Had a GREAT first practice – I cannot recommend Deb from Dog Haven Dogs more than I do already!  I use her for all of my performance classes and because she owns an Aussie she understands how their minds work.

Her husband came up with a GREAT leash to use for Rally – it allows you to keep control of your dog without your hands and I think it will be a huge help. … Read the rest

I have been trying to practice with the Boys – they finally know how to sit (Jamie is going to love me for that.  Our class starts tomorrow and I am hoping that I am better prepared then I when when Bummy and I went in! … Read the rest

Took the boys to a herding clinic and had a blast. They are both ready for an Instinct test and probably starter level sheep. Took some pictures of them – hope you enjoy!… Read the rest

Memphis is coming home from Jamie’s and as a present to me he went Winner’s Dog/Best of Winners.  He is coming home since he will be out of 12-18 in a few weeks and just not mature enough for Open Blue Merle. … Read the rest

Nationals was a BLAST!  Met some really great people and saw a lot of wonderful dogs.  My crew did really well.  Stinger made the finals of 12-18 and was a crowd favorite!  It was so great seeing people who knew the breed cheer for my Reddog! … Read the rest

As I will be at the 2013 USASA (United States Australian Shepherd Association) Nationals I will be updating my USASA Blog versus this Blog.  My dogs are showing most days:

• Monday – Memphis and Stinger
• Tuesday – Memphis
• Wednesday – Memphis, Stinger and Bummy
• Friday – Bummy

I hope you follow along with our journey!… Read the rest

Not that I was worried but it is sure nice to see your entries come through!  I had planned to do agility and herding but my entries did not get in on time and honestly I am a bit relieved!  We are going to be having so much to do just in conformation I don’t think there is any way I could have squeezed more in.… Read the rest

My parent’s Border Terrier finished his championship yesterday!  So proud of him and his handler Cassie Noe – now he is not just Ozzie but CH Otley’s Blue River Bandit!  Cassie and Ozzie took only four weekends to finish!  Now they start work on his Grand Championship.… Read the rest

I find it hard to believe but we are less than two weeks away from Nationals.  I have so much to get done and so little time to get it all together.  In the end I decided less is more and did not enter agility or Instinct Testing. … Read the rest

I am not a huge fan of Win Photos, most of the photographers are so lazy even with digital that they don’t even check to make sure the photos are even lighted right, or the dog is standing correctly, or the lighting is good, or the color is correct. … Read the rest

I rarely talk about our dog Sam.  Not because he is not important to us, far from it, it is just he is part of the core family and I tend to be private about family and family things.  Yes I talk all the time about Bummy and the Tinks but they are out in the public so I tend to focus on them.… Read the rest

Both myself and my friend Angelica seem to have the worst luck when it comes to win photos – usually they suck.  Today I was totally freaked out when I actually got a GOOD ONE.  Seriously should you ever be excited that a photographer did their job??? … Read the rest

One of the strange things in dogs shows is people enter shows but don’t show up.  It happens.  But we have a few people here that do it A LOT – like to the tune of hundreds of dollars.  In a mix up by the entry service all three of my dogs were entered everyday. … Read the rest

I have not seen the Boys in over a month which is HORRIBLE.  One, I love those two little beasts.  Two, the Feline Mafia now thinks the coast is clear and is re-taking the house.  Three, well I miss the babies!… Read the rest

The major did not hold yesterday in Louisville so Stinger did not show.  Today it held and Stinger was Winner’s Dog and Best of Winners for his first major!  This is his final in ring appearance before Nationals and we could not have planned it better!… Read the rest

Jamie and Stinger kept up their winning ways, winning both days and adding another two points to their total.  Stinger is THIS CLOSE to needing only majors.  For those of you new to dog shows a dog needs 15 points to become and AKC Champion. … Read the rest

Congratulations to Bumble Bee Baylis-Strait – she ended 2012 as the #6 Australian Shepherd in Rally Novice A!  When I bought Bummy I promised Frank that I would put a performance title on her and this checked that box.

Aussies are smart and need to have a reason for doing something. … Read the rest

Stinger won again!  So happy for my sweet little RedDog and Jamie Clute – the best handler out there!  Yeah Yeah Yeah!… Read the rest

I just got a text from Jamie, Stinger and Jamie won Winner’s Dog today in Chicago.  So proud of my little RedDog and as usual Jamie Clute is the BEST.  It is so nice to know my dog is out having fun and loving the attention. … Read the rest

Just got word Stinger was Winner’s Dog and Best of Winners at the Chicago Cluster!  It is a small but mighty show – the Specials line up is just spectacular from the photos I am seeing.  I don’t have the numbers, Onofrio shows it as two points but I will know in a few days.… Read the rest

I went down to the dog show to drop off the Tinkies off.  It is bittersweet because I am excited that they are getting ready for Nationals and can go out on the road with Jamie and Katie.  But gosh I really am already missing them and I barely have left them off.… Read the rest

So here are all of the photos I took on my trip to the Garden.  My impressions?  First impression it is the most intense show I have been to – dog show, horse show, any show.  You can feel the intensity and the stress the minute you walk in to the building.… Read the rest

The regular blog will be on hiatus until after Westminster.  Please feel free to read my Live Blog which will have all the sights and sounds of New York City.

http://calabroneaustralianshepherds.com/westminster-kennel-club/

 … Read the rest

Day two of the Charleston Kennel Club show and the Aussies were bright and early.  Today was Stingers turn in the ring, like Memphis he had not been in the ring for months so the goal was to shake off some ring rust since we were down at the show anyway.… Read the rest

We went to the Charleston Kennel Club so Memphis and I could participate in the Match they had.  He is entered in the USASA Futurity and only owners can show in it.  My co-owner Frank is not sure he will be there so I have to be ready to show Memphis.… Read the rest

Just got the alert from InfoDog that Sugar was Reserve Winners Bitch today.  Another great show for a young girl at the start of her career.  Congrats to Sugar and then rest of Team Sugar!… Read the rest

The jolt of the Agility Premium for USASA Nationals reminded me that I really need to start agility back up.  After breaking my foot I had to take a break but looking at the schedule Bummy and I are going to compete in FAST and Standard in the Australian Shepherd only section.… Read the rest

You have heard the phrase a watched pot never boils right?  Well Australian Shepherds are a slow maturing breed and my dog’s come from slow maturing lines.  So you see the potential but you have to be patient.

Our first born puppy I have always called a Classic Overachiever. … Read the rest

You cannot legislate morality and stupidity is not a crime.  I don’t understand how people can indiscriminately breed cats and dogs or on the other side dump them.  I was on Facebook and saw some incredibly sad statistics on the amount of animals euthanized locally.… Read the rest

One of the first people I met in Australian Shepherds was Connie Lewis.  She sent me a message and let me know she had Bummy’s half sister Daisy.  they were born within a  few weeks of each other, Daisy was spayed as she had a small spot of white that would disqualify her from conformation but she was beautiful.… Read the rest

So I bought a bathtub to wash the dogs.  Keeping their coats clean and healthy and their weight good is my job during the down time between shows.  I wanted to get away from using a regular bathtub because it kills my back. … Read the rest

I bought myself a post-Christmas present and bought the dogs a real dog tub.  Right now I straddle  the bathroom toilet and lean down over the tub and scoop water onto the dogs.  I usually get more water on ME than on them.… Read the rest

After a whopping two weekends off, the 2013 show season begins!  Bummy and the Tinks are staying home for a while.  I don’t think the boys will leave on the road for a bit and Bummy’s schedule is up in the air.… Read the rest

So I decided to put my goals in writing for 2013

1. Continue herding with the boys, get them both Instinct Tested.
2. Start Rally and Agility with the boys, compete in Rally at least.
3. Complete Bummy’s AKC Grand Champion title.
4. Meet at least three breeders at Nationals I have never spoken to before.

… Read the rest

Remember how I said Christmas puppies are bad news?  Well on Facebook I saw my first Christmas puppy that was dumped as being too much work.

I love Aussies but they are NOT for everyone.  People always talk about how active Aussies are and yes they are but I find at least with mine it is the MENTAL activity they crave versus physical. … Read the rest

We ended up having to do another photo shoot for the Sting Man as none of the pictures turned out as we wanted.  You just never know how things are going to turn out so we went back and got some new shots and this is the end results.… Read the rest

I am going to Westminster to write for the Australian Shepherd and so I decided that if I am going there I would like to try some live blogging.  I thought it would be fun to use Social Media and try and bring the show to those who are at home.… Read the rest

Finished Memphis’ ad for the March/April Australian Shepherd Journal.  It is funny I had the entire ad laid out and just needed the photo and when I got the photo I realized that the photo did not work with the ad so I scrapped it and re-did it. … Read the rest

I got my first inquiry about a tailed Aussie puppy.  Up until now I have never been asked so I have not really come up with a policy on tails.  Today I did.

First the Australian Shepherds breed standard (both AKC and ASCA) require a docked tail, not an optional tail docking but a docked tail. … Read the rest

I think I have helped place 20-30 puppies this year.  And the best part is meeting some really super cool people.  It is always nice to meet new people who love the breed.   Some the people keep in contact with me and I watch their new buddy grow and some I never hear from. … Read the rest

I write for the Australian Shepherd Journal and am a member of the AKC Australian Shepherd parent club USASA (I also am a member of ASCA but do not write for them).  Because of this I made a pledge to support the magazine with advertising every edition.… Read the rest

The Boys had an excellent Christmas!  They got a six foot squeaker snake, a squeaky alligator and antlers!  They were very good and did not break any presents or tear down the tree.  We may even get to start putting our real bulbs on (did not trust them this year.… Read the rest

I took Memphis and Bumble Bee herding this weekend.  Stinger stayed home as he is probably heading out with Jamie soon and I could only handle two dogs.  Memphis is really getting good – Stinger is a good drover dog, he loves to drive sheep. … Read the rest

Went up to the Winston  Salem show today to take the boys to the CERF clinic. This is an examination done by a canine ophthalmologist to look for eye disease on dogs.  Dogs should be examined yearly.

these clinics are significantly cheaper, locally an exam costs me almost $100 so the $35 per dog was worth the drive!… Read the rest

I had planned to get Bummy back in to agility this week but I hurt my leg yesterday (did not mention it because I was too excited about the Tinks)  I am a klutz and I was working Stinger and was walking between two sheep and hit an unearthed root.… Read the rest

We drove up to Findley Vue Farm in Burlington to play with the boys.  It is a lovely place with sheep and ducks and the Tinks were both really excited!  We had planned to bring Bumble Bee too but at the last minute decided it was going to be too much to get all three dogs up.… Read the rest

Okay not my Memphis but his namesake!  My favorite play (and winner of four Tony awards including BEST musical) just officially signed with Warner Brothers to be adapted to the big screen.  I personally think that Huey Calhoun needs to have a faithful sidekick…perhaps a blue merle with devilish good looks and charm and gorgeous baby blues. … Read the rest

I got the Boys’ ASCA papers in the mail!  I feel like all I have done is request, assemble, submit various pieces of paper!  I had to get Bummy registered in ASCA and since her parents were not ASCA registered I had to do foreign registration. … Read the rest

There is nothing prettier than the Carolina’s in the fall so I snuck out of work early (not hard since I usually work from home) and went out and played with the dogs.  I even enticed Sam to come out and soak up some sun!… Read the rest

It is amazing how strange it is to have all of the dogs home at the same time.  When the boys were home before they slept downstairs in their crates.  Now when we have only had one at a time, we let them sleep upstairs in a crate (no way no how of sleeping on the bed! … Read the rest

I just signed the three Aussies up to have their Herding Instinct Tests done!  I am really excited to see if they like herding.  I am thinking both of the boys will show interest.  Bummy…not as sure mostly because she grew up being told NOT to chase livestock.… Read the rest

The war of words on Facebook has not let up.  The Petco Foundation posted something that came from my friends the I HATE DOG BREEDERS page.  Many breeders became upset for understandable reasons and yet another firestorm let loose.

On one side you have animal rescue folks who say every dog bought by a breeder kills a shelter dog. … Read the rest

I am not one to actually dress up the dogs.  Okay yes Bumble Bee DOES have a bumble bee costume but that’s different!  When I got back from Atlanta both of the Boys’ costume had gotten here from my favorite thing…AMAZON PRIME!… Read the rest

We went to the Atlanta dog show this weekend to pick up Memphis.  He was out on a 30 day Boot Camp tour with Jamie and Jaki Clute.  He needed to get out on the road and get a bit of experience. … Read the rest

I swear I had no idea these existed until someone asked me to “Like” it .  Wow I was amazed to find out how stupid and evil I am.  I found out that I made oodles of money on my litter (ha ha ha) and I don’t care about my puppies or who owns them.… Read the rest

Most everyone on Facebook remembers the story of Quince (ASCA/AKC GCH Copperridge’s Quincy Jones) who escaped from his yard and was found through the hard work of his family and friends.  I wrote an article on it for the Australian Shepherd Journal and received permission to post it on my website.… Read the rest

Lordy it wasa a busy weekend!  We had to power wash the house, change out the garbage disposal and a bunch of other things.  Bummy and Stinger *helped* us which means that it took 5 times as long.

When I was in Virginia a few weeks ago I spoke with Frank about breeding Bumble Bee again. … Read the rest

I have been known to finish Christmas shopping in August and no that is not a typo.  It is also true that my husband is incredibly hard to shop for – the dude has everything.

So this year I decided to surprise him with converting a picture of his favorite red dog into art. … Read the rest

I have noticed that the public definitely biased towards a merle.  We will go places and It is always Bumble Bee and Memphis that get the attention and poor Stinger gets ignored.  So I decided to do a test albeit unscientific to see how true it is.… Read the rest

So the website is back up and I have tried to get everything updated.  The only thing I lost were all of my draft posts that I have been too lazy to post so I lost about a month of data which is HIGHLY irritating. … Read the rest

Our website was hacked by some assclown so I spent an entire day putting up a new one.  One of the great things about using WordPress is that we were able to save most of our content including most of my blog posts. … Read the rest

We had our second agility class tonight and I have to say it is my favorite class hands down.  Memphis LOVES agility and has no fear at all.  Tonight we learned the dog walk, the tire jump and did the weave poles with expens around them as guides.… Read the rest

I am taking Stinger back to the Clutes next week.  He is going to be showing in a few weeks and it is kind of exciting.  I have been on edge with Sugar and Michelle showing I think I will probably be losing my mind when he hits the ring.… Read the rest

We took the Boys to the park to get their pictures taken.  We started with Memphis and by the time we got done it was HOT (we have been in a record heatwave) and the normally happy go lucky Stinger had no interest in complying. … Read the rest

Well we had our first agility class, it was actually the second class for the rest of them so we got there early to practice a few of the obstacles that the rest of the class.  Memphis was absolutely fearless.  He jumped straight (poles on the ground – not going to hurt his hips thank you!) and already had the correct footwork for the weave poles. … Read the rest

We went and picked up The Tinks!  I think we were more excited then they were – not that it makes me sad I love that they are happy at the Clutes.  All of the other animals were actually happy to see them which was surprising.… Read the rest

Skipping a few days to do a complete dive report.  We dove Monday and today (Wednesday) which is the good news.  The bad news is after our first dive the housing broke on our camera and so no more pictures BOO. … Read the rest

We were SO EXCITED to go to our favorite restaurant The Spice Mill.  It is right on the beach and looks right onto Nevis (the sister island to St Kitts).  Our taxi driver was a wonderful lady named Queenie and she shared some great stories on the 20 minute drive.… Read the rest

Today we went on a hike in the rainforest.  It was coordinated through Thenford but David from another tour company was our guide.  I have to say that the hike was gorgeous and full of amazing trees and waterfalls.  We are told the ziplines have dried up most of the hike trade. … Read the rest

This week the blog is going to be less dog and more vacation so be forewarned!  We own an every other year timeshare through Marriott on the island of St Kitts.  We absolutely LOVE this place – we bought it really as a trader but decided to try it out. … Read the rest

Just got back from our AKC Canine Good Citizen test and Bummy has officially PASSED!  I am so proud of her especially since most of the time people actually go to CLASS for this and we made the decision on doing the test on Thursday.… Read the rest

It has been CRAZY here and so this Blog is the last week or so in a nutshell.

Sugar News:

Sugar showed four days at Kalamazoo and did GREAT.  Her Mommy learned the sad truth that puppies are ignored for the most part. … Read the rest

I am trying to work on Twitter and honestly I still do not get it but I am trying.  I have a Twitter search for the term Australian Shepherd and everyday I go through it to what is being said and any question. … Read the rest

Agility was cancelled tonight – I was really bummed by it.  We really need time to practice weave poles and we missed out.  Hopefully next week!  Hard to complain we really need the rain.

The Boys begged for a long walk so we took them around the neighborhood. … Read the rest

I finalized the deal to send Stinger and Memphis to camp – they are leaving the week after Memorial Day to go to Jaime and Jaki Clute.  While I am excited I am also sad to think that the boys will be gone for a month.… Read the rest

I have had a bunch of people call about puppies in the last few days.  I actually enjoy talking to people.  Some have really educated themselves and some are open to education.  I love to see people who want to really make sure that their family member is the right fit. … Read the rest

With the whole Daimond Pet Food recall I have had to rethink my food choices.  The puppies are on and are thriving on AvoDerm puppy and it is not part of the recall thankfully but the two older dogs are – they ate Taste of The Wild. … Read the rest

I had planned to compete again today but on the way home yesterday my car started acting up.  Understand this is a two year old car that I have NEVER had an issue with it before and interestingly I took it in late yesterday afternoon to have an oil change – coincidence?… Read the rest

Well the title says it all – we made it!  All in all it was a ton of fun and a lot of learning at the same time.  We got down just in time to get our arm band and then to find out it was time to walk the FAST course. … Read the rest

Tonight was pretty relaxing, tomorrow Bummy and I head off to our first real agility competition.  I am not expecting anything from her – we are not competitive yet.  I do want to see how she reacts though.  We did a quick practice through the weaves. … Read the rest

Bummy and I had planned to go to agility tonight instead of our regular Thursday class but the rain decided to come and wipe out class.  We are scheduled to show this weekend and really needed to have class – mostly because we entered an event called FAST and I don’t have a clue what that means LOL.… Read the rest

The boys will be leaving for camp in a few weeks to learn what it is like to be a show dog.  I am not too worried about getting them in the show ring.  When they are ready they will be ready. … Read the rest

Let’s just remember what our sweet dear little merle has cost me…C-section, Dollar bill oh and now potentially a laptop.  Oh yes Memphis chewed the power cord to my Mac powerbook.  Let’s just double his bill if it dies.

Right now it is on life support, the power surge knocked the date back to December 31, 2000 and now everything is not working correctly. … Read the rest

So we drove up to beautiful Yadkinville, NC which is about an hour from us.  Our friend Leanne Zaras came along for the ride, she owns our Aussie friend Denali who is in our class.

First up was the official measuring – any agility dog has to be measured to determine what class they are in.  … Read the rest

It really is amazing that Michelle had never been to a show until three months ago.  She and Sugar have been working so hard, taking handling classes and working to make themselves a team.

This weekend they attended an ASCA show in preparation for their AKC debut in a few weeks.  … Read the rest

Bummy and I went to Petco today to buy a can of food for the Boys.  I ordered a case of food but it is not coming in until tomorrow so I needed a can to tide us over.  So Bummy trotted next to me and helped pick out a can for the Boys and a pound or two of treats for her.… Read the rest

Bummy and I have been working hard on our Rally.  Her first class was a dismal disaster she was totally uninterested in doing anything.  Well today she really surprised me – she really did well.  In fact she did everything including a baby novice rally course. … Read the rest

Today was graduation day for the boys from Puppy Kindergarten and they did wonderful.  Not only did they have a great time they are proud graduates of the AKC STAR program.  The AKC STAR program is designed for helping puppies and their owners get off to a great start.… Read the rest

I have mentioned her numerous times but Cousin Olive aka Bayshore’s Martini With An Olive had her second ever show this week and got fourth.  Does not sound that exciting but it was.

Did I mention there were TWENTY NINE in her class oh and then it was 9=12 month bitches at a little show called USASA Nationals!!!!… Read the rest

Bummy had a great agility class today – she really is kicking it into high gear.  Since we are close to running our first trial we actually started counting penalties and on the three runs we did we never received more than 15 penalty points (the most you can get with a qualifying score is 15 penalty points in Novice) so that is the great news the not so great news is that she went backwards on weave poles. … Read the rest

We had a GREAT practice on poles today – and the two boys “helped” which added to the difficulty.  I used food and man did Bummy get happy – I almost immediately had to stop with it because she started jumping on me again. … Read the rest

Today was our first rally class.  I was so excited because Rally looks so fun to me!  It also does not have that much difficulty so the hope was high that Bummy would take to it quickly and we could start competing soon.… Read the rest

…never take time off of work if you are going to embezzle.  Okay yes I know that’s random but I will get to it. I promise.

So the horse world made the news, and funny enough it made the internal news for my division since we work with governmental banking. … Read the rest

Everyone knows that our big issue is weaves – well today Bummy finally decided that she would do them in class.  Okay they are still not great BUT she did them and that is a relief!  She also is really settling down and doing the courses of course now I need to step it up and get with it. … Read the rest

Sugar aka Bayshore’s Sugar Bee is entered in her very first show!  She is going to a five day cluster in Michigan over Memorial Day weekend.  Sugar and her Mommy Michelle have been working for weeks with handling classes and look GREAT. … Read the rest

We just got home from our trip up to New York City.  My uncle lives there and we seem to go up to see him at least once a year.  I also go up there for work a bit and we all just love it. … Read the rest

Most of you know my biggest pet peeve is when people comment, “oh that is just a pet puppy” or “I just want a pet puppy.”  To me it is like a pet puppy is inferior to a show puppy and a disservice to the puppy, the breeder and the parents. … Read the rest

The puppies had a jam packed day today.  We got up early on Easter morning and drove down to Piedmont Kennel Club to watch the Australian Shepherds show.  I of course brought my camera and snapped a few photos as we went.… Read the rest

We took the boys to puppy class and it was really great.  Memphis was used as the demo dog for walking properly on a leash.  Considering he is usually pulling like a sled dog I was very impressed.  We are going to start agility in a few weeks with him.… Read the rest

As most people who have red dogs I have been struggling to keep his coat looking well RED.  It is hard to tell a puppy sorry you can only go outside late in the day or early in the morning.  Stinger wants to play.… Read the rest

Well boo!  Agility was rained out tonight which bummed out Bumble Bee – she LOVES going to agility.  It did give me time to re-glue ears.  Memphis has a wonky ear and when you have two puppies that love to brawl ears come unglued (or yanked loose – take your pick).… Read the rest

At a recent show I saw a perfect example of someone bringing a dog to a show that had never been out and about.  The poor thing was terrified and shaking – so bad that it ended up getting dismissed.  I also see examples when people make excuses for their pets, they don’t like this or that.… Read the rest

I like to kid Memphis that he owes me an extra $1428 for the emergency C-Section that saved his life.  If you do not know the story, Bummy was whelping like a champ to the point I remarked that my fear was so unfounded.… Read the rest

We skipped the show today – I had errands to run and I needed to scrape the glue off of Memphis’ ears so I could reapply it.  When Australian Shepherds are in the teething stage their ears go all over the place. … Read the rest

Back to the Concord dog show we go!  This time my husband came to assist with the two beasties.  The boys took the show in stride – they knew the lay of the land and were acting like this was normal. … Read the rest

I took Stinger and Memphis to the AKC show cluster in Concord, NC this week.  A bunch of our friends were showing which was nice.  In the morning we met up with my friend Jenn and the Boys hung out with Cousins Olive and Jax. … Read the rest

Had class tonight and Bummy was on FIRE – her usual problem is that after an obstacle she comes back to me to celebrate.  Herding dogs are weird, some bark (a LOT) some try to herd you…Bummy circles and comes back to me to show me how much FUN she is having.… Read the rest

I was talking to someone who has three dogs and she told me that she had bought one from a “reputable” breeder, one she rescued and one was a BYB from the paper.  The one in the paper was the healthiest and she now recommends this.… Read the rest

I just found out my local pet food store is going out of business.  We got a *big box* pet supply store in a few years ago and I guess it was downhill from there.  I tried to frequent it as much as possible to help keep it alive but in the last year or so I noticed that they were having some issues.… Read the rest

A friend of mine is like me – she has a upper end hobby/low grade professional camera.  She LOVES to snap photos and recently went to a show and took some seriously great pictures of the dogs that were showing.

She posted them on Facebook and was amazed as people started sharing and friending her and commenting and so forth. … Read the rest

Sometimes to me the world is not made of black and white but a big ole gray area too.  I usually am not too fond of wishy washy and believe you should take a stand but sometimes I am not sure WHAT is the right answer or even if there is a correct answer.… Read the rest

Bummy and I had agility and she was really REALLY good.  She actually is catching up to our classmates and has flashes that make her look like an agility dog.  Of course then a few obstacles later she is back to a bouncing tigger! … Read the rest

I try not to talk too much hear about photography but this is about photographing Stinger and Memphis so it kind of fits.  Behind our house is a large farm – the land has been purchased by our town to make into a park but for the moment it is still being farmed.… Read the rest

Rant of the Day.

I was looking at the feeding guidelines for the food I am feeding the puppies and based on what they suggest my puppies should be starving.  I feed almost exactly 1/4 of their suggested amounts.  I figured out the calories and Stinger and Memphis are getting about 1200-1300 calories which is right where they should be yet *the bag* says I am starving them.… Read the rest

After mocking my husband and son for their allergies karma came and bit me – I have a raging sinus headache.  Add to that Stinger and Memphis got loose and were running down our street right when people start coming home. … Read the rest

My parents took my niece and nephew to the local ASCA show today and the best part was Lola got to meet Quinn, Cooper and Sheldon.  Who are Quinn, Cooper and Sheldon you ask?  They are also Lance puppies – owned by Cassie Noe. … Read the rest

Puppies had Puppy Class with the boys – it is pretty much an entire herding class – with Shelties, a pit bull mix and four Polish Lowland Sheepdogs.  I have never seen a Polish Lowland Sheepdog before they seem like a cross from a Lhasa Apso and an Old English Sheepdog.… Read the rest

Bummy and I had agility class and she did really well.  We only got two runs in because it was raining but she actually did three obstacles before coming back to tell me how good she was doing.

She is not the best agility dog but she LOVES it the most – she literally explodes with joy when she is on the course and of course in between she makes the rounds between David (Susie the Border Collie’s dad) and Doug (Denali’s daddy) sucking up for scratches and food.… Read the rest

We closed on our new lot today – so excited!  While I love my house we bought it BEFORE the dogs.  Like the bright idea to have a backyard that is mostly natural area (see Carolina RED CLAY) and a total open concept downstairs (not easy to corral puppies).… Read the rest

I took Stinger to handling class tonight, I am trying to split him and Memphis up so I do things separate with both of them.  Usually every night I practice a few minutes of stacking on them both.  They know WHOA which means do not move but for the most part I let them be puppies.… Read the rest

This has been a tough week, the whole Crufts thing really is frustrating and then on a local level I found out that yet another breeder says one thing and does another.  It is so hard when you try and do things right and people decide to take the easy way.… Read the rest

So most everyone in the dog world knows that five dogs deemed worthy by their assigned Judge lost their Crufts titles and were refused entrance to their respective group judging because a Veterinarian determined they were unhealthy.  Fifteen breeds were singled out to be given this “honor.”

This was done as a defense move due to a sensationalized expose’ done showing irresponsible dog breeders using unethical means in their breeding programs. … Read the rest

The boys had their final set of shots today and are finally legal to go anywhere – yippee.  They were really good at the vet, Stinger’s permanent teeth are coming in and Memphis is not much behind.

They are big brutes too – Stinger is 28.6 pounds and Memphis is 26.5 both are in excellent health and got a clean bit of health and while I love my vet the 30 miles each way drive will NOT be missed!… Read the rest

Second night of class and it went well.  I need to be more patient with Bummy.  What I am asking from her is really unfair.  Six months off, four class levels above where we left off AND we practice on Excellent courses.… Read the rest

AKC online makes it look so easy and it is if you do a natural cover and own the male and female dogs but when you do chilled semen you need sign off from half the population of the United States and a monk in Tibet. … Read the rest

Sugar is off on her new adventure in Indiana!!!  Her parents picked her up a few weeks ago and it was amazing how they clicked.  Michelle walked into the house and Sugar literally walked up to her with a look like “FINALLY YOU ARE HERE” and when they left she never looked back.… Read the rest

We have been on hold for agility during Bummy’s maternity leave and I have been anxious to get back in.  Our agility trainer said that we could join back with our old classmates which is a bit daunting because they have not been off birthing puppies!… Read the rest

Lola is now in her new home in Colorado!  She has two pet human kids of her own and a new friend Daisy the Golden Retriever.  She is doing wonderfully out in the snow in fact she loves it so much they have to go and GET her.… Read the rest

Today was the day that the puppies got their first taste of the outside.  My friend Jenn came over to assist us and we strategically placed ourselves around and then the puppies were loose!  They did great, they ran and played with each other, with Bummy, with Sam, with themselves. … Read the rest

I have just received Lola(Honey Bee)’s flight confirmations to her new home in Colorado.  While her new family is thrilled I am having panic attacks – this is the emotionally draining part of dog breeding.  Watching the babies you brought into the world leave.… Read the rest

We had our official six week check up today and everyone passed with flying colors!  They also received their first shots and got micro chipped.  The funny part is a litter of Labradoodles was in before us and I am told cried for shots and chips – my puppies did not utter a peep. … Read the rest

After being badgered by friends and family a new video of the puppies is UP!  We took the video over the course of the New Year’s weekend so the puppies are 5 1/2 weeks old.  As part of the video we introduced the *official* puppy names. … Read the rest

Wow time is flying by – I can hardly believe the tinkle monsters are almost six weeks old!  They had a wonderful Christmas and got too many toys for themselves and then promptly stole all of the Cat Mafia’s toys!  They are torturing poor old Sam – they all love him and want to climb on him. … Read the rest

Wow the puppies are growing so fast..I call them the Tinkle Monsters because I am forever cleaning up pee.  They are doing very well potty training – They do not go potty on their beds and are relatively good on aiming.… Read the rest

My friend Jaime came over to play with the puppies and we took some more pictures and had a great time.  If you are interested I have loaded more videos of the cutest Australian Shepherds around.

I will also be adding some other pictures too. … Read the rest

I made a video of the puppies to celebrate three weeks on the planet the song in the background is “A Long Road” by David Bryan who is the keyboardist for Bon Jovi and the co-creator of the Tony winning play Memphis. … Read the rest

With the puppies I keep odd hours, Bummy goes out in the middle of the night (like now) and then it takes a while for me to go to sleep.  I pulled up Facebook and saw that some asshats stole pictures from Sharon Fontanini’s dogs – Beyonce’ and Sid. … Read the rest

We pulled the whelping box out of the puppy area – it was too big AND too small at the same time.  Too big to start showing the puppies where to potty yet too small for Bummy to stretch out with them.… Read the rest

One of the best parts f the whole puppy experience are the super cool people I have met.  Lots of really nice and enthusiastic people have contacted me about the puppies and AUssies in general and it has been wonderful.

It is so nice to see people wanting to learn more about this wonderful breed. … Read the rest

Another milestone for the puppies!  It was an eventful day as they had their first food (organic goats milk and organic rice cereal) and also were wormed!  I think they liked the food a lot more than the worming although since I give them probiotics daily they are used to getting stuff in their mouths.… Read the rest

I think you may realize I love the puppies.  Well Ms Bee is in a snit about it and wants to make sure I know who is boss in these.  When they were sleeping blobs she had no issue with me playing with them but now that they are starting to be fun….not so much.… Read the rest

The puppies are getting really big now – Honey Bee growled at Queenie and it made me laugh.  I see them everyday so it is hard to tell how they are growing so luckily for me Jenn and Jason decided to come over.… Read the rest

So today Bummy was in a funk.  She is usually my shadow and since the puppies she has not been able to go with me everywhere.  So this morning she was mopey…ears down and giving me the sad look as I bundled Sean up and out of the house to get to school.… Read the rest

They were so darned cute tonight that I had to take a short video of them.  It was so cute Blue and Honey were really happy to see me!  They both have their eyes open the most so they tend to be more demonstrative. … Read the rest

Today marks another milestone!  I sang happy birthday to them this morning while Bummy looked on at me like I was insane.  They are getting so big now and are about 90% walking although their eyes are still not open BUT look like they will be soon.… Read the rest

I scheduled the Puppies’ checkup/worming for later this week as well as their eye appointment for January.  I wanted to make sure I have everything scheduled for them so I don’t have to scramble at the last minute.

They are starting to open their eyes a bit and are starting to walk – Blue especially is up on all fours and really motoring. … Read the rest

I had this great idea for our Christmas Cards this year – it was the kids all asleep on a white blanket and the words “The Children were nestled all snug in their bed, while visions of Westminster danced in their heads.”  Cute huh?… Read the rest

Between 7-11 days puppies should double their weight.  I did not weigh anyone in the last couple of days since I could see visually they were growing.  Red, Honey and Queen were all 12 ounces ate birth – today they were all at or around 24 ounces!  … Read the rest

Well we made it to the all important one week mark – the first week is always critical in the development of puppies and our Fab Four did great!  They are eating up a storm and still very active!  If you notice on the Puppy Portfolio I added a new picture of them to mark the occassion.… Read the rest

We are finally in a rhythm with the puppies.  Since Bummy had a C-section we were advised to watch her around the clock for the first 3 days so Steve and I set up a chair outside the whelping area to watch them. … Read the rest

They are getting really fast!  I have not weighed them yet today but no one lost anything yesterday and most gained!  Bummy is such a great Mommy.  Her incision looks good, no temperature for her either.

Steve let me sleep for almost eight hours which was WONDERFUL. … Read the rest

This morning we were bless with four absolutely gorgeous puppies.  A blue merle girl, a blue merle boy, a red tri boy and a black tri girl.  We are incredibly pleased with the litter quality they are beautiful, structurally correct and huge – each one weigh almost a pound each!… Read the rest

We had been told to expect at least seven puppies so imagine my surprise when the x-ray showed FIVE.  They all look fabulous the word my vet used was robust.  It was a bit of a shock but as long as they are healthy that is all we want!… Read the rest