My Dogs - John Skaggs

Ellie Mae Dog Skaggs

Ellie is a Standard Australian Shepherd who was born on September 20, 2024 in Alderson, WV near Hinton, WV. I met her approximately 4 weeks later. I had been working in Arkansas all year and was taking some time off before I started my next job. I had just gotten home from a trip to California and woke up that morning with nothing to do, feeling certain that things would be better if Scott the Dog was there. I resloved to keep the good times going and headed out to my Dad's place in Greenbrier County. I happened to know of a dog breeder outside of Hinton thanks to a few brothers I worked with in Arkansas who all had Australian Shepherds from this woman. It occurred to me that I might check in on the breeder while I was in the neighborhood. She happened to have a couple of litters and I went up to visit. I thought I was interested in a girl (they are smaller and I live in an apartment) tricolor (because Scott the Dog) of which she had one. She let me hold the dog while we visited for a while. Before I left I paid the deposit.

Ellie modeling in front of the glass sliding door

Ellie enjoying a sunny day at the waterfall

Scott "The Dog" Skaggs

It was May, 2014 and I had a conundrum. I knew that I had to pass trigonometry to graduate from high school. It seemed plausible that doing my homework would help me in my aims and I was desperate, willing to try anything. I made my way to the front porch where I reasoned that there was no TV which meant there were less distractions. Before I could even do a practice problem I spied a little brown dog walking down the street out front of the house. I called out and he came right up on the porch. He was so cute and friendly that I just knew I had to find the owner. With no collar, tags, or identification I set out carrying this little guy around the neighborhood seeking resolution to this very important issue. In the course of quest I learned some interesting things. first, that the dog had been wandering around the area for most of the afternoon. Second, that there was another dog. Third, that the dog probably belonged to me. Not long after, one of the woman neighbors came by the house with a jogger rejoicing, "I found the other dog." It was at this moment that I realized that I was going to get in trouble when my parents got home.

Scott and Ellie cuddling — Scott and Max cuddling