Dear Ruth, 
1. Since we first "met" over the Internet a little over three years ago, we have exchanged countless
messages, phone calls and pictures--and everyone of them had at least a few words about our dogs. For
those of you just reading this note, you may have seen me all over the various ES Internet sites--including
the photos I have posted in each one--reflecting my comments about my TWO Hippler dogs--Kaycee and
Tucker. 
Kaycee is from Ruth's dearly departed Tiger and handsome Goliath's October 24, 2001 litter and is a
sister to Ruth's Gossip and her dearly departed Flame--whose dear pups are (aka) Andy and Amy.
Kaycee was only the second ES I had ever seen when she arrived to us via Delta Dash on a snowy
December 27th. Since then, I have spent a large part of each day "educating" myself on English
Shepherds mostly by reading and corresponding to all the wonderful members of the ES community via
the Internet, and of course, through Ruth. Kaycee has more than lived up to every expectation I ever had
for this breed and has firmly ingrained herself into our family and our hearts. I regard her as my third child
(my two human kids are now 14--son Kyle, and 11--daughter Jenny) although she is usually MUCH more
mature and easier to handle than they are!!! She is truly my very best friend and is such a rewarding dog
to own as her intelligence makes her easy to train, and her innate abilities make her seem like a human
child who learns and acts withOUT being taught. She makes me look good at every obedience and agility
class we have taken, even if I didn't do MY homework all week!! 
I feel in love with Kaycee from the first picture Ruth posted of her at one day old. She has become a
beautiful "adult" dog and is now assisting me with training her new sibling, Tucker, our now 7 month old
bundle of energy. Tucker is from Spirit and Rumor's May 25, 2004 litter. As I recently commented to you,
Ruth, I am now torn between ending the little puppy stage and looking forward to when Tucker reaches
Kaycee's stage. I tell Tucker he is lucky he is such a handsome boy and gives me such nice hugs and
kisses (really, he does!) or I would send him back! Seriously, he is also a very intelligent and loving
puppy, but very much a little boy dog!! As wonderful as it is to have a "pal" for Kaycee--and he keeps her
young and active, that is for sure--it is also a challenge to train a puppy with a second dog at your heels!
Kaycee is such a show-off doing all the commands I am trying to teach Tucker, even if they are from
another room!! She helps me "discipline" Tucker too, but after while, I can almost see her throwing up her
paws and saying "he's all yours, Mom!" 
But on nights like last night when my whole family was sprawled out in the family room watching TV and
we all seemed to have a part of one dog or another on our laps (with the poor cats peering sadly in from
the Living Room) I am still amazed that I am the owner of two such incredible dogs. They are so much a
part of my life and have given me a renewed "purpose" lately. We have enjoyed taking them to our
mountain home in the Poconos (PA) and watching them romp through the pines tracking deer. Already, I
am seeking a trailer for my SUV so that I can let the dogs have the WHOLE BACK AREA when we travel.
(I wonder if I can get one with a tail on the back!!) And my husband is talking about renting a RV for a trip
out west so that we can travel with our dogs!! (I'll take the dogs, but two kids in an RV with us??? I
dunno....) 
I have so enjoyed reading about your other puppy litters, Ruth and drooling over the terrific puppy
pictures. My husband has given me firm orders that I can "only look" at the pictures, but they are all so
adorable, it is hard to hold myself back adding a THIRD Hippler pup to our family! But for the benefit of
those reading this note and thinking about a Hippler pup (or rescue) I have to mention how very
professional and responsible a breeder that you are. When I was looking for a second dog, I knew that I
wanted a male (since Kaycee was a female) and I REALLY wanted a TRI. I also really wanted a puppy for
the summer so that the kids could participate in the early bonding and training which they missed a bit
when we got Kaycee in late December. Finally, I was looking for a good "mate" for Kaycee--not to breed,
but as a companion. She is a sweet, dear and loving lady but can be a bit "shy" and I needed a guy with a
personality that would both "bring her out" but at the same time not overpower her. Of course, at that
early puppy stage, the personalities are just emerging and difficult to definitively identify. But you have
always been very intuitive about your puppies and very in tune with their personality nuances, which you
share with us all via your amazing web site as you post pictures from birth and each week there after. I
practically felt like I was there raising the puppy via your website! 
However, you were very upfront with me regarding this new puppy. When I first started looking, you had
no litters, so you provided me with various contacts and references for other breeders. As I contacted
breeders and researched on my own looking for that perfect pup, Spirit surprised us with a litter of her
own, and lo and behold, she had TWO TRI MALES!!! But still, you cautioned me to continue to do my
research and watch other litters. As I am the kind of person who likes to bond with a puppy early on--even
if it is via a computer screen--this was very difficult for me to do. It was even more difficult to watch as
puppies from earlier litters were being sold since I was "watching" and not "buying" yet. But the "right"
puppy was important to me--and Kaycee--and as each day went by, Tucker seemed to be developing into
the perfect match for us. Not only was he so very handsome, but he acquired a little howl that
immediately endeared him to me as it reminded me of my dear departed childhood Beagle dog! 
Long story short, we choose Tucker and made his acquisition a "family adventure" flying down to meet
you and your family and all your critters!!! Those two days we spend there will forever be two of the most
incredible days of our lives. You and your family are such warm and wonderful people and your girls are
such great assets to your "pet raising" life. Your animals are all so beautiful, although I must admit that my
son had more of an attraction to Willy the Potbellied Pig than I did! I was in puppy heaven when almost all
of Tucker's litter that were still there competed for who was going to give me the most kisses!! AND we all
got to participate in the care and feeding of the nine tiny little puppies from one of your many rescue
animals--your daughter's dog Princess--who had just contracted milk fever and could only watch as you
hand feed her nine precious pups every TWO HOURS!!! Gosh, what a great experience for us all! 
So for any of you who would like to contact me regarding Ruth, ES dogs or shipping dogs, please don't
hesitate. Ruth will tell you that I am very objective--I really am. I don't sell myself as being the ES pro--far
from it. But I can say that I am devoted to this breed--and believe me when I tell you that is it very rare in
this area I live in. With Kaycee, I feel like I needed to wear a sign around my neck saying "No, she isn't a
Border Collie, she is an ENGLISH SHEPHERD--a Border Collie Lite!!" 
Thank you dear Ruth, for allowing us to adopt TWO of your incredible dogs!! 
Love, Lynda Sexton