We are a small kennel located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest in the USA. Since 2003 we have owned and loved Australian Shepherds. We started our journey with the Australian Shepherds while in The Netherlands where we purchased our first dogs from Australian Shepherd breeders in Germany. You will notice that one of our dogs has a tail, due to the docking ban in Germany. This does not mean that we don't dock our puppies' tails. We adhere to the ASCA breed standard, which states that this is a natural bob tailed or docked breed. Please, do not ask us to leave a tail on a puppy from one of our litters, we will not entertain this request.
After showing our dogs in Europe, we were totally hooked on this wonderful breed. As we continued to learn more about the breed from experienced breeders in the US and Europe, we decided to begin our ethical and small breeding program and established our kennel in 2008. We are very grateful to our mentors for providing us with so much information and guidance.
We strive to produce a healthy, versatile, beautiful and mentally and physically sound companion. All of our dogs are registered with ASCA and AKC. All our breeding dams and sires, have their hips and elbows analyzed by OFA and their eyes are cleared by a certified ophthalmologist for CERF/OFA yearly. The sire and dam of each litter are chosen carefully for their physical and mental soundness and their ability to contribute to the breed. When we have a litter, we put all of our time and effort into raising our puppies to socialize them and teach them how to learn to be successful in their new homes. Due to this, we only breed occasionally and screen buyers carefully. Please do not feel offended when we ask you many questions about you and your plans for a puppy. This information helps us make decisions regarding the right placement for our puppies. Many of our puppies are used in therapy work and are emotional support animals. Our dogs mainly perform in conformation, obedience and agility. We truly enjoy working with our dogs and they in turn all love to work and want to please us. Our dogs are first and foremost members of our family. We want to ensure that we have enough time to spend with each of them individually, therefore we are a very small kennel. If you would like to learn more about us and our dogs, please, don't hesitate to contact us.
SHOULD YOU CHOOSE AN AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD?
This is a bright and active breed that needs a job and is intensely devoted to their owner. This dog may require more space, time, training, exercise and attention than you are ready to give. This dog has a lot of hair that he/she will share with you and your residence. If you have never owned a dog, and especially if you have young children, be aware that a well-behaved dog takes time and work.
All dogs need to be socialized and trained using positive methods that focus on good management and prevention rather than punishment.
Young children and any kind of dogs should only interact under your supervision, and must never be left together unattended. If you leave the room, take either your dog or your young child with you. You would not leave two young children together unattended and hand one child a pair of scissors. Remember - your dog has scissors in it's mouth. Even if your dog is gentle, if he and your child are genuinely fond of each other, you must be around to interfere if needed. Ever seen a well-meaning child trying to touch the dog’s eyeball with the tip of a pen? Or trying to plug an electrical appliance into the dog’s nostrils? Or giving the dog a ham sandwich, only to change his/her mind and trying to get the sandwich back? How would your dog react? There is no need to find out. The “trouble brewing” scenarios are endless, but there is only one recipe for the safety of child and dog: adult supervision.
Though a relatively healthy and long-lived breed, some Australian Shepherds may be prone to hereditary health problems. Find out what they are and what you can do to minimize the risks at www.ashgi.org , Australian Shepherd Health and Genetics Institute. The most common hereditary health problems in Australian Shepherds are hip dysplasia and cataracts. Screening for these health problems is widely available, and even though a good test result in the parents does not guarantee all offspring will be 100% healthy, with health tested parents the odds are in your favor. Epilepsy has increasingly been a concern. Research is under way, but sadly there is no screening test available for epilepsy yet.
It is up to you to select wisely and make it work. Research the Australian Shepherd (and any other breed!) carefully to make sure the new dog will fit with your lifestyle and living arrangements.
Enjoy your visit!