Laddie, my first sheltie....   

     As with most in our breed today, I dreamed of owning a collie when I was a child growing up from watching Timmy and Lassie.  I was denied a collie because my Mother didn't want a large dog.  When I was still in grammar school I will never forget my excitement the first time I laid eyes on a sheltie.  We were camping and our camp neighbors had two tri color shelties.  I was very intrigued as to what kind of breed they were.  Were they small collies?!!  Could it be my parents would let me have a miniature collie if that's what they were?    This was the first time I saw the breed.  A show collie in miniature!  Ah, this was the breed for me.  I was hooked from the first time I laid eyes on those two dogs.  All through High School I purchased every book I could find on shelties.  I became a twenty year student of the breed prior to purchasing my first show quality puppy in 1988.  During those years my dreams to own and show a quality sheltie were without limits.  Finally after much pestering, my parents purchased a sheltie puppy for my 18th birthday in 1973.  I had dreams and aspirations of showing my puppy but in time I learned he had too many faults for the show ring and that purchasing from novice back yard breeders was not a good thing to do.  Oh, how I loved my first sheltie!  His registered name was Laddie O'Lerwick.  I named him Lad after Albert Payson Terhune's book, "Lad A Dog".  Lad took me from teenager to my early thirties.  He went everywhere with me and became a huge part of my life and of our family.  He made such an impact that my family and many close friends through knowing Lad purchased a sheltie for themselves.  There would never be another breed for my parents other than a sheltie or for myself for that matter.  Many of my decisions in life were made to include my dog and as a result, I made many sound decisions that I will never regret making.  I know that I would not be where I am today if it weren't for him.  Lad passed away in my arms at the age of 13 and I thought I would never love another dog as much as I did him.  My dream to raise and show shelties stayed with me through college, full time jobs and two failed marriages.  I had purchased two pet shelties after Lad, but still my dream eluded me.

     Then in 1988 I was introduced to Sheryl Yu of Fairwyn Shelties and purchased my first show puppy.  I named him Ryan or I should say he named himself.  As I called out names from one of my sheltie magazines he came running when I called out "Ryan".  I showed him to his title, Champion Fairwyn Performance Plus.  I later purchased my foundation bitch, Dan Dee Mandolin Rain from Valerie Daniels of Dan Dee shelties.  I later found out that Laddie was a direct descendant of Valerie's early show champions.  It turned out that Mandi and her litter sister are behind all of my dogs today.  I was finally on my way to my hopes and dreams......

      I am now married to a wonderful man that loves the dogs like I do.

     Marsh is no stranger to dogs or dog shows.  He owned his late best in show Keeshonden CH  Windrift's Rebel Rouser.  Rebel won Best of Breed at Madison Square Garden and Best In Show at the Santa Cruz Kennel Club show in April, 1990, pictured below.  On this same day and under this same judge, I won Best of Winners with future CH Fairwyn Performance Plus.  I also stayed and watched Best in Show judging that day.  This was 8 years prior to when we met.  We did not meet at a dog show or dog event but I watched his dog win that day.  Some things were just meant to be. 

     My website would not be complete without mentioning my parents.  They taught me at an early age how to care, train and love my dogs.  As a result of their teachings, I have experienced  unconditional  love in return.  I will always be grateful to them for their constant support and encouragement.  I never would have realized my dreams without them.

     There have been many wonderful shelties in my life since my very first one.  I will never forget any of them and those that are no longer with me will always be a part of me as I have buried them in my heart.  I have learned a lot from my dogs and from others that have dedicated their lives to the betterment of our breed.  Breeding dogs is not to be taken lightly and should never be placed in the hands of novices or with those that breed with intentions of just letting the kids see puppies being born and or puppy mills.  It is not a job where you can go home from a hard days work and be done with it.  It is a full time, life consuming, day and night around the clock labor of love.  It is a very expensive hobby and there is no money to be made when done right.  Vet bills and show expenses in the thousands.  I have spent over 20 years studying the breed and then another 15 years striving to produce that perfect dog in very limited breeding.  I got very close to perfection once when I bred CH Arenray's Reminisce, R.O.M., which made his untimely passing very devastating to me and to those that knew him.  It is a difficult life in the dogs.  With the highs of euphoria one gets from a great win, to the ultimate lows when we loose, to total devastation when we loose a great dog.  But the devotion these shelties have for their humans and how they keep us laughing and showing us the world through their eyes is enough to keep me going.  They have taught me that the simple things in life are truly the best. They continue to wiggle their way into my heart and the hearts of those that love them and those that are willing to devote their lives preserving the true sheltie character by adhering to our breed standard.

"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. While never accepting the awful void we would not have it any other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality never fully understanding the final plan."