National Sheltie Rescue Coordinator

Dorothy Christiansen

New Lenox, Illinois

(815) 485-3726

Contacts: Beverly Nemeth (412) 833-5905

Purpose: Sheltie Rescue was established to provide for the rescue and care of purebred Shelties which have been abandoned or placed in animal shelters.

Procedure: Prospective adopters of rescued Shelties are kept on record until a good candidate Sheltie that meets their needs is available. Shelties may be adopted from their former homes, if it is convenient for them to remain there until adoption, or they may have been taken into custody of Sheltie Rescue and placed into a foster home until they are adopted.

Individuals adopting a Sheltie from Sheltie Rescue will be asked for basic information such as, why they want a Sheltie, previous history of owning pets, current pets, family and household status and the accommodations for the dog. Prospective adopter's preferences as to the age, sex and color of dog are noted.

Adopters Responsibilities: Anyone adopting a Sheltie agrees to have the dog spayed or neutered, if it has not already been done. In addition, the adopter must be a responsible person willing to take on the responsibilities of dog ownership and potentially other issues and costs such as additional medication, etc.

Before the TRSSCGP can accept any dogs into Sheltie Rescue, the club's Rescue Coordinator must be contacted first.

We have someone trying to find a permanent home for a 1 yr old tri male. She will keep him until the right home becomes available. UTD on shots, akc papers, healthy needs neutered, nice dog. Owner had a job change which calls for a lot of out of town travel. (Pictures below are two photos of Roscoe. One is a baby pic and one is a teen pic (taken almost exactly a year ago).

Please do not contact the webmaster over rescues. Beverly Nemeth has the latest information.

All donations are gratefully accepted, and 100% of the funds collected go to the care and support of the rescued dogs.

Thank you for your support.

Sometimes he’s just lying there looking off into nowhere. He comes back as soon as he hears his name. He gives me this curious look. The look that seems to say what happened to me, my life, the way things were. You just know that he really belongs to someone else, somewhere else. He’s here, his life is good but he’s not my dog. I think he’s waiting to be where he thinks he should be. I will miss him.

Joey’s my rescue dog. He was in TRSSCGP rescue for about four months before I got him in November 2005. Most people who should know thought he was about 12. Since no one knows for sure we made it official, he was 13 on January 1, 2006^. We made another little change; his name was Jodie, a little too girly for a boy dog. He didn’t seem to notice the difference; probably thinks we just talk funny. We have a problem getting around because of a fairly bad case of arthritis. But with a little help we get where we need to be.

I don’t know that much about his previous life only that he was a resident of the City of Pittsburgh living with his two elderly owners and another Sheltie. His humans both died within a short time of each other. So both he and his companion Sheltie ended up in a Pittsburgh shelter, no one in the family apparently wanted them. Rusty Cromer with TRSSCGP Rescue was called and Joey was taken to Rusty’s kennel. The other Sheltie was in bad shape and was put down. So poor Joey found himself without his human or canine companions, not in his “forever home” and with someone he’s never seen before. I suspect he thought something went terribly wrong. After some serious dieting, grooming and loving care Joey was transferred to Beverly Wolf’s home where the tender loving care continued until I came along.

Beverly took Joey to a TRSSCGP meeting late last summer for obvious reasons. That’s where I first saw him. One reason he appealed to me was I didn’t think I’d feel too guilty leaving him home when oZZy and I went trialing or hiking. Eventually I made arrangements with Beverly to keep Joey over a weekend just to see how he’d fit in. That was a little like pretending there was a chance I’d take him back. Joey has been here ever since. I’m sure Beverly had mixed emotions about seeing him go. And the part about not feeling guilty leaving Joey home didn’t turn out that way either. My work is about the only place Joey doesn’t get to go.

Joey like most of us has a few little faults. Every time he comes in from outside he wants, no demands a cookie. He’ll step out turn around and immediately come back in and demand his cookie. I wonder what he thinks it’s for. It’s ok but the other resident Sheltie isn’t exactly stupid. oZZy figured he’d give it a try and see how it works. He did, it does. His other little habit is somewhere along the way he was given authority to step in and put an end to anyone having fun. Doing agility, fetching a ball or playing tug are all illegal and must be policed. Joey and oZZy did have some canine issues over the police action and a few other things that needed resolved, they pretty much handled them on their own.

Joey because of his arthritis is now retired from all training and performance classes and events. What’s there to prove anyway? We did start an obedience class and I decided making him do sits and downs were just cruel and unusual punishment. Actually his down stay is outstanding. I could leave and come back tomorrow and unless there was food involved or someone helped him up he’d be where I left him.

Someone loved and cared for this dog before me. I hope they know he’s being cared for and loved as much as they once did. He’s a little old and little slow but an incredible companion none the less. It’s my good fortune to have him with me.

It’s been two years now since Josef (a.k.a. Joey) has been here. Another new name is another story. He’s doing great, lost a little more weight and is as bossy as ever. On occasion he will actually break into something that resembles running. He’s still very good at being motionless and at barking. He does not require a reason to be doing either. There have been many occasions when I see him lying there, very motionless, and think, he’s gone. Give him a few nudges and he’s back, giving me an evil stare.

One afternoon this summer Josef was sleeping on the front porch when my neighbor Jimmy rode by on his bike. Joey wakes up and decides he needs to put and end to this, herding dog thing I suppose, forgets he’s 100 years old and thinks he’s going to gather up this kid. By the time he gets moving the target is most likely home playing video games, doesn’t matter he’s in pursuit. Makes it down the steps, somehow, but as soon as he hits the grass he stumbles forward, falls and rolls a few times. He’s lying there whimpering, can’t get up. I got him on his feet, brushed him off and he was fine. I think it was mainly a pride thing. He learned though, he realizes at his age it’s best to be a little more tolerant of kids playing in the street. Good dog.

Sassy was just eleven months old when she came to Sheltie Rescue. But her short life had been very sad. The children of her first owner had put a rubber band around her tail so that most of it died and fell off. Then their father kicked her and broke her leg and hip. They didn't bother taking her to a vet, they just gave her away to another family. That owner ran her over in the driveway with his car, breaking her leg again. They didn't get her medical attention, either. Her owner was going to shoot her to "put her out of her misery!" Family friends called the Humane Society because they didn't want her to be shot. The Humane Society told them to call Sheltie Rescue. We got Sassy and took her straight to a vet who decided that the wound was too far gone to save her leg. So he amputated her leg and cleared up her infection.

Even though people did some horrible things to her, Sassy is still a very sweet, happy and loving dog. She runs and jumps just as if she had four legs! She was placed almost immediately, and is the queen of all she surveys!

This is the most extreme of the many stories that belong to our rescued Shelties. But they usually have happy endings.

We got a phone call from Indiana County, from the Humane Society there, saying that there was a Sheltie that needed to be placed. He was found by two handicapped women with a broken ear, broken nose, and buckshot in his butt. The ladies took him to the vet for treatment, since they were going to keep him. But, they had a service dog that wouldn't work with Booker there. So, they called the Humane Society, who took him, and in turn called Sheltie Rescue. Booker was just the sweetest little dog, we have no idea why someone would shoot him. We took him to our vet, Dr. Burghard, who works with rescue, and his vet tech said that her sister would be interested in him. So, he was adopted, and went home with her. They had 3 little kids under 5, who decided to call him "Lassie". He's very happy as "Lassie", but when someone calls him "Booker", he runs and hides.

NOTE: The TRSSCGP has many links to many external pages. These external links are only being listed as a means to assist people in locating other websites. These links are NOT an endorsement and the links should be considered separate and distinct from the TRSSCGP. In addition, if there are organizations listed on this site and do not want to be listed, please let the webmaster know immediately, and the links will be removed immediately. Any logos listed will ONLY be used to represent a link to a respective website, and will not be used in any manner unfitting such use.

No part of this website may be reproduced without the express written consent of the TRSSCGP.

Contacts: Beverly Nemeth (412) 833-5905

Purpose: Sheltie Rescue was established to provide for the rescue and care of purebred Shelties which have been abandoned or placed in animal shelters.

All donations are gratefully accepted, and 100% of the funds collected go to the care and support of the rescued dogs.

Thank you for your support.