February 19th, 2025

Rylee - Jack Russell Terrier

The next few daily posts will introduce my girls. I know most of you already know them, but I want to highlight their strengths and how they came into my life.

So, let's start with my very first dog, Rylee. She came into my life when I was struggling the most—a gift from my well-meaning family in Germany.

Rylee was born on August 3rd, 2014, and joined my mom and dad in Germany on October 3rd.

With my birthday right around the corner, my mom asked me in early August for potential names for a new dog for them. Not suspecting a thing, I gave her a list of 20 names that I liked. They chose Rylee.

The cutest birthday surprise ever: mom put a huge bow on her, and dad made her sit awkwardly on his desk while he filmed her from feet to head. I honestly thought they’d gotten me a stuffed toy until dad panned up to her face and she blinked. I was over the moon! I immediately booked my ticket home for December 15th and impatiently awaited the day I finally met my dog.

Rylee in July 2024 by the pool

I had daily FaceTime sessions with her, but since I was a student, I mostly caught her when she was sleeping.

When we finally met, mom had warned me that Rylee might go straight to her, but when I opened the door, this tiny white ball of fur came crashing into me and wouldn’t let go.

We've been inseparable ever since. I started her in agility when she was 2.5 years old, and she competed up to the virtual Canadian Open in 2020, where she placed 2nd and 3rd out of 8 to 10 teams.

In 2019, I added another Jack Russell Terrier, Mowgly, to the family. Sadly, he passed away when he was only 10 months old. He came from agility lines, and though he was a handful, he made me even more thankful for Rylee.

Since I started Bella in sheep work, Rylee’s career was put on hold and eventually retired as I focused on herding trials.

Rylee still accompanies me everywhere. She’s my most solid dog-to-dog dog, and I trust her completely. However, after almost ten years together, she still tests me about twice a year to see what buttons she can push. At nearly eleven years old, I still sometimes have to remind her that her freedom is a luxury earned through listening.

She is my everything.

Happy Training.

Addi and her dogs