The farm's first kids were aussie doggy pals.  (click on any photo to enlarge)

 

Pictured here is our current stud dog, Chevreherd Nip'N Tuck earning his UKC Grand Championship, thanks to the help of Sheri Born of Zion Aussies.  He is a super guy, great athlete, true love and the easiest aussie imaginable to live with.  His most urgent need in life is to please you.

 

 

I will add lots more photos down this page if people let me know that is what they would like to see; meanwhile please visit our albums on webshots at:

 

 

 

 

Our focus is on family-friendly pets who are typey breed representatives based on working stockdog lines.  We have a reputation for producing highly intelligent and versatile dogs.  The majority of our puppies over the years have gone to pet homes and have earned many repeat customers.

 

In past years we did play the dog show game to some extent, some conformation, a little obedience and mostly herding - stock dog trials on sheep, cattle and ducks.  Our first dogs were trained on goats--this inspired the "chevreherd" kennel name.  Melanie Snyder Block was a founding member of the local herding club, Central Illinois Stock Dog Association (www.cisda.org).

 

An early inspiration to guide breeding goals was the spunky little red dog, Incense Cedar of Cheshire.  We acquired a daughter of Cedar, Cheshire Better Be, and bred her to a Bob Vest dog, Bell Star Jim.  We kept three of this litter, who were all exceptional dogs and the foundation of Chevreherd (see further below pictures of Jay, Kayla and Sheila).

 

In the early years we tried to use various Wood's-strain bloodlines but always kept coming back to the traits that we really felt most valuable from the Vest line.  We have also used select show/Flintridge-based stock to enhance breed type, and are very happy with our current dogs who retain the best of many traits. 

 

 

Here is Chevreherd Toots Nelson, a fine little 17-inch tall red tricolor bitch of old California and working lines, she has no inbreeding to speak of at all in her pedigree and is an exceptionally treasured relic from bygone days.  We still mourn the passing of her breeder, Betty Nelson.

 

 

Toosie's pups are sired by our fabulous Chevreherd Nip'N Tuck who is a UKC grand champion and gorgeous blue merle dog with the best of temperaments and old fashioned farm dog mentality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to albums on webshots:

 

 

 

 

My favorite picture I took in about 1987 of Vest's Belle Star Doc; a tribute here to the Vest line.  Bob Vest, stock dog trainer extraordinaire suddenly left this world in 2009 and is sorely missed.   Doc is behind all of my current dogs.

 

 

Link to pages including Bob Vest article (contains broken links from old website):

 

 

 

Chevreherd Be Jim Dandy, Tucker's great-granddad and our foundation

sire (pictured here 1989)

We played enough to get some conformation point majors and started stock title.  Mostly he was my main chore dog and foundation sire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite picture of Jay's sister Kayla.  Her daughter that I kept to replace her was lost to a heartbreaking accident.  Both Kayla and Sheila had earned trial legs on sheep and cattle but we never actually finished any titles, only due to owner deficit, certainly not dog....

 

 

Our original Sheila, one of the foundation trio, contributing greatly to our current dogs, especially her grand-daughter, our current Sheila who is so much like her.

 

Sheila traveled to Colorado in 1990 and placed 4th in that stockdog futurity.

 

 

 

 

Other dogs earning various titles are listed below.  However, some of the most special dogs never get the honor of letters tacked onto their name.  There have been Chevreherd dogs who have fulfilled lives as service dogs including bomb detection, medic alert, guiding eye for the blind, and even hunting dog including one who traveled to Kansas each year and found pheasant better than the most valuable Lab.  A carpenter's dog would bring tools up a ladder onto roofs, and another Chevreherd aussie would fetch by name over 150 of his toys.  Of course the off-side of this cleverness is hearing about the pups who open drawers and pull everything out of the cupboard.  But I think the positive aspects of having a brilliant dog are worth it.  A good dog reflects a good owner.

 

Chevreherd dogs have excelled in flyball, agility, weight-pulling, obedience, herding, just about anything you can think of; someone has taken a Chevreherd puppy home and succeeded with conquering some obscure skill, such as playing soccer!  I honor and remember Kellie Orberson of Kel-Mar kennel at this time for her help in placing several puppies in outstanding homes as part of our co-owned litter.  You are missed, Kellie!

 

* Kel-Mars Chevreherd Candi Cain, "Callie" CDX, FDCH and CGC

* Kel-Mars Chevreherd CashNCain, CD, NA, OAC, NJC, RS-N, GS-N, FD,FMCh, and finally, ONYX which is the 2nd highest flyball title that can be earned and takes quite some talent and committment!

* Chevreherd Zena, STDc was a 2nd place futurity dog as well, thanks to Bruce Nelson.

* Chevreherd's Xmas inJuly finished her UKC CD while her littermate was

* U-Ch Chevreherd Days of Glory and their mom was:

* International CH Chevreherds Xmas Lass, CGC and babysitter supreme

* CH (altered I believe) Chevreherd Hope, CD, CGC, HIC

* International CH Chevreherd Mariah of Zion, CD, CGC, HCT, HIT and resident goose flusher and nursing home companion extraordinaire, AKA "Rhindi".  Thanks, Sheri!

* AKC Herding CH and WTCH Chevreherd Precious Gem, RTDsc

* Chevreherd Miss L. Any, OTD and RTD now at Birch Hollow aussies, see her  page:

* Chevreherds BasquetotheFuture, STDs ("Sam")

* Chevreherds Be Jim Dandy, HS and STDs

* Chevreherds Wizard  of RAK, CDX  ("Merlin" modeled in his spare time--see below)

* Finnish CH Chevreherd Tsa Tsa

 

We've tried to keep track of titles thru the years but if anyone would find a dog not in the list above, please contact us and let us know!   We can't thank our owners enough, who have worked so hard to complete all of their titles.  Please call 309-594-2318 or email chevreherd @ hotmail.com    Again, heart-felt thank-you's to puppy owners!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, you made it to the bottom of the page, and as a thank-you-very-much we are adding a fun shot taken 3-27-10: