News

October 2026

RayRay is a Versatility Grand Champion with the Association of Working Shetland Sheepdogs

RayRay is now a Versatility Grand Champion with the Association of Working Shetland Sheepdogs! To earn this honor Ray has titled in 6 different venues, had to earn a high title or championship, and a total of 35 points determined by a scoring system maintained by the Association. We are so proud of Sandra and RayRay for this amazing accomplishment!

October 2026

Bee wins the 16" class at ISC Nationals!

Huge congratulations to Jenn and Bee for winning the 16" AKC ISC Nationals! They put out amazing runs on very tough courses to secure the win in a super competitive group of dogs. So proud of this amazing pair, they are nothing short of incredible!

September 2026

Abbey and Star have an incredible showing at AWC in Finland!

Abbey and Star went above and beyond at AWC in Finland. They won both team jumping and agility rounds then went on to take 3rd in the small dog agility round which landed them 6th(!!) in the world cumulatively. We are so proud of this incredible team!

September 2026

CharLee has officially earned his AKC Therapy Dog Supreme Title!

Celebrating a HUGE accomplishment for CharLee!

CharLee (Posey x Sass) has officially earned his AKC Therapy Dog Supreme Title! This is the highest Therapy Dog title awarded by the American Kennel Club, and earning it means that CharLee and Claire have completed over 600 AKC-approved therapy dog visits!

From hospitals and cancer centers to schools, offices, libraries, and universities, CharLee has spent countless hours doing what he does best — sharing smiles, bringing joy, and making people’s days just a little brighter.

Congratulations, CharLee! You are one very special little boy!

August 2026

Susan and Tina Turner earn their Silver ADCH and Silver LLA at the USDAA Regional

Huge congratulations to Susan Bekaert and Tina Turner (Streak x Hook) who earned their final standard leg for Silver ADCH and Silver LLA at the Sirius USDAA Regional. What a little super team!

August 2026

Ray earns RACh3 and RM7!

Congratulations to Sandra Velleman & Ray (Streak x Sass) on earning RACh3 and RM7 in a Oberlin, OH!

July 2026

Welcome to the Cash x Flirt puppies!

The S litter is here! Flirt delivered 5 perfect puppies and we are so excited to watch them grow!

July 2026

Congrats to Ethan and Sting at the Junior Agility Open!

Congratulations to Ethan & Sting (Swift x Shimmee) on their performance at the 2026 Junior Agility Open in Germany! Their best run placed them 8th in the U15 individual agility round. So proud of this team and we look forward to more adventures ahead for them!

June 2026

Introducing MACH Jem!

Huge congratulations to Randy and Jem (Vento x Sass) for earning their MACH. We are so proud of this amazing team and all their accomplishments together! This makes Jem... MACH Apex Go For Broke BN RN MX MXB MXJ MJB MXF T2B2 CGCA CGCU STR TKI.

June 2026

Jenn and Bee win 16" at the Premier Cup!

Huge congratulations to Jenn and Bee for winning the 16" class at the AKC Premier Cup! Jenn also ran Rio and earned a 2nd place finish in the 12" class! So proud of these amazing girls!

May 2026

Introducing the "R" Litter!

On the last Saturday in May, Shine delivered three perfect puppies by Spec (Jen Pinder, Michigan). We can't wait to watch them grow up!
“Spec” - MACH Designs by Impressive Twilight (T-Late x Ramiro) “Shine” - MACH Apex Be The Light That Shines RN MXB MJS MXF T2B SCN (Swift x Shimmee)

May 2026

Three Swifties make Team USA and head to Finland this fall!

Congratulations Abbey with Swindle (Swift x Cinco), and Superstar (Swift x Shimmee), and Jenn and Bee (Swift x Shimmee) for being named to the 2026 Team USA Agility World Championship Team! We cannot wait to watch them shine in Finland this fall!

May 2026

Cash earns his Novice JWW Agility Title!

A busy, versatile weekend for Cash! After going Select on Friday at the Echo Hills Kennel Club conformation show, on Saturday he finished his Novice JWW agility title and is now…
💙BISS GCH Blue Heavens Heart Of Gold NAJ💙 So proud to see titles at both ends of his name 😁 Can’t wait to keeping adding more letters in 2026!

May 2026

Ethan and Sting Earn Mach 2!

Ethan has been buckling down on his training & prep for JAO and had one of his best weekends to date going 2/3 with Sting AND finishing up his MACH2! So proud of these boys!

May 2026

Welcome to the "Q" litter!

We are happy to share the arrival of the “Q” litter - one girl (bi black) and one boy (tri). Mom and babies are all doing well after a quick and smooth delivery.
Swinger x Bits (MACH Apex Share Yours Stuff RN MXG PDS MJS PJD MFS T2B3 DCAT SCN CGC TKN x ShadowHill First Light)

April 2026

Ares is the 2026 ASSA All-Around Sheltie!

And the 2026 ASSA All-Around Sheltie is….
Katy Mallory & Ares - HC MACH PACH Apex Wildest Dreams CD RE HSAds HIAd HSBd HIBd HXBdM HXAdM MXS PAD MJG PJD MXPB MJP3 MJPB PAX XF MFP T2B BCAT CGC TKN
This is one of the biggest accomplishments here at Apex and we are so very proud of this incredible team! Last week was the ASSA National Specialty (AKA Sheltie Nationals) and the all-around award is earned by competing in various events throughout the week. Points are earned and at the end of the week, Ares & Katy came out on top! Agility, rally, obedience, herding, conformation…they did it ALL!! Being a breeder of such a versatile dog is a dream come true! And extra special that Ares is from the fist Apex litter, Swift x Rio, the litter that started it all

March 2026

Abbey & Swinger and Gracie & Kudos are part of team USA heading to France for the European Open!

Massive congratulations to Abbey & Swinger and Gracie & Kudos for being named to the 2026 USA Team headed to the European Open in France! What an accomplishment for these ladies and we are so proud to see TWO Apex dogs on the team this year!

March 2026

Cash is now a Grand Champion!

Cash hasn’t even been with us in Ohio for 7 months and in just 8 shows together, I present BISS✨GRAND CHAMPION✨ Blue Heavens Heart of Gold ROM

Cash finished his grand in Wilmington showing beautifully and going Select at the CSSC Specialty. So proud of what he has accomplished in his short time with us!

February 2026

Sass Earned her MACH

We’ve got exciting news! Sass earned her ⭐️MASTERS AGILITY CHAMPIONSHIP⭐️ making her… MACH Scene Stealer Shaka Its All About Me

Sass is one of our foundation bitches and is the dam to 11 incredible Apex puppies! We are so excited for this accomplishment as it’s been journey and group effort from beginning to end!

February 2026

Proudly presenting...️BISS CH Blue Heavens Heart Of Gold ROM

February 21st, at the Central Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Association, Inc. Specialty, Cash won a 5-point grand champion major over an impressive lineup of specials under judge Robert Frost. We so proud of Cash and how he showed! So much progress since our shows last fall.

January 2026

Introducing… Masters Agility Champion Apex Lady Luck!!

This past weekend, Ladybug (Swift x Shimmee) finished her MACH in style with two first places for her final QQ! Huge congratulations to Jean & Ladybug on this incredible accomplishment!

January 2026

Westminster 2026 Results

Representing the breed as the only shelties in their respective jump height, congratulations to Swindle (Swift x Cinco) and Bee (Swift x Shimmee) on their 2nd place finishes as the 2026 Westminster Masters Agility Championship!

January 2026

New MACH Music!

Introducing MACH Apex Song In My Heart! What an accomplishment for Melanie & Music (Vento x Sass) to complete her Masters Agility Championship with a QQQ and all placements! So proud of them and all the hard work they have put in.

January 2026

Apex Dogs in the Rankings

For the 2nd year in a row, Bee (NAC AGCH MACH12 Apex Meant To Bee), finishes the year as the #1 Shetland Sheepdog in AKC agility rankings. What an accomplishment amongst so many other incredible shelties in the sport. Exciting to also see 4 other Apex offspring in the top 25 - Way to go Superstar, Sting, Music, and Swinger!

December 2025

2025 AKC Agility Invitational

Abbey & Superstar (Swift x Shimmee) are the 12” AKC Agility Invitational Champions!! There are not enough words to describe how incredible this is and how proud we are of this amazing accomplishment!

December 2025

2025 AKC Junior Agility Competition

Ethan & Sting had a great time at the AKC Junior Agility Competition, winning both 12” standard and JWW in thier division, which meant they won the overall 12” Superior division! Congratulations to this amazing team!

November 2025

2025 UKI US Open

Huge congratulations to Tara Baggerman and Olympia (Vento x Sashay) for winning the Games Challenge at the 2025 US Open!

Another congratulations to Abbey Beasley & Superstar (Swift x Shimmee) won the Winner Take All Jumping class at the 2025 US Open!

We are so proud of both of these teams!

November 2025

New Agility Grand Champion!

Massive congratulations to AGILITY GRAND CHAMPION Apex Buzz To Infinity And Beyond! Sharon and Buzz (Swift x Shimmee) completed the incredible accomplishment of 450 Qs across a variety of classes to earn this incredible title. We are so proud of them, their teamwork, and all they have accomplished! Well done to a very deserving team!

October 2025

New Rally Champion!

Huge congratulations to Shannon & Sequel (Streak x Sass) who earned thier RACH (rally championship) last weekend! We are beyond proud and excited for this incredible achievement!!

October 2025

AKC Agility ISC Championships

A great weekend for Apex Shelties at the AKC Agility ISC Championships held in Franklin, TN! Saturday included a team event followed by individual finals on Sunday afternoon. Apex was well represented with finalists and podiums both days! So proud of all these teams and the breeding program we’ve developed.

Team Event:
🥇 “The Eras Tour” - Bee, Swinger, Strive, and Obi (all Swift x Shimmee offspring)
🥉 “Life of a Showgirl” - Kiwi, Swindle, Superstar, and Vice Versa (Swift daughter bred by Brittany Schaezler)

12” Finalists
- Superstar - 4th place finish
- Kiwi
- Swindle

16” Finalists
🥈 Kudos - 2nd place finish
- Strive - 4th place finish
- Bee
- Obi

July 2025

2025 European Open

Three Apex puppies ventured to Portugual for the European Open and had incredible performances there!

Gracie and Kudos had a wonderful clean Individual Agility run earning 27th out of 172 dogs! It was Kudos' first trip to Europe and she showed off just how amazing she is!

Abbey and Swindle had four incredible runs, putting scores on the board for all of them and earning their team a spot in Medium Team Finals!

Abbey and SuperStar had their first European trip together and Star, at only 2 years old, was just as her name describes, a star! They had four amazing runs, with a clean run in small individual agility, earning themselves a spot in Individual Finals. We can't wait to see what this little superstar does in the years to come!

VIDEOS:

Abbey and SuperStar

Abbey and Swindle

Gracie and Kudos

July 2025

2025 AWC Tryouts

The qualifying period hads ended and the results are in - TWO Apex Shelties have earned a spot in the Top 5 qualifying them for the 2025 AKC Agility Invitational!!

  ★  Abbey Beasley and Superstar (Swift x Shimmee)
  ★  Jean, Jennifer, and Bee (Swift x Shimmee)

Congratulations to all the Shelties! What an incredible lineup that will be representing our breed so well! See you in Orlando!

June 2025

2025 Incredible Dog Challenge

Huge congratulations to Bee who brought home two 1sts with both Jenn and Ethan at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge in Huntington Beach, CA.

Bee was her usual incredible self, winning the Incredible Dog Challenge Medium Agility Regional Champion with Jenn, and then going on to win the Incredible Weaves Regional Champion with Ethan! We are so proud of Bee and her ability to shine with both Jenn and Jean, and now Ethan, as her handler!

April 2025

2025 AWC Tryouts

HUGE congratulations to Abbey, Jenn, and Viveka for their success at AWC tryouts. Abbey and SuperStar won their way onto the small dog team with multiple podiums and a blazing fast win in round 2. At just two years old we are so proud of this pair for their success and can't wait to see them in Europe!

Abbey also won her way onto the medium team with Swindle, making this her fifth year in a row winning onto this team! Joining them on the medium team is Jenn and Bee, who won two of the four rounds at tryouts!

Viveka and Monty rocked tryouts with a win in round 1 and a 3rd in round 2, earning them a spot on the intermediate team.

We are so excited for these four Apex/Trinity puppies and can't wait to see them shine at AWC!

April 2025

MACH SuperStar!

Now presenting 🌟Masters Agility Champion🌟 Superstar!! Going 4/4 at Zanesville, Abbey and Star finished their last QQ to earn thier MACH. CONGRATULATIONS!!

MACH Apex Dream Impossible Things MX MXJ MJB

April 2025

2025 ASSA National Specialty

Congratulations to Katy & Ares (Swift x Rio) a wonderul showing at the ASSA National Speciality in Colorado. In conformation Katy and Ares took 2nd in the Am Bred Dog and in herding they won High In Trial Ducks! What an amazing team who has worked so hard and deserves every bit of success! Katy also won High Combined (herding) with her Ares son, Mason. Huge congratulations!

March 2025

2025 UKI 1-TDC Invitational

We had many Apex dogs travel to the UKI 1-TDC invitational in Chicago and all were amazing!

Bee came home with 3rd place in the 16" Blue Ribbon Finals and the 16" overall winner for both Games Challenge and Pentathlon!

Swindle won 2nd in the 12" overall Games Challenge!

March 2025

2025 National Agility Champions!

We’ve always known our Apex dogs are champions but now it’s official for Swindle and Bee! Abbey and Swindle won the 12” AKC National Agility Championship and Jenn and Bee won the 16” AKC National Agility Championship in Tulsa, OK.

Along with these wins we also had Monty and Viveka placing 2nd in the 16" class in finals, Mary and Kiwi placing 3rd in the 12" class, and Abbey and SuperStar placing 4th in the 12" class. Jean and Ladybug also had an amazing run in challengers!

Congratulations to these incredible dogs and their handlers for their outstanding accomplishments at Nationals!

March 2025

Jenn and Bee - World Agility Open Wildcard

Another Apex puppy heads to Europe! Jenn and Bee were selected as a Wildcard for the 2025 FitPaws World Agility Open! Bee and Jenn will be headed back to the Netherlands in May to compete with some of the best in our sport!

March 2025

AKC European Open Team

A HUGE congratulations to Abbey and Gracie and the Apex offspring named to the 2025 AKC European Open Team! Shout out to Superstar, Swindle, Kudos, and Strive! Very proud of each of these teams and their amazing adventures! We can't wait to watch them in Portugal this summer!

February 2025

Abbey and Swindle - 2025 Westminster Champions

Westminster 2025 was a great success with Abbey and Swindle winning the 12" Masters Agility Championship for a second time!

February 2025

AKC National Qualifiers

Congratulations to the Apex teams who qualified for 2025 AKC National Agility Championship!

  ★ Susan Crank with Streak, Shine, Sting, & Swinger
  ★ Karissa Solberg & Obi
  ★ Mary Schaff & Kiwi
  ★ Abbey Beasley with Star, Strive, & Swindle
  ★ Jean Lavalley with Ladybug & Bee
  ★ Val Dietz & Blazyn
  ★ Elizabeth Blanchard & Deuce
  ★ Sharon Kondracki & Buzz
  ★ Daneka Hedges & Brite
  ★ Teri Kocher & Rio

January 2025

MACH +!

A great start to 2025 for a couple of the Apex girls! Congratulations to Rio for earning MACH 3 and Bee for earning MACH 10 at their recent agility trials!