About Us
We are Fireside Shilohs. The name "Fireside" brings to my
mind the timeless image of a beloved dog, chin on paws, lying near a
crackling fire enjoying his humans. Our dogs have that place in
our home.
We have been blessed with three of what we consider to be the
best dogs on
earth: Shiloh Shepherds.
Our kids are growing up with our Shilohs on 25 acres in historic,
central Virginia. My wife and I are teachers, allowing us to spend summers and weekends
running, hiking
and just enjoying our dogs. They are often seen with us out
on
the street or hanging out at a soccer game with the kids. They
are perfect companion dogs and ambassadors for the breed.
We specialize in plush, large, healthy Shilohs with top notch
personalities. We look forward to working with other breeders to
be part of the amazing future of this special breed.
Our goal is to enrich people's lives through these dogs, whether it be
through helping them get
the puppy of their dreams, or using our dogs
to reach a child in need. We believe this is the most important
thing we can do.


(Our
History)-The Search for the "Perfect Dog"
I started
saving up for my first German Shepherd puppy when only ten years old. I
mowed lawns,
gathered firewood, and shoveled horse manure. I did anything a
boy my age from the sticks of upstate New York could do to make money. Then
on my eleventh birthday, we got her. Frieda was a beautiful black
and red
plush from German working lines, who acted more like a human than a
dog. I'm pretty sure she understood a few hundred words in
English.
One time I
honestly believed she saved my life. I foolishly made my own
"alternate" route to the top of Spruce Mountain. It was January
in the rugged Adirondack mountains, and was only 17
degrees. I was 15 and bulletproof, miles away from anyone with my
dog. Life was good. At least it was until the sky turned
steel
gray. Huge flakes began to fall faster and faster. Soon
visibility of that peak so far in the distance was cut off, ...and I
was hopelessly lost. A soft blanket of snow covered my back
trail. I made large circles trying to find it, with no success.
Somehow I managed to keep my nerve until it got dark.
I was completely unprepared to spend a night on the mountain.
Desparate, I snuggled up with
Frieda under a rock overhang.
As if guided by an unseen force Frieda suddenly grabbed my
hand, pulling me back out into
the snow. I did the smartest thing I had done all
day. I followed her blindly in the dark. She lead me for
what seemed like hours
back to the road. She was amazing! I still thank God today
for giving me that dog.
Unfortunately, Frieda died far too young. For ten years I tried to find a dog that would come
close to Frieda.
After college, a beautiful bride, and my first house, I picked up my second GSD.
I had
to return him to his breeder. The vet wondered how he was able to
function with his enormous heart murmur. I didn't want a small,
angulated show dog, so I went back to working
lines hoping for a dog that would not chew up my house or the
neighbors' dogs!
We raised healthy GSDs for the next several years. We made people
happy with puppies that grew up to be good dogs. But even with
lots of socialization, the drive they were bred for was hard to keep a
lid on. When it came
time to think about their replacements,
changes needed to be made. Was there
another Frieda out
there? There had to be a healthy,
easy to live with shepherd
somewhere. The search
began.
A friend told me about Shiloh shepherds. I couldn't believe there
was
a dog that fit my description of the ideal
dog. Was there really a large, healthy, smart, stable dog with a
heart of gold and a coat that felt like a pillow?
Surely, this was too good to be true! Was there a shepherd that did not require a special
exemption on my homeowners'
insurance?
I spent a solid thirteen hours on the internet reading everything I
could about
this amazing breed. One month later I picked up my first
Shiloh. She was all I hoped for. My wife called her
Amara. It means "beloved." We welcomed our incredibly sweet
Anja later, when plans to get her brother fell through. I looked
long and hard for the right male. Probably bugging some of the
breeders along the way with my constant hounding, but they were very
gracious. I found the perfect breeding coming up and put a
deposit down for first pick male, long before he was born.
Finally,
in May we drove to Ohio to pick him up. He was
so huge with such a puffy mane we called him Ari, which means "Lion
of God."
What fun it has been! Its been a lot of work, too. But, I
can
finally say I found the perfect dog.

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