by Liz
The first dog I owned as an adult was “Malcolm”, a wonderful Sheltie my husband found at the old Town Lake Animal Center in Austin. Malcolm lived to a ripe old age and after he died, we knew that we had to have another Sheltie.
But this time, I wanted a Sheltie from someone who bred them to show in AKC Conformation events: a “Conformation Breeder”. The “conformation” part means they are trying to breed “show dogs” that conform to the standard of the breed. My father was a Conformation Breeder of Collies when I was a child, and I can easily tell the difference between a Conformation Breeder and someone who is breeding puppies to sell to unsuspecting buyers. Unfortunately, Conformation Breeders are frequently blamed and punished for the irresponsible practices of the puppy sellers.
A colleague who was also looking for Sheltie referred me to Lea Bertsch. Sheltie puppies from Conformation Breeders aren’t always destined to be show dogs. Cigar f/k/a Kissy, the puppy we bought from Lea, was so impressed with her pedigree that she never bothered to read the standard. If dogs could talk, her first words would have been “I’m better than you.” We competed in AKC obedience trials, and Cigar easily earned her Companion Dog (CD) and Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) titles.
After Cigar earned her CD title, our training night changed and we joined the Shetland Sheepdog Club of Austin. It’s hard to believe that was over 20 years ago. Through the Sheltie Club, I have become friends with many different people that I would have never known otherwise. There have been some really good ones in the mix. I remember when two club members, Loma and Nancy, sat at ringside to watch me and Cigar at an obedience trial being held at the same time and place as a conformation show. Better and worse things have happened to all of us over the years, but I remember that bit of support from two people who barely knew me at the time.
Last spring, I was hanging out with Lea and a couple of other members on the Saturday night of a dog show weekend in Kerrville. We were in a cottage rented by Mendy, a professional handler. As soon as I walked in, I noticed that one of Mendy’s client dogs bore an uncanny resemblance to Cigar!
Even though this Sheltie was a stunning show dog (Cigar was not), she had similar markings, similar shading in her coat, and most of all, the same “I’m better than you” attitude. Sure enough, many of the same dogs behind Cigar are in the pedigree of this lovely dog, who did eventually allow me to pet her. It was like meeting the grandchild of a long-dead friend who was just like her grandparent at the same age.