Frequently Asked Questions

How can I acquire a Rainshade Collie?

• Visit our website for news of a planned litter
• Tell us about yourself, the kind of home and family life you could offer a Rainshade Collie, and your past experience with Collies
• Let us know what you are seeking in a Collie, in addition to loving companionship. For example, do you have a preference for a male or female, or a certain color; or particular traits? Do you have special plans for your Collie that include service work, therapy work, agility, obedience, herding, rescue, or some other abilities?

We receive several requests daily for our Collies. We do not have enough Collies to fill all of the requests. We are not a commercial kennel and we do not produce litters often. Our Collies are family dogs, raised in our home. We limit the number of Collies we keep, so that we can give them the care, socialization, training, grooming, and love they deserve.

We place our puppies according to which puppy is best suited to a particular individual or family on the wait list. We do everything possible to ensure that our puppy and its new family are a perfect match!

If we have a possible Collie for you, we will discuss the Collie with you in detail, provide photos and videos, and answer all of your questions. We will also request a reference from your veterinarian.

Please note:
Inquiries without the bulleted information, or inquiries that do not include a first and last name, will not be answered.

How was the name Rainshade Collies created?

Dr. Vanderlip shares the story:

From the onset, my goals were to raise healthy Collies, improve the breed, and work toward the reduction and eventual elimination of genetic problems in the Collie breed. I especially wanted to help others through education and sharing information about Collies. So, the goals of “share ‘n aid” turned into the anagram: RAINSHADE.

In 1977, when I named Rainshade Collies, the word Rainshade did not exist. I was unable to find it in dictionaries, advertisements, or anywhere else. Years later, some individuals and businesses have used the name I created, without my permission. Rainshade Collies is in no way affiliated with any of them.

What inspired Dr. Vanderlip to write her first book, published in 1984, The Collie–A Veterinary Reference for the Professional Breeder?

Dr. Vanderlip shares the story:

In the 1970s, as a veterinary student, I realized that Collies breeders and Collie owners could benefit from learning more about what veterinary medicine and scientific research had already discovered about Collies. The information available at the time was disseminated in veterinary journals over the years, but it was not compiled together in a single textbook, nor was it written for the layperson.

It seemed to me that many Collie breeders did not know, or did not fully understand, many of the health and genetic problems to which Collies were predisposed. There seemed to be a lot of confusion and disagreement among many breeders about the genetics or intricacies of some inherited Collie problems, traits, and even about their coat colors.

I decided that my veterinary doctoral thesis would be about Collie health and genetics. My thesis was an extensive research project compiling as much information as possible about the Collie breed, including a discussion of inherited health problems and how to reduce or eliminate them. Coat color was a particular topic of debate at that time, especially in Europe, as some countries were considering banning the breeding of blue-merle Collies–based on misinformation and misunderstanding. For these reasons, I created the first comprehensive Collie coat color inheritance chart, including all possible breeding combinations and correct genetic notations with full explanations and photographs. This complete information had not been previously compiled or published. Along with the coat color inheritance chart, I discussed in detail which disorders were, and were not, linked to coat color in the Collie breed. I included information from more than 180 scientific publications and provided all references. My veterinary doctoral thesis was a labor of love initiated in 1975. It took years to complete. I was thrilled when my veterinary school awarded me “Honors” for it.

Later, I modified the wording in my doctoral thesis to make it suitable for general reading audiences and added chapters on Collie breeding, neonatal care, and puppy socialization. This modified document, complete with my coat color inheritance charts and color photographs, became my first book, published in 1984, entitled The Collie – A Veterinary Reference for the Professional Breeder. There had been no Collie book like it ever published. Apparently, there was a great need for the book. It sold out quickly and I have received hundreds of requests for it since.

Why didn’t Dr. Vanderlip publish a second edition of The Collie–A Veterinary Reference for the Professional Breeder?

Writing my first book was very hard work! During the five years that I worked on The Collie-A Veterinary Reference for the Professional Breeder (from1979 to 1984) book writing and publishing was not as easy as it is today! My research took place in university libraries, not on the Internet (where many things can be incorrect anyway!). I used the Dewey decimal system, not a search engine. My references and data were recorded on index cards, not digital files. I typed the entire document on an IBM Selectric typewriter on onion skin paper so I could erase my many mistakes easier. “Cut and paste” in those days meant just that! I went through a lot of glue and tape! The color photographs and charts were created with very expensive four-layer acetate color separations. The book pages were made into large negatives before they could be published and laid out onto enormous tables. It wasn’t as labor-intensive as the Gutenberg press, but it sure seemed like it!

It took a long time for the books to be published and bound. There were supposed to be 2000 books in the first printing, so when I signed them, I numbered them accordingly…1/2000, 2/2000, and so on. But it turned out there were actually only 1540 books and they sold out quickly. I had retained two cases, which I donated to the Collie Club of America National Specialty Show in the late 1980s as an award for winners in every class. And then suddenly, there were no more.

I tried to contact the printer, so we could proceed with a second printing, but he was working in a mission in Paraguay. In his haste to prepare for the trip,his packages were mislabeled. I believe he inadvertently shipped my Collie book materials to the mission in Paraguay, because he shipped boxes of his religious leaflets, intended for the mission, to me. I had no address for him and I never heard from him again. I often wondered how the missionaries reacted to finding my Collie book materials in the boxes that were to contain their leaflets. Their response was surely calmer than my own, when I received the wrong packages! In any event, the materials to republish my Collie book seemed to be lost forever in the mountains of Paraguay. And so, although demand for my Collie book was very high, it was never reprinted. The Collie-A Veterinary Reference for the Professional Breeder is now a treasured collector’s item that sells for more than $400 when it can be found in rare book stores,auctions, or estate sales.

When will Dr. Vanderlip’s newest Collie book be released?

My new Collie book includes the material in the original book, plus much, much more new information, with lots of new color photos, and, of course, the wonderful coat color inheritance chart! The most up-to-date Collie information, plus discussions on important topics such the latest advances in reproduction and DNA testing are included. Of special interest, not found in the original book, are topics such as the multi-drug resistance gene, plus the newest DNA research on blue-merle coat color inheritance. Fascinating new Collie topics are covered in great detail to make for a very fun and exciting read!

Progress on this new Collie book has been interrupted periodically while I wrote 20 other books, managed my practice, worked on many other projects, played with my Collies, and focused on family and friends! I am trying hard to complete this book so that it may be released in 2020 and I greatly appreciate everyone’s continued interest and enthusiasm. If you would like to be notified when the book is released, please SIGN UP HERE!

What about copyrights and intellectual property?

Like many people, I am very concerned about publishing and copyrights and the protection of intellectual property. Over the years, much of my copyrighted material and intellectual property, including articles, coat color charts, and photographs, have been published by others in magazines, books, and on the internet– without my permission. My Rainshade name is being used by others, without my permission, for various purposes unrelated to me or my Collies. Incredibly, even an article I authored for a Collie publication (copyrighted by me) was copied and published in a different (foreign) publication and declared to be written and “copyrighted” by someone I had once considered to be a friend!

It is discouraging to have copyrighted material and intellectual property stolen. It is also illegal. I want to help people and share information to benefit the Collies we love. However, I ask that anyone wishing to use my work in any form, please ask me for permission first. If permission is granted, I will require that the borrowed materials and/or photos be labeled to clearly indicate that they belong to me and are copyrighted by me.

Thank you for your understanding.