Welcome to Ailea's Place!

Ailea's Place proudly recognizes and supports our heroes - the service men and women - who so willingly place themselves in harm's way for the freedom of so many across the globe. We should remind ourselves daily our freedom does not come free of cost. This country was founded and has since been supported by the fearless members of our armed forces who have selflessly given theirs for the greater good of us all.

FYI: Table of contents appears at the bottom of each page, starting with this page-

Ailea is no longer breeding and no longer actively participating in dog sports, although remains a First Class Advocate for the Sheltie in particular, and the sport of dogs in general. If you are looking to acquire a Sheltie, please visit the Triangle Shetland Sheepdog Club online, or contact Krystn Messer, the sheltie breeder referral person for central North Carolina. You may also find a breeder in your area by visiting the American Shetland Sheepdog Association online.

No real updates today, but soon, I promise, as I am working the pages (again) and tweaking, ever tweaking!

You are invited to enter Ailea's Place - a place where Shelties have ruled well and long, and where humans have been trained with a gentle paw...

Ailea's Place is a place where you can find inspiration, I hope, a place where you can learn about some of Life's lessons, maybe, as well as a place where you can find lots of sheltie pictures and Sheltie information - information about the breed, health and breeding, about Sheltie Rescue, and with a fair smattering of Sheltie links. You may even find, perhaps, a word or two to make you think about our pets and their place with us here.

Contrary to what many seem want to insist, my pets are my pets. They are no more, they are no less. They may be, and I may call them my companions, because certainly they keep me company, but I am not their "guardian." I am their owner, and as a responsible owner they are well cared for, each in their turn claiming their place on the bed near our feet, and every one of them spoiled rotten.

If you are looking for a proponent of "animal guardianship" or an endorsement giving our pets an equal stand in this life with humans, or anything remotely "anti-breeding" you have come to the wrong place and are welcome to take your leave, thank-you-very-much. If, however, you wish to take a journey into what I have come to call "Sheltie-dome" and are willing to smile, or laugh, or even cry, then WELCOME, and please, by all means, enjoy yourselves.

Since I am no longer breeding Shelties it is not my breeding program which will take center stage here at Ailea's Place, although information about Ailea's Shelties will surely be found here. What I hope to offer here is information so you, the average visitor, are able to make informed decisions about the Shetland Sheepdog breed and whether it will fit in with your lifestyle, as well as information on how to go about acquiring a Sheltie. Since choosing the right breeder is just as important as choosing the right Sheltie to take home, I also include information on educating yourself about breeders and how to choose one. And of course, along the way, I hope to bring you smiles, and brighten your day.

Repeat visitors will note I have re-established a table of contents which will appear at the bottom of each page. I hope this will make navigating Ailea's Place easier and your visit more enjoyable. Please let me know if you have any navigational or other problems by using the e-mail link which also appears at the bottom of every page. It is my hope this site is as easy to read and navigate as possible... what good the information offered, if it is not legible, or cannot be found? My goal here is to best accommodate YOU, my Ailea's Place visitors!

Everyone entering Ailea's Place needs to remember one thing - I am a passionate woman, especially about Shelties, and I speak with very strong opinion. You will find my opinions scattered throughout these pages, so please, take them for what they are and nothing more.

I further ask you to respect the amount of hard work which has gone into the creation and maintenance of these pages. All content, images, graphics and other items you may find within and among these pages are copyrighted materials, and the property of Ailea's Place unless otherwise noted. Please respect the hard work and efforts of others in presenting these web pages for public view, and refrain from taking any content, graphics or images without first seeking permission. If you have any question about this policy or issue, please Contact Amy at your convenience.

HOWEVER- although these pages are copyright protected, I have removed the copy protect feature from all pedigrees displayed in this web site, so any of you interested can easily copy or print pedigree information for yourselves as you wish. All other pages, images and files, however, will remain copy-protected. Thank-you for your understanding, respect and support of my efforts and hard work!

Note to All: If you have acquired a sheltie
from Ailea's Place or Ailea Shelties, please read
Ailea's Open Letter.

I wish to take a moment to send ex-peshul and mucho-many thanks to Sandy Walroth, Carawind Shelties and Aussies, for all the web work she did for me in the early years, as well as for the Sheltie silhouette which has adorned Ailea's pages since their inception in 1997. Without Sandy's support and involvement, I may never have endeavored to create and maintain Ailea's Place in the first place, let alone keeping this space in sheltie-dome alive all this time.

I also wish to thank Michelle Pitts, Infinity Shelties, for creating the lovely moonstone image which adorns and beautifies Onyx's pages. Both Michelle and Sandy have been the best, and these thanks seem woefully inadequate for the work they have both so freely given.

These pages are historically updated often, so don't forget to bookmark us and visit often!

The North Carolina Responsible Animal Owner's Alliance is an organization whose mission is to be "North Carolina's leading voice for responsible animal ownership and preservation of the human-animal bond."

The NCRAOA site is an exceptional resource for obtaining information regarding responsible pet ownership, including ongoing and upcoming legislative actions threatening to terminate the human-animal bond as we know it today, and pertinent press releases. The NCRAOA site includes down-loadable brochures, flyers and other educational materials, and boasts separate areas for dogs, cats, horses, other pets, and much, much more.

Please take a moment to visit NCRAOA online, and consider the valuable information available to you there. Be sure to also visit their Mission Statement and consider joining in the fight to defend our right to own animals by offering your support.