Dylan came into our lives by chance. We had been looking for a female pup for several months, and a breeding we had been hoping for didn't take place. I knew Michele had bred Sonic to Alassio but figured all the pups were sold. A week or two later, Michele sent out an email to a long list of people, with a photo of a cute little terv boy who needed a home as the prospective owners in the US had backed out. We took one look at that puppy's face and emailed Michele back to say we were interested.

I drove with a friend to Montreal, where Dylan was living with his mother, Sonic, and her co-owner, Marie-Noelle Cote. I called Greg to say that the pup had a beautiful body but I wasn't sure how his head would turn out. Okay, so I didn't get that part quite right

From the very start, Dylan impressed us with his stable, outgoing temperament. Nothing bothered him; he approached any and all people with total confidence. At four months of age, we took him to Delavan, WI, to the BSCA national specialty. I think it's fair to say that he was the hit of the show. I couldn't believe how many Groenendael breeders/ owners tried to buy him from us! We still hear from people who saw him then and remember what a striking pup he was.

Dylan is a natural show dog and has excelled in both the all breed and specialty rings. He has a gorgeous outline, ton of neck, stacks himself beautifully, and moves like a dream. To top it all off, as a collie breeder put it recently, he has "expression to burn." Here are some of his accomplishments:

• CKC Best Puppy in Show the day he turned 6 months
• UKC Champion in one weekend, finishing the day he turned 8 months
• UBSDA National Specialty Reserve Champion at 9 months (MI)
• CKC Champion at 10 months, finishing with a Group 2
• ABTC National Specialty Reserve Winners Dog, 2006 (PA)
• UBSDA National Specialty Best in Specialty Show, 2006 (KY)
• UKC Grand Champion at 2 years
• ABTC Best of Winners/Winners Dog/Select, 2008 (TN) (Note: AKC rescinded this win due to Dylan not being registered with AKC and having been previously shown)
• BSDCC SOS Regional Best in Specialty Show, 2008
• BSDCC National Specialty Select 2007 (NB), 2009 (ON)
• Multiple group placer in CKC

  "Winners Dog possessed the essence of the Breed. … Under his abundant coat was a correctly square body with very good shoulder placement and fill of chest. His color ranged from fawn to russet mahogany with black overlay of the shoulders, back and ribs. He is a very clean moving dog with excellent, open, easy side gait."- Breeder-judge Steve Sorenson, 2008 ABTC National Specialty

  
  Dylan has never met a stranger he didn't like. Rock solid with people of all ages, shapes, and sizes, he is outgoing and tolerant. He is a quick, enthusiastic training partner, and loves to work with me.

  I had high hopes for Dylan as an agility competitor (like his mother), but a bad neck and lower back injury when he was 2½ put an end to that. I had trained him on all the equipment and he was doing really well, so it was disappointing not to be able to continue. Instead, we've taken up less strenuous activities, specifically rally and obedience.

  In rally, Dylan has his novice title in CKC and advanced in CARO, and he needs one more UKC novice leg. We have qualified in every trial we've entered. He took HIT at one of the BSDCC National Specialty rally trials in June 2009 (30 dogs), and HIT at one of the UBSDA National Specialty trials in October 2009 (50 dogs) with a beautiful performance.

  Obedience is next on our agenda. We're starting to work on the group sits and stays, never having done those particular exercises before. I've never taken a dog beyond novice obedience before (due to dog aggression issues), so I'm looking forward to trying the more advanced levels with Dylan. It's been 15 years since I last competed in obedience, so it's a (re)learning curve for both of us!