs and puppys. The family and pets are going to move to Lake Havasau City, Az. from Jackson, Mi. A big change ahead for all of us
I am looking at a job as the Vet assistant that I am in that area. Hopefully the three dogs and cat and hamster will enjoy it there as I think we will. No more SNOW and ice! Yuck.
I’M GLAD I FOUND THIS WEDSITE, I REALLY ENJOYED READING ABOUT MY FAVORITE BREED. WE HAVE HAD SHELTIES IN OUR FAMILY FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS AND LOST BOTH OF OURS LAST YEAR. WE PURCHASED ANOTHER ONE LAST APRIL AND HAVE BEEN DOING THE PUPPY THING FOR THE LAST YEAR AND ARE NOW READY FOR ANOTHER ONE. THERE IS NO BREED ANY GREATER THAT THE SHELTIE FOR ME. THEY ARE WONDERFUL COMPANIONS, WE WILL NEVER BE WITHOUT ONE.
What a joy your website is. Please dont stop…. It is the best. I have owned 6 shelties , and all but one were rescues. I will continue to do so as long as i live. They are not for everyone but they are for me and as i see lots of others. We all have a lot in common.
I too stumbled across this web site and love it. We just got our 1st Sheltie in November 2007. While some friends of ours have 1 and I love him dearly we just had to have our own. Sundance hasn’t met Butch(our friends sheltie)yet but we may have a Cassidy before that happens….you can’t have just one can you? I’ve sent this link to several people now and they love it too. Thanks keep up the good work.
I just randomly came across this website too today and your story really hooked me! I have 2 shelties and fell in LOVE with the breed. Both are very different yet still have that sheltie sweetness. They are the love of my love. Thanks for sharing your passion!
It is a delightful surprise to stumble upon
your website. Just having a quiet Saturday night with two shelties at my side. Lady and Buddy are my loving
companions…Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I have a very nice husband too ;-)…We live inthe southwest corner of Michigan. I will post a photo of our family on New Year’s Day, 2008. We
had a wonderful snowstorm, and the pups were thrilled. I will now be a regular reader…thank you for your
devotion to the Shelties we love. Kris
Hi Kelly, I’m glad I came across your site. I’ve been born and raised in NH so I’m glad to hear you live here also. Currently we have one male Sheltie (Rocky). He’s 7 years old and very protective of us. Loves to play around with our cat. My husband and I had 3 shelties at one time but then we started having children and the dogs died of old age. As the kids got older there was no question that we were going to get another sheltie. And now we are possibly thinking of getting a rescue sheltie. But we’re still trying to warm dad up to the idea. Thanks for this site, it’s very imformative.
Renee
My first sheltie was a rescue sheltie. She had come from a puppy mill and at some point a vet had written on her papers that she was blind. It was a mistake and she wasn’t blind at all! She was a wonderful dog, and I’ve been a lover of the breed ever since. Unfortunately, she died at the age of 5 yrs. of lymphoma cancer. We knew we couldn’t come home to house without a sheltie in it so we got Brody and then Isabel. I LOVE shelties! They are the best.
Just found your site and love it. The photos alone would be enough to make any Sheltie lover swoon. I have a 2-1/2 year-old Sheltie we named Toby (he finally whispered his name in my ear after a week of our vainly searching for just the right name for our new puppy — thank goodness HE knew what it was!), and I am considering training him — and myself — in K9 search and rescue. Has anyone ever known or heard of a successful SAR Sheltie? I know that physically he would be perfect for the work, with his longer-than-standard legs and Sheltie quickness, but I’m wondering if his reserved Sheltie personality would be a serious drawback in this type of work. Toby is not the shyest dog on the block, loves our rowdy young boys and is well socialized to handle almost any situation very politely. However, he doesn’t approach strangers with a wiggly wag and doggy kisses. I’m a bit concerned that he might not want to find someone he doesn’t already know. Any words of encouragement or otherwise on this from the forum? I’d love to train him, but want to be confident he will do the job when needed.
This site is so cute! My first dog was a sheltie. It’s actually quite an interesting story of how we obtained him. My mom was never big on owning a dog but when my dad and I secretly arranged a meeting with a little pup named Shadow, she was smitten. Shadow has been with us for about 5 years. He’s is my little teddy bear and I love him so much. He’s put up with everything including cats, hamsters, and multiple service dogs in training coming in and out of the house. He’s having some seizures as he advances into his senior years. I hope it’s not too serious, I don’t think my heart could take him being gone!!
I’m so glad to find this site! I have always loved shelties since I was a kid but never had one until I got married. They are sooooooo cute, adorable, with their innocent looking eyes and ears flopped forward that just makes my heart melt! I had my first sheltie puppy, Beaujolais in 1994 just prior to the birth of our 1st child (he came 8 weeks later). Beau is now a Sheltie Angel RIP 10.27.07. We added another sheltie in 2003 when the kids -ages 6 & 8 at the time wanted another dog to take care of and to play with since Beau had become a Senior Dog. Cinnamon is such a playful puppy who thinks she’s a human being! Cinnie LOVES to greet the kids at the door and begs for them to go out to play and jump on the trampoline when they get home from school. Since Beau’s passing, she is now in charge. I’d love to get another Sheltie, but totally think it be unfair to the puppy if we are so busy with work, school (7th & 8th graders) to provide gazillions of TLC’s.
I AM SO GLAD THAT I FOUND SHELTIE NATION I SO ENJOY THOSE PIC. IHAVE A 13TH YEAR OLD SHELTI(AMBER) SHE IS A SERVICE FOR ME I AM IN AWHEEL CHAIR AND SHE TRAINED HERSELF TO PICK OBJECTS THAT I DROP SHE IS THE SMARTEST DOG THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN SHEIS MY THIRD SHELTIE THRU THE YEARS SHE HAS NEVER MEET A PERSON THAT SHE DOES NOT THINK IS HER FRIEND IOVE HER SO SO MUCH SANDI
I AM SO GLAD THAT I FOUND SHELTIE NATION I SO ENJOY THOSE PIC. IHAVE A 13TH YEAR OLD SHELTI(AMBER) SHE IS A SERVICE FOR ME I AM IN AWHEEL CHAIR AND SHE TRAINED HERSELF TO PICK OBJECTS THAT I DROP SHE IS THE SMARTEST DOG THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN SHEIS MY THIRD SHELTIE THRU THE YEARS SHE HAS NEVER MEET A PERSON THAT SHE DOES NOT THINK IS HER FRIEND IOVE HER SO SO MUCH SANDI
Love your website. My sheltie, Lucy, is 19 mos. and since she is my first, there is a lot I don’t know about Sheltie’s and their behavior. This site will be a wonderful source of information. I will post some pictures, too.
Laurette Nix Roswell, Georgia
Love the site!
I was just browsing to find new Sheltie stuff and happened upon Sheltie nation. It is terrific!
I currently own a 10 year old male Sheltie who is a “social butterfly”. Joey loves people. We visit a local nursing home once a week. I certainly will be visiting your site again.
this site makes me smile first thing every morning.i cant tell you how i lookk forward to it. i have 2 shelties right now from rescue and have had a total of 5. i will always have one in my life. please keep this site going…
I love your site and look at it everyday! My 3 shelties are the loves of my life now that my kids are grown. I can’t wait to see them on it.
thank you for having this site. my dad has honestly not smiled so much and had been asking since tuffy passed away if his photos had been posted. we all love our shelties and it wasn’t just about public recognition or anything…still, it was so nice to be surrounded by people who love their dogs.
thank you again for maintaining this site, it can’t be easy work!!!
Kelly and all,
Congratulations on a wonderful site.
As the newest member of my human family (since Saturday, March 21, 2009), I already know that this is my forever home and that Al and Jessan will be learning a lot more about me and continue to learn even more about Shelties.
After their SweetGirl, Sassy, crossed the Rainbow Bridge (at 17 years)August 6, 2008, there was a time of grief and loss.
I’m here to make a new place in their heart’s.
Yip!
Gus :-p~
I just stumbled upon your site and can’t stop smiling at the beautiful shelties. We lost our sweet sheltie, Winkie at Christmas and I haven’t been able to see a sheltie without tears coming to my eyes. I have bookmarked this site and will return often. Thank you!
WoW! What a wonderful website. I found it by accident and am so glad I did. I have a 3-1/2 year old tri-male named Sammie and he is just the best. I was his mother’s retirement home, but sadly she passed away last November. She was an AKC champion and the sweetest dog I have ever known. I miss her so much. Am in the process of looking for a companion for Sammie as he misses his mother very much. There is just nothing like a sheltie, and it’s impossible to have just one! Thanks for a wonderful place to share with other sheltie lovers.
Hi I’m Bandit a 10 yr old female Sheltie I enjoy all your tweets and a chance to see my family on the web
Hello all, I am new to the world of Sheltie. To be honest I never knew they even existed. I happen to walk into a pet store and see the puppy in one of the cages. I fell in love that instant, and took to convincing my wife to take him home. She said no about six times. So I gave him to her and told her to put him back. She started to cry, and the rest is history. He is the BEST and smartest dog I have ever owned. (I would have rather rescued a dog, but we were not planning on getting a puppy and fell in love with “Bo” the minute I saw him.) I have read more books in the last month then I have in my entire life. I want to raise him properly. ANY HELP and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.. Love this site!!
I just discovered this website after having my sheltie for about 5 months. I have grown up with big dogs all my life and when I went away to college I knew something was missing. My sophomore year I rescued a cat from Pet Smart and she is amazing, but I still felt something was missing. Finally I decided that I was in a good point in my life and started looking. I decided that a Sheltie would be a perfect companion for me! I looked for about 1 month before I found one. One day at work I was looking in the newspaper. For some reason, that rainy day I drove an hour to go pick him up. I will never regret it! He was the runt, covered in fleas, sitting next to the owner chain smoking on the couch. I couldn’t leave there without him, I felt so sorry for him. I took his little 2 lb. fuzziness home with me, gave him a much needed gentle bath and fell completely in love. The breeder ended up ripping me off, never sending his papers, and never returning phonecals. However, I am so lucky to have him and don’t regret anything! He is the best dog I have ever had. Now 7 months old he goes everywhere and loves everything. I will be uploading pictures of his adventures.(he has MANY). His full name is Jackson Daniels!
I found this site by accident about two years ago and am hopelessly addicted to it! Thank you for creating and maintaining this awesome website! Now that I am attending graduate school in NYC and far away from my adorable sheltie (who is across country with my parents) logging on to this site helps keep my Travis-sickness at bay…well that and skyping with my parents. =)
I just found this website and love reading all the messges.
I completed an application to rescue a sheltie today and I hope to learn more about the breed when I am contacted.
I have to repair the fence in my yard before I bring a dog home because I know that I will have days that I am not going to be walking the dog (ice or snow)
If I get a sheltie I will be on this site all the time.
I have enjoyed raising all breeds with my children as they grew up to adulthood and now I hope to find a sheltie that will be my best friend.
This story just warms my heart and soul. I have retired from a major automotive company and now work 3 days a week out of my home for a marketing company. What I love best about it is the time I get to spend every day with my 3 shelties! My sister,who is a teacher, drops her little sheltie here for puppy day care. Would love to have one or two of my pack to become therapy dogs. Once I retire it would be great to brighten the lives of others with shelties!
My 9-year-old Sheltie Bailey is a therapy dog, too, but I am thinking about retiring him. We are doing a presentation, and I wanted to have lots of ammunition against all the ‘look, it’s a miniature collie’ or ‘look at the little Lassie’ comments. Thanks for your wonderful comments to add to my arsenal! I usually start off telling groups what Bailey isn’t, and then discuss his Sheltie-ness. There’s nothing like it, or the look in those beautiful Sheltie eyes! Thanks for getting the word out!
I have been visiting this site for a while now, and I finally decided to write something. I had a Sheltie growing up. Her name was Maggie Mae, and she passed away at the tender age of 7. She lives forever in my heart. My sister and I got Maggie for Christmas after years of begging our parents to let us have a pet. We always knew we wanted a dog, we wanted it to be a Sheltie, and we wanted it to be a girl. (One of the few things we actually agreed on =])
I’ve always wanted another Sheltie (or two or three), but I’m in college and living in a little apartment, so I can’t get one just yet. I love coming to your site and looking at all the adorable photos and reading all of the heartwarming stories! Shelties are the best!!! If I can get my scanner to work, I hope to upload some pics of Maggie, my Sheltie angel.
Hello all. Ever heard of a sheltie named “little bits”, cause that’s whats on her collar, although “diddles” is a name she responds more too. I lost my first sheltie due to my fathers divorce, but my dad adopted a sheltie pup right after i broke my collar bone snowboarding. For a month she was my only friend and now can barely stay away from me, Shelties are awesome for their love and attention they give, no other dog compares, she helped me recover physically and mentally!
So happy to have found this site! I am a Sheltie lover for years-I wouldn’t have anything else. My first was “Blue” a beautiful sable & white girl that I had almost til her 15th birthday-God bless her. My 2nd and current Sheltie is Laura, a beautiful dark sable from an old show breeder in Ohio. Laura is so sweet, smart, and also, feisty, when she feels the need! Laura turns 8 this month & I just adore her. Thanks for all of the sheltie stories-I enjoy all of them!
Two months to the day I adopted a sheltie mix, from the ASPCA who I have named Beau. I believe he has some collie in him. He is precious.
Beau was abused and neglected by his previous owners. From Day one he was scared of everything and everyone. He walked with his tail between his legs. I would take him outside and have to tell him every time that we passed someone on the street that, “Momma won’t let anyone hurt him anymore.”
Well exactly a month later and some very friendly dogs, especially Roscoe the german shepard, who taught him how to play, Beau has done a complete 180.
He now goes up to everyone and jumps up and down when he sees his dog friends. He still on occasion will get scared of single men(I think that’s who abuse him) but as long as they have a dog he is fine.
He is precious and makes me laugh, and people can’t believe how friendly and sweet he is. Two people were looking at him in shelter and decided not to take him because they couldn’t see past his shyness. I think to myself, Boy they did not know what they were missing and I’m glad they did because quite honestly, I have the best dog ever
Soul Dog It is the perfect term to describe Trevor and my beloved Barkley. I too lost Barkley two years ago to the day that Trevor passed. To say I lost part of my soul with her passing is so true. I recently got another sheltie Lucy. But I think we are only given one Soul Dog. I tried with Lucy but she just seems like a dog. She is 5 months old now, cute as can be. Everyone told me your last dog is always your favorite but I think you know what I mean when I say no Barkley will always be my favorite. Thinking of you. Cannot wait for your new daily emails. But take your time. You need it.
Cathy Hershey