Wyndlair Collies was founded in 1989 with Matt Stelter’s childhood purchase of a tri-color AKC Rough Collie male. While “Baron” did not become the Best in Show dog Matt hoped, that Collie cemented a lifelong love of the breed and inspired dreams of a world-class breeding program.
Through the 1990s, Wyndlair Collies utilized predominantly Midwest Parader bloodlines including Highcroft, Pebblebrook & Vennessee. Those breedings resulted in several notable specialty-winning champions and Top 10-ranked specials. At that time, Matt was balancing finishing high school and college, as well mentoring under several top Collie and Sheltie breeder/handlers.
The Wyndlair breeding program made a genetic pivot in 2000. Matt was looking to create a new bloodline recreating the successful blends between the Tartanside and Countryview families that had been successful a decade and a half earlier. That cross resulted in some of the finest Collies of the time. Matt was handling an exciting young sable puppy dog, Southland’s Bowen Island. Bowen was tightly-bred on the old Tartanside pedigrees and early on Matt identified Bowen as the dog that would be his pillar sire. Matt set out to find the right bitches – in phenotype and genotype – to take to him. Wyndlair Collies today all trace back to those original breedings to Bowen. Bowen would go on to become Ch. Southland’s Bowen Island, ROM – 2002 CCA Best of Breed and a Top 4 all-time sire in breed history.
In 2006, Matt and Anita were married and began their family and Collie breeding life together. Anita was already an accomplished Collie breeder/owner/handler from California. Her foundation was in the Brandwyne bloodlines, known for their beautiful outline, elegance, and head detail. She helped push the Wyndlair breed type to an even higher level in pursuit of perfection. Select outcrosses to her Classique bloodline provided the ideal addition to the Wyndlair program.
Wyndlair had produced several historic and record-breaking Collies, including:
Multi-BIS/BISS GCHP. Wyndlair Cherokee Vindication
#1 BISS-Winning Male in Breed History (40 BISS) – 2011 & 2012 #1 Rough Collie – 5X Top Ten Hawkins System – 6X CCA Award of Merit Winner – 3X Best in Show Winner
Multi-G1/BISS GCHB. Wyndlair Point Given
2014 #1 Rough Collie (Hawkins System) – 2014 CCA Select Dog, 2013 CCA Award of Merit, 2011 CCA Reserve Winners Dog & 2010 Kem Memorial Winner. Sire of 2015 CCA WD/BW/Best Puppy, 2018 CCA BOV, and 2019 CCA Select Bitch.
Wyndlair Avalanche, ROM
#1 Non-Champion sire in Breed History (30 Champions), including 2 – #1 Collies & 5 – BISS winners, 3 – Best in Shows, 2 – Reserve Best in Shows, Collie Club of America National Specialty Best of Breed, Collie Club of Canada National Specialty Best of Breed & Kem Memorial Sweepstakes Winner
Multi-BISS GCHB. Wyndlair Classique Incandescent
Top-Winning White Collie in Breed History
2014 CCA Best of Opposite/Best of Breed – 2018 & 2014 Top Ten Collie (All Systems) – 2018 Top-Producing Rough Bitch (USA)
Wyndlair continues to be a small breeding program focused on world-class Collies. They have finished champions in all AKC-accepted colors: Blue Merle, Sable, Tri-Color & White. It is now a family affair with Matt and Anita and their children, Landon and Lauren, actively involved in raising and care of their puppies. They take great pride in placing top-quality, healthy, well-socialized puppies in amazing homes. However, they are always looking for that next “great” one to take the Wyndlair breeding program forward.