Tri-factored sables

 My childhood dog and my first champion, Ch. Parker of Mirluc, CD was a tri-factored sable male.   He was the love of my life and obviously had a huge influence on how I saw shelties.  His father was the tri-color, Ch. Rockwoods Nite Enchantment, CD and his mother was a sable Misty's Lucky Cricket, CDX.  Betty Ieronimo of Mirluc shelties, the breeder of Parker, owned Cricket and she can be found in all of my pedigrees today through her stunning great-granddaughter, Ch. Zion's Bright Signature.  

Ch. Acadia's Crown Prince

If you read my blog, you know it's the female line that I base most of my breedings on, but I sure do love my tri-factored boys. 

Pictured is Luke and Warren.  Not pictured is Parker, Manny and Aiden. 

 

Ch. Acadia Essential

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GCh. Acadia's Stage Director and sons

Aiden is now a Grand Champion!  He is now GCH. Acadia's Stage Director.   He had a wonderful weekend of shows.  He was pulled for consideration in one group, and placed 3rd in the group on a different day.    A women came up to me when I was walking out of the ring, touched my arm, and said, Love, Love LOVE your sheltie!  That was really nice.  I walked back to my set up and another person said to me, I have been watching you this weekend and you two are a really lovely team.   It's true that showing dogs is a team sport.  It is what I love the most about showing dogs.  I love the connection with the dog. I love the time spent focused on the dog.  I love being a part of the team.  

    One day Aiden's son, Acadia's Film Director "Windsor", won Best of Breed- defeating Aiden and the other entered champions.  I was very proud of him.  Windsor earned 5 more points that weekend bringing his total to 9 points, 1 major.  

Acadia's Film Director   "Windsor"

    Brother Vernon, Acadia Director's Cut, was at dog shows in Virginia with handler Zana Friend.  He was winning too and now has a major.  

Acadia Director's Cut   "Vernon"

 

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New ROM !! Ch. Acadia Opinion Provided, ROM

 Chica is now a Register of Merit (ROM).  This designation is for females who have produced 5 or more Champion offspring and males who have produced 10 or more champions.   Chica is the first ROM for Acadia although others have come close. 

Ch. Sunburst Acadia Here I Come, "Carrie", should have been my first.  She produced 4 champions, 1 additional son with 12 points, 1 major (1 major short of the championship), and another daughter with a major.  Six show winners in all, but only 4 champions.   While she did not achieve the ROM status, Carrie is the anchor of my breeding program which consists of 9 consecutive generations of champion girls on the tail-female line.  This line is on Carrie's Page and Dove's page.  

Chica is the 8th consecutive generation of Champion girls. Her father is "Aidan"-  GCh. Acadia's Stage Director and her mother is the Best In Show winner, Century Club member, GChS. Acadia Stage Presence, CC.  

Chica is the mother of:

GChB Acadia Gregarious, BCAT

Ch. Acadia Peggin Iced Latte, RA, PT, OJP, FDC, VCX

Ch. Acadia Trusted Opinion, FDC

Ch. Acadia Everyone's Opinion

Ch. Peggin Acadia Breve, PT, RN, NJP, TKN, FDC, CGC, VCX

and..

Acadia's Celestial Mystery, MX, MXJ, MJG, NF

Acadia October Skye, ACT1, ACT2J, TKI

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Ch. Acadia Opinion Provided-

Ch. Acadia Opinion Provided - judge Bob Futh

 Chica is proving to be quite the Producer!   She is the daughter of GCh.S. Acadia Stage Presence, CC- "Liza" and I am so excited to have a Liza daughter that is carrying us forward so successfully.

Chica is the mother of, Ch. Acadia Peggin Iced Latte, HT, GChB. Acadia Gregarious, BCAT, Ch. Acadia Trusted Opinion, FDC,  Acadia's Celestial Mystery, AX, MXJ, NF, Acadia Popular Opinion, Acadia Everyone's Opinion.  Chica is the 8th Consecutive Generation of Ch. bitches and the 6th generation of Acadia breeding.

GChB Acadia Gregarious, BCAT

GChB. Acadia Gregarious, BCAT

Ch. Acadia Trusted Opinion, FDC

Acadia Popular Opinion

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25 is a nice milestone

Today I received an AKC championship certificate for my 25th homebred champion, Ch. Acadia Trusted Opinion ("Tristan").   It is also 25 years ago that my first homebred champion, Ch. Acadia's Bright Idea, NA, NAJ, RA ("Payson"), was born (10/17/1998).  

Payson's mother was a cutie named Dana that Shirley Vicchitto, Zion shelties, leased to me for a litter.  I was hoping for a boy, and Dana had a litter of 6 boys.   I kept two brothers, Payson, and Rocky- who would also be one of the 25 champions bred by me.  He became Ch. Acadia Rock Solid, HT. 

1982- Ch. Parker of Mirluc, CD with
future Ch. Arista's Abbey Road (bottom)

Both Payson and Rocky produced champions.  Rocky can be found in Tristan's pedigree.   Payson can be found in many of the pedigrees of Sharon Crawford's Sunburst shelties. 

I have also had 10 dogs I purchased that completed the championship- for 35 champion dogs as of today.  Shirley met me because of my very first champion, Ch. Parker of Mirluc, CD, who I purchased from Betty Ieronimo, Mirluc shelties.    It was because of Parker that Shirley sold me Tucket, Ch. Zion Acadia Town Heroine, CDX, PT, VCX and it was because of my success with Tucket that Shirley leased Dana to me.  Tucket did produce 1 champion daughter- also a multi-titled dog, Ch. Acadia Another Story, UD, PT, NA, VCX.   

    I was living in Arizona, as was Sharon Crawford, and Sharon fell in love with Tucket.  Shirley sent Tucket's mother, Tuffy to me to show and Sharon loved her too.  Tucket had a brother, Ch. Zion's Man About Town, HT, NA, VC, 5CC ("Jamie"), who was THE hot winning dog at the time!  Sharon bred to Jamie which was very successful for her.  Subsequently I was able to purchase Ch. Sunburst Acadia Here I Come, ("Carrie") a descendant from these successful pairings who became the anchor of my breeding program.  

    It is so interesting how these dogs and people weave together.  I love looking back and seeing how the family is still going strong- thanks to good breeders who care about the dogs.  Many of the dogs in this family have titles in multiple venues.  They are smart, happy, and good "Shetland sheepdogs".   I look forward to the next 25.

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13 Years ago - July 26, 2010

7/26/2023 marks 13 years since my dad passed away. So often I hear people talk as if 5 or 10 years ago is ancient history- and maybe it is when it comes to social media or technology changes, but interestingly enough, 13 years ago I was writing this blog- and I posted about my father's passing. I have enjoyed looking at the posts from 2010. 2010 was a very big year for me. 

 The lows were low- my father passed away and that was hard, but we were lucky. He was an active man, living with his wife (my mom), in his own home, able to take care of himself. He had been diagnosed with Cancer- and was receiving chemotherapy. One day he accidently gashed his leg and went to the Doctor to have it checked out. That Doctor told him that because his immune system was compromised, he should go to the hospital to have it examined. I am a bit fuzzy on how a gash ended up with him having surgery- but it did- and he never woke up. He was in a coma for about 10 days.

Both of my sisters got to the hospital and my sister Amy called me to tell me to get there right away- he wasn't going to make it any longer. I called Mike and we loaded up our pregnant dogs and started from Pennsylvania to Connecticut. When we got to the Connecticut state line, I called my sister to let her know our ETA. She said, "here- talk to dad" and put the phone to his ear. I said, "Dad, I love you. Hold on, I am 2 hours away......" and my sister came back on the phone and said, "he heard you- and he just passed away." Wow. At that point I wished I hadn't called. 

When I got to the hospital all of the tubes and machines had been taken away and he looked peaceful. The minister was still there and he said to me, "when he heard your voice, the heart monitor changed. He heard you. He waited for you, and he knew you were with him." Hearing those words has meant a lot to me. Dad waited for me. Although I wasn't physically there, he didn't know that. He felt the touch of family, and heard all of our voices- and he was able to leave peacefully.

A few months after he died, I had a dream about him. In my dream, he was there- and in my dream I knew I was dreaming and that he was dead- but he told me he was good. I am SO THANKFUL to have had that closure.  I love and miss you Dad.

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Closer to Home- family history

Sometimes, you are closer to "home" than you realize.

Open Door Congregational Church "The original Settlers' Church"- Deer Park, Washington

My Great-Grandfather, William Hodges Short, Sr., was an original settler of Deer Park, Washington.  He and his family built and ran a boarding house and worked in the timber industry.  He also donated the land for the town church and personally selected the wood in the sanctuary. This picture of him hangs in the church office.  He donated the land for the cemetery too.  

The church fronted Railway Ave- and the train tracks, and the name 'Open Door' reflected the policy of leaving the doors unlocked so people "riding the rails" could take shelter.

Sometimes Idaho feels so far from my upbringing in New England, but visiting the church, the town my family was so invested in, and the spirit of love, faith, community, and really, community in the widest sense possible- that made me realize that I am not as far from "home" as I might be feeling.

This is the "new" front of the church and it faces Main St.

 The original front to the church- facing the train tracks. The square "stack" was the original bell tower. There have been modifications to this side (since now it is the back). The modifications to this church has been minimal since 1909 when the sanctuary was expanded.

In 1909 the original structure was deemed too small and the changes were made. The original founders were involved in the expansion. The church as remained as it since then.

 The communion table and platform chairs are the original from the 1909 church enlargement.

The sanctuary is heavily trimmed in Larch which was personally selected by my great-grandfather. A church brochure says, "One will look in vain for a knot or a pitch-pocket and will be struck by the craftsmanship required to install the trim."

The pews were hand-built as were the communion table and the platform chairs

This Stained glass is the Original

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The Lovely Dove- the matriarch

While she might not have been the one to win all of those trophies, she is responsible for all who did.

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Happy Mother's Day GCh. Acadia Presence of Mind

GCh. Acadia Presence of Mind

This Mother's Day I am paying tribute to the contribution of a very important mother, GCh. Acadia Presence of Mind, "Cassia" as she is known to friends.  Cassia is my favorite because of her wonderful personality.  She is happy, willing, sensible and a comfort to be around.  Cassia is now sharing her love with a family in Pennsylvania, which was difficult for me, but at the same time, Cassia is just too great not to share.

Acadia Essence of Joy, UD, RE, AX, MXJ

Acadia Sea Porter-left        Ch. Acadia State of Mind-right

Ch. Acadia State of Mind

Cassia loved her puppies, which makes having puppies so much fun.  She loved to show off her puppies to anyone who wanted to ohh and ahh over them and always seemed to be saying, "aren't my kids just the greatest".  I thought so, and as a result most of my shelties are either her daughters, sons, or grand-kids.  Cassia has had a huge impact on my breeding program.  I am so thankful for her.

Best In Show winner, GChS Acadia Stage Presence, CC

Cassia's sons and daughters:
GChS. Acadia Stage Presence, CC- Best in Show and Best in Specialty show winner
Ch. Acadia State of Mind
Acadia Essence of Joy, UD, RE, AX, MXJ
Acadia Teagan Rose, CDX, NF, NFP
Acadia Sea Porter (7 pts)
Acadia Windstorm Desert Sea (pts. Herding Group Winner)

Acadia Decibel and Cadence

Acadia Keep Me In Mind (2pts)
Acadia Decibel
Acadia Just for the Fun of It
Acadia's Next Top Model

Acadia Decibel and Cadence 

Acadia Windstorm Desert Sea

Cassia- left, Liza-right

Cadie & Cassia, Amy & Acadia Just for the Fun of It, Acadia Teagan Rose, CD,NF

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Carolyn Arvidson 12/17/1930-1/12/2017

The day I “got the call” the movers were at my house packing for our move to Idaho.   It was not completely unexpected, but at the same time, it was.

In October my sister and mother took an “epic trip” across the country visiting friends, family, historical sites, and national parks. Mom, of course, began her journey in CT and took the train to Philadelphia where she joined my sister and they began the drive: final destination- Seattle, WA.  My farm was the 1^st stop on the journey which took just over 2 weeks.

At 85 mom seemed to be in fabulous health.  She was mentally sharp, lived in her own home without any assistance, had plans for the future, and appeared that she would live forever.  My sister had no reservations about having her as a co-pilot.  Not to worry, this story will not prove my sister wrong- she wasn’t.  Mom proved to be a very able navigator and driver- and an overall great traveling companion.   This trip was a huge success and both mom and my sister had the “trip of a lifetime”.  Some of the highlights involved visiting sites of historically family significance, such as ,The Gallup House my mother’s mother’s birthplace and childhood home in IA, and a church in Deer Park, WA that my mother’s grandfather helped establish.

Upon reaching Seattle my mom commented that she was a bit constipated- well, ok, they just spent 2+ weeks in a car.  Once home, mom went to visit her doctor about the persistent issue- although she continued to attend dinner parties and luncheons.  In November her doctor sent her to the ER, where she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon cancer.  That was November 16^th, and the decline was rapid.  I did get to visit her in both November and December- both times she was in the hospital, and both times we did get to enjoy each other’s uninterrupted company, although not under ideal circumstances.

How lucky that our mother didn’t experience prolonged suffering.  When my mom and sister took their trip, they had no idea of the pending troubles.  They were able to enjoy the trip without sadness and grief.  I am a bit jealous of the time my sister got spend with my mom, but I am So Thankful that they took that trip together.  I am so Thankful that my mother got to see these family places, and visit with family along the way.  As always, I am SO THANKFUL that she is my mother.  Mom, I love you more than tongue can tell and words can write.

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Mothers Make the World Go ‘Round

I think that mothers are the backbone of us all.  I really value good mothers.  I am so fortunate to have a good mother, and I watch mother-offspring interactions all the time.  In my breeding program, I won’t tolerate poor mothers- in dogs or in sheep.  I select for mothers that are attentive, keep their offspring clean, fed, are attentive, and offer adequate and appropriate touch.  Touch, often in the form of licking, is essential to both physical and emotional development.  In a nutshell, Good mothers are the antidote to a demanding life to come.

Today, take the time  to celebrate motherhood.

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4 of the 7 generations of Champion girls

Don Moore brought Ch. Genna over for a visit.  She will be 12 in August.  We took pictures of the 4 generations -
Left to right is youngest to oldest:
GCh. Acadia Stage Presence- "Liza"
            GCh. Acadia Presence of Mind- "Cassia"- mother of Liza
                        Ch. Acadia Peace of Mind- "Dove"-   mother of Cassia
                                   Ch. Acadia It's My Treat- "Genna"   - mother of Dove

It was so exciting to see the girls together.  Genna looks great and it made for a nice afternoon.  In my head I had this "advertisement quality' picture- but 4 dogs at the same time proved to be too difficult for me and Mike to photograph exactly as I had envisioned.  I wish that I had an "assistant" to call who could have  helped me get them "show groomed" and then pay attention to details.  For example, in my favorite picture from the afternoon, my blouse had gaped open-  how come no one noticed?  Although the girls are not all "fluffed up", I don't have make-up on, and the sun was too bright- I LOVE this picture.  I LOVE the girls.

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New Champion *CH* Acadia Peace of Mind !!

FINALLY!! 
Today Dove was shown at the Laural Highlands Kennel Club in New Castle, PA by Nick Joines.  I had to work, so my friend, Helen Smith,  drove her to the show.  Today was day 1 of 5 days of shows.  I am SO HAPPY that she did it the first day and now she can come back home and sit on the couch!! 

The BIGGEST part of the excitement for me is that this now completes 7 CONSECUTIVE GENERATIONS of Champion GIRLS.... and counting!   Dove is the mother of GCh. Acadia Presence of Mind, Ch. Acadia Prince of Peace, Ch. Acadia Peaceful Garden.

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Acadia ! It’s Mirluc I found You ! Part 1

I knew EXACTLY who he was the minute I saw his name in my email in-box. Steven Ieronimo. I was excited to read, “Growing up my mother use to breed and show shelties. My mother, Betty Ieronimo’s kennel name was Mirluc and I see you started your breeding line with a dog from Shirley Vicchitto, Shirley started her kennel with dogs purchased from my mother. I would be very interested if you have any now or in the future puppies that trace their line back to my childhood dog “Mirluc’s I’m a Handsome Devil” “

The reality is even better! *I* got my start from his mother too!

The dog that started it all (for me) was Ch. Parker of Mirluc, CD.  ALL of my shelties go back to Steve's childhood dog, Ch. Mirluc I'm a Handsome Devil, UD !!!

My parents didn’t have any interest in having a pet, but their youngest daughter, (me), wasn’t going to be able to live without one. After years of trying to see if small caged animals (gerbils, fish) were going to fill the need, they finally gave in and in 1977 we got our first dog- a sheltie we named Tyler. I was a bit too energetic for Tyler and he preferred my less raucous older sister. He was only 2 years old when he was hit by a car and killed. I was devastated, my parents were devastated, our family was devastated, and my father, wanting to protect his children from the pain of such a loss, said, “NO MORE DOGS!!!” For me, that was the most devastating!

I read my horoscope, and that of my dad’s, and one day they matched! I took my dad to breakfast at Friendly’s and explained that I NEEDED another dog- and he listened- and agreed. This time I had decided that I wanted a “show dog” (but I had never been to a dog show before). I bought the book Sheltie Talk and read it cover to cover. My mom and I looked in the classified section of the paper for puppies, and we went to look at them. Can you even imagine a young girl, in 5th or 6th grade, going to look at puppies, and not coming home with one? When we got to the places that were selling the puppies I could just tell that I was not going to find my “show dog”- and we would go home empty handed.

When we answered a newspaper ad and arrived at the Ieronimo household, I KNEW that this was the place! Betty showed me her champion male- the very same, Ch. Mirluc’s I’m a Handsome Devil, UD. He was breath-taking. She showed me the mother of the puppies, and she was beautiful(and SMART!) too. As a matter of fact, all of the dogs were beautiful !

Betty told me that she was keeping both of the girls from that litter and only the two boys were available. I got them to trot along so I could see the gait, I played with them, she showed us the father of the litter in Sheltie Pacesetter, and I went home with Parker.

To be continued….

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Acadia Peace of Mind

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Acadia's Hidden Treasure "Cache" and his mother, "Faith"

I LOVE raising dogs and knowing the family. I think family is important! I just love this picture of mother and son. Cache (on the left) is one of the Rincon x Faith puppies from 2010. He is the littermate to Finn and Xena.

Faith has amazing pigment. It can be difficult to get truly black blacks. A lot of tricolor shelties have red tone- not Faith. She passed on her great black pigment to her son Cache. She also gave him naturally tipped ears, good bone, all in a moderate (reference to size) package. I couldn't have asked for more.

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5 consecutive generations

The text is tough to read here on the blog. Saturday these will be on http://www.sheltiesonline.com/

Liza and Serena are the 6th consecutive generation of Acadia. Carrie is Anna's mother, who is Genna's mother, who is Dove's mother, who is the mother of both Cassia and Manny. Cassia is Liza's mother. Carrie's mother is a champion- and up to Genna we have 4 consecutive generations of Champion bitches. I am fairly certain that both Cassia and Liza will finish quickly- I need to work on Dove. She has 5 points, but she is not one to "ask for the win"- so she usually goes "reserve". If I can get that done, it would be 7 consecutive generations of Champion bitches- that is VERY impressive in shelties- so it is a good goal.

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