Betty Wheelen

Betty's Viewpoint of Life
"I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be "happy".
I think the purpose of life is to be useful,
to be responsible, to be compassionate.
It is, above all, to matter:
to count, to stand for something,
to have made some difference that you lived at all."
--Passions and Prejudices

Everybody needs a mentor. We had no finer a mentor than Elizabeth Whelen. Betty was a personal friend of ours and we tribute this page to her significant contribution and dedication to the Shetland Sheepdog breed.

In our lifetime, we have only met a few select individuals who have the capability to make a significant impact in a profession. Betty Whelen was definitely one of these individuals. We think the most remarkable part of Betty was her ability to find good in every sheltie.

Our fond memories relate back to Betty's love of Red Lobster food. She really enjoyed those garlic buns and baked mushrooms. She had a love for the annual fox hunt on the Firestone's estate. The Firestone's treated Betty as a celebrity and rightfully so. She was a wealth of knowledge for anyone who would listen. Betty could rattle off the great dogs of the past from her memories without looking at the pedigrees.

Mentor, friend, a class act, Betty had it all. She loved all the friends she made in the breed especially Katie Gammill and Marilyn Marlow. How she loved Mario her favorite dog out of Marilyn's line and her top winning blue bitch -Lacy. You never really know what you have until it's gone. We were only a small part of Betty's beautiful life. Many friends and admirers will miss her as much as we do. The newcomers in the breed will miss her much more, not knowing such a knowledgeable, loving caring individual as Betty.

Betty, we miss you dearly, and so do our dogs. They are cared for by Betty at the Rainbow Bridge. We know Lena is there with you now.

--Mark & Katy Teichert