About Us and Our Beginnings
While growing up and being raised in a household with a variety of pets, it was a given that I would be a dog owner in my adulthood. I am a person who does a great deal of homework before making a purchase and after our young family experienced the severe health issues of our first pure breed sporting dog, I was determined to seek out a breed that had little to no health issues and was unscathed by the money hungry backyard breeders. So in 1979, our family put sights on getting a pure bred, medium size family dog, that was great with children, little to no health issues and was not of the common variety. Nine months of studying different breeds, I stumbled across an uncommon breed called the Bearded Collie, a new addition to the AKC's Herding Group. Futher research into this breed had me determined in finding the best of the best for our family - A Bearded Collie.
In 1980, I came across a Bearded Collie breeder in Barrington, Illinois. I called the breeder and found out that she had a litter that was 4 weeks old. I told her we were a young family of 4 looking to add a male Bearded Collie puppy to our lives. That conversation led to over an hour of interviewing questions about our household, living quarters with a fenced yard, age of the children, hours at home, other pets, and on and on. I was shocked and yet pleased to this intense questioning because it demonstrated the care this breeder had for her puppies and the breed in and of itself. And because of that, I was now hooked and ready for the next challenge - "a house meeting with our family and her litter of puppies when the babes were 7 weeks of age and then again at their 8th week birthday".
Our last family meeting with the breeder and the on-site interview went great; and on October 26, 1980 we came home with our 1st, Bearded Collie, an 8 week old boy known as "Sno-Berry's Travis"; offspring of CH Sno-Berrys Black Wizard and Brambledale Bala. Little did I know then how much this breed, a beautiful black and white Bearded Collie, herding dog would impact our wonderful family life; let alone my heart and my soul forever.
However, with time against us, as sad as it is, dogs and and other pets come and stay for only a short time in our lives; but sometimes there is one pet, one dog that makes such an impact, such a difference in our hearts that letting them go will only happen in body...... but not in spirit. Travis........ now he is that one companion, that one dog that will never leave my heart and soul. On behalf of our beloved Travis, my vow to the breed, is to take care in preserving to the best of my ability, the health and welfare of this spectaular breed, to adhere to the standards set forth by the BCCA, and to share my knowledge, experience and my love of the Beardie in body, mind and spirit. And finally, to bestow my puppies to only loving and deserving people who want to add this wonderful companion into their family, their lives and their hearts.
This wonderful Breed, the Bearded Collie is not Just A Dog, but rather one God-given creature that surpasses the meaning of companion and demonstrates with each and every breathe of life, their devotion as a loving family member.
My Travis, is Truly A Star; my "TRAVISTAR"©.
