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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 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. 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 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.
During my high school & college years, Bentley and Winston were my family’s two Shelties. Bentley was a big butterball of a dog and was the most gentle, tender-hearted soul I’ve ever met. Winston 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
Kelly,
Just wanted to thank you for your site and continuing celebration of the Shetland Sheepdog. Aggie says to tell you thanks for featuring her about four times by my count
She is so special to me. I well up with tears when I think about “the day.” I don’t know if I can own another Sheltie without comparing it to Aggie. Also, I’m very active in the homeless pet community here in Salt Lake. I volunteer at our county shelter (one of 11 in our valley) and, thankfully, see very few Shelties.
I believe I want my next dog to be a rescue. When I think about rescuing a Sheltie, it’s hard for me to fathom because Aggie is so special. Such a one of a kind, at least to me. But there are Shelties to rescue (we have a local, albeit small, Sheltie rescue here in Utah) and maybe my mind will change. I hope I have five or six more years before I have to cross that bridge.
Keep up the great work!
Ken & Aggie
The truth is that rescue is the only way I’ve been able to love all my shelties. Over the years, with the exception of my first Sheltie I purchased from a farm in Rockford, IL, I’ve rescued all of the other 4, and plan to next Spring, adopt another. I recently had to put down my Shiloh and, my Lacey seems lonely without a companion. I’ve had some problems lately with finances but, things are looking up and I want to contribute as much as possible to the shelter, they do amazing things with the neglected shelties they rescue. There was one I was considering, but the timing was not right and, he had had a terrible thing done to him. Someone set his back paws on fire and then smashed all his bones. He can walk a short distance. There was another last week that had an embedded collar and maggots all over him.
This shelter is located in Bloomington, IL. Central Illinois Sheltie Rescue. The foster moms and the person who runs the shelter are magnificient and deserve so much adoration for what they do.
It’s always difficult to have a beloved pet move on and it hurts so bad but, rescue shelties or any other dog breed, are usually very happy in the time they have with the new owner who saved them.
Shirley
My sheltie came from a hoarder and is still learning how to walk on a leash and how to trust. I love him dearly. We are making progress.
Kelly, thank you for this website and your heartwarming story.
I went ten years between Shelties (my husband asked to be dogless for a while after our Sadie passed away at age 18, and time flew by). I was devastated by her absence, and hardly thought I could find another Sheltie to equal her, but we finally found Shadow. He is a completely different “person” than Sadie was, but instantly and completely worked his way into our hearts and life. At nine months and quite a serious character, he has been called an “old soul” by many who meet him.
During the years I was “Sheltie-less,” the only thing that kept me going were YouTube videos of Shelties, and finally, Sheltie Nation. I applaud your dedication to the breed and the degree of time and work you put into this. It makes my day, first thing every morning. It’s the first site I look at. Thank you.
All best to you, Kelly.
Lum
I lost my 14 year old male Sheltie “Toonie” this afternoon. We helped him reach the Rainbow bridge. The pain this evening in my heart is terrible. Thank you for your site. I havent made it through every page but enjoy your babies! I’m missing mine tonight!
dear kelly
i am learning more about you and your wonderful website every time I look at it. You seem to have had a wonderful life with shelties. I fear the day when my boys will have to leave but know I will get a whole lot of comfort and joy from coming here to your site. please keep up your fabulous work.
mary
I just found this site and find it so inspiring. I lost one of the most incredible shelties anyone could ever hope to have over a year ago. She was the light of my life and well as many others. I have since gotten two of her nephews and love them dearly, but they are not Fiona Rose and that is the way it is supposed to be. When I got the boys, I was asked why because I am setting myself up for more heartache some day. My reply is look at all the joy and happiness I have until that time. I just cannot be without one of these special little dogs in my life.
Thank you so much for allowing us to express ouselves,
Tuck Rogers
I love looking at all the pictures on this site. We found you this fall when we were getting ready to welcome a new sheltie into our lives. We had two wonderful shelties (including Marcus, the absolute love of my life) but had to put them to sleep about a year apart. They were amazing dogs and had long, happy lives… but forever with them would not have been enough for me and they left huge holes in my heart when we had to let them go. After being sheltieless for about a year, we decided that our hearts were ready to add a new member to the family. To get my sons excited for a sheltie puppy, we looked at pictures online and found the Sheltie Nation. Our tri-color pup, Molly, has been a wonderful blessing to us. She can never fill the holes in my heart from my previous pups, but she did help expand my heart to love her for the sheltie she is. My sons want to send photos of Molly for you to share on your page, so you will probably hear more from us. :) My sheltie angels Marcus and Sammy used to have their own webpage in the mid 90′s, so I know they would whole-heartedly approve of the Sheltie Nation.