Mini Moon Pie — faithful companion to Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia, farrier Aletia Reillingh — and her daughter Blueberry love traveling with Reillingh and her partner Bjorn across the world.

The Dog of the Year contest is meant to both have a little fun and honor the important bond between farriers and their dogs. Photos of Mini Moon Pie and 11 other top dogs are featured monthly in a 2025 calendar, downloadable for free here.

1. What’s the story behind your dog’s name?

When we picked Mini up from the breeder’s, my partner was away on a hunting trip. The deal was: I could go choose and bring home the puppy I wanted, but he could name her. For one week, our little ball of love didn't have a name. When my partner came home, we headed into our stable, where our clients and students had gathered after riding lessons. A lovely young student named Sarah took one look at the pup and said, "That's Mini." It stuck, and that's how she got her name. It fit because, at the time, we also had a lovely German Shepherd/great dane mix named Max. The rest developed over time because, let's face it, she really is Momma's little moon pie.

2. When and where did you get the dog?

We were looking for a corgi for a loooong time. A dear friend of mine, Cathy McInnis, who was a librarian with the loudest and most delightful and infectious laugh, had an unfortunate accident with a horse and was on house arrest while she healed. Luckily, she was bored and decided to scour the internet looking for a corgi for us. And she found Mini!

Download Your Farrier Dog of the Year Calendar!

We are excited to present the Farrier Dog of the Year Calendar, showcasing the 12 finalists from our Dog of the Year Contest that earned the most votes and captured the hearts of the farrier community. Each month features a different winning dog, and is a wonderful keepsake for each day of the coming year.

Download Your Free Copy!

Hemp for Horses and Hounds! Doesn't just about everyone who has a horse have a dog? We worked on perfecting Hemp for Horses pellets for years, but have always made products for dogs. We make everything right here on the farm. No middleman ever! We are not selling anything that we have not given to our own animals that we love. We handle everything from "Farm to Stable" and "Soil to Oil"!

Fun fact: We made our dog Macey (who was hit on the road years ago) CBD treats before we even made our first batch of horse pellets! From arthritis to calming, everything CBD does for horses, it can do for your dog.

We immediately called the breeder but only got an answering machine. We left a message. A couple of weeks later, we got a call back from the breeder. She had been in the U.S. for a dog show and had just returned home with the puppies (Turns out the U.S. trip set the foundation for future adventures. Mini has traveled the world: Canada, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Netherlands, France...the list goes on).

We were invited to come and choose a puppy. Another dear friend, Colleen Ireland, and I drove about 2 hours to the farm where we had to choose between two puppies. One was a classic and perfect corgi, and the other one had one blue eye and was not breed standard. Colleen looked at me and said, "That's the one." She is unusual, special and a bit crazy. She would fit right in with us. It was without a doubt the right decision.

3. When you’re working, does the dog come into the barn or stay in the truck? Does it vary among barns and specific horses?

Mini and her daughter Blueberry are nearly always on the road with us. They would much rather chill in the truck than be left at home. On some farms, they can come out and run around. On other farms, they have to chill in the truck. It varies. Now, my partner, Bjorn, and I are often traveling to farrier events for our thrush and hoof product, Strahlfoili. We have bought a caravan so the girls can join us on grand adventures throughout the year.

4. Do you have liability or insurance concerns when taking your dog on the road?

The dogs are absolutely covered for insurance and liability. We are sensitive to situations where it's not safe for the dogs to come out of the truck. Safety first for everyone.

5. Does your dog help you clean up by eating those extra-nutritious hoof scraps at the stops where you work?

Two words: Hoof Sommelier.

Food Motivated

Mini’s favorite food is a McDonald’s hamburger (and, of course, hoof scraps). This is much different than Reillingh’s go-to first meal, which is coffee. She may skip breakfast, but she never skips coffee. Image Courtesy of Aletia Reillingh

6. What’s the craziest thing your dog has ever done while on the road with you?

Mini is pretty chill. Normally, the thing with her is that she is always hungry. She has quite an uncanny spidey sense about where to find cat food, dog food and carrots. The other talent she has is to know when we have arrived somewhere about 5 minutes before we pull up. It can be an old place where we have been a million times before, but she also does this with new addresses. She will be deep asleep, but then, PING, 5 minutes before we pull up, she is waiting to go.

7. If you could have dinner with anybody in the hoof-care world, who would it be and why?

Having been on the road with our company, Strahlfoili, and through close connections with farrier supply shop, Strohm, in Dusseldorf, I am so blessed and fortunate to have already had the opportunity to sit down and talk with some incredible farriers in the world: Peter Peers, Christoph Müller, Florian Hafner, Simon Alt, Javier Palancares, Hans Castelijns, Rob Renirie, Grant Moon, Jenny Hagen, Simon Curtis, Christoph Schweppe — and that's just the autumn of 2024.

You know what would be the coolest and craziest thing I'd love to do? A Brumby adventure with Christopher Pollitt himself in Australia. How freaking amazing would that be?

8. How long have you been shoeing, and how did you get started?

I started shoeing in 1999. I had the privilege to learn from Canadian Marc McGreevy. He was a terrific farrier who really set the correct foundation for my future work. I’m eternally grateful to him. Really, I owe him everything. One of the few truly great people in the world.

9. What type of shoeing or trimming do you specialize in doing?

Orthopaedic shoeing in vet clinics, dressage horses, pleasure horses. I've got a knack for horses with metabolic syndromes...and bitchy mares.

10. How many different horses have you worked on in the past 12 months?

Puuuhhhhh, a lot. No shortage of work or interesting cases here in Germany.

11. Do you normally have another person in the barn when trimming and shoeing? (Your dog doesn’t count.)

I do, my apprentice Marie. She is one tough cookie and well on her way to being a terrific farrier. She’s also a blast to have along in the truck. She is in charge of the music playlist, which is always rocking. Oh, and she keeps me current and hip, hahahaha.

12. What brand, model and year was your first farrier truck, and how many miles and years did you drive it?

I started out in Canada with a small Toyota Tacoma. Little red rocket. Gosh, no idea how many miles I put on it but quite a few without a doubt. A rolling stone gathers no moss, eh?

13. What has been the major key to your success as a farrier over the years?

I'm really lucky to do what I love. Working as a farrier allows me to both use my body and my brain, and that suits my character very well. Secondly, in this profession you can never stop learning. Having an open and creative mind enables me to do my best work. And seeing horses walking away better than when we started is the biggest gift. I am honored to be able to work with these crazy awesome creatures.

14. What one piece of advice would you have for someone just graduating from farrier school?

The word "GRIT" comes to mind. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: In psychology, grit is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on a person's perseverance of effort combined with their passion for a particular long-term goal or end state (a powerful motivation to achieve an objective). This perseverance of effort helps people overcome obstacles or challenges to accomplishment and drives people to achieve. Horseshoeing, especially in the beginning, is hard work. There is no way around it. Ya need GRIT....suck it up, buttercup. But also work smarter, not harder.