change of heart because of a sheepie
 when I first brought Bella home and didn't want that much to do with her. Now I roll over in bed at 2 am and see him sitting up making sure that Bella is comfortable in bed and is petting her. He even told me he took her for a ride in the truck one afternoon while I was still at work. Here I had been worried those first few months. I should have known Bella could win him over with a little butt wiggle and bounce. Anyone else see the sheepie love work wonders and convince others how great they are  |
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| Oh yes.... Dave did NOT want Rudie. He was convinced he was the wrong dog for us, he wanted a lab. I basically had to pull the "I'm getting him, sorry if you don't approve" card and hope for the best. It took about 7 months for things to work out, but now they are best buddies. Dave thinks Rudie saved him from getting mugged one night in our old apartment that wasn't in the best neighborhood, and I think since then they started bonding. Now they are buddies, and dare I say it, but I think Rudie prefers him. |
| I hate to even say this now, but I wasn't so keen on keeping Lucy. We were just going to foster her until MoKan Rescue found her a new home. Hubby fell in love with her immediately; I think the cuddling did him in. He talked me into keeping her; I accepted that she would just be "his". But, one morning I woke up and found her head on my chest, eyes wide open just staring at me. It was just something about the way she was looking at me, so intently and lovingly. My heart just melted. She hadn't known me for very long, but she loved me and wanted me to love her. After that morning she soon become "my little Lucy girl". Oliver will always be my "heart dog", but now Lucy has a special place in my heart as well. I couldn't imagine my life without her. |
| I brought Tiggy home while Wayne was overseas for work and hadnt told him that I was getting another dog. He thought I was minding a friend's puppy when he got back and wasnt too impressed about us having a sheepie. But Tiggy worked her charms and now he probably loves her more than Rastus. He just asked me the other day why it took so long to discover sheepies.  |
| I was raised with boxers and loved that breed, but when I married my husband 33 years ago, the movie Serpico had just come out and he loved the sheepie in the movie. Well two weeks after we were married, we went to get our first sheepie and we have been owned by sheepies ever since. There is just something about them. We loved our first two to pieces and it broke our hearts when they were gone, but Jenny has us all under her spell -- I don't think she knows that she's a dog LOL. |
| Troy didn't want me to get a dog. Frankie was going to be my dog and only my dog. I catch Troy telling him all the time. Do you know how much Daddy loves you |
| I didn't want a dog at all when my ex wanted to get an Airedale. After I saw some at a few breeders, I started warming up to them. I fell in love with Brick the day we got him. Sometimes I think I liked him more than my ex did, and she's the one who wanted to get him. Then, when we moved into the house in St. Louis, we decided we had enough room for another dog, but I still was unsure about getting another one. But for no other reason that I didn't want Brick to think we didn't love him and that he wasn't the center of our universe (pathetic, I know). So we got Zeke and I did not warm up to him at first. I felt like he was competing for our attention and taking it away from Brick and I was sure Brick sensed it as well. I actually went out of my way to kind of ignore Zeke for the first few months we had him. I wanted Brick to know that he was the best & favorite dog in the house. It also seemes that while I wasn't warming to Zeke, my ex was cooling on Brick, which I couldn't understand. It didn't help that Zeke was not housebroken & kept messing in the house. I remarked several times to her that if you can't get your dog housebroken, he's gonna have to go. (I know,really?) After we split, I had both dogs. Zeke had learned not to go in the house, so things were OK with that. But Brick was still my favorite. Then one day, I was outside with Zeke and he started doing his hip-check thing. I just thought that was the coolest thing. And soon after that, he came up to me while I was sitting on the couch. He backed up against the couch (between my legs) and sat down. I began to scratch his back and massage him and he really seemed to like that. He threw his head back and I began to scratch under his chin and then he just kinda slithered down onto the floor (I call it melting). It was at that time that I realized how great a dog he was. We had bonded. I didn't understand him before that but certainly did after that. I enjoyed the times when I'd be standing by the far end of the bed and Zeke would come screaming thru the bedroom door, leap from a few feet away from the bed, land square-ly in the middle and put his big sheepie paws around my neck. Or when he would raise a paw like he was trying to give a high five (he wasn't, but it was still cute to think he was). I found a way to make sure both boys got equal attention from me because I didn't want either one to think I favored the other one. Now, I can't imagine my life without a sheepie (even though I currently don't have one). I'm anxiously awaiting the day I buy my next house; cuz I'll have another sheepie the day after that!  |
| My 85 year old father lives with us. He ranted and ranted against getting a dog. Said I was crazy; didn't want anything to do with it; don't ask him to help' blah, blah blah... We brought home the first one at 8 weeks old. He will be four in Nov...the second one is now two...Grampa not only walks them a few times a day while I am at work,  but he makes them scrambled eggs on Fridays.... |
| A few months after losing Vaughn, our Siberian, I brought up getting another dog. We still had Taylor, our golden but he needed a buddy and I wanted a sheepdog. Dh's comment was he didn't want another dog and did not want a sheep dog. I worked and weedled at him and a few weeks later we went to pick out what dog we wanted from a litter. I even let him pick the puppy(I wanted a different one). Simon was only 4 weeks old at the time and we had to wait. Skip forward almost two years, we lost our beloved Talyor and months later I brought up getting Simon a buddy. Dh's comment was nope, no way, Simon's going to be an only dog. I let it drop for a few weeks but his answer was still the same. A few months later he came to me and said we could get another dog...a sheepdog and it could not be a puppy and it would be a rescue...and we HAD to name him Garfunkel. I contacted the Rescue's and let them know we wanted another male around 2-3yrs old. A 2.6 yr old male came up right away but he was not housebroken and was kind of wild, bounce off the walls wild. I told dh about him and he said no, "we" wanted a housebroken dog. I was talking to one of the rescue folks and they brought up the 2.6yr old again. They said he was really sweet but needed some work. I talked to dh again and we agreed to meet him. Skip forward another two years and we have Simon and Garfunkel. Gar will forever be a work in progress. He can still get pretty wild, but in a fun way...most of the time. Dh is TOTALLY in love with them. He will do almost anything for them, including getting up at 6:00am on the weekend because they want to eat. He doesn't walk them, I do, he doesn't groom them, I do, but he feeds them and to them thats the greatest thing in the world. He "will" give them loves and kisses whenever they want. His comment "two sheepies...who woulda ever thunk it" |
When Adam and I started house hunting, I saw no reason to put off my life time goal of getting a sheepdog. I wanted Adam to come with me to view the litters of puppies. He said "I don't want a dog, and I never have, But I guess my opinion doesn't matter." I agreed that it didn't, and hoped that the magic that is Sheepdog love would infect him. I think these photos say it all:   Yup; definitely not a guy that likes dogs.  |
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Nah I can see how much he hates 'em.  Love the tug of war photo. |
bloody shame he couldn't be converted  or for that matter all the dh's dat tried to resist. it is futile. ha, sheepies rule. |
| Yeah, he looks miserable on that bench being mobbed by furballs. |
Mady wrote: Yeah, he looks miserable on that bench being mobbed by furballs. Ahem! Maybe YOU should post your OWN "sheepie-conversion" story??? Should I mention how you were in tears believing we had made a huge mistake??? At least I wont be so mean to post a link to your puppy-trauma viewtopic.php?f=12&t=30384  |
| Believe it or not... I was the one that needed the convincing to go Old English. Josh and I moved to the Quad Cities when he got a new job. I knew absolutely no one and all my family was over 7.5 hours away. Josh's mother passed away suddenly the week before our movers and I myself moved out here, so now we had a house to move into rather than an apartment. I was so lonely. Josh was working long hours and I was learning a new city. I told Josh that since we had a house and all my family and friends were hours away, I wanted to get a dog. He agreed but there was a condition... it had to be an Old English Sheepdog. He said he grew up with one and would not have any other breed. Now we have three big, fluffy, wonderful, amazing dogs! And I couldn't imagine having another breed of dog (even though I do ALL the work, training, cleaning, yada yada). As a complete aside though, Josh and Levi have really, thoroughly bonded. I was drying Levi on the grooming table last night in preparation for SheepieFest. Josh came down the stairs and Levi went BALLISTIC! He whined and danced on the table till Josh came to him to give him some affection. But when Josh went to leave the basement, Levi was so heart broken, he slipped the noose and booked upstairs to be with Daddy. Thankfully, he was mostly dry! |
Baba wrote: Mady wrote: Yeah, he looks miserable on that bench being mobbed by furballs. Ahem! Maybe YOU should post your OWN "sheepie-conversion" story??? Should I mention how you were in tears believing we had made a huge mistake??? At least I wont be so mean to post a link to your puppy-trauma viewtopic.php?f=12&t=30384 I do believe, David dearest, that I was vindicated on that thread by other forum folk. Now that I am more experienced, I am ready for a second! I just saw a picture of a recent Blueshire litter.... |
I was more the conversion than Todd was.  We always have had dogs; always trained, showed and participated in the sports the dog was intended for. Todd's boss's family had OES. Russ's bitch was having her 1st litter and Russ was telling Todd he really needed one of the pups. We weren't even really looking for another dog at the time. At the time, I was working 3-11 shift. Todd and LeAnne went over one evening to see the pups, and came home with Oliver I really wasn't that surprised!LeAnne trained Ollie as her 2nd 4-H dog and also did AKC conformation, and I did herding and therapy dog work with him. However, he was always Todd's dog. He loved to hang out, do chores and be his farm dog.  Now with Chewie...he's 100% my boy!  |
My husband wasnt thrilled with getting another dog. We already have 2 labs, and one-our yellow lab, is a daddy girl BIG time. But I had a sheepie when I was in high school and he loved her,yes we are high school sweethearts 25 years now. So when I was on craigslist just wasting time I came across an add that said, come get her now or shes going to the pound tomorrow, I told him there is NO WAY they are taking a sheepie to the pound! He finally gave in and said ok but he wasnt thrilled! We drove for about an hour to get her and I could see in his face he wasnt happy but he would do this for me anyway. As soon as she came running to him, he was hooked. He hardly said a word to the lady we got her from because he was so mad at how matted and skinny she was, he just took her out to the car, put her in and said lets go. I thought he was mad because we got her, but he was mad because of the shape she was in. She sleeps between us now, or on his legs, every night. He complains about it, but he wouldnt have it any other way. Star is still daddys girl, but Ryleigh has a place in his heart now too. |
| When Sunny was 5 months old, and had just passed puppy kindergarten with flying colors, my hubby and I went away to visit his folks for a week. I was worried that a coyote would eat her on their farm because she was still so little and they don't allow pets inside. So, we asked my parents if they'd watch her for the week. They're dog lovers, so I thought it'd be fine. I typed out a Sunny manual about her commands, idiosyncrasies etc. It was 3 pages long. We returned home and they handed me her leash with these words "Andrea, we don't know what you've gotten yourself into, but this dog is the devil". Oh dear, I laughed so hard. I guess they didn't read any of my instructions, and let her walk all over them (figuratively and literally). So of course she took command and became alpha. And they completely gave in, every step of the way. I just don't get it, it must have been the power of the fluff (I will admit, sheepies make THE cutest puppies out there). We took her home, and sure enough, they had completely un-trained her. Counter surfing, stealing dishcloths, biting us, growling at us, peeing in the house, leaping at other dogs on walks, howling incessantly in her kennel, all stuff she had NEVER done. It took us 4 weeks of showing her who was boss, just to get her to go for a walk without trying to attack us, let alone the months it took to teach her that counter surfing is absolutely unacceptable. Sigh. Then the teenager stage came in, with all it's usual power struggles and whatnot, and my parents honestly thought we should "ship her away to a sheep farm and let her fend for herself". Comments my dad has made to her in the past: "Get outta here you mangy mutt", "Sunny, quit turning around, I will NOT pet your a**!", "you stinky little turd!", "why I oughta give you a swift kick in the rear!", "if you don't quit it, I'll send you to kingdom come!". But it was always for seemingly nothing, maybe she stepped on his foot, or wanted attention, but I guess that week alone with her just wreaked havoc on their bond/relationship. I don't know when it all turned around, but they went from telling us "you should kennel Sunny when Allison (our daughter) is awake", to "Oh Andrea, don't be so hard on Sunny, she just wants to play" in a matter of months. My mom calls herself gramma to Sunny now, and just tonight when she came over to babysit for us, I had to tell her to stop over-exciting Sunny when she comes in the house. Yes, Sunny is a much better behaved dog than she was at 4 months old, but it's more than that. It's the lolling tongue, the fur over her eyes, the clumsy saunter, and the absolute love for Gramma's homemade dog biscuits. Yup, my mom bakes treats for Sunny now. So fast forward to present day, both my mom and dad are full fledged, unabashed Sunny fans. They tell us to bring her with us when we visit, they buy toys for her, put a rug out for her to lay on because they have hard wood floors, and they always keep a water bowl outside for her "just in case we drop by". It makes me warm inside knowing that Sunny has more than just me tied around that little claw It's the power of the fluff! I'm a believer! |
* Capt. Obvious Danger wrote: Believe it or not... I was the one that needed the convincing to go Old English. Oh, I believe it. I grew up with poodles. When I lost mine - she was a show ring drop out my Dad gave me when I was 4 or 5 years old - and the family was dogless for the first time my Dad got it in his head that we needed to get an OES. I'd only seen a few growing up, living in Norway and traveling with him in England from time to time, and they were not overly friendly nor clean dogs and just did NOT impress me. To humor him I nonetheless went to the library and picked up Mandeville's book: The Complete Old English Sheepdog, 1976 One of the first things I read was: If you do not mind a dog who is big and hairy, the Old English Sheepdog is the breed for you. Provided, of course, you are willing to tolerate a beast who is determined to be the center of attention at all times, who will never concede for one minute that he is not the master and you the companion, and who is stubborn to the point of exasperation. Old English Sheepdogs are all this and more. (p. 14) WELL! Who wants to live with that???? I told him no way, he was out of his mind, and the family should consider an English Springer Spaniel if we weren't getting another poodle. A month later he brought Heidi home.... She was backyard bred and had a nightmare of a temperament. Despite her lack of stability and the fact that she bit a few children along the way and I've blocked out most of what it was like living with this less than temperamentally sound dog who could not be trusted around people or other dogs, I loved her to distraction and was devastated when I lost her to cardiomyopathy. In 1998 I drove 800 some miles to attend an OES specialty just to get a sheepdog fix. There I met Belle, who was just short of six months old so couldn't be shown yet, but was there to be socialized, and that, I was told, was MY job. I'd never met a dog remotely like her. Her temperament was exquisite. Now I knew what a real OES was supposed to be like. There was no going back...I had to have her. I still have her, along with her daughter, a niece, a couple of great nieces... Just about every aspect of my life has been taken over by this aggravatingly addictive breed. I still think my Dad is nuts, but now I'm glad he is.  Kristine |
| I am loving this thread! It makes David and I seem, well, normal, knowing that there are others in this world as in love with their sheepies. |
Mad Dog wrote: To humor him I nonetheless went to the library and picked up Mandeville's book: The Complete Old English Sheepdog, 1976 One of the first things I read was: If you do not mind a dog who is big and hairy, the Old English Sheepdog is the breed for you. Provided, of course, you are willing to tolerate a beast who is determined to be the center of attention at all times, who will never concede for one minute that he is not the master and you the companion, and who is stubborn to the point of exasperation. Old English Sheepdogs are all this and more. (p. 14) WELL! Who wants to live with that???? I told him no way, he was out of his mind, and the family should consider an English Springer Spaniel if we weren't getting another poodle. Bwahahahahaha! I never read Mandeville's book. And I'm glad I didn't!! I'd have said exactly the same thing as you Kristine, NO WAY! Fortunately I researched on the web and all the descriptions are VERY different. Mind you sometimes I think they fib a little by leaving out the stuff about who is the master and stubborness but they did mention that OES need a firm hand and can be a bit much around kids (me paraphrasing here) so I guess they they really did try to warn me. I still can't quite get my head around exactly what it is that sheepies do. They are cute but so are lots of dogs if we be honest. They are funny, enthusiastic and they so love life that it makes me remember that the world is great but there is something else and I can't put my finger on it. I guess it's just sheepie magic. I never thought that anyone would sway Wayne in how much he loved his dalmo, Rastus and he was a bit peeved with me for getting a sheepie but now I sometimes feel a little guilty in regards to Rastus as Wayne is almost as besotted with Tiggy as I am. And that's saying something.  |
| mim, you have your fingers on it all the time. it's the combo of handsome herding velcro "wiggle bum" demanding love dog. then throw in funny and mischevious. "if they don't have you at hello, they'll have ya before goodbye." i've watched other velcro breeds win hearts and other intensely attractive or cute also do the same, butt they just don't have that wiggle down. |
| I really enjoyed reading all of these. Keep them coming. |
| I came from a family who never had a dog. As a kid I was deathly afraid of them and wouldn't get out of the car if you had a dog. I'd lock all the doors and peer out the window praying the dog wouldn't be let outside. Then I met Flash Flash was my stepson's dog and was about 3. We were going tp the cottage for the weekend; Flash and Brendan in the back seat. I sat in the front and was petrified, I literally couldn't move. I had my hand on the door handle ready to leap out if Flash moved near me. We stopped to eat and got him a hamburger. When we got back in the car Benny handed me the bag and asked to to tear smalll pieces off and feed the dog This is roughly the conversation: Me: Umm, his teeth are REALLY big. Benny: He's very gentle, just put it near his mouth. Me: Has he ever bitten anyone? Benny: Are you crazy? You're not afraid of him are you? Me: (Hands shaking but don't want to look like an idiot) Of course not, I just wondered. Benny: Then just give it to him. I'm now ashamed to say I dropped the thing on the seat and pulled my hand back a quickly as I could Now 9 sheepies later I think it's safe to say I'm a convert  |
| When I had my first teaching job I lived on a fly in reserve in Northern Manitoba. I had wanted a sheepie from the time I was young, and this was my big chance. I flew back to Winnipeg, and there happened to be an OES cross puppy listed in the paper. When I called and asked what it was crossed with the lady said "dog." My boyfriend (now hubby) FORBADE me to get a dog (things were heading toward us becoming permanent so he foolishly thought he got a say, and yes, giggle, he used the word FORBID). He drove me out to the country because I whined, and once there we went into a barn and saw the funniest, gawkiest looking fifteen week old sheepie cross. He was all legs, and bounded from place to place. He drank out of the leaky tap, bugged the horse, nuzzled a cow and zoomed back and forth past us, amusing himself. The lady who was selling him wanted forty dollars for him. He was the last one she had left...the runt of the litter. Gordon stood there, announcing that we were NOT getting a dog. I cleared it up...WE are not getting a dog. I am. What you choose to do with that circumstance is up to you. Just then this crazy legged ball of fluff came running by again, stopped, cocked his head at Gordon, and jumped right into his arms. It shocked Gordon, but he caught him. This sheepie started licking his face, and Gordon said (without a moment's hesitation): She'll take him. And, although he lived with me for a few years before Gordon and I moved in together, he was Daddy's dog from that first moment on. And that is the story of BRANDON, the sheepie who started it all for us. Often lovingly referred to as "the best forty bucks we ever spent.) |
| brandon: "so this clown doesn't wanna take me home?!?!, ha, watch this!!!!!!" so typical sheepie. |
| brandon: "so this clown doesn't wanna take me home?!?!, ha, watch this!!!!!!" so typical sheepie. |
| I met my husband in college, on a ski trip. When he brought me home to meet his parents, I also got to Maude, his Sheepie. He got her as a high school graduation present. We spent many weekends bathing her and combing her out (she was primarily an outside dog at his parent's house. When we got married, she became "my" dog. Very protective of me. She passed away in 1981 - the smartest Sheepie ever. She is the reason that we've always a Sheepie or two with us. |
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