February 2006

Al Boulanger... SRCI's New President On behalf of SRCI, I want to welcome Al Boulanger as our new president.  He has been a member of SRCI nearly 4 years, but began rescue work with Indiana Sheltie Rescue (ISR) over 5 years ago and adopted one of his fosters, Angus, about 4 years ago.  Al clearly has an active life with shelties and his other varied interests.  There will be more about Angus (and agility) further on down.      First off I want to congratulate Al on the several positions that he holds in his community.  He is also vice president of Pawsitive Partners Agility Club of Indianapolis, a two year old club that I believe Al has contributed a lot too.  He has held past positions as treasurer and secretary in neighborhood associations and has been a board member for about 8 years in the Indiana State Numisimatic Association, which he explains is a state wide club for coin collectors (holding a membership of about 400).  I have dabbled in coin and stamp collecting and was unaware of such an organization.  I am always glad to learn something new.  Our lives can be so full of dogs that one can sometimes forget of all the other aspects of our lives.      Al and his lovely wife are owned by 3 Shelties and a pound puppy, Missy, a 14 year old Lab/Beagle mix.  (I sense that ‘rescue work’ with dogs has gone on a little longer than Al is admitting to.)  Their first Sheltie, Tuppence, was purchased from a reliable breeder “before we knew about rescue,” says Al.  Tuppence is now 10 years old so Al’s family is watched over by 2 senior dogs.   Next came along Angus, the rescue from ISR, who clearly has stolen his owner’s heart, as Al writes with pride about Angus’ personal growth and accomplishments.  Amazing what these rescue dogs can do in the right environment!  Angus had been abused and was terrified of people.  Al worked with him for 6 months before starting him in agility to help build his confidence.  After a year of slow and steady progress, Al set a goal for Angus to compete in the Sheltie Nationals in St. Louis.  Angus and his personal coach trained hard for two years, attending many classes, seminars and competitions to prepare for St. Louis.  Given the right coach, athletes can often exceed their own expectations, as was the case with Angus.  His improvement was such that Al began to worry about keeping up with his “little champion.”  The coach now had to coach himself!  Attending the Nationals is quite an accomplishment, even if the pair was just shy of 3rd place.  Well done to both coach and athlete!!      Number 3 sheltie, Kia is a 2 year old SRCI rescue.  She had been surrendered by a pet store due to a mysterious heart murmur.  She now also runs in agility (not one vet she has seen can find any sign of a heart problem).  Do you suppose she was ‘faking it’ to escape her surroundings for a better place? coach and athlete!   Smart little girl.     What a smart little girl.      Al tells me he was given a Boston Terrier on his 6th birthday and as an only child, Pepper, became not only a little brother, but also a constant companion for Al.  Apparently Al’s father had a Boston when he was growing up, and loved it so much that he wanted Al to have a very similar experience.  What a wise father!  Pepper lived on with Al for 9 years.  Unfortunately, Pepper, then died during surgery for a hernia.  That must have been a tough loss for his 15 year old companion.      Genealogy is another interest of our president.  Al has traced two branches of his family tree back to early New England settlers.  One branch arrived in 1710 and became one of the founding families of Lancaster, PA.  (The question is, what breed of dog did they settle with?)  Another branch goes back as far as 1639.      The need for foster homes is of great concern to Al and he is committed to working on this problem during his presidency.  He points out that due to our great work with the ‘puppy mill’ dogs that we have lost several of our foster spaces, as several of us adopted our fosters last year.  (Wiggles comes to mind!)  Last year was a year of rescue that we should all be proud of and now we need to go out and recruit new foster homes.  GET GOING! Thanks, Al,  for your time.  LL, rr (Wiggles mom)

January 2006

Happy Sweet 16th Shadow !

Rescued 4 years ago at the age of 12 years, Shadow was considered a senior dog. On Monday, January 1, 2006 she celebrated her Sweet 16th.

When Shadow came to Sheltie rescue 4 years ago she was placed in foster care. When her fist foster Mother was unable to resume fostering, she had been placed with our Foster Home Coordinator, Sue Moore and Sue's elderly mother. She was only to be there temporarily. After Shadow had moved in with Sue and her mother, Sue knew it was only a matter of time before Shadow would win over her own mother's heart, she had already won Sue's.

Here is a bit of what Sue had to say 4 years ago... "She is so happy here that I could not bear the thought of her leaving. I have no guarantees that she will live past today but that is enough for me."

Four years later Shadow and Sue are together and enjoy every moment that they spend with each other. Shadow continues to be active and is in great health. "She still flirts with the young boys that come thru the house and plays.  Still runs the fence.  Wish I had another one just like her." is what her forever mom had to say. Happy Sweet 16th Shadow and many many more.

Sheltie Rescue of Central Indiana, Inc.

Phil Majer By Lois Lesh   Phil Majer has been president of Sheltie Rescue of Central Indiana ( SRCI ) for four good years now.  As most of you know, he has decided not to run for office this year.   Phil joined SRCI almost six years ago, when he adopted his first rescue Sheltie, Casey ( who is now 9 yrs ).  After what he calls, a little “arm twisting,” he decided to approach the job with a willingness to learn.  He first thought a member who was involved with fostering would be an ideal President, but soon learned that each position was an entire job in itself.  He now hopes to continue his work with the ways and means committee and enjoy the various group activities throughout the year. Now,  to the most important point:  Phil is owned by two Shelties ( at this time! ), Casey ( the lady responsible for bringing him to our attention ), who is a sable merle and Charlotte, a sable female  age 5-6.  The Shelties of his past were Lassie, Millie, and Piper.  His household today also includes Claudia, the “ CAATTT “, who is a black and white, shorthair, female, about 5 years. What was his first experience with a Sheltie?  Phil answers, “When I got out of college and bought my first house, I wanted a dog.  I had settled on a Sheltie ( I watched Lassie growing up but didn’t want a big dog ), or an American Eskimo ( I thought they were cute).  I really didn’t research breed characteristics, which I know now was an error, but I lucked out.”   He knew he wanted an adult, so,  adopted a 4 year old female Sheltie, who had been used for breeding.  “Lassie” owned Phil for nine years.  “She was the perfect little lady and hooked me on shelties forever.” I learned that Phil was one of the lucky ones who had pets “waiting for him to come home from the hospital.”  There was a miniature black Poodle and two cats, then more Poodles as he grew older.  It seems Phil comes from a long line of rescuers.  His grandparents, who raised him, always had pets around and his Mom had as many as 20 rescue dogs at one time.  Feeding often took over an hour and kept her and her husband pretty close to home.  I imagine some of us know that feeling!   The strays that were lucky enough to cross his Mother’s path had a forever home when the ownerss could not be located. No wonder he grew up to be president of SRCI ! He has managed to develop a varied and interesting life around the Shelties.  Woodworking and gardening are of primary interest.  Working around his pond is a favorite place.   He has designed and built his own house and many of the tables, cabinets and a desk inside.  This do-it-yourselfer admits he has at times bitten off more than he could chew.   Because of his love of travel, he has been “around the US and Canada, some in the Caribbean, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan.”  In the past he has dabbled in stained glass and still enjoys hiking, canoeing and being out doors. What does Phil see in the future of SRCI?  To help the Shelties in our area find their forever homes by working along with other rescue groups (and maintaining our good working relationships with them) to find good foster homes, educate the public in areas of spay/neuter, pet overpopulation, puppy mills, the joy of our senior dogs and good pet care!  He reminds us all that it is all for the benefit of the Shelties we serve. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and interests with us, Phil. Story by Lois Lesh

December 2005

 

Sharing their homes with shelties Colleen O’Connor, of Granger, shows off her newly adopted sheltie.  All rights to this story and photo belong to South Bend Tribune. See this story and more at the South Bend Tribune Online. December 29. 2005 6:59AM Sharing their homes with shelties Rescue group seeking more help with mission KIM KILBRIDE kkilbride@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6112 Tribune Staff Writer   After stumbling across the Web site of a sheltie rescue group in Indiana, Colleen O'Connor spent eight months perusing it before taking the plunge and adopting a dog. She'd previously owned two shelties, the last of which died of old age about three years ago. "I needed time to put my toes in the water," she said. Now, Penny, a 7-year-old sheltie originally from the Indianapolis area, is at home with O'Connor in Granger. "She's sweet, obedient, quiet," the dog's new owner said of her. "I'm thrilled with my dog, love my dog." O'Connor is one of about a dozen local people who adopted a Shetland sheepdog this year through Sheltie Rescue of Central Indiana.   The group, which serves the entire state and is based in Indianapolis, rescues, fosters and finds adoptive homes for abandoned dogs.

Locally, there are about 10 members of the volunteer-run organization. Rhonda Kile, of Granger, is the adoption coordinator. Several members of the group got together recently to talk about their mission, current needs and love for the breed that's known for its intelligence and affection. "Their capacity for learning is far greater than my capacity to teach them," Kristin Beauchamp, a member from Niles, said of shelties. "I used to be a Lab mama," she said. "Now, I'm a sheltie mama." Joyce Jarolin, of Goshen, pulled out a pocket photo album with pictures of the shelties she's owned or fostered over the years. "My first sheltie was Misty -- two years ago -- and I've been hooked ever since," she said. Jarolin got emotional as she talked about why she fosters shelties who are often neglected, abused or abandoned. "They've been through so much," she said. "It's just a good feeling to know you're contributing something." The rescue group is now in need of foster homes. Those temporarily housing a sheltie through the organization are required to pay for the dog's food, Kile said. All medical bills and other expenses are paid for by the group. Shelties do shed and bark and require a lot of activity, she added. "But, if you're willing to take one of these dogs in -- if you have the time and patience -- you won't find anything more rewarding."

Crawfordsville's "Home for the Holidays"

Christmas parade

On Saturday, December 4, SRCI participated in Crawfordsville's "Home for the Holidays" Christmas parade.  Lyn and Phil Wray, Lori Garrison, Laurie and Steve Counsel and sons, and Phil Majer were on hand along with six Sheltie ambassadors.  The Shelties were a hit and greeted many people along the parade route.  The weather might have been a little cold for the people but the Shelties had a great time and seemed to enjoy it.   The dogs were a little relieved we were back from the high school band a ways and we all took a little shelter from the breeze by using the Boy Scout float in front of us for a wind break.  The parade, as Laurie Counsel put it, is an neat slice of Americana and SRCI had fun being a part of it.  In the picture from left to right you see Lori Garrison holding Andy , Slade, Lyn Wray with Sugar and Shaka, Phil Majer with Charlotte, and Phil Wray.  Thanks to our friends at Greyhound Rescue for the photo!