Welcome to
Dorothy DeLisle's website
This website revamped April 2022
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Welcome to my website. My name is Dorothy ”Dot” DeLisle. My last name is French. It translates into English literally as “Of the Island” (more liberally as “Islander”) and into German as “Vom Insel.” I usually use the English pronunciation of DeLisle (dee lyle, rhymes with aisle) as opposed to the French (deh leel).
This website includes several of my animal interests and activities.
I have been involved in the training and trialing of stock dogs since the early 1990’s.
I have trialed very successfully on a wide variety of courses and stocks. I train for a stock dog first. When a dog works with a stock ethic and truly knows how to read and control livestock, he can then take on any job. I offer herding lessons & stock dog training. I give clinics on herding training, as well as on trialing techniques. I am both an AHBA and AKC herding judge. Check out my herding pages to learn more about my services.
Although the German Shepherd Dog was my main breed, and Australian Shepherd my secondary breed, that has reversed. I owned a Swedish Vallhund and a Kelpie. As for non-herding breed dogs of note that I owned, I had a miniature schnauzer with whom I made it onto ESPN with our CD obedience routine. I have been involved in the training of many other breeds. As a judge and competitor, I have studied all the herding breeds.
I have twice won GSDCA herding Victrix and three times been first runner up to it. I won a go round and had the 2 fastest fetch times at the World Cowdog Challenge with a German Shepherd bitch. I have many High In Trial, Reserve High In Trial, High Combined and High on Stock awards. I have put literally hundreds of herding titles on dogs, including at least one of each of the following:
AHBA:
HCT, JHD, HTDI-s, HTDII-s, HTDIII-s, HTDI-g, HTDIIg, HTDIIIg, HTDI-d, HTDII-d,
HTDIII-d, HTDI-c, HTDII-c, HTDIII-c, HTDIII-ge, HRDI-c, HRDII-c, HRDIII-c,
HRDI-g, HRDII-g, HRDIII-g, HRDI-s, HRDII-s, HRDIII-s, HRDI-ge, HRDIII-ge,
HTADIII-g, HTADIII-s, HTDAIII-d, HTDAIII-ge, RFLII-s, RFLII-s, RLFIII-g,
Herding Trial Champion (HTCh)
AKC:
CD, PT, HT, HS, HI, HX, HSAc, HIAc, HXAc, HSAd, HIAd, HXAd, HSAs, HIAs, HXAs, HSBd,
HIBd, HXBd, HSBs, HIBs, HXBs, HSCs, HICs, HXCs, Herding Champion (HC)
ASCA:
STD-c, STD-d, STD-s, OTD-c, OTD-d, OTD-s, ATD-c, ATDd, ATD-s, RTD-c, RTD-s,
PATD-c, PATD-s, Working Trial Champion (WTCh)
SV/USoA:
BH HGH
I have bred German Shepherd Dogs under the kennel suffix of Vom Insel since 1994.
Despite breeding only occasionally, around a litter every other year, I have been 20 times on the German Shepherd Club of America’s Annual Training Achievement Top 10 Dam/Sire Lists. Check out the GSD Vom Insel pages to learn more about my dogs.
I have been active in the Australian Club of America and a local affiliate club since the late '90's and have owned Aussies since 2003. Because I felt the temperaments weren't solid enough on all but one of my previous Aussies, and alas that one met with a tragic fate, I did not breed any of them until I acquired Tanner. I've been breeding Australian Shepherds under the kennel name of Gwangi which is registered with ASCA.
Islander Ranch is the name of my place, as well as a herd prefix registered with the Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association, the American Goat Society, the American Dairy Goat Association and the National Pygmy Goat Association. I started with a mixed flock of Nigerians and Pygmies in 2003, but soon changed to only Nigerians. Check out my goat pages to learn more about Islander Ranch Nigerian Dwarf Goats.
In my younger days, I concentrated on my herding dogs, but always also had one lapdog. As I have advanced into my retirement years, the number of my herding breed dogs has decreased and the number of my lap dogs has increased. My current definition of lap dog is the Miniature Rat Terrier. They have great temperaments, and easy to care for short coat and come in a variety of colors. Unlike many terriers whose breed standards require a lot of white, the Rat Terrier standard only says that the dog must have some white. I breed AKC registered Miniature Rat Terriers under the kennel name of Gwangi.
