A spotlight was shown on Alcona County last week when Animal Planet came and spent more than 12 hours capturing the lifestyle and breeding philosophy of a local farm on film.

Animal Planet, a cable television network that focuses on animals and the human/animal bond, visited Quaker Farm. Animal Planet's parent company is Discovery Communications, Inc.

Quaker Hill Farm owners, William and Anne, who don't have cable television, didn't know what to think when they received a call from one of Animal Planet's representatives wanting to schedule a filming date. "I thought they were trying to sell me advertising," Anne said. "I almost hung up on them."

The representative explained that Animal Planet was interested in including their work with breeding and training Collies as part of a new series about dogs. In less than a week, the crew was on their doorstep. They showed up at 7:15 a.m. They filmed until dark and, after packing up all of their gear and equipment, left around 11 p.m.

"Things happened very fast," Anne said. "We knew very little about what would happen...We walked into this with an open heart and it was a rewarding, although tiring experience."

"They were fantastically kind and wonderful," she said. "They made it easy on everyone...they handled everything gently...I thought it was going to be hard to do - invasive - but they made it easy."

Anne said she was pleased a national spotlight was on Alcona County again - in a positive light, as opposed to previous national news coverage regarding the embezzlement charges and subsequent conviction of former Alcona County Treasurer Tom Katona. "Alcona will be well represented here," Anne said.

The Makela's came to their farm in 1985 and raised seven children. They are a Certified Naturally Grown sustainable farm that grows heirloom produce that is pastured based and they raise rare breed livestock including Oberhasli dairy goats, Cotswold sheep, Muscovy ducks, and Buff Orpington chickens. At its peak, the farm had about 90 goats and 45 sheep, along with numerous fowl.

Today, there are about 12 goats, 12 sheep, four horses, two llamas, peafowl, geese, ducks, chickens, "a lot of cats", and collies.

"We have downsized quite a bit since the children have all grown up and moved away," Anne said. "They do come to help out with haying." Since the downsizing, William works off the farm and Anne teaches homesteading educational workshops that include sustainable simple living, cooking, soap making, cheese making, and spinning classes.

She explained the workshops help members of this generation learn about how to live off the land. "If you think about it, we are four or five generations removed from agriculture," Anne said. "Many people have no memory of their grandparents and how they lived off the land." She cited how victory gardens were common in the United States during World War II - so that Americans could help sustain their families and not tax the nation while it was at war.

"We are in a different war now - a war with the economy - dealing with the ever-rising costs of food," Anne said.

William explained that while it is natural for prices to go up, more and more people are looking for ways to save money by producing their own food. "City dwellers are becoming aware of the victory garden concept and are putting in neighborhood gardens," he said.

"We went from being a producing farm and turned it into education to maintain our lifestyle," Anne said. "We are sharing what we've learned. Otherwise, we would be like other family farms that go away and the knowledge is lost to future generations."

The Makela's have a philosophy of land stewardship which is "to love the things we live among and enjoy the company of the animals we raise, even if they are livestock."

With their children off the farm and downsizing to smaller herds, the Makelas found that they still needed help in the field, which is where the collies come in. "The presence of dogs alone keeps the livestock safer," William said. "We have not lost any of our livestock to coyotes since the Collies have been in the field." He explained that while Collies do herd, the breed's main focus is herd companion dogs. They sit with the herd or "govern" the livestock.

Anne grew up with collies as her grandparents and parents raised them. "I have never seen a dog better with children than collies." Anne said. "A well-bred Collie is so dependable and likes to hang around children. They govern them like they would livestock. It is magical to watch. Collies and children are a great combination."

The puppies featured in the Animal Planet footage are the fifth generation from "Lassie" who was there during filming. They kept one of her daughters, Willow, and also kept a granddaughter, Bella. They have a total of 5 breeding females and two males and produce one or two litters a year. "We only had one this year because we didn't have time to do all of the training...usually the pups are sold before they are born," Anne said.

Keeping the family line is important to the breeding goals the Makelas have developed. The main goal is overall good health. With that always in mind, they then selectively breed for personality type which is - intelligence, willing personality, stable disposition, steady predictability, and gentle countenance.

Training begins the first week of the puppy's lives with a lot of handling, progresses to walking on a leash and swimming at seven weeks. "From the very first week, our aim is to encourage psychological development, strengthen the immune system and physical development," Anne said.

To help ensure confidence, many training aids are introduced during playtime like low levels of water that gradually increase as the puppies grow. "We start them in water at about five weeks," Anne said. "They walk in it for many days and it gradually grows deeper." The final stage of "hydrotherapy" comes when they learn buoyancy and actually swim.

Training, paired with individual testing makes for a lot of time put into each pup and the same effort goes into placing the right pup with its owner. "no one picks a puppy here," Anne said of prospective buyers. After an extensive interview with each potential owner, a pup is chosen for them. "They have to agree that if they can't keep the dog for any reason, it has to come back here," Kimberly said. "We have the resources to find homes for these dogs if for any reason we couldn't keep the dog, which is unlikely." Buyers also have to agree to restrictive breeding stipulations.

Quaker Hill (Crown Thistle) Collies have gone to homes across the United States and Canada, and to Australia and around the world. These collies go to many different homes, but Kimberly explained the most tender placements go to homes that need them as companion therapy dogs. In this situation, dogs generally go to women who have experienced personal trauma or assault and suffer from a lack of confidence to go out of their homes alone. These Collies will leave Quaker Hill Farm after they are a year old and have had much more extensive training to be confident to handle any possible situation they might find themselves in like flying, elevators, escalators, busy city streets, et cetera.

It is these placements that make the Makelas proud of their work with their Collies. "They make us feel wonderful and that all of the work we've done is worth it," Anne said.

When they aren't raising puppies, herding goats and sheep, planting, weeding, and picking from their gardens, and producing crops for their animals, the Makelas also prepare items for the farm's shop - honey, eggs, wool, soap, dairy goat shares, and fresh seasonal produce. Anne also updates the farm's Web page, authoring all of the items including the children's stories, Quaker Anne's Children's Stories. She teaches Web design, midwifery classes, and William provides hayrides to church groups in the fall. Anne is also the president of Alcona Local Foods Association (ALFA) and a member of the Alcona Quilt Trail committee.

Collies are the most incredible breed of dog ever developed. They are exceptional family dogs that are remarkable with children, and they have a character which makes them versatile in so many ways. Unfortunately, Collies are not always bred with the high ethic they deserve and we hope with all of our hearts that we have not brought attention to their uniqueness in any way that would compromise the breed.

It is our hope as a family, that public understanding of the true nature of a well-bred and carefully trained Collie will have been expanded in such a way as to bring credit to the merit of their true nature and the value of an exceptional breeding program. Our family has worked for many generations on breeding Collie dogs of exceptional quality so that families around the country and the world can experience being loved by what we feel is the classic all-American family dog.

Working with our Collies in front of a film crew was an amazing experience on every level. The photos included here are but a fraction of the shots of events and situations which Animal Planet filmed. Among those not shown are our Collies in the training yard doing versatility exercises, us cooking natural foods for the Collies after a walk in our vegetable garden, and then there is the footage of spinning Collie dog hair into yarn, and more. However, we feel the photos here give a good idea of that eventful day and we hope you enjoy them as well as enjoy having the opportunity to get to know us a little better.

There are so very many people to thank for the success of this project, especially given the very short notice we received requesting our participation. First of all, to our family who rallied together to travel from out of state as far away as North Carolina. Hannah, Jeremee, Cameron, Johnathan, and "Uncle" John - thank you for the time in miles traveled alone, not to mention the extreme effort exerted all the way around. John, the photography was, as ever, unbelievably remarkable - so much of what we experienced would have been lost to memory for exhaustion alone had it not been for you. As well, as the prayers of those unable to attend.

Angela - so aptly named - there are simply no words to express the appreciation we all feel for the blessing of your friendship. Your hard work on our behalf is a treasure to us all. Our thanks to your whole family too for supporting you being here, and especially your children for working with the Collie pups so wonderfully!

Sherry and "Bella", thank you so much for being here on such short notice and working so hard. Sherry, you have done a beautiful job with Bella and she is a credit to us all!

Lisa, you made working with the pups in the water that much more fun with your marvelous sense of humor and exceptional handling of the little swimmers - those "champion athletes"! Your sensitive understanding of dogs comes through so clearly when you are handling them. You make them more confident with your faith in their abilities.

Erin, you grew up down the hill from this busy farm and we are so pleased that you joined us to help during this very special event. Our Collie dogs really love you.

Cheryl of the Alcona County Review, for your generous and kind representation of our farm, life, and family we can not thank you enough. When I read your article about Quaker Hill Farm and the filming event here I could not hold back the tears. It was a large and wonderful article! We have shared and sent that issue of the paper to people all around the country and the response has been positive over and over again. Thank you hardly seems enough for your thoughtfulness, but thank you so much!

To the filming crew and producer from Animal Planet - Meg, Rich, Jed, and Henry - you were all extremely kind to us and handled everything not only professionally but more importantly, sensitively, very patiently, and carefully considerate of our lives and work here. I have to admit, we were all a bit nervous about the prospect of such an enormous project (one of a kind for us!), but you had us all at ease every step of the way. We are grateful for the rare opportunity to share our lives with others in such a way and to have met and worked with you all.