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

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.