This page is dedicated to Shilohs that came from Solace Shilohs. 



"He MISSED it!  But really, he missed it with style!" Kaiko, a Zora and Gunny male (8/2009), from Karin in Washington State.

Mackie, out of Lolly/Aslan (January, 2011):

PHOTOS OF MACKIE - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayhall99/

Mackie is the most amazing dog we have ever owned.  Mark and I are both in our 50s and over the years have puppy raised 5/6 dogs.  Mackie is by far the easiest of all the puppies we have ever had.  She was housebroken in just a few days and quickly learned that all she needed to do was to ring the bell to ask to go outside within just a few weeks.  She has always slept through the night and is pretty content to just lay with us quietly playing unless we are going out for an adventure.

She has become the center of our world and has quickly become “the neighborhood dog”. If one of the neighborhood kids sees Mackie outside, an APB goes out and all the kids all come running.

This past weekend I worked out in the front yard with Mackie happily laying in the yard playing with her toys and watching the world go by.  She never leaves the property although will quietly go up to greet people that happen to be walking by.  She gently goes up to young toddlers and allows them to pet her and hug her.  She kisses every dog she meets so we have to be really careful to ask all the owners if their dog is friendly because Mackie can’t possibly imagine another dog not wanting a kiss from her.  So far she hasn’t had any “bad dog” experiences to make her afraid of other dogs, but she also makes it known to other dogs that she is submissive and sends “gentle” vibes.  I can’t imagine her getting into a scuffle with another dog because of her quietness of spirit.

I can tell you that I really think each puppy’s Shiloh parents have a huge impact on the puppy’s personality.  Mackie is so mellow and so loveable, which I think comes from Lolly and Aslan.  She has no prey drive, which we really like.  I know some Shilohs really do have quite a lot of prey drive and want to chase things and some people even find that appealing.  We love it that she’s interested in cats and squirrels, but doesn’t show any desire to chase them.  She would just like them to come up and greet her. She is even welcome to go with us to friends’ houses for dinner even if they have cats because she respects that she is a visitor in the cat’s home.  It really is quite remarkable.

She is incredibly smart and assesses everything new.  If she is exposed to something new, rather than be skittish or scared, she just sits back with her ears forward and assesses the situation.  She then seems to figure out very quickly that nothing much seems to be a threat to her and so quietly and confidently goes on her way.    We are certain she understands a fair amount of English because so much of what she does can’t possibly be coincidental.  As an example of many:  One recent evening, Mark was commenting that perhaps one of us should go up to her bed on the second floor to get her “backup” antler for her to chew on because she seemed bored.  A few minutes later we noticed she had disappeared….we were just going to check on her when she came clomping down the stairs with the antler we were just talking about….we both looked at each other and said, “that can’t have been a coincidence”.  She hardly ever goes upstairs by herself, but you could almost see the intelligence in her eyes and her saying, “that was a good idea….I did want that antler you were talking about so I went up myself to get it.”  Amazing!

She is funny and makes us laugh every day although I suspect she will be a mellow quiet soul as she gets older and more mature.  We’ve had other dogs that are really trouble makers as puppies and those really can make an owner laugh.  Mackie does have a sense of humor, but rarely gets in trouble…I can’t remember the last time she was reprimanded and she’s only 17 weeks old.  The last couple of puppies, the only words that were repeated over and over in the house were “Leave It, leave it, leave it”. ….we rarely have to do that with her because she seems to know what she should and shouldn’t have.

Like Lolly and Aslan, she is very vocal (not a barker though) and talks quite a lot, which is funny.  Two weeks ago, she was playing on the river bank with the older dogs and got in too deep and fell in over her head and got completely soaked.  She decided she needed to complain loudly about getting wet.  She talked and talked and talked for the rest of the time at the river, much to everyone’s amusement.  She wasn’t barking….just really complaining.  It was quite humorous.  After awhile it was apparent that no one was going to feel sorry for her for getting wet so she went back down to the river to think about going in again.  She didn’t feel quite brave enough for another swim, but I have no doubt that she will try it again the next time we take her.

 I am certain she could be a therapy dog and are doing a bit of research to see about getting her certified.  Her favorite thing to do is to lay down with someone with either her head on their lap or rolled over on her back so they can rub her.  As I said, she has a quiet soul with a demureness about her that is very sweet.

By the way, she was Rainbow Girl.  It is so hard to tell how they are going to look as adult from the way they look as puppies.  She went from dark gray to blond and is now getting a very definite black stripe down her back.  Shephards change so much in color that it’s really hard to tell as puppies.  I think she will probably have a solid black saddle, but we will just wait to see.  Both of her parents are gorgeous so she has good genes.  However, the most important thing to us is her darling personality, which I know came from Lolly and Aslan.  I think they are the perfect Shiloh parents if Mackie is any reflection of their mating.

 Laura does temperament testing and I wrote down what Laura said about Rainbow Girl (Mackie) which was:

She gave lots of kisses….so she’s affectionate (this was my note watching the pups with the testers)

• She has no prey drive
• Is Independent
• Is very vocal like her Mom & Dad (Lolly & Aslan)
• She is forgiving.

• Not very trusting

• She is very submissive and although didn’t like being put on her back, did so because that’s what the person wanted her to do.  Will translate into being easily trainable.
• She is Curious
• “Has a very sweet demeanor”.

Interestingly at 4 months old, Mackie is exactly what her temperament test above reflected….she is turning out just like what Laura said in the statement above based on how Mackie performed on her temperament test at 8 weeks.

We really love her, can you tell?  We think she is the perfect dog!!!!

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Vandagriff, out of Tekoa/Asher (January, 2011): We brought Vandagriff, (Asher/Tekoa), home in March of 2011 and we have not stopped laughing since! He's such a funny, easy going goofball, yet he's so focused and serious when we're on the herding field and while he has a fair amount of prey drive, he lives easily with our cats and seems to understand  when it's appropriate to exhibit that drive. We call him The Griff, our "little" hustler, because he's so charming and smart, it's easy to be manipulated by him! I could go on and on about how great he is, how huge, handsome and smart he is, etc. etc., but the really special part about him is almost inexplicable, it's like trying to explain how you've felt on the most perfect of days or falling in love, unless you were there and you experienced it, you probably won't fully get it. True story, he's that special...

Thank you Laura, you are a breeder who cares, you've been so helpful and followed through on everything you told us you would do. How a breeder makes you feel is such an important part of the puppy experience and you've gone out of your way to make things go as smoothly as possible, answer all questions honestly, and we think you're pretty special too!


 Click here to view Griff working at herding.

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Aidan, out of Asia/Aslan

(August, 2010):

Aidan is my plush sable boy from Asia and Aslan's first litter. Aidan charmed me from the first with his sweet disposition and determination to keep up with the big boys in our pack. Aidan was housebroken in a day. Once he knew what was expected, he did it. Sometimes, even if Aidan knows what is expected, he may get a look in his eye and you can almost hear him saying to himself "how could this be more fun"? Aidan has a mischievous streak which made his early puppyhood…... interesting. He would be found trying to drag a tree branch through the doggie door, hiding toys from the other pups, or sneaking a treat, figuring out how to turn on the back yard faucet (we've resorted to baby locks) to make mud holes. He actually got a pillow outside through the doggie door, and was using it for a good game of tug. Ug! Luckily, once he turned about 10 months old, he seemed to grow up enough to understand why no one appreciated his creative streak, and those pranks
have mostly stopped. Aidan can open any door in the house, and we have carabiners on the outside gate latches to make sure the dogs know they are supposed to stay put! 

Aidan is impressive looking, and at one year is over 100 pounds. According to the charts, that means he'll be over 32" and 130 pounds when full grown, although we think he's quite bit enough already! Aidan is super athletic, and can run, jump and tear around the yard with more ease than any Shiloh I've seen. He qualified as a service dog at one year old, and passed his CGC before that. Aidan works as a therapy dog several days a week at a homeless youth center, and works in my psychotherapy office, loving to work when mostly children are scheduled. He traveled in the airplane cabin as a service dog for the first time, and I wish we could have videotaped it. As the plane emptied out, almost everyone stopped to say how beautiful he is, and how well behaved. I have been impressed with Aidan's temperament, his drive and sweet nature. Aidan has a reserved attitude with strangers, but once he's made your acquaintance he's friendly and an easy boy. The airport
would have been a good temperament test itself, as the Comic-con attendees passéd by where we were sitting, and Aidan watched people in cartoon costumes, robot suits and full scuba wetsuits pass by as they disembarked their plane from the event. Aidan never moved. A drunk man sat  a few  seats down from me, and Aidan climbed quietly onto the seat between us, licked my cheek, and stared at the man. The man got the message and moved on, and Aidan moved back down to my feet. Somehow a man in full scuba gear, mask and flippers was not an issue, but the inebriated man Aidan focused on, in a quiet and determined manner. This, to me, shows a great deal of thought and intelligence to make those important, and correct, decisions a service dog is required to make.

My neighbor recently suffered a stroke, and is in a care facility. I looked out  at their back yard around 11 pm one night, and the lights were on in the house and shop. I thought the family had been over that day and left the lights on, so I called Aidan and we walked over to turn them off. I was shocked, once we got between the yard and the shop, to have Aidan CLEARLY tell me there was someone on the property. He was super alert, blocked me from moving further into the shop, and let out a low growl while placing himself clearly in front of me. The hackles on his neck were up, and he clearly meant business. And he is still a puppy! The next thing I know, we are watching a flashlight bounce though the acre field, as the robber ran away. Aidan stood watch, and didn't leave my side. The police officers who quickly followed were very impressed with Aidan, as he was reserved, but let them approach once I had said they were ok. The officer let Aidan sniff
his gun and stick, and said Aidan had likely scared the intruder away. If I was in a bad situation again, I'd want Aidan there. 

I'll send along a picture of Aidan at his first dog show at 7 months.  We had never been to a show before, and Aidan had zero training in how to behave in a show ring. The first time in the ring was almost comical, with Aidan not wanting anything to do with that judge grabbing at him! By the next time in the ring, he had figured out it was a game, and he was fine with the game. At the end of the weekend? He was, and remains,  the only IABCA Grand Sieger (Best of the best) ever awarded to a Shiloh Shepherd! Aidan has won multiple "Best in Show" awards over the last few months, which I am told is quite an honor, and 30 medals in three shows. Asia and Aslan are both stunning dogs, and somehow this breeding really impresses the judges. Aidan was also awarded the annual ISSR Plush puppy dog of the year trophy, so he's considered the best of his class this year. Laura accepted the award, as is only fitting as Aidan's breeder. Congratulations, Laura! The
trophy is beautiful, and huge! Obviously, Aidan isn't just another pretty face, a therapy and service dog during the week and only a 'show dog' on weekends. But, if you are only looking for a show dog, we find the Asia/Aslan litter to have that wow factor in the ring.  If you are considering a pup from their next litter, I'd suggest fortifying your door locks, buying carabiners, be sure and attend obedience class (so you train him and he doesn't train you) and put on your running shoes to enjoy a fast, fun, entertaining puppyhood!




If you have a Shiloh from Solace and would like to have his or her photos and narrative posted here, please send me an email with "Accolades" in the title.