Border Collie rescuer chronicles journey in new book
A Brown County man who once never considered himself a dog person has turned personal grief into a mission that has helped save about 2,000 Border Collies across the country.
Kenny Shuck, founder and director of Clancy’s Dream, recently released a book chronicling his journey from rural farm life to operating a multistate Border Collie rescue. It’s called “Clancy’s Dream: How Loving One Dog Became a Mission to Save Thousands More.”
“I wasn’t a dog person,” Shuck said. “We got a dog because we live in very rural Brown County, Indiana, and we needed help with the deer eating our garden.”
That first dog eventually led to Clancy, a Border Collie who changed the course of Shuck’s life.
Shuck and his wife began breeding Border Collies about 25 years ago at their Dogwood Ridge farm. After they stopped breeding, they continued receiving calls from people looking for help with their dogs.
“Because we were kind of in the loop, we would get calls: ‘Can you help our dog?’ And we would, because they would need help,” Shuck said.
When Clancy unexpectedly died, the Shucks founded Clancy’s Dream in his memory. The organization has been operating for nearly 11 years.
Shuck’s new book grew out of blog entries he wrote about life at Dogwood Ridge and his experiences with his Border Collies.
“I started writing a blog many, many years ago, and it’s actually a lot of the blog stories that I wrote for just personal friends and people that own dogs,” Shuck said. “I would pour my heart out in the writings.”
The book explores both the joy and heartbreak that come with caring for dogs. The preface describes Shuck’s journey from ordinary farm life to responsibility, rescue and ultimately finding purpose through grief.
People interested in adopting a Border Collie or supporting Clancy’s Dream can learn more through the organization’s website at www.clancysdream.org.
To learn more, watch the interview.
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