In July1948, George A. Flett of Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada imported three moorit ewes and one moorit ram from Shetland by way of the Orkney’s. He had the help of G. E. Anderson, a livestock agent in Lerwick, Shetland and a family friend, John T. Flett in Orkney.  The moorit sheep sailed on the SS Laurentia to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. From Montreal, they were moved by train to Fort Qu’Appelle where George and his son Peter went to pick them up. These four moorit sheep were the founder animals for the Flett flock that continued to prosper for over 50 years.

 Peter and his wife, Jean, took over the farm after Peter’s parents retired. Jean took over the raising of the Shetland sheep.   She would keep a ram that showed the best characteristics and breed him to the ewe flock till he got too old; then she would pick another ram. The flock remained closed, until 1991 when Jean was able to buy a moorit Dailley Shetland ram from Doreen McLean in Alberta, Canada. In pedigrees, this ram is known as Dailley Flett. There are still some, not many, pure Flett Shetlands that do not have any Dailley genetics in their backgrounds at all.

It took Jean some time to convince the Rare Breeds Trust and NASSA that her flock was indeed pure Shetland sheep as the Dailley importation was so well known and her flock was not.   With the help of many people like Dr. Stanley Bowie, Ingrid Painter, Dr. Roy Crawford, Lawrence Alderson and  Dr. Phil Sponenberg, Jean’s flock was finally registered in the North American Shetland Sheep Association. 

Some concerns were raised about the 50 years of inbreeding of the flock but it was noted by Lawrence Alderson that inbreeding does not cause defects or deformities it simply concentrates the characteristics of the founder animals. It was also concluded by Dr. Phil Sponenberg that inbreeding of the Flett Shetlands did not pose any danger to the rest of the Shetland population.  Rather "these inbred groups of animals are of great use in animal breeding, since there is great confidence that there are no hidden weaknesses.  The inbreeding would have detected any weakness, and they are simply not there."

This is the way it went until the year 2002 when Jean sold the last remaining ewes and rams to Kathy Baker, Nier Lakes Shetlands in Crossfield, Alberta, Canada.  Kathy already had a flock of Shetland sheep and is working to keep the Flett Shetland genetics strong.
 

                                  Flett Home, near Fort Qu’Appelle                                               Fort Qu’Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan