r/sheltie

Hi all, I very recently rescued/adopted a very sweet dog. I have yet to choose a name for him; but I would love something LOTR related.

My cat is name Gandalf (well, because he is white and gray, lol). Following that logic, I thought Radagast would be fitting, since the he is brown, and his mane kinda looks like a beard, plus it would continue the Wizards theme. HOWEVER, Radagast doesn't exactly roll off the tongue (sure I could just call him Raggy or something like that, and keep his 'government name' as Radagast.

As a result, I come to you for ideas! Other good options are (but please feel free to suggest more):

- Pippin
- Gimli
- Garbanzo (this one cracks me up, but not LOTR related)

Bonus pictures of him and my cat Gandalf (with a shameless AI addition); as well as Leaves of Lorien I 3D printed for them with their name and my phone number (if a new name convinces me, I could 3D Print a new one)

I had to say my final goodbye to my best friend Cody on April 15th, and I just brought his urn home today. I'm still devastated.

He was only 8 years old. He lost his fight with cancer (MCT). We had a tumor removed in December, but by March it showed that it had spread to his lymph nodes and liver, and by early April he had hundreds of them all over his body. We had him put to sleep at home, where he belonged.

I keep looking for him around the house. I still can't really wrap my head around the fact that he's never coming back. He was a reserved but deeply loving sheltie, and his thing was "dutting"(sorry for the danish), those little deliberate nose presses that meant I'm here. I miss it more than I know how to say.

I've been thinking about getting another sheltie down the line. Not to replace him, I know that isn't possible, and I don't want to, but because I miss the routines, and because I want to honor the fact that he spent the last 8 years making me the best sheltie owner he could.

For those of you who've been through this:

• How long did it take before you brought another sheltie home?
• How did you cope in the meantime?

Thanks for reading this.

EDIT:

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has commented, shared their own story, or sent kind words. I didn't expect this. Reading through your replies has made me cry, but in the way grief sometimes needs, knowing I'm not alone, and that so many of you have loved and lost a sheltie too. It means more than I can say. Thank you!

To anyone who finds this post in the future because you're standing where I am right now, a few things I wish someone had told me:

You're not crazy for looking for them. I still catch myself listening for his paws, glancing toward his spot on the floor. It doesn't mean something is wrong with you. It means you loved them.

The urn coming home is its own wave. Nobody warned me how heavy that day would be. If you're dreading it, that's normal. If you're surprised by it, that's normal too.

Cody, you were my soulmate. You carried me through some of the hardest moments of my life, and I carried you through yours. Eight years of adventures, of quiet trust, of a bond people rarely get to witness. Thank you for everything, my best boy. 🐾🤍

My parents sheltie was morbidly obese (according to the vet) at 28 pounds. I’m taking care of her now, she’s now at 20 pounds and much healthier. Vet says she could still lose a couple pounds.

Our beloved Sisi, was only 5 years and 9 months old before we had to put her down for an aggressive and inoperable mass in her throat that was compressing her airway and esophagus. Its devastating thinking about how it progressed.

She was the biggest brat ever - all bark and no bite. All the times she would block the hallway or be in the way in the kitchen. The way she would smile at us. Crossing her feet like the princess she was. How she’d bark and nudge at us to let us know she needed our attention. Asserting her territory on the bed and sofa.

It haunts me when my mind replays everything that transpired during our last moments with her. Doing all she can to breathe, and her legs trembling. But still, she fought and smiled until the very end - with all her loved ones reassuring her that she was a good girl.

I hope time will heal. But for now, It hurts so unbelievably bad. My mind can’t help but think how could we have prevented this, and why did this happen to us. Apparently this is super rare for it to occur to her and at such a young age.

We lost her dad - my stepfather - back in October of 2025. Rest in peace, our dear Sisi. I know she’s reuinted with him now, and they’re playing tuggy together.

Our timeline, in case it helps anyone reading:

Early April, my sister started noticing Sisi snoring more than usual, but it didn't seem alarming. April 20th was her annual checkup — we mentioned the snoring and that she'd been breathing a little harder after walks, but nothing at rest. The vet examined her and didn't flag anything urgent. April 25th, my sister's boyfriend noticed her panting harder than he'd ever seen.

By May 3rd, things had progressed enough that our vet took a closer look. He also examined a small wound on her right hind paw — he said it looked almost like her foot had been sliced. He ordered X-rays. The radiology report described a "heterogeneously soft tissue and gas opaque retropharyngeal mass effect" — basically, a mass in her throat with gas pockets inside it, displacing her larynx and trachea downward. The differential included thyroid pathology (cyst, hyperplasia, adenoma, or adenocarcinoma), enlarged lymph nodes, or less likely an abscess. The radiologist also separately flagged the toe (digit 4) — a small ulcerated soft tissue swelling with "neoplasia vs infection" listed in the differential. Looking back, the "sliced-looking" wound on her foot and the mass in her throat may have been connected — possibly metastatic disease. The recommended next step was specialty workup with ultrasound, CT, or laryngoscopy. We immediately started calling specialty hospitals — most were booked 3-6 weeks out. We managed to get a specialty appointment scheduled for the following week.
We never made it to that appointment.

Over the next 48 hours, her symptoms escalated fast. The raspy breathing got worse, her bark went almost silent, she stopped being able to eat solid food, and she started drooling because she could no longer swallow normally. By the night of May 10th — Mother's Day — she hadn’t eaten the whole day and was gasping for air, so we rushed her to the ER. The ER team reviewed the existing X-rays from May 3rd with us. The nurse pointed out on the imaging where the mass had grown into her esophagus and was compressing her airway down to almost nothing - said she was essentially breathing through a small straw. The gas pattern inside the mass, combined with how rapidly her symptoms were progressing, pointed strongly to an aggressive necrotic tumor.

The ER vet and critical care team aligned on the same recommendation: let her go peacefully rather than prolong her suffering.

he loves to hang out on the balcony

New addition to the family, my bi black baby. Meet Kit! Don’t let the cute pose fool you, this was mid baby shark mode.

Edit: Additional tax payment in comments 🥰

Her name is Lady. I got her 3 months ago and she is still very shy. She doesn’t move a-lot inside. She eats and drinks. If I let her outside she will run around my yard a-little bit as-long as I am not there. The moment she see me she believes it is inside time.

She will freeze up and stop moving if I move or look at her. She does not likely the leash. I can get her to take treats from me, but she has to double check to make sure Its ok. She sniffs it then looks at me and finally very gently takes it.

If I pet her and stop she will sniff me and then put her nose on my hand.

He do like evening chat time

You guys love it when I share pictures of Pastel doing therapy dog work, so here are some of us with our non-sheltie BFF Billy at the airport! Hope you enjoy ♥️

Meet Charlie a gentle joyful soul, who could always put a smile on your face. He recently passed away after 17 years.

I just wanted to honor his memory by sharing some pictures