It pretty much goes without saying that most horse people are also dog people. In fact, I don’t think I know one horse person who doesn’t also own a dog…or two…or four (or more).
But Tim and Shannon Gillespie of Gillespie Show Horses in Whitesboro, Texas, take the custom of horse people being dog people to an entirely different level.
Over the past ten years, they have rescued and found forever loving homes for over 40 dogs, most of which just showed up on the ranch.
We sat down with Tim and Shannon, who shared with us some of the most memorable stories over the years and it all started with a dog named Chloe.
In 2006, Tim and Shannon were at a horse show on their way to dinner when they spotted a shaggy dog running around Wade Spell’s car.
“We went and bought a hot dog from the food stand to try to catch her but she was just feral and we couldn’t catch her for two days,” Tim said.
They named her Chloe after Cloverdale, Indiana which is where they were when they found her. (Tim and Shannon pictured right with Chloe)
Shannon said, “She has the most incredible heart and spirit of any dog I have ever had. She is probably the reason so many stray dogs wander onto our property. She is almost like a dog angel. She welcomes any dog or person and never knows a stranger.”
Once Chloe went home with the Gillespies, dogs just started to seemingly either find them (or perhaps even seek them out).
“We obviously attract them somehow,” chuckled Tim. “And we have rehomed every single dog. All of our assistants take on a dog as well as the Koelbls, who own the ranch. They may be just as crazy as us, as they adopt any that need homes when we have trouble finding one.”
In fact, Michael and Jillian Koelbl adopted Blue, an older Heinz 57 that was the saddest case the Gillespies had ever seen. (pictured left)
“The dog wandered onto the ranch and was whimpering, but we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him,” Tim shared. “Michael and Jillian took him to the vet and found out he had been shot with a shotgun. He is now an inside dog and spoiled rotten, which is great because he apparently had never been taken care of.”
Another remarkable story Tim and Shannon shared was of Winston, a purebred Newfoundland that showed up at the ranch with over 200 ticks, skinny and malnourished, and overall, just in bad shape.
One of their clients, Tina Shanahan, who just happens to be one of the only women to bear the title of Two Star Admiral in the U.S. Navy, decided she wanted to adopt Winston once he was well enough to be transported to her place in North Carolina.
“She paid a horse hauler to take him to North Carolina,” Tim said. “By the time the hauler arrived with Winston, he wanted to buy him from her because he was just so cool.”
Tina also had Tim and Shannon find a companion for Winston at a local shelter that she named Milo. Milo had been kept in a crate that was too small for him, and his legs didn’t develop correctly, but after many trips to the vet, he is now the perfect companion for Winston.
“When Milo first came, he loved to run and jump in the pond,” shared Tina. “Unfortunately, Winston being the rescue swimmer that he is, would jump in after him and grab him by the rough of his neck and drag him back to shore. It was hysterical to watch! Milo would get so frustrated. He just wanted to swim.”
The Gillespies told us it is always horse people who adopt the dogs that find their way to them, but they have found a handful of owners that have claimed their dogs.
Except, even when that happens, it isn’t a guarantee.
“This one dog, Darla, wandered onto the ranch and started going home with our assistant, Morgan (Ilic) every night,” said Tim. “A few weeks later, her owner came forward to claim her, but she still comes and spends the day with us and then trots home at night.”
Morgan added, “When she comes to visit, she is always running at full speed and grinning from ear to ear. I don’t know why, but she loves following me around the ranch more than anyone else. She is always helping me turn out horses, setting up trail poles, you name it. We love it when she comes over to hang out, and the other dogs love her too.”
Speaking of assistants, the Gillespie’s former assistant, Haley Paradis, found her forever fur baby through the Gillespies as well about two years ago.
“She had been looking on Corgi rescue sites for quite a while,” said Tim. “One day she and Shannon went shopping, and this purebred Corgi showed up in the pasture, very skinny. We never found the owner, and we just couldn’t believe he was dumped. He is the coolest dog.”
Haley said, “It’s crazy how many dogs show up at the Gillespies. When Kenny arrived, he was very submissive and wouldn’t even wag his tail or look at you. But now, he loves cuddling and human contact, and wherever I sit, he has to be on my lap.”
This past year, Kenny found love with an orphan calf on Haley’s family farm.
“He would lay with it and clean it,” she said. “If I were off riding horses on the other side of the property he would run to see me for five minutes and then run to check on the calf.”
As for the Gillespies themselves, they currently have four dogs including Chloe.
Nora (pictured right), a Rottweiler, jumped in their truck about a year ago and fell sound asleep as Tim and Shannon were driving down the road by the ranch.
“When we found her, she was under a year old and had already had a litter of puppies,” said Shannon. “She is our dog, but we share her with Ally Fink, an amateur customer of ours, who goes to TCU and rides on the equestrian team. When she comes out, Nora is her dog.”
“She is just such a lovable dog, and she always sleeps in my bed when I stay there,” said Ally. “She also loves car rides and will follow just about anybody around.”
The newest addition, Snowball, is a twelve-year-old Chihuahua that walked onto the ranch a few days before the 2016 APHA World Show.
“He has cataracts, only half his teeth, and when he showed up, he could hardly walk from arthritis,” Tim said. “Of course, we took him to the vet and the world show. But every day we have him, he seems to get younger. We share custody of him with our associate trainer, Dustin Eickenhorst. He goes home one night with us and the next night with Dustin. He has two dads.”
“He is so sweet that we honestly don’t mind that he has to eat special food, or needs to be carried around sometimes, or can’t control his bladder,” said Dustin. “He is super happy when we are getting ready for the barn in the morning, and he jumps up and goes out to the vehicles when we leave the barn at night. He just tugs at your heart when you look at him.”
And then there is Ruby, the only dog the Gillespies have that is not a rescue.
She is a diva Miniature Australian Shepherd, and the Gillespies say she knows she is “not like the others.” (pictured right)
Some other memorable stories the Gillespies shared include a heeler they rescued from the middle of the freeway one year while at the APHA World Show who ended up being adopted by Jeremy Sullenberger and a litter of puppies they found on the side of the road on their way to show in South Carolina. Of course, they took them all to the horse show and found homes for all of them.
Tim credits his mom, Jan Gillespie, who just passed on January 25, for his love of animals. (pictured below)
“When I grew up, my parents ran a boys’ home for troubled teens on a 700-acre ranch,” he said. “We had so many dogs it wasn’t funny. We usually had two Great Danes at a time. We also had a pet skunk, rabbits, cockatoo, raccoon, an alligator, and a pet opossum.”
Mind you, Tim told us all of these critters lived in the house along with llamas, a fox, donkeys, and a pet pig named, Bertha.
“I’m sure there are many other animals I forget about,” laughed Tim. “But I guess I do take after my mom.”
The Gillespies have no intention of slowing down on their rescue efforts, as a new dog makes an appearance like clockwork about once a month. They are even considering applying for a 501c3.
So, if you are looking for your next fur baby, chances are, you can find one at their ranch.
Rescue on, Tim and Shannon!
View the slideshow below of Gillespie rescue dogs and a few cats too.
