From a Scottish sheep farm to American hospitals, schools, and stages — meet Miste, the Border Collie with a story to tell.
A heartwarming memoir in Miste’s own voice — full of love, loss, laughter, and the healing power of dogs.
About the Book
In Sheep to Show Biz, you will follow Miste, a smart, plucky, little Border Collie, from an ancient barn on a sheep farm in Perthshire, Scotland, through her despair on the death of her first, beloved mistress to the Midwest of the United States. Discover, in her own voice, how she learned love her second family, become a commercial model and therapy dog to dance into the hearts of hospital patients, school children, and more. Hear her relate decades of dog family history from the Wise Old Goat at the farm in Scotland and German Shepherd Dog, Rayne, the canine family historian in Missouri.
About the Author – Ann Gafke
Ann Gafke has spent more than 60 years training dogs and guiding their humans through classes, therapy work, and joyful partnerships. Many of the stories come from these training relationships. The stories also come from her dog therapy service, her German Shepherd Dog and Border Collie breeding, her work as a volunteer in dog care for the 4H program, and her storytelling learned from a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and her experience as Kansas City, Missouri’s first, on-air television newswoman.
After three years, she moved from television news to dog training when she decided to be a stay-at-home mom to raise their children feeling she would do a better job of that someone else might.
Her training began as an informal service in the yard of Air Force Base housing where she and her husband, Roger, lived. Training became more organized when they moved to Columbia, Missouri, in the late 60s. It was first delivered on parking lots in downtown Columbia and then in their own training building in the early 90s.
Hear Miste describe her shared experiences with her canine friends
Stories Miste Tells
As part of therapy service, children read to Miste and her canine friends and collect bookmarks. Hear Mist’s account in Chapter 20.
Join Miste’s Journey
In Sheep to Show Biz, you will follow Miste, a smart, plucky, little Border Collie, from an ancient barn on a sheep farm in Perthshire, Scotland, through her despair on the death of her first, beloved mistress to the Midwest of the United States.
See Her Learn New Roles
Discover, in her own voice, how she learned love her second family, become a commercial model and therapy dog to dance into the hearts of hospital patients, school children, and more.
Star in TV Commercials
Showbiz with Grandchildren
Miste’s Therapy Service
Appreciate Canine Family History
Hear Miste relate decades of dog family history from the Wise Old Goat at the farm in Scotland and German Shepherd Dog, Rayne, the canine family historian in Missouri.
- Admire the therapy dogs that awoke a comatose teen, broke the depression of a suicide patient, got a reluctant boy from his wheelchair to a foot race, caused a non-verbal youth to burst into a “No!” when another boy tried to take therapy dog he was working with. There’s more. (Chapter 20)
The dog stories are drawn from Ann Gafke’s 60-year experience of dog training and dog therapy work.
- Relive the how her family rescued their German Shepherd that became trapped in a bear trap during a blizzard, how the dog was stolen only to find his way home across miles of Michigan woodland.
- Admire the herding instinct of Miste’s father to round up the sheep and get them to the barn without formal training, how he also kept home burglars at bay until authorities arrived.
- Appreciate how Ann’s German Shepherd Dog, King, inserted himself in situations that threatened Ann.
