Welcome to the NASSA website!
The mission of the North American Shetland Sheepbreeders Association is to preserve, promote, and protect the Shetland breed in its full diversity of colors, patterns, and fleece types.
Shetland sheep roots go back more than 1,000 years, probably to sheep brought to the Shetland Islands by Viking settlers. The North American Shetland Sheepbreeders Association, or NASSA, assists breeders of Shetlands in maintaining the purity and quality of this unique and colorful breed. NASSA provides registration and pedigree records for informed breeding decisions. If you are a current Shetland Sheep breeder, you’ll find resources on this page including NASSA forms and the breed standard.
If you are considering purchasing sheep, now is the time to take a closer look at the colorful Shetland sheep breed. Shetland wool is soft, fine, silky, and durable and a delight to spin, knit or crochet. Shetland sheep are considered a primitive or “unimproved” breed. This means that although they are small and relatively slow-growing, they maintain their natural hardiness, thriftiness, easy lambing, adaptability and longevity. Having retained most of their primitive survival instincts, Shetlands are easier to care for than many of the “improved” breeds seen today.
How to Buy a Shetland Sheep
Sample Bill of Sale
Use the navigation links above to find more information about NASSA and Shetland sheep. Our latest articles are shown below. Enjoy your visit!
Popular Forms, Pages and Links
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by Site Admin on January 3, 2023
The Winter 2023 issue of NASSA News is now available to download from the Members Area of the Online Database website. If you are a NASSA member and have already set up your Members Area account, go to the NASSA News page and log in to see the link for downloading the latest issue. Or if you are a current NASSA member without an account for the Online Database site, go to the Membership Info page and click the “… become a Search Site member” link near the bottom of the page to set up your account. You will need to have a valid email address in your NASSA member information in order to set up your account.
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by Site Admin on December 23, 2022
We are hiring an experienced Editor to lead publication of our quarterly newsletter. The job entails editing and proofreading newsletters for grammar, spelling, style, and punctuation; formatting and layout of the newsletter; writing a 400-500 word article for each newsletter on a topic relevant to Shetland sheep breeders; soliciting content from members and ensuring quality newsletters are delivered on schedule.
Other tasks might include deciding which stories would be featured in our newsletters and soliciting articles/topics from members accordingly.
The ideal candidate understands sheep terminology. Familiarity with Shetland sheep is preferred. The Editor is responsible for the layout, colors, and overall design of each newsletter. You would communicate with breeders and others seeking to place ads in the newsletter and keep records regarding paid ads. You would report to our Executive Secretary and consult the Executive Secretary regarding questions related to compiling and distributing four issues of the newsletter each year. This job is fully remote and you would supply your own computer and needed software. Applicant would be expected to have reliable and consistent internet. Salary range of $600-$800 per issue dependent upon experience.
Responsibilities:
- Edit and proofread newsletters for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style
- Encourage a team of volunteer writers to ensure all deadlines are met
- Communicate with individuals and businesses seeking to place ads in the newsletter; keep records regarding paid ads; contact parties when ads are expiring to inquire about renewal
- Pitch newsletter topics to the Board of Directors via the Executive Secretary
- Write newsletter articles as necessary
- Organize layout and select photos and graphics for newsletter, producing both a pdf version and an e-newsletter version for each issue
- Allow space in each newsletter for minutes, financial reports and any other items deemed necessary by the Board of Directors
Requirements:
- Three to five years of writing/editorial experience
- Excellent editing skills and ability to adapt to our style guidelines
- Working knowledge of layout and e-newsletter software
- Bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, or Journalism is preferred
- Experience with sheep, in particular Shetland sheep, is preferred
To apply:
- Interested candidates should submit a current resume and three writing samples to Faye Whitney at secretary2@shetland-sheep.org
- Interested parties can contact Faye Whitney at the above email with questions.
- Review of applications will begin on January 3, 2023 and continue until the position is filled.
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