(Tammy and the crew pictured in 2006)

The Faerie Shelties are located in Muncie, Indiana. They are owned, loved, trained, and handled by Tammy Van Deusen. You can also find Faerie Shelties across the country, living their lives to the fullest as competition dogs, trial dogs, and beloved friends and companions.

We strive to breed high-drive and biddable dogs who will settle in the house and cuddle in bed. All of the dogs have an off switch; they are not crazy or off the wall. Every Faerie Sheltie should have the appropriate temperament and drive to be a good working dog. Most importantly, they dogs should have the correct instinct and drive to be good farm dogs and stock dogs. Our dogs are active in agility, herding, obedience, and conformation.

There are Faerie Shelties all across the country, from Virginia to Texas to California. We've bred dogs who've been ranked in Herding and Obedience, including specialty and all-breed High In Trial dogs, including ASSA Herding High in Trial dogs. In addition to high achieving dogs, there are Faerie Shelties who are MACHs, Herding Champions (AKC, ASCA, AHBA), disc dogs, and fantastic, loving and devoted companions.

The Faerie Shelties are fed a raw diet and they are raised as holistically as possible. Our dogs are regularly screened for hips and eyes as noted on the OFA and CERF databases. The dogs' thyroids are done in house at the vet's office as part of normal bloodwork. Recently, we've become aware of CEA in the Faerie line. The Faerie Shelties who are used in breeding have consistently received "Clear" eye exams. CEA can "go normal" as a dog grows up and matures, so it is frequently missed in adult CERF exams. Although CEA is relatively harmless and does not change a dog's vision, we do not want to allow it to continue. While this is the same mutation as Collies have with CEA, it does not have the same severity that is seen in Collies. We encourage all Sheltie breeders to screen for and breed away from CEA when possible.

In an effort to remove CEA from our line, we've begun testing each dog as quickly as possible. This is not a cheap test, but it is important to the overall health and welfare of the breed. Dogs can be listed as normal (no gene to pass on CEA), a carrier (one gene that can pass on CEA, but the dog himself does not have it), or affected (the dog has both copies of the CEA gene and has CEA). We will breed cautiously and thoughtfully (as always), but include the intentional decision insure that carriers are bred to normal dogs, in the hopes of being able to completely remove CEA.

For more information on CEA and selective breeding practices, please visit:

OptiGen's website on CEA
ISDS Registration of the CEA test
Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF)