Rust Belt's Prophecy of Magic and Mythos
" Phoenix "
AKC Miniature American Shepherd / ASDR Miniature Australian Shepherd   (dual registered)

Phoenix is the perfect blend of a devoted, snuggly, companion, with the brains, structure, and athleticism of a top tier sports dog. Her demeanor in public or around strangers (humans or dogs alike) is reserved without being fearful, but once you are in her inner circle you will be showered with the sweetest love and affection. She took some time to mature and develop before her drive started to kick into high gear around 7 months, but now this girl is FAST in both speed and reaction time. She is a softer dog who listens intently to direction and is very handler focused, but is steady and confident in a variety of environments and activities. She loves disc games, and at one year old has earned several top 3 placings in novice games and is working towards her first UPs in several games. She has started working on herding with chickens, ducks, and sheep, and shows excellent promise. She has more natural "eye" than is typical of many Aussies and will even stalk at times, and she is incredibly fast in her reaction time, with a fast stop and good sense of her bubble and pressure points. In scentwork, she is incredibly accurate and very dedicated to odor, regularly working through higher level searches and sourcing advanced hides, quickly learning how to improve her independent problem solving skills. She has her AKC Novice trick title, is working towards her advanced title in AKC, and is completing her DMWYD Novice trick title. And last but not least, she loves to run in Fast Cat! Her personal best at her first ever run was 25.31 mph and she clearly has more in the tank to improve. At sporting events she is interested and engaged without being high arousal / overly excited or anxious. She has visited stores, garden centers, restaurants, and other public settings, and handles them like a charm. In spite of her generally quiet nature, she has the most happy bounce in her step and excitedly enters new spaces, eager to see what adventures are in store for her. She is a joy to work with and is so very eager to please. Her greatest reward is praise, but she has high food drive as well. She has medium prey and toy drive, but that increases with her understanding of the game you want her to play. She has a very thoughtful and calm energy, while still being attentive and eager.

Sports / Training:
Updated 03/03/25 - Currently just over a year old, Phoenix has started training in AKC Nosework / Scentwork (planning to debut in novice at the MASCUSA Nationals), is training for NADD dock diving, training in herding (has worked sheep, ducks, and chickens), has competed in UpDog Disc Events (earning several top 3 placings in novice games and working towards her first UPs in several games), Trick Titles (she has her AKC Novice trick title, is working towards her advanced title in AKC, and is completing her DMWYD Novice trick title), and has started in AKC FastCat (no surprise at her joy in this game, thanks to her incredible sires record). Her personal best at her first ever run was 25.31 mph and she clearly has more in the tank to improve. She is also a tried and true reliable farm dog, as well as an easy travel companion for horse shows, ranching events, and everyday life.

Basic Info:
Registration - Dual Registered! AKC Miniature American Shepherd & ASDR Miniature Australian Shepherd
Black Tricolor, Atypical Merle (Mc226/Mc247) - tested by UC Davis
(Note about color: to learn more about the fascinating and incredibly complex genetic science behind merle coloring, please follow this link to an educational FaceBook group, called the "🧬 Merle -SINE Insertion from Mc - Mh - Educational Forum", lead by industry specialists and geneticists who explain the science at great depth)
Weight - 26.5 lbs at 13 months old
Height - around 17" at 13 months old (not officially measured yet)
Full Dentition, Correct Bite
Full Tail (does not carry NBT)
Brown Eyes

Health Testing:
OFA Patellas - Normal 
(Phoenix is too young to be fully OFA certified, but she will be getting her elbows, hips, and eyes evaluated when she is of the appropriate age prior to breeding.)

DNA tested by Embark
Heterozygous or "Carrier" of MDR1 (mutant/normal)
Rest of Panel is clear
See her Embark results here.

Notes on Performance / Drive and Personality:
Onset of Drive - kicked into high gear around 7 months of age
Toy Drive - Medium
Food Drive - Medium/high
Prey Drive - Medium
Praise Drive - Medium/high
Herding Instinct / Drive - Good Drive / very thoughtful and calm energy, while still being attentive and eager
Behavior in new environment - Interested and alert, but relaxed. Watchful but confidant.
Off Switch - Settles nicely. Maintains stable behavior in public or at sporting events. Enjoys snuggles. Does not like being left out of training / games and will bark if left alone.
Crating Behavior - Sleeps through the night. Quiet and calm in crate at home and when traveling
Reaction to Unknown Children - Aloof. Friendly but reserved, without being fearful. Will sometimes offer to approach depending on environment
Reaction to Familiar Children - Loving and playful 
Reaction to Strangers in public - Aloof. Friendly but reserved, without being fearful. Will sometimes offer to approach depending on environment
Reaction to Strangers entering home - will alert bark / does not prefer to approach immediately
Reaction to Farm Animals - Interested but quiet
Reaction to Dogs - Aloof and reserved towards strange dogs but friendly and enjoys playing with non aggressive dogs she is familiar with.
Reaction to Aggressors - Fearful but recovers quickly
Car rides / travel - Quiet and relaxed. Can sleep on the passenger seat or rest comfortably in a crate.
Thunderstorm Anxiety - none
Fireworks Anxiety - none

Bloodline / Kennels of Note:
Latigos, Slash V, Starstuff, Patchworks, Alta Vista, Hangin' Tree, Las Rocosa, Pincie Creek, Twin Oaks, Valhalla

Pedigree:
Online Pedigree Database link can be found here.