We have both AKC registered Miniature American Shepherds and ASDR registered Miniature Australian Shepherds. We are a registered kennel with the American Stock Dog Registry. The history of these two breeds and organizations is long and complex, but many consider them to be one and the same. Indeed, if you look deeper into the pedigrees behind our dogs you will find many different registrations, but the important factor is that they all lead back to the same roots of Australian Shepherds that were selectively bred down in size in order to produce the breed(s) we know of today as Mini American Shepherds / Mini Aussies. While at times we may produce litters that are registered with only one organization, our goal is to maintain lines in both registries, with dual registered puppies whenever possible. Doing so provides us with the greatest opportunity for maintaining genetic diversity within our program, while providing our puppy buyers with the opportunity to participate in the widest variety of dog sports and events possible. Regardless of which registry one of our puppies comes from, you can rest assured the process for selecting each parent dog in our program is highly selective to ensure superior temperament, health, intelligence, trainability, and athleticism.
We breed first and foremost for soundness of body and mind, with the drive and athleticism to excel and play hard in any working event or sporting game you want to.
Our dogs are DNA health tested using Embark health panels, Purdue University, and UC Davis laboratories, they are OFA certified once old enough at 2 years of age, they have annual eye exams, are kept up to date on all routine vaccinations and veterinary care, and they are constantly evaluated and tested through sport training and competition. Our dogs are part of our family, and as such, they live with us and are exposed to daily family life as well as a variety of environments including but not limited to veterinary clinics, horse shows, working farms with a variety of stock (including goats, chickens, cattle and horses), dog friendly parks and restaurants, beaches, vacation homes, farmers markets, dog friendly stores and garden centers, dog training complexes, dog shows and competitions, and so much more.
Although my focus is on maintaining working/herding drive in our dogs, we not only use sports and competition to evaluate, train, and condition our dogs, but also to enrich their lives and enjoy time with them. Some of the activities we do are herding, nose work / scent work, disc / frisbee, dock diving, trick training, FastCat / lure coursing, and general fitness like under water treadmill and obstacle training for strength and balance.
Our dogs work hard and play harder!
You can find each dogs accomplishments and titles listed under their respective pages. We love talking about our dogs! Feel free to reach out with any questions.
We breed first and foremost for soundness of body and mind, with the drive and athleticism to excel and play hard in any working event or sporting game you want to.
Our dogs are DNA health tested using Embark health panels, Purdue University, and UC Davis laboratories, they are OFA certified once old enough at 2 years of age, they have annual eye exams, are kept up to date on all routine vaccinations and veterinary care, and they are constantly evaluated and tested through sport training and competition. Our dogs are part of our family, and as such, they live with us and are exposed to daily family life as well as a variety of environments including but not limited to veterinary clinics, horse shows, working farms with a variety of stock (including goats, chickens, cattle and horses), dog friendly parks and restaurants, beaches, vacation homes, farmers markets, dog friendly stores and garden centers, dog training complexes, dog shows and competitions, and so much more.
Although my focus is on maintaining working/herding drive in our dogs, we not only use sports and competition to evaluate, train, and condition our dogs, but also to enrich their lives and enjoy time with them. Some of the activities we do are herding, nose work / scent work, disc / frisbee, dock diving, trick training, FastCat / lure coursing, and general fitness like under water treadmill and obstacle training for strength and balance.
Our dogs work hard and play harder!
You can find each dogs accomplishments and titles listed under their respective pages. We love talking about our dogs! Feel free to reach out with any questions.
~ Additional topics of Discussion ~
I've been asked these questions countless times, and understandably so. I'm a fairly open book, so if you ever want to have further discussion about any of these topics, feel free to ask.
See below
" Why did you choose mini aussies? "
To be honest, I love most herding breeds. I think they are just incredible. I could go on and on about how awesome they are and everything I love about them. My two favorite breeds (aside from the minis) are by far the Border Collie and the Australian Shepherd. I love their look. I love their personalities. I love their intelligence. I love their athleticism. But there are three big reasons I didn't go that route.
The first reason is that while I love Border Collie's, I need a dog that is okay with not always having a job. Most sport/working bred Border Collies don't do well with that. I have a busy, fast paced life, and I will go through periods where I can't always go to another dog sport event, or I might go several days without getting the time to practice disc, or maybe it's absolutely pouring out (hello Florida!) and I don't want to deal with a muddy dog when I get home. But you know what? Minis honestly don't care. While my minis love being active sport dogs, they would be just as happy being active family pets. They would still need exercise and mental stimulation. But they honestly don't NEED to have a job. I need that flexibility in my dogs. I'm not a professional cowboy and I have a personal life and career outside of my dogs. My minis are perfectly adaptable to that.
The second reason is that I needed a dog that would be both a fantastic farm dog and sport dog, but was also a loving family dog and travel companion. I go to horse shows, I go to different riding stables, I go to farmers markets, I like to take my dogs with me to work, I take them to cafes, and on car rides or vacations. My minis are great at all of this. They are go-go-go when needed, and they are wonderfully behaved and relaxed travel companions when needed. Their size is part of that dynamic, but their personality and temperament is the really the key.
Okay, so most standard Aussies probably would do equally well with that lifestyle, right? And size really isn't that big of a deal breaker for those needs. So again, why minis? Which brings me to my third reason. I also have a back injury that likes to flair its head on occasion. And if you have never experienced that, it's hard to explain the amount of pain involved in picking up a lot of weight when dealing with back pain. There is also the fact that I am a certified canine rehabilitation technician, and that is what I do professionally, all day most days. The reality is, that it's very challenging to accommodate large breed dogs in the event of an emergency. Have you ever tried to lift 85 pounds? I can usually do it, no problem. But could you do it several times a day, every day for months, to help your dog in the event of a physical injury? Now add a back injury to that... My cut off is around 35 pounds for the size dog I would be able to comfortably pick up and carry around as needed for months on end if necessary, even when my back is having issues. It wouldn't be great, but I could do it. And I don't ever want to be forced to make choices for my dogs based on what I can or can't physically handle due to my limitations. That may be a slightly grim thought, but it's the truth. And it's one of those things most people don't consider or think about until it happens. But I get to see it all the time. And it's made me be a little more aware of the what ifs and where my limitations need to be set. Again, not just for my sake. But for my dogs as well.
To be honest, I love most herding breeds. I think they are just incredible. I could go on and on about how awesome they are and everything I love about them. My two favorite breeds (aside from the minis) are by far the Border Collie and the Australian Shepherd. I love their look. I love their personalities. I love their intelligence. I love their athleticism. But there are three big reasons I didn't go that route.
The first reason is that while I love Border Collie's, I need a dog that is okay with not always having a job. Most sport/working bred Border Collies don't do well with that. I have a busy, fast paced life, and I will go through periods where I can't always go to another dog sport event, or I might go several days without getting the time to practice disc, or maybe it's absolutely pouring out (hello Florida!) and I don't want to deal with a muddy dog when I get home. But you know what? Minis honestly don't care. While my minis love being active sport dogs, they would be just as happy being active family pets. They would still need exercise and mental stimulation. But they honestly don't NEED to have a job. I need that flexibility in my dogs. I'm not a professional cowboy and I have a personal life and career outside of my dogs. My minis are perfectly adaptable to that.
The second reason is that I needed a dog that would be both a fantastic farm dog and sport dog, but was also a loving family dog and travel companion. I go to horse shows, I go to different riding stables, I go to farmers markets, I like to take my dogs with me to work, I take them to cafes, and on car rides or vacations. My minis are great at all of this. They are go-go-go when needed, and they are wonderfully behaved and relaxed travel companions when needed. Their size is part of that dynamic, but their personality and temperament is the really the key.
Okay, so most standard Aussies probably would do equally well with that lifestyle, right? And size really isn't that big of a deal breaker for those needs. So again, why minis? Which brings me to my third reason. I also have a back injury that likes to flair its head on occasion. And if you have never experienced that, it's hard to explain the amount of pain involved in picking up a lot of weight when dealing with back pain. There is also the fact that I am a certified canine rehabilitation technician, and that is what I do professionally, all day most days. The reality is, that it's very challenging to accommodate large breed dogs in the event of an emergency. Have you ever tried to lift 85 pounds? I can usually do it, no problem. But could you do it several times a day, every day for months, to help your dog in the event of a physical injury? Now add a back injury to that... My cut off is around 35 pounds for the size dog I would be able to comfortably pick up and carry around as needed for months on end if necessary, even when my back is having issues. It wouldn't be great, but I could do it. And I don't ever want to be forced to make choices for my dogs based on what I can or can't physically handle due to my limitations. That may be a slightly grim thought, but it's the truth. And it's one of those things most people don't consider or think about until it happens. But I get to see it all the time. And it's made me be a little more aware of the what ifs and where my limitations need to be set. Again, not just for my sake. But for my dogs as well.
" Do you dock tails, remove dew claws, or set ears on your puppies ? "
No. Puppies are left to develop naturally with the features they were born with. There have been many studies done on how dogs use their tails and dew claws for performance during work, sports, and generally in life. The simple explanation is that dogs use their dew claws for gripping and for traction / movement, they use their tails for balance and for body language / communication. There are many tiny muscles and ligaments involved in the leg and paw that are effected by removing dew claws. Dogs will also use their dew claws to hold things like toys and chews. They use their tales for counter balance during jumps and turns. They use their tails during swimming. Leaving dew claws and tails intact give our dogs the full benefit of that additional dexterity and control over movement and balance. Dogs also communicate primarily through body language, and tail carriage is a major part of that language for them. This makes interaction with other dogs and with people more effective and easy for them. When done correctly by a licensed veterinarian, I believe they can be removed humanely. However, I do not think that cosmetic looks for breed type are worth the disadvantages the dogs have afterwards. The only exception I make to that is for any vestigial dew claws - dew claws that are not attached structurally and are loose - which provide significantly greater risk for injury. For all the above reasons, I also do not breed specifically for the natural bobtail gene that is present in the breed. I prefer dogs with full tails.
I also will not alter ear set for several reasons. The first being that ear set has absolutely no effect on the performance, health, or wellbeing of our dogs. Ear set is defined in the breed standard for one reason and one reason alone. Type. As a breeder, if your goal is to breed very typey dogs, then I feel altering ear set is counter productive to the goal of producing naturally correct dogs. There is also a stigma or bias in the breed against perfectly acceptable ear sets, as the current fad in the show ring prefers button ears (forward folded ears). However, rose ears or mismatched ear sets are also perfectly within standard. We do not and will never breed to meet current show ring fads.
" How much do puppies cost and what payment methods do you accept? "
Puppies sold on a pet contract are $2,500 regardless of color or gender, and will be required to get spayed or neutered.
We are open to discussion for co-ownership or full rights on breeding prospects, which will be decided on a case by case basis.
Deposits are $500 to secure your spot on our waitlist, and are nonrefundable. Your deposit is applied towards the total purchase price of your puppy (which means you will place a $500 deposit and then pay the remaining $2,000 at the time of pick-up).
I prefer to meet in person to get to know prospective puppy buyers better, but am also open to phone calls and video chats.
Once the puppies are born, we will upload everyone on the waitlist with photos & videos of the litter, and can schedule litter video chats or puppy meet ups around 4-5 weeks when they begin to show personalities.
Puppies are typically evaluated between 6 and 8 weeks of age, after which we will present possible matches for you and your new puppy. The process for picking possible puppy matches is an active team effort between both myself, you, and your family concerning what goals/needs/wants you have for a puppy in comparison to the attributes I see in each puppy.
We offer the convenience of digital payment through Zelle or we accept cash for in-person payment.
" What about the *adopt don't shop* ? "
Yes, rescuing pets from shelters is a wonderful undertaking. But it is exactly that. An undertaking. And I wish people would take that more seriously. You need to be very careful in your selection of a shelter pet. Most of the time, you do not know that dogs background. Not many shelter dogs are young 8-12 week old puppies either. So now you have an adult or young adult dog, with an unknown history. And if you have the time, money, and ability to properly assess a dog's temperament/needs and accommodate accordingly, I will always encourage that! But you should always do so with the understanding that you may very likely encounter a learned behavior (usually something the pet developed out of self defense or survival) that you may not want.
Are you prepared to handle the reconditioning of that behavior? Do you have the knowledge and experience needed to fully understand the psychology behind different behaviors and how to change / influence them into a desired behavior? What if you get a dog with a lot of Rat Terrier in it, and it starts chasing your cat? What about a Border Collie mix that keeps herding your children? Or a German Shepherd mix that is aggressive towards visitors to your house? Every time you add another breed into the mix of a single dog, you open up the possibility of all the breed characteristic behaviors for that breed being passed down to them. Was your dogs breeds developed to be protectors? to be hunters? to love the water? to run for days on end? That is both genetics and learned survival behaviors that you are working against. Be prepared to both understand the root of these behaviors and how to accommodate or influence them, so you are not ripping your hair out in frustration.
Are you also prepared to handle any number of miscellaneous health concerns that pet has or may develop? How about Glaucoma (very common in breeds like cocker spaniels, many of the terrier breeds, Poodles, Beagles, Chow Chows and Bassett hounds)? Or Seizures (very common in breeds like Beagles, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Collies, Boxers, Cocker Spaniels, Collies, Dachshunds, Golden Retrievers, Labs, Poodles, Australian Shepherds, Huskies, Corgis, and Terriers)? How about more serious conditions that can occur seemingly at random and very suddenly , like Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (which some breeds are predisposed to, such as Cocker Spaniels, Poodles, Old English Sheepdogs, and Irish Setters)? For some reason people have been told this lie that mixed breed dogs are healthier than purebred dogs. But unfortunately that is not how genetics work. Every time you add in a new breed, you are opening up the possibility for any genetic issues of that breed being passed down to a puppy. The only way to avoid getting dogs that are predisposed to certain health concerns is to get a dog that has been thoroughly screened for all the know health concerns of their breed. This is costly, time consuming, and can often take a lot of research and planning for anyone producing litters and selling puppies.
My goal is to always be that person. I want to jump through every hoop and pay for all the relevant health tests available, so that I can do my best to help make the world population of dogs just a tiny bit healthier. Not just for you as an owner, but for the dogs.
Now if only more people would be as equally invested to the cause, we might be onto something!
"Well, there are plenty of purebred rescue dogs in the world. Why not just get one of those?" Well, because if you don't support ethically bred dogs, and you only want to get rescue purebreds, then chances are your actually just supporting those who breed unethically. Think about it. Ethically bred dogs don't often end up in shelters. Ethical breeders don't randomly produce litters of dogs for a quick buck. They don't just sell their dogs to anyone who has the money. Ethical breeders will screen their buyers, they carefully plan litters to produce dogs for a purpose, they provide lifetime support and a fallback home for every single dog they put out into the world. If we stop ethically breeding, I promise you the unethical breeders will not stop. And the problem will just continue... except then the option of getting a well bred dog will no longer be an option. Food for thought.
The last point I want to make for this topic is that breed preservation has value and reputable breeders are needed if you have any interest in maintaining breed types. Do you want a working line Dutch Shepherd or Malinois that is always on and ready to jump that 8 foot fence and chase someone 5 miles down the road and be ready for a fight when he gets there? No? Well the police do. Do you want a loving companion type dog that would be happy to drool on your couch all day while you are at work, and then snuggle in your lap in the evening while you eat dinner and watch TV in your apartment? I personally don't, but it's perfectly okay if you do! And then my breed is probably not for you. You would be much better finding a maybe Pug breeder. Do you want a farm dog that needs daily runs through the pasture and lots of mental stimulation? Who can keep up with your horse on rides and is always ready for the next adventure? Sign me up! But you probably don't want that Pug we just talked about. None of those dogs would easily fit into the other's role. You NEED people out there preserving breed types. So yes. Adopt if you can. Or do your research and find a reputable breeder who can provide you with a dog that is bred to seamlessly fit into your lifestyle. Either approach is perfectly valid.
