Meet Our Pack

Levi has taught me more about dogs than I ever thought possible. He is honest, opinionated, and we share a mutual adoration. He was adopted  from the Fond du Lac Humane Society in WI. Although he is deaf, he is a  stellar student and unbelievably smart! He has taken obedience, agility  and tricks classes, confidently completing all of them. Levi passed his  herding instinct test first try, without a nip. Confidence is not an  issue with him; trust is the issue. Although he trusts me, there are few  other people he lets get close to him. Our relationship has been built  with a solid, positive foundation. Some of it took time (crating took  almost two years, brushing took months), but since his success is not  forced, he participates willingly, it is all learning that will stick  with him over time. At times he is a handful, and it is my  responsibility as his owner is to always keep him in check and safe from  getting himself into trouble.
To read Levi's story (opinion) of our beginning, click on his picture. 

 Murray is our sweetheart, simply a loving and forgiving dog. When Murray  went into rescue he was turned over by the first people that tried to  rescue him, neighbors of the original owners. Murray had been tied up in  a backyard and suffered from untreated mange. Along with some other  issues it was just too much to handle and, to their credit, they  acknowledged that and brought him to the local shelter. The shelter  contacted a breed rescue for shelties (he looked like a sheltie although  a bit hairless). There he was re-named Murray. Approximately 6-8 months  old, he had no familiarity with basic house rules: Potty outside, all  the food is not yours, there will always be more water, etc. Beyond the  mange, the most difficult issue was likely his compulsive pee-ing. As  though there was no acknowledgement anything was happening, he walked  along creating a river. He was vet tested for several things, all were  negative. With numerous dogs, the rescue was becoming overwhelmed with  the care Murray required and he was facing an uncertain future. Murray  got lucky and got a foster family; he trained them quickly to get him  outside at every opportunity. Murray's foster mom treated his mange,  brought him to obedience classes and truly started his journey toward  becoming a puppy and a pet. Thanks to Murray, his foster mom and I  became and remain close friends.We met Murray at a pet expo. That is  where Murray's journey into our hearts began, time and patience have  made Murray a member of this family. He is our meet and greet dog,  Murray has the right approach to make it okay. Murray is still slightly  fearful of men in baseball caps, but other than that, he's got the pet  thing down to an art.