Need to Know

I really feel for you losing both girls in a short span of time. Mine are only 6 months apart in age and I worry about that. Both are 9 and healthy, though!

Our first Sheltie, Skye, lived to 15, could still see and hear, and barked at the doorbell a few hours before she passed. She was a tough dog.

I really KNOW how lost you feel, I was devastated when Skye left us. Give yourself some time to heal, and then get yourself another Sheltie or two!! I don't think our breed has nearly the problems some other ones do.

Skye's breeder said she thought Skye had "sent" us Ally (whom we got unexpectedly) to help heal our hearts. It did help - a lot.

Sending you good thoughts to heal your heart....

Sharon
 
I am so sorry that you are going through this.

In regards to the lifespan of shelties, I heard just the exact opposite. I heard that shelties are very hardy dogs and that they tend to live a long time. Our Shelties lived to be 14 and 15. I know that chloe's Dad just passed away 2 weeks shy of his 15th birthday.
 
My first sheltie passed on at 16 years of age. I put it down to telling him constantly that we're going to live forever. I do the same with my two now. :smile2:
 
I have never seen any research that shelties are a not hardy - there was extensive research done into pedigrees in Britain (since that documentary) and Shelties were not one of the breeds identified as having problems. I think when people look at them they see delicate so perhaps they then think delicate.

Its hard too with rescue dogs of any breed to know how long they will live. Sometimes it isnt possible to reverse early damage caused by poor nutrition or breeding or neglect.
 
Thank you again for all your words of encouragement. I loved my babies more than I can say and knowing that so many Shelties live a long time is wonderful news. The video of the 15-year-old herding is awesome! He looked just like our Maggie Mae when she was about 3 years old! Thank you!!
 
My two are only 4, nearly 5, years old and they are my first Shelties so I don't know exactly how long lived they'll be. I do know their grandmother lived to nearly 15 years old (she was two months shy of her 15th birthday when she went to the Bridge). Their mother is 12 years old and still a lively little spitfire.

One of the people in my agility club has a 12 year old Sheltie they run in TDAA as a veteran (the jump height is only 8 inches and the contacts aren't as high). He still performs very well. You can see he enjoys getting out on the course.
 
I'm a sheltie mom too.......don't think I'd want another breed at all. Just love everything sheltie!

I've had three shelties so far; the first two both lived to be 14+ years old. One had no health issues at all other than arthritis. The other one Kelly, who we just put down this time last year, was 14 as well and he suffered from a multitude of things and still had the will to live up until 14 when they discovered cancer and congestive heart failure. He did slow down around 12 yrs old with the arthritis, didn't want to go chasing tennis ball or take a 3 mile hike any more.......but did so love to spend every minute with us.

At first I thought we would take several months to see if we wanted another dog, and then said I'll never have another sheltie; this last one was always had an issue; either staph or yeast infections, ear infections, allergies, seizures, low thyroid......but he had such gusto for life and didn't let these things bother him, they bothered me more than him.

I did research on other breeds, but I kept coming back to shelties. So glad we did, found a puppy just a few weeks after Kelly. We just could not stand it alone in the house without a dog, it helped us with the process of loosing Kelly as well. We refer to Sadie (the new puppy) as the pricess and Kelly of course was "King"

So, yes, if you are thinking of getting another sheltie...do so! Look for a breeder who does the testing and shows longevity in her line. Also important is to find a vet who knows shelties!
___________________________________________
Best Wishes,
Karol
Sadie: 1yr. Sable
Kelly: Rainbow Bridge 2010
Mac: My 1st Sheltie Rainbow Bridge
 
I agree with everyone else. Merlin is a hearty 14 years and the vets recently gave him a full health pass.
Revel is going to be 12 next month and to watch him running at full tilt for most of his morning walk and chasing the spaniel girls you wouldn't even think he was 8! He can easily still jump 2 feet from a standstill. His only health issues have been related to the reproductive system (he is entire).
Yogi is 7, 8 in August. Apart from his perineal hernia which again is something only seen in entire male dogs, he has had no health issues either. He is a nutter and still behaves like a 6 month puppy.
Yogi's breeder had dogs living to 16/17 as well and I know of plenty of others who are well into their later teens.

I have also known some precious shelties who have passed too soon, but this was not because they were shelties, but due to general health issues which can affect any type of dog.

A friend of mine who has bearded collies said only the other day that the beardies live a long time but tend to suffer with joint issues (like many big dogs) whereas the shelties just carry on as they always have, perhaps just a bit slower.

I really feel for you losing both your precious girls so close together, I can't begin to imagine the pain you must be going through right now. I hope my opening paragraphs don't read like rubbing salt in the wound as it isn't meant like that. Please don't let what has happened put you off the breed. I think you have just been very very unlucky. Shelties are really one of the healthiest breeds. They don't have issues associated with their appearance (eg breathing issues the short faced breeds can have) as they are unexaggerated and natural. There are no guarentees in life of course, but chosing a well bred sheltie from lines where longevity is normal, should give you a very good head start.
 
I keep coming here to read all these great posts - it's so good to hear about lively Shelties living to their teens. I think we had the very hard luck of having two that didn't. The house is so empty - my heart feels empty. I can't imagine having another breed after having loved Shelties. It's good to know that we can love another baby and hopefully keep it longer - thanks so much!
 
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