Acadia Shelties: March 2010

Acadia Whatever It Takes, HXAsd, AX, OAJ and Acadia's Microburst

>> Friday, March 26, 2010 – Agility, WIT

Acadia Whatever It Takes, HXAsd, AX, OAJ = WIT

Acadia's Microburst= Mike.

Both are owned and loved by Morene Brown in Tucson, AZ. These pictures were taken by photographer Bruce McClelland at the agility trial the weekend following the ASSA national.

Morene purchased a copy of pictures of each of the three boys (Kia is not pictured here-yet) for me- can you believe it! I should have been the one to purchase the pictures for HER- SHE did all of the WORK!!! Thank you Morene- not just for the pictures, but for helping each of these dogs live up to all they can be.

Morene Brown and Acadia's Microburst win first place in Novice agility at the ASSA National

>> Sunday, March 14, 2010 – Agility, Canyon, Kiara, WIT

Morene Brown is having a great ASSA National with her Acadia bred dogs. Morene is a NADAC agility judge, so agility is her venue. Her youngest dog, Acadia's Microburst, aka Mike, competed in his very first AKC agility trial today and placed first in both Novice standard and Novice jumpers. When the whole class is shelties, it is very impressive to actually win. What a great start for Mike.

Mike is Fresca's litter brother. He is sired by Acadia On My Mind x Excaliber Acadia Kiara's Reign

Pictured is Morene with Acadia's Microburst on the left, NATCH, MACH, ADCH Acadia's Candidate HSAs, on in the middle, and Acadia Whatever It Takes, HXAsd, AX, OAJ on the end on the right.

High In Trial at the ASSA National Herding Trial

>> – ASSA National, Herding, Show Low, Valerie, WIT

Acadia What Ever It Takes, HXAs*d*, AX,OAJ successfully completed the Herding Excellent title on Ducks and in the process was Reserve High In Trial at the ASSA's duck trial. Later that day he competed at the Herding Excellent level at the Sheep trial- he was High In Trail with a score of 96!!! His run was Almost Perfect.

WIT, as he is called, is owned by Morene Brown (on the right) and is trained and was trialed by Sue Bradley (in back). Morene didn't come to watch because she was concerned that her presence might disrupt WIT's focus- it might have been the right thing to do, but we were all sorry she was not there to cheer and enjoy all of the excitement of such a thrilling win.

WIT is sired by U-Ch. Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, HIAsd, CDX, out of Acadia Sweet Emotion, AX, AXJ, PT, OF

Dogs should be crated while riding in the car- a real life story

>> Tuesday, March 9, 2010 – Rory, Safety Tips

This is Rory during one of the snow storms this winter. Dr. Amy emailed this message, "I had a really scary experience about a week ago. I was hit head-on by a drunk driver who was driving on the wrong side of a little country road out near where I keep my horse. My car was totaled (the other driver was driving a monster Chevy Suburban), but I was able to walk away with relatively minor bumps and bruises. Rory was with me, but he was safely in his crate in the back. He didn't have a scratch on him. He is definitely the poster child for securing dogs in crates in the backs of vehicles:)

I am so glad to hear that both Amy and Rory were not injured. That sounds like a horrible accident.
I wrote another blog entry about crating dogs while driving explaining why crates are so important for transporting your dog.

Who do you think you are?- The new show about your pedigree

>> – articles and information, meet the family

Who do you think you are? Well, I KNOW who my dogs' are. I can trace my dog's pedigree's back to the English "Shetland Collies" as they were first called. 2009 marked 100 years of English recognition of what we now know as the Shetland Sheepdog- and next year, 2011, marks 100 years of AKC recognition of the Shetland Sheepdog.

My grandmother on my mother's side was born in 1896- I find it so odd that a relative I KNEW WELL was born BEFORE the sheltie was even a (recognized) BREED!! How odd is that? The history of the sheltie is well documented. There are good books, articles, and websites on the history, and when you buy a sheltie from a reputable breeder, they may just be able to tell you some of the history of this wonderful breed. Who knows, maybe they even shaped that history.

Is knowing your history empowering? Many people think so. Many people trace their genealogy. We want to know the stories of those who came before. We want to know the successes of our families- and we want to know the tragedies too.

Luckily for me, my grandfather on my mother's side, William H. Short, wrote a record and a tribute which he gave to all of us. In his preface he says, "I am now of the older generation, and I want the younger generations to have a knowledge of the pioneer living and the "feel" of the pioneer spirit from whence we came." This is what he titled the record, From Whence We Came. His father, my great-grandfather, Williams Hopkins Short, was born in 1863. His mother, Sarah Ruth Hopkins was a direct descendant of John Hopkins, a member of the Thomas Hooker delegation that founded Hartford, Connecticut in 1636.

My grandmother on my mother's side is Edna Gallup Short. She is the older sister of George Horace Gallup, the inventor of the Gallup poll. Their birthplace, The Gallup House, is a historic octagonal house that is on the National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson, Iowa.

I am proud of my human, and my dog family. Know thy past, know thy self.