Our Story and Legacy
In 1952 my grandfather was in the hospital for an extended period. My dad was the oldest son in his family, and at 15 years old he was expected to run the farm while his father was recovering. To help get his chores done, Dad ordered his first English Shepherd from a newspaper ad. A sable female, whom he named "Queenie," arrived in a crate from Iowa on a train. Dad taught her to bring their 15 head of milking cows in from the pasture as he prepared the parlor twice a day. As he would head toward the barn, he would simply tell her "Go get 'em, Queenie" and 20 minutes later she would have the cows up to the door. For the rest of his days, he never went without an English Shepherd on his farm.
In the 1970's and 80's, Fred Shininger became one of the best known names in the English Shepherd and stock dog world. Through this affiliation, Dad became friends with EG Emanuel, from Butler, IN, who founded the National Stock Dog Registry and the International English Shepherd Registry. Together they strove to advance and improve the English Shepherd breed. The Shininger farm was featured in the National Stock Dog Magazine, we hosted an annual meeting for the English Shepherd Club, Mom developed a brochure for prospective buyers, and we placed English Shepherd puppies all over the country. I remember traveling to the Toledo airport with Mom to air ship puppies to farming families across the US.
But Shininger Inc, as our farm was named, was not only about English Shepherds. We were a diversified crop and livestock farm, not uncommon at that time in the Midwest. We had 1,200 acres of corn, soybeans, and some wheat. We had 1,000 head of cattle on feedlots, and we raised hogs. Our English Shepherds were not only a hobby for Dad, they played an important role on our farm helping work the livestock. Dad carefully selected our English Shepherds for their working attributes, intelligence, and biddability.
In the early 2000's, Mom and Dad stopped raising English Shepherds to focus more on retirement, hobbies, travel, and grandkids. In 2008, I proudly started back up with Shininger English Shepherds. The rural landscape is much different today than it was 40 years ago. Back then, the countryside was full of diversified farms who needed a working dog to help with the cattle or hogs. Today it's mostly hobby farmers, like me. We have 10 acres and enjoy the rural lifestyle, but don't make a living at it. I have geared my bloodline selection more toward that need, with dogs that still have some herding instinct, but are more focused on companionship, flock/stock protection, and all-around utility.