I hope this Blog proves to be both fun and educational for anyone interested in Showing and/or Breeding Dogs. Spend some time with us and you will really understand the time and effort and emotions that goes into this hobby. Join me here for the good times and bad times, the joys and sorrows, the wins and losses. Welcome to life at Vista Dei!

Hi, My name is Darby, and so far this month of January, you have got to meet all the other dogs here at Vista Dei, but mom saved the best for last, and that is ME!!!  Mom says I am her heart and I know she is mine too.  She waited and waited and waited for me to be born, and when the litter finally arrived down in Bowling Green KY, mom got to pick out the "pick" of the litter.  My breeder Raylene kept sending pictures for weeks and weeks, and Miz Crystal just had to have ME!  I was going to be shipped up to PA to live with Miz Crystal, but when she heard I was only 3 pounds, she decided to fly down and bring me back on a little carry on bag on the airplane.  Well, I was supposed to stay under the seats, but once the flight attendents knew I was there They swiped me and carried me about the plane showing me off!  I have never left Miz Crystal's side since that day.  When she is typing on the computer, I am leaning against her leg.  When she goes to sleep, I snuggle in the crook of her legs.  You might see from my web page that I do all sorts of different things, I show in AKC and UKC conformation, in obedience, rally, agility and do some sheep herding and go on therapy visits to nursing homes and other such places.  I enjoy doing this stuff, but mostly I do it just cause mom asks me to do it.  It is a chance for us to go places and do things together, just her and me, and I love that sooooo much!  I kinda wish I was an only dog.. just me and mom, no one else to take up all the attention, but if that happened, then I wouldn't be a dad to all the lovely puppies I have out there in the big world, and I do like my puppies and makin' puppies is pretty darn fun too!  Well, I hope you have had a good time meeting all of us, and I hope you have enjoyed this blog, it will be one year that Miz Crystal has been writing in it, and I think she is going to go ahead and start on the second year of sharing our lives with you all!

Posted by: Vistadei at 11:37 | link | comments (1)

Hi I am Daisy, commonly known as Crazy Daisy around here.  I celebrate life!  I love to get out of my crate each morning, and I show my enthusiasm by racing around the backs of the couches, jumping from one piece of furniture to another.  I love to go to shows, or even to classes.  I am so disappointed when mom leaves and doesn't take ME.. and when it is my time to shine, she points to me and says... "it's YOU" and I know what that means going somewhere in the car, and I start barking and spinning and celebrating while the other dogs get to stay here I GET TO GO.. wooooo weeeee... I like it when judges go over me, and sometimes I give them kisses, I like it when company comes to visit.. I sit on their head and give them LOTS of kisses.  There is not a quiet bone in my body.... woooooo hoooooooooo.  My one daughter Kylie is known as the Tasmanian devil, and my son Drifter is such a high drive dog that Miz Crystal says he is a border collie in Sheltie clothing, he is just made for the agility ring and is doing great there.  I am looking forward to my first time chasing.. errrr herding  Sheep next month, and hopefully my coat will stay nice and I will be showing at the sheltie nationals this spring in Virginia Beach.  I hope so.. I want to GOOOOO  and I want everyone to love seeing ME!!  I am already a UKC Champion, and I sure do plan on being an AKC champion soon too.  The judges say, not only am I one good lookin' bitch, but I have PERSONALITY.. and that is true..  I just love to show it off.. wooooo hoooo.

Posted by: Vistadei at 07:58 | link | comments (2)

Hi! My name is Diana!  Did you think Miz Crystal was done introducing the dogs and left ME out??  Oh no indeed, no one can forget about ME, for I am a princess!  When Cricket's mom was looking at our litter, she said I was a little princess, and she was right! That is how I got my name, after Princess Diana of Whales.  I don't think I would like to be a princess over whales, that sounds like a soggy proposition, I far prefer to be a princess over furry shelties.  I am a nice girl, but sometimes I show my teeth to the other shelties, that usually gets me a nicer spot on the couch, the corner where there is a pillow for my head.  But sometime showing my teethies to the other dogs gets me scolded by Miz Crystal, but I just explain I was asking the others to look-see if there was anything stuck between my teeth, no harm no foul!

Posted by: Vistadei at 07:24 | link | comments (3)

Last night was the begining of our Kennel club's basic obedience classes and I volunteered to help fit the dogs with their training collars and leashes.  I love handling the different breeds, it was such a wide variety! There were Bull Terriers, German shepherds, Weimeraners, a collie, an Australian Shepherd, some shelties, Bearded Collie, Daushaunds, Labs, and a whole host of mix breeds.  What fun it is to see all the little heathens the first night, then see how much progress they make and how well behaved they are 8 weeks (and lots of hard work) later!  Tonight is another conformation class I will be taking with Daisy, tomarrow night agility with Darby, Thursday night I will go and volunteer again for the opening of puppy class, that is always a treat!  Feel like I am spending every evening at the kennel club, oh, wait.. yeah.. I AM!!

Posted by: Vistadei at 11:06 | link | comments

Posted by: Vistadei at 11:05 | link | comments

Wow what a busy couple weeks we have been having here starting out our new year!  I got the linoleum down out in the laundry room which is right off the "dog room" so now it all matches, and is dark enough not to show each and every muddy foot print!  The remodeling of the dog's room continues, 5 of the new huge size crates have arrived, and more ordered.  I have to start sewing the new bedding pads for the big crates, but haven't started.  Been attending Kennel club meetings, helped with the re-laying of mats in the Club training room as the new set of classes were to begin.  We have joined up with several classes, have handling classes on Sundays and Tuesdays, and intermediate agility classes on Wednesdays. Entered in some mock agility trials, first one is tomarrow morning, so I hope we do ok and learn more about how timing and errors etc are called in a real trial.  We hopefully will also learn more about stewarding and helping put on a trial too.  Darby is now doing the weaves in a fully closed position with guide wires but he just doesn't "get" it yet, so we are working morning and evening.

Posted by: Vistadei at 13:50 | link | comments (1)

Hi my name is Dew-oh, and I am an adult dog, but seems Miz Crystal is putting up one of my PUPPY pictures, how embarasing! It is even my leggey teenage look, but Miz Crystal says it is one of her favorite winter pictures,  so there you go! She has the thumbs and is doing the typing so I guess I am stuck with her choice.  I have a sister Diana that was born in my same litter, and she lives here too, and we are just like peas in a pod, love each other and hang around all the time.  Mom says I have lots of "assets" for the future of the Vista Dei lines,  I have good rear angulation and a nice front, long neck and HERDING INSTINCT.  I sure wish we had some sheep for me to herd, but we don't.  Oh well, I have a good substitute tho, Miz Crystal's son, Jesse lives here, and he has a cute girlfriend Brandi, and when Brandi comes here, I like to nip her butt!  She squeals and runs for the safety of Jesse's room and it is such a fun game.. nip, squeal, run, nip squeal, run.  I seem to be the only one who enjoys it, and sometimes I get a time out in my crate if I don't stop it when I am told to, but I really do enjoy it, and look forward to doing the same with some sheep this year!

Posted by: Vistadei at 08:27 | link | comments (2)

Hi My name is Mysty, and I am the "foundation" of Vista Dei, that means if you have a puppy from Vista Dei I am in the pedigree somewhere, as a mom, or a grandma.  I am a very quiet ,refined and dignified sheltie.  I don't play much,  and you would hardly know I was here unless I see a SQUIRREL... evil evil evil critters.. they sit up in the tree and throw things at me, and I really get upset!  Now if I see one of those little chipmunks, welll mmmmmm they are tasty (ok, almost all of them get away, I just think they would be tasty if I caught one!).  I run them to ground and dig um up,  and my daughters stand around and bark and bark urging me to dig faster, and sometimes keeping the critters stuck under a rock so I can dig around the rock.  Oh I will have one for breakfast one of these days!  But for now, I will lay on the porch in the sun beam and keep an eye on my kids that are playing in the yard.

Posted by: Vistadei at 09:47 | link | comments (1)

Mmmfffghgghh... poke poke.. here, throw me the ball...  Oh HI my name is Dusty and I am the oldest guy here at Vista Dei.  Although I am going on 9 years old, I don't look a day over 2 years old if I must say so myself... mmmmmfffggghhhhh... poke poke, here throw me the ball.  I am also the only neutered pet sheltie here, that means I had to go to the vet and he.. ohhhh welll we will skip the details, it wasn't the best day of my life.  Here, throw me the ball.   Incase you haven't noticed, I have almost an obsession with catching a ball and bringing it back.. Ok, sometimes I catch toys other than balls, but fact is, I spend all day every day trying to get anyone I can to throw the ball.  Mom tells me I have to stop and be still sometimes, and I will if I have to, but hey.. YOU.. could you throw this ball for me? THANKS.. I am a gentle soul and I kinda keep watch out for all the other dogs here, I clean their ears and make sure they don't get into too much trouble.  I am such a good boy, I really am.  Never get in any trouble myself.. hey, could you throw me that ball?? I like to run and play and everyone who visits seems to like my personality the best cause I am really friendly and oh.. say.. Mmmfffghgghh....poke poke.. could you throw me this ball? THANKS!

Posted by: Vistadei at 08:07 | link | comments (2)