 Barked: Fri Apr 13, '07 6:48pm PST |
 | |  | | My first Sheltie I actually only had a couple days. In the dead of winter, my parents found him under their car trying to keep warm. They had him a couple days and asked me if I wanted him since thy didn't really want a dog at that time. I had been wanting a dog, but hadn't had the time to look for one. He looked young, around 1 year old and he was so well behaved. He walked right beside me with no pulling on the leash. It didn't take long for me to see how good a dog Shelties are. Even my father who hadn't visited me for awhile came over the same day I picked up the dog. He wasn't there to see me  After a couple days my mother who had been checking the newspapers found a lost dog ad. She got the dogs name. When I said his name, it was obvious it was him. So he was returned back to his family. It appears that whatever caused him to escape, he traveled 5-7 miles to my parents house. Although I would often state that when I get a dog, it was to be a Sheltie, I didn't look for another dog.
Years later, I was married for about six months when my wife went to VA to visit her sister. The two went shopping and ended up in a petstore. My wife saw a Sheltie and decided to hold her. She knew we had to have her. My sister-in-law said I would kill her because of the price, but she brought her home with a trial period. Working graveyard shift I was still in bed when she got home. She came up and said she had a surprise for me. Being close to Easter I thought she brought home a stupid rabbit or something. She then places her on the bed. Although I was a bit shocked at the price, within a few minutes, I knew she was staying. A couple days later I totally disagreed with the wife as to her name. I had thought that she was "cute as a button" and so I named her Buttons.
Around a year later, Buttons was wearing us out. Both of us would come home from work, we'd play with her as much as possible, but in the late evening (I was now on dayshift) when we tried to relax, she'd keep putting her toys on our lap to play. I decided she needed a playmate. I found a local backyard breeder had one Sheltie left. He brought her over and the two of them got along great. With his suggestion, we named her Bows.
On 2/9/07, my beloved Buttons suddenly died after developing a lower respiratory infection. We (especially me) were devastated. Not only the human members of the family, but Bow too. Whenever Buttons had to go somewhere without Bows, Bows would sit by the door and cry. She was there when Buttons died and fell into depression. All she would do is lay around the house. I felt that she and us could use another companion. Bows never did good with other dogs and she bit my parents Yorkie once, so I felt a puppy wasn't right for her. I know she wouldn't put up with all the activity. So I decided to look for a Sheltie rescue around her age. I found Beamer. Beamer is a sweetheart. He's a lot bigger than her so I know she won't be trying to bite him. She did growl at him a few times but sometimes the two of them cooperate to wake us up in th morning. She's getting more use to him by the day. She has looked like she was getting ready to play with him, but then changed her mind. Day by day she gets better. |  |  | |  |
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Then weeks later, out of the blue another breeder I'd been in contact with and had sent an application to called me and said they had a 5 month old bi-black male that they had planned on keeping for show but as he grew it looked like his head wasn't going to be 'masculine' enough for the show ring. Well we were out there so fast our heads were spinning and when I saw "Buzz" for the first time, I was in love. After spending a few hours talking with the breeders and playing with/observing Buzz, both the breeders and we were convinced this was meant to be. I will never EVER forget what it felt like when the breeder picked him up and gave him to me to hold for our first "family picture". I felt like it had been an eternity since I'd held/hugged a dog and I did't want to let go. 
That first family picture the breeder took is in Buzz's profile if anyway is interested.
