27/04/2020
Where did we start?
The name Shellark was a nickname originally given to my husband and I from some close friends. They had two sets of Friends called Michelle and Mark so we got the nickname ‘Shellark’ and it has stuck ever since.
Our love for boxers started back in May 2004, the year Michelle turned 21. That was the year Barney our first boxer came crashing into our lives. As my 21st birthday present I was desperate for a dog so when my my family asked what I would like I asked for money for my birthday, I saved it all up and as soon as I had finished university in the summer of 2004 I purchased my first dog. Initially my husband wanted a Staffie and I wanted a Labrador and we just couldn’t agree on the breed, we then went to visit a friend who had just got a boxer puppy and that was it, we were hooked.
Barney was a true Boxer, who was a steep learning curve for us all but one I would definitely not change. When we brought Barney we didn’t know any better, we picked up the local ads paper and a litter was advertised. We went and chose our new puppy, we didn’t ask about health checks or pedigree we just fell in love with this beautiful red and white puppy. Looking back we should have run a mile, the puppies were kept outside in a shed with hardly any daylight, no health checks had been done and once he arrived home at only just 6 weeks old and he wasn’t even weaned onto solid food. As time went on the vets became Barney’s second home the start of our visit's was because he had an undescended tactical and then further along the line server food and environmental allergies. For all of his health issues Barney lived a really good life and we eventually lost him at the good age of 11.5, we all still talk about Barney and his antics, there were many and I could write a book of some of the naughty things he did (when I have time I will write a post on them)
In late 2005 we decided we had the space for a second dog, and we really wanted a white boxer so the search begun. This time we knew much more than we did when buying Barney, we did our research and came across a breeder in Scotland. Again we met someone who had already had a white Boxer from them and we knew we needed one. Daisy came into our lives just before Christmas in 2005. Daisy and Barney became the best of friends, Daisy was so different to Barney she was a people pleaser so as long as it pleased you she would do it for you, I actually think that if I asked her to jump off a cliff then she would have done it for you. Barney would do things for you but there always had to be something in it for him. Daisy was such a sweet girl who never put a paw wrong again she had a really good life and lived to the rip old age of 13.5. Daisy was a big part of lives and we still remember her fondly.
In 2016 we moved into our forever home and after loosing Barney we were ready to add some fun into our lives. In 2017 the search for a new member of the family started, we knew instantly we wanted to go back to the same breeders we got Daisy from and they were hoping to breed in late 2017. We kept our fingers crossed and hoped everything would be ok. We finally got the news a litter had been born on 31st October and there was a puppy for us. So in December 2017 just before Christmas Michelle travelled to Scotland to pick up our new bundle of fluff. Holly is a beautiful brindle girl and we thought we would give showing a go with her. Holly and Michelle have entered a few shows over the last couple years and have won some nice rosettes. When we looked back through the pedigree of Daisy and Holly it turned out the Daisy was Holly's great, great, great Aunty. Holly and Daisy got on so well and Daisy definitely took Holly under her wing and taught her everything she knew.
After having such a bad experience with Barney's breeders and a good experience with Daisy and Holly's breeders I had always had the thought that I would like to start breeding and hopefully be able to give other families a good experience. Here at Shellark Boxers we will only breed when we would like another show dog to add to our team. We will only breed with the correct health tests in place and from healthy, sound temperament dogs. We will only use health tested males who we think will complement and enhance our females. All of our puppies are brought up in our family home, where they will encounter all of the everyday sounds, we also own Whiskers a beautiful grey cat and four chickens so the puppies will also be exposed to other animals. We will guarantee life time help and support and we love to hear how our dogs are getting on in their new homes. If you would like a Shellark boxer please feel free to contact us.
