Congratulations to the 5 new title holders

Sheltie Pedigree Lines  is a great service to sheltie breeders.  This site is a historic and current record of sheltie genealogy.  I use it constantly to test out possible stud dogs and the pedigree compatibility with my girls.

One of the services of this site is that they keep track of new title holders.   I enjoy seeing the new title holders. The site has two lists, one for new Champions, and one for new performance titles.  When I just looked, there are 5 Acadia bred shelties on the new performance title holder list.  On this blog I updated Lucy's title to reflect her MACH.  Congratulations to all!!  I am a proud breeder!

Acadia Don't Rain On My Parade, SWN, SCA, SIA, SHDN  (Rain)
(Ch. Acadia Rock Star, HT x Ch. Acadia It's My Treat)
Owned/Loved/Trained by: Phyllis Sanders

Ch. Acadia Independence Day, CD, RAE, BN  (Mason)
(GCh. Barwood Clearsky Fireworks, ROM x GCh. Acadia Serenity)
Owned/Loved/Trained by: Anita Rhawn

Acadia Teagan Rose,CDX, NF, NFP  (Teagan)
(GCh. Solange Surround Sound, ROM, ROMC  x GCh. Acadia Presence of Mind)
Owned/Loved/Trained by: Dr. Amy Scheiner

MACH Acadia's Catch Me If You Can, CDX, RAE, BN, XF, GO, T2B, GN, THDN  (Lucy)
(Ch. Heart Lake Acadia Le Roi De Couer x Ch. Acadia Peace of Mind)
Owned/Loved/Trained by: LeaAnne Thorne

Acadia's Keep It Simple, CGC, TKN  (Muffin)
(Acadia's Stage Director x Acadia Keep It Simple)
Owned/Loved/Trained by: Phillip Meyer & Ann Pomeroy-Meyer

Read more...

Fluffy and Gentle, and great listeners

It seems that many Acadia shelties enjoy children's reading programs.  LeaAnne takes Lucy to participate in the "Paws To Read" program in Maryland, while Lori takes Tryk and Cache to the "Paws To Read" program in Tucson, AZ.  Penny takes Tess to the "Read with Me" program in Chicago and Karen takes Allie to schools and libraries so children can practice reading.

Tryk and Levi

Shelties are such a great fit for these programs because they are not an intimidating breed.  Penny describes Tess as, "fluffy and gentle", which really is just a perfect combination for a reading partner.   LeaAnne said that Lucy is one of the smallest dogs in her program, and that makes her popular with the kids.  Karen says that Allie has a magnetic pull to all she meets.

I LOVE the fact that these owners share their dogs and allow the special gifts these dogs have to offer be bestowed upon others.

Read more...

Congratulations Penny on being chosen as Member of the Month

http://www.pawsitivetherapy.com

MISSION STATEMENT

The PAWSitive Therapy Troupe is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to sharing registered therapy dogs with individuals in a wide variety of health care and educational settings--bringing comfort, support and encouragement through the unique healing power of the human-animal bond

Congratulations Penny.  You are a dedicated member of the Therapy Troupe, and also the Acadia shelties family.  Tess, Gracie, and Show Low all came from Acadia. Kate is the granddaughter of Show Low. 

Troupe Members of the Month - Penny Brcich & Tess and Kate Penny Brcich has been a member of the PAWSitive Therapy Troupe since 1999. She has almost 17 years of service as a dedicated volunteer with a total of six Shetland Sheepdogs. Penny’s current Pet Partners are 3-year-old Tess and 2-year-old Kate. They are faithful visitors at a variety of health care facilities, schools and libraries. Here is what Penny has to say about her partners Tess and Kate: “I have been visiting with my therapy dogs for well over 15 years! Becky (PAWsitive Program President) and I first met at an agility class - we both had shelties named Rosie. I visited at Loyola Pediatrics, Mooseheart Residential School and many other sites over the years with my Shelties Rosie, Rachel, Gracie and Show Low.  My current therapy dogs are Kate and Tess. Kate (smart and active!) is great with the kids at Ronald McDonald House near Loyola Medical Center and at Oak Trace Senior Village, while Tess (fluffy and gentle) is a good Read with Me dog at elementary schools and libraries. She visits with seniors at Villa St. Benedict Senior Village too. It is always a pleasure share my special four legged friends with others, and we hope to continue for many years to come!” On behalf of all of us in the PAWSitive Therapy Troupe, thank you Penny for so many years of devoted service!

Read more...

Puppy Therapy

Two weeks ago I was telling my friend and co-worker, Erica, that my puppies needed to meet more people, so Erica invited me to a Bible study group. It is a small group of about 5 or 6 people who meet 1 mile from my house every Thursday. I told Erica that I thought having puppies at a Bible study would be too distracting, but she said that she had already called the hostess, Amanda, and told her I was coming.

It was great fun and wonderful for the puppies. That night they met 5 new people and got to go on a short car ride. Amanda has a friendly dog and so the puppies got to meet a friendly dog too.

The puppies were definitely a distraction and they were the subject of conversation the entire study time. Amanda asked if I was coming back next week with the puppies, and I must say, I did think they had been such a distraction that they would not be welcome back- but they were.

I went the following Thursday (last week) as well. As I was leaving, Amanda said, “well I needed some good puppy therapy. I had a head ache all day, but after holding these puppies, it is gone.”
On Saturday the puppies got to meet a 5 year old boy and 6 year old girl. They were great with the puppies and it is so good that they (the puppies) have gotten to meet friendly (gentle) children.

Read more...

Christmas Cards and updates

One thing I love about Christmas time is the cards with news from "the puppies". Every day I look forward to getting the mail. I like to hear from my friends and family, but the cards I look forward to the most are those that contain news from the families with the dogs.
I spent some time putting together a collage of the pictures that were sent, but I couldn't save it as a jpeg, only as a PDF, and blogspot won't accept PDF files. I guess I will be the only one who gets to enjoy my "Sheltie family collage". I will just include some of the fun news (and pictures that were sent as email attachments. Taylor- if you send a digital picture of Sara- I will post it). Most of the notes were much more detailed than this (and I love to read every bit of them), but I have just included bits and pieces.
"This is your 2008 update from Sara's family. She is just so smart she most probably could have written this note herself if the keyboard was a bit more dog user friendly :-) " - The McDuffee family.

-I find this really funny- MacDuff is the name of Sara's litter brother. MacDuff was named by his new owner before Sara went to live with the McDuffee family.
"Here are some photos of MacDuff taken today. He just had a bath. Some of the pictures are with his "bathrobe" still on.

He is very outgoing and loves our granddaughters (2 1/2 and 5). Whenever he sees children he wants to go be with them. People who meet him are often surprised at how outgoing he is. They expect a Sheltie to be somewhat retiring. His response to voice commands has improved substantially. We still keep him on a leash unless the area is fenced but when he occasionally escapes he will come upon command quite well.

His senses are extraordinary. His nose, eyes and hearing are all among the most keen we have ever noted in an animal. He can tell instantly upon going out the door whether there is a deer or a cat in the proximate area. We have never had a dog that immediately scans the trees for activity when he goes outside. " - The Loveless Family

Noreen used to call and ask me about Kelsey's eye sight. He also has an extraordinary sense of sight and scans the woods for any activity.

Kelsey has completed the Therapy Training and is now certified as a TDI.- From Noreen

"Jenna is such a great dog, we all love her very much!"- The Hartwell family

"Stevie is the sweetest, lovable dog. She is one of a kind!"- The Crosson family.

"It is so weird for me to be working with a dog that has no fear issues (thank you thank you thank you!!!). She is such a joy to work with."- Heidi

Heidi sent the CUTEST calendar of Piper. Piper is so photogenic and it is such fun to see all of the pretty, goofy, serious, pictures of her. Thank you Heidi.

"It just occurred to me that I should send you this photo; we used it on our Christmas card this year. I took it about a week after Lilly's first birthday. She is doing so well! Having her join our family was definitely the biggest highlight of our year."- The Law Family

"Snickers is doing well and is good company for me while everyone is gone."- Mr. Macri

Read more...

Ch.Acadia Another Story, UD, NA, PT, VCX (Gracie)'s REAL work

I had emailed Penny to ask her a question about Show Low, and she mentioned that Gracie had been such a star this summer. I asked what Gracie did this summer that was so special- and this is what she said.

"Gracie is certified through Delta Society as a therapy dog. We regularly visit at Loyola Medical Center rehab floor, burn unit, pediatrics floor, and other hospitals and nursing homes. She helps with physical therapy at some hospitals, and also participates in children's reading programs at libraries and schools. Thanks to Cadie's breeding for exceptional temperament, she is a completely bomb proof and confident therapy dog, certified for any kind of situation, no matter how challenging. (Thanks Penny!- that is nice)

Summer of 2008 we were contacted by a school for special needs kids (they specialize in speech therapy, behavioral and social skills programs). They were looking for a therapy dog for an eight week program to work with a boy who was terrified of dogs. They needed a smaller dog who was not overwhelming. It involved playing with kids, going for walks and eating treats. Gracie said "sign me up"!

The teacher had devised a special program of desensitization - the first visit we had to sneak in a back door and stay in a separate room, the boy was too scared to be in the same room with a dog. By the end of the program, the boy was brushing, feeding and walking Gracie. She just waited for him to realize how wonderful she is! It was very rewarding for everyone involved."

Penny
Gracie is a daughter of Ch. Acadia Rock Solid x Ch. Zion Acadia Town Heroine, CDX, PT, VCX

Read more...

Happy 9th Birthday Carrie

Ch. Sunburst Acadia Here I Come, “Carrie”, is 9 years old today. This picture is of her with “her girl” Katie. I had always expected Carrie to live her entire life with me and Mike at Acadia- but one day a wonderful women, Susan Leddy, called and described Carrie to a T when she was describing the sheltie she hoped to find for herself. Even though Carrie was everything Susan wanted, Carrie never crossed my mind as a match because --- well, Carrie wasn’t available.

Susan was an older women who wanted an adult sheltie that was not too big. She wanted to do therapy work and wanted a calm and loving dog. Susan went on to mention many other traits that she wanted that Carrie possessed. I spoke with Susan many times on the phone until finally it dawned on me that she was describing Carrie. I asked Susan to meet me at a dog show and I would bring Carrie to see if they might have some “chemistry”. Susan came with her daughter, watched us show, and went back to my van to see Carrie. Susan sat down in a chair and I got Carrie out of the van- she immediately jumped into Susan’s lap! I told Susan that she couldn’t take Carrie that day. I was not ready yet, but that yes, I could see they did have chemistry. (I had a few great pictures of these two, but the memory stick crashed and they were lost)

The two lived together for only a little over a year before Susan succumbed to cancer. I know that Carrie was the best therapy dog for Susan, even if she never completed the formal training to be certified for this type of work.

Of course my contract always says the dog is to come back to me if for any reason you can no longer keep the dog, but in this case, Susan’s daughter asked if she could have Carrie. They have told me that having Carrie has made the passing of their mother a little easier, so again, she has proven that yes, she is a therapy dog.

Although I miss Carrie, I love to touch the lives of other people and families in ways that humans are not usually able. Dogs are the best, and I love to share my love with other people.
Happy Birthday Carrie.

Read more...