In honor and memory of my friend - "Prayer In Open D" by Emmylou Harris, from her CD, "Cowgirl's Prayer"
~ Remembering Soley ~
How Token Found Her Name
An Amy "Essay"
I have often been asked about Token's name - Ailea Soley Remembered - and her call or common name - Token.
Long ago I became dear friends with a collie breeder. This friend turned out to be quite ill, and upon her death I was bequeathed the honor of her kennel and kennel name. That kennel name was Soley. For years following I was determined to dedicate part of my own breeding program to the much-loved memory of my dear friend.
When the litter that produced Token was bred, I was thrilled to be expecting another bundle of sheltie joy. That excitement was soon struck down, however, because it was shortly after Onyx was bred - weeks before the puppies were due to deliver - I was diagnosed allergic. In addition to being allergic to many outdoor things, I was also extremely allergic to house dust, mites, and dogs. Most devastatingly, dogs.
I had long been suspicious of my allergies, since I had suffered years of respiratory difficulties that laid me flat for weeks on end. By the time my skin scratch tests for allergies were completed my allergist explained the only thing I actually heard that day - You can only marginally control dust and mites. It is impossible to control the outdoor world of grasses, trees, flowers and molds. You CAN, however, control dog numbers and where they are housed.
He insisted I be rid of all dogs. My allergic reactions had turned entirely respiratory, and my next allergy attack, he warned, may well be the asthma attack that takes my life.
I was heartsick. I cried. I argued. I was beside myself with grief. I could not imagine giving up such a large part of my heart, my life.
My begging was to no avail. Amy, he said, you can start allergy shots and in time may be able to return to a more active "dog life", BUT - the days of keeping eight or ten dogs in your house, the nights of sleeping with two or three to warm your feet, MUST be done.
I resisted. I could not be entirely rid of my shelties. I kept two. My old foundation bitch, Rookie, and Onyx.
Rookie could NEVER be placed, not at her age. She deserved far better for all she had done for Ailea and I kept her at home with us. My allergist grudgingly agreed but I had to concede to using a 0.3 micron dust mask anytime I bathed or groomed her, and she was no longer permitted to climb into my lap or sleep on our bed. Small sacrifices, I thought, to keep my love close by.
Onyx, a Rookie great-granddaughter, was freshly bred and expecting her first litter of puppies. She was much too valuable to lose. I managed to keep Onyx through an agreement with nearby Emerald Valley Shelties, when Kristy and I entered into a co-lease. Though I got to keep Onyx, she went to live with Kristy at Emerald Valley, and it was there Onyx was bred and whelped her next two litters.
Since it appeared the litter that would eventually produce Token would be my last, it was, in my mind, my final opportunity to honor my collie friend. My pick bitch of that litter I named Ailea Cowgirl's Prayer, in honor of the Emmylou Harris CD of that same name. If you'll listen to the CD you will understand why the connection was so strong, so important.
But Token, well, Token became my obvious tribute, and would become Ailea Soley Remembered, since I was remembering my friend whose kennel name was Soley, and Token was called Token because she was to be a token of my affection for my friend.
Lord knows there have been a couple more Ailea litters, and it appears there will likely be more yet to come, here, there, from time to time. But this one litter, the one that marked the end of Ailea as I had known it for so long, will ever remain in my mind my last litter.
Perhaps the day may come when Ailea will become more active again, but that is one ambiguous future I do not long ponder. I am happy to have what little I do, and revel in knowing the best is yet to come. Somewhere else, perhaps, but coming nonetheless.
Amy Butcher, Ailea's Place
Ailea Shelties since 1994
Pittsboro, North Carolina
~ July 21, 2006 ~
My most favorite picture of Token