MEET OUR SHELTIE

.  This month’s Sheltie is Star owned by Marie Potts who shares the story of Star.

 

BluMoon Bi Starlight, ASCA CD, CDX, U-CDX, RE

Star’s Story or be careful what you ask for, you just might get it!

Where should I begin Star’s story?  I guess I should start with Dustin, the sheltie I had before Star.  I was devastated when I lost him at the age of 11 to Cushing’s disease.  I knew I couldn’t live without a sheltie but didn’t want another sable as it would remind me too much of Dustin.  I searched the internet looking for a bi-black or bi-blue male puppy.  Well, fate decided otherwise and brought Star into my life.

I responded to an ad for AOAC puppies in TN and Jean Hood replied that she had 2 FEMALE puppies left, one bi-blue and the other bi-black.  She emailed me pictures and I thought Pammy (Star) was cute.  All of my non-sheltie friends couldn’t understand what I could see in this 4 month old, long legged, flying ears, gray, no coat puppy with a black splotch on the side of her face, as I had always had sables.  When I went to pick her up at an agility trial in GA, she tilted her head when I talked to her and I was in love.  We settled into life together playing games when she was a puppy that we still continue today like hide and seek and her tossing the ball back to me when she retrieved it.

Jean told me she was an Alpha female and had ‘alphed’ her own mother but I had no idea what that meant.  Boy, was I in for an education!  Star was an independent puppy that wanted to do things her own way and had an aggressive streak when she felt she was being challenged.  People would come up to us and stare into her beautiful eyes and wonder why this dog went crazy like she wanted to tear the person apart!  We were training at Top Dog trying to deal with these issues in January 2001 when at the age of 2 she tore her ACL and dislocated her patella.  My hopes and dreams for us in the obedience and agility ring now had a new story line. Training got put on hold for 6 months while she recuperated from surgery.  Knowing what I know now, I would have probably done things differently during her recuperation.  Then that July I almost lost her to food poisoning which both of us contracted from chicken that wasn’t cooked properly.  She also got a brand new little brother whom she decided was much more fun to play with than me. 

Finally at the age of 5, we entered the Novice ring.  She still wanted to be independent and I wanted us to work as a team. 

We achieved her title but I knew she could do better, only her stubbornness got in the way.  Next it was on to Open.  The independent streak in her reared it’s ugly head when I tried to teach her the dumbbell.  She was determined not to pick it up.  I knew she could do it but wouldn’t until she was ready to!  Finally at the age of 6.5, she decided that she liked obedience!  Her eyes never leave me when we are heeling.  In the span of 3 months we finished her CDX, U-CD, RN, RA, and RE with placements and a High in Trial with the U-CD.  The dog that couldn’t stand her dumbbell was now happily retrieving it.  In fact, we qualified to compete in Open at this year’s All Star tournament to be held in August with scores of 195.5, 190.5 and 194.  Just the fact that we qualified is amazing to me since I had doubts she would ever get her Open title.  We are now training in Utility and hoping to try for her RAE title in the fall.  We may even try agility or herding just for fun, who knows?   As long as she is having fun and her health is good, we will continue on this training and life journey together.  The love in her eyes for me is worth more than any titles.  I wanted a dog that was totally different from Dustin and I truly got what I asked for!