My name is Kayla Savory. I am seventeen years old and have been home schooled for part of my education. I have lived with Belgian Sheepdogs since age three when I went to live with my grandparents, Don and Carol Morris, in Washington. The dogs pictured here are the variety of Belgian Sheepdog known as Groenendael. They are one of four Belgian varieties: Groenendael, Tervuren, Malinois and Laekenois. They are often referred to in “Belgian Circles” as simply “the black dogs”.

My homeschool journey began, when, upon my request I was taken from the public elementary and taught at home by my grandmother for third grade and most of fourth grade. The public school was not offering what I needed. At the time when I left I could barely read, write or do simple math. In the two years that I was under my grandmother’s tutelage I went from being far behind to being ahead of my classmates in all subjects, except for history, which I caught up with and surpassed with my pleasure readings.

When we moved to our present residence in California my grandmother opted that I return to public schooling. This was okay for awhile, but did not stay that way. I was placed in advanced classes, even though some teachers refused to accept it, and stayed ahead for the rest of my elementary years and the first half a year of middle school. In the second semester of middle school I started struggling again. But the time I finished middle school I was begging my grandmother to take me out of public school again and home school me. I stayed in public school for another year and a half due to the fact that my grandmother was working and couldn’t teach me properly. During the first semester of my sophomore year I started doing research on a near by Charter School. I had heard very good things about it and my two best friends had transferred their along with countless other people I knew. I presented the information to my grandmother and she agreed to look into it. By January of 2006 I had been transferred from the public high school into the Charter school.

I spent the first semester catching up with what I should have been doing as a normal sophomore student. Then when I started my junior year I took on as many classes as I could safely handle and took Chemistry at the near by Community College. By the end of the semester I had completed enough credits to move me up a year, thus on route to graduate in June of 2007. This semester I have limited the classes I’m taking to only what I need, and have also been taking English at the College.

Before I even started school I was spending time with our Belgian Sheepdogs. When I was around six years old my grandparents let me take Cadi, Ch Calypso’s Cadence CD PT CGC, into the confirmation ring. Ever since then I have been showing these wonderful dogs. When I was about seven or eight years old I started competing in 4-H with Cadi’s son, Rafer. I continued competing in 4-H until I was about ten years old.

Once we were settled at our new home I started 4-H again with Rafer’s brother, Vala. That lasted only a year because my grandmother had to teach the class and only two of the original group went on to fair and it didn’t seem worth the time. I started again when I was fourteen or fifteen for a year and a half and I was then training Kira, CH Skywatcher’s Indigo Allure CD, RN, NAP, NJP, HT, FMD. My grandparents let me start training Kira when she was a puppy, and I showed her to her championship, putting every point on her except one. We went on into other fields after that, enjoying each other’s company the whole time. During my junior semester I did a project on her for my Animal Science class. We were going to breed her and so the project was for me to document it and build a portfolio of everything that occurred. Unfortunately it was a short lived project for she did not conceive. Kira now only needs one more leg to obtain her Open Obedience Title. From there I plan on showing her in Utility, Tracking and Herding; and even maybe going on in Rally and Agility.

My grandparents first started teaching me how to handle and train the dogs. I was also given much appreciated help from fellow Belgian owners and dear family friends. Their teachings have helped me handle the way I do now. Some of the small tips come to mind while I’m in the ring, and have helped. One such time was at the Belgian Sheepdog National Specialty in Bremerton WA in 2004. The tips from friends, the excellent support and help from my grandparents aided me in winning Best Junior Handler.

If I could go farther in any class I would want it to be in agility. Teaching Kira and our other dogs to go around the obstacle course and listen to my directions was loads of fun, even before I started competing in it. And once I started competing the excitement grew even more. The dogs enjoy it and so do I. It is a fun sport, though competitive, that lets you have an enjoyable time with your dog.

Having grown up with Belgian Sheepdogs I have a great love for them. And this love has grown to the rest of the Belgian breeds after we took in a rescue Malinois, Lena, who has now become rather attached to me, and when we got our Tervuren, Trekker. I have handled other breeds for friends and for a handler and I can’t say that any of them have matched up to the Belgian. The Belgian breed has so much energy but knows when to just be there for you as a friend. And their appearance is so much like the wolf that you can’t help but look at them in awe. They are a kind, intelligent, energetic animals who I love like siblings.

Even though I will be entering College as a full time student soon I fully plan on continuing to compete with our Belgians. And maybe even continue with the kennel and bloodline my grandparents have spent so much time to create, Allure Belgians. I plan, at the moment, to study to become a Marine Biologist or a Graphic Artist. But I will always find time to do something with the dogs, not matter how little.