I (Nancy) first started breeding Dobermans in 1982. If I may say so myself, I had some of the finest Dobermans out there. After a lot of thought, I realized that I also wanted to breed dogs that were like the one I had in the early 1960's. That dog was a beautiful black and silver German Shepherd, with a straight back and without the known hip problems. Her name was Gretchen, and she was my best friend.

So, I started researching the Shiloh Shepherd breed, and I really liked what I was seeing.

During the Fall of 2001, shortly after my father’s death (he had lived with us), I started contacting Shiloh breeders. Through them, I gained even more knowledge about the breed; I was sure that this was the breed I wanted!

Nancy and Ellie Mae ~ May, 2002

That November, I called Jan (now Burke) of Miracle Shilohs. Back then, Jan was still in Illinois, but was getting ready to move to PEI and marry Louis. Jan told me about a litter that she co-owned with Becky Wacker that was in the making in Colorado: Floosey (a Tella daughter) had been bred with Mac on November 1, 2001 (the day my father passed away).  That’s when I knew that my involvement with the Shiloh Shepherd breed was meant to be…

Our meant-to-be girl Ellie Mae was born on New Year's Day, 2002, and arrived in Rhode Island in February.  It did not take us long to realize that you can’t live with just one Shiloh!