OUR Past, Present and Future...

I am sure those who follow the website have been curious as to what we have been up to and why we have placed a few older dogs and some of the Snowcloud dogs up for adoption.. We have sold our little store, KELLIE'S PLACE to Doria Lumpp and have made a life changing MOVE to NC.........this has proven to be one of the most difficult and yet one of the most blessed.........and for those who this is your first visit, please read on and enjoy.  THANK YOU :)

As far as the store, Kellie's Place, DORI will be open on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at her new location and then she will be adding days :) We appreciate your continued support for her and hope that we can help make the transition go smoothly :)  Having the store has given us a great opportunity to see alot of OUR KIDS come back and visit and it's been wonderful :)  But, we are embarking on new adventures and the store now being run by Dori, will be doing the same...She will be able to provide more days and longer hours......Please visit Kellie's Place....and learn more about the new location, hours and it's new owners :)

Our old house in Ohio was a wonderful HOME and we couldn't have been happier with what we did and what she did for us....  It's been a long and hard road but one well worth it. We got the house livable and then we built my small kennel up close to the house that was attached to the garage....it was small but it worked and we honestly did not think it would get much bigger then that....but as we all know, the new kennel was started and we finished it in 2004....that Fall, Cherokee and her pups were the first litter who moved to the new kennel :) That is the same year that I lost my MOM, who was an ANGEL :)  she was here with us when she past away....her love and kindness still watch over our home...that was a tough year but we managed to survive and continued onward.....to where we are now....in our new home in located in NC :)

We continued to do what we do best and that was to provide incredible family shepherds to you and your family...We are very proud of our shepherds and what they have done.....We have been SO BLESSED .....

These last few years have been some of the hardest, I think....Losing my Mom and then losing Bubba in 2008, then losing Alice in 2009- are just a few of the toughest things I have done in my life...I guess if I look back, between losing my Mom and Bubba......I realized that we cannot STOP anything...especially TIME....it continues to march forward and with that said.......

Paren and I have made some decisions that will affect alot of people.....especially those who have one of our shepherds and those who would like to have one.

Unfortunately, both Paren and I are starting to "show our age" and are slowing down more than we really want to .....but, we need to be realistic about life, and we think that it is time that we cut back on the number of shepherds that we must care for. We have worked very hard to be here and to provide you and your family with wonderful family shepherds. Paren was hurt a few years ago and with that said, we just cannot keep the pace in which we have been keeping.....this is actually what has brought us to the conclusion that WE MUST slow down and we must take care of each other..... We are NOT QUITTING by any means, but we certainly are going to slow down a bit and enjoy our lives together as this is something we haven't had alot of time to do  :)  All three of our kids are in different states and this is especially hard since we would like to enjoy them as adults, not just as our kids, growing up here and helping around the kennel and house....They were such a big part of how the kennel came about :)

We made the serious decision to move to NC with alot of thought....and we are anxious to get back to the basics and that is caring for a small number of shepherds and producing a couple litters a year.  The demand for our shepherds has been incredible and for this we are completely thankful and grateful. But, we would like to continue to do this in the future and in order to do that, we must downsize slightly and think about the young pups that we now have and concentrate on them.  Also, we must think about ourselves and give ourselves TIME together and time to rest.  This is something we just have not done and our bodies are starting to show this :)  We have both looked back and we do not regret a single day in which we have been here.  Paren and I have crammed in a LIFETIME of things into our few short years together at the old house.......and a few months after we were first married, CODY was having her first litter for us :) We kept 2 puppies from that litter, Cheyenne and T-Bone.....  Although at the time, we did not think we would have another litter, we thought wrong :) ha....the folks who purchased the other puppies in that first litter, wanted more :) and that is how the Ball got to rollin :) and it's been nonstop since :) CODY WAS, IS and ALWAYS WILL BE our foundation...Cheyenne and T-Bone become the next step in the foundation of our kennel...along with Gizmo....our first male we purchased :) and I could go on and on, so maybe someday I will write a timeline about our lives with these wonderful shepherds...It STILL amazes me how wonderful they all have been.....

As I write this I think of other things that have happened to us.... and gotten us to this point : ) Our kids will be the FIRST to tell you that we WORKED all the time and we still do....they were NOT all that happy about work, work, work : ) It was continuous and they were wonderful in helping and supporting us with the dogs...we didn't have the NORMAL life of most folks, there were rarely Sunday dinners, as we were always Showing the dogs and puppies or sending the puppies off to their new homes......we NEVER took a vacation....ever...family gatherings were very few and far between, even on the holidays, as WE always had to get back home to care for everyone....we didn't do the normal family things that most families do....rarely did we sit by a fire and just RELAX, no swimming at the Lake...visit at an amusement park....things that families tend to do together...BUT we all know that life has to slow down at some point...and Paren and I think we have reached that POINT.....we could not be happier....with anything...it's been a true JOY to be a part of our shepherds lives....a true JOY to have raised the kids around these animals and have them experience it first hand...although they may beg to differ :) we still believe that we gave them many memories to cherish.....

We know that with God's Grace he will allow this transition to continue and also provide us with the opportunities that we enjoy, and that is SHARING these wonderful shepherds with you!

Please feel free to write and ask questions and any concerns you may have....YOU ARE ALL a part of our extended Family, as I have said this many many times, once you have one of our pups, YOU are important to us.

THANK YOU ALL again and again as this has been one of the greatest things I have ever done in my life and together Paren and I would like to continue to provide, healthy, stable, kind and loving German Shepherd Puppies for you and your family.

We will continue to be selective in our breeding and continue to provide the TYPE of shepherd that OUR generation and before grew up with....Old Fashion Straight Back Shepherds, often Larger in Frame and Size....

Thank you kindly for taking the time to read this and please stop back.........

THANK YOU.....