Beautiful Chaos

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Amore

Amelia is a beautiful, sweet Blue Merle bitch who is spending the summer with us. She is owned by Jessica Westleigh of Katahdin Australian Shepherds. She really is stunningly gorgeous, and Sky agrees with me. The two of them are attached at the hip. Where there is one, there is always the other. They even lay on the dog bed together and share ice cubes. I haven’t had the heart to tell Sky yet that she’s going to be leaving come October…

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Why I Love Dogs

(Note: click on picture to enlarge and get the full effect)

This is Sky. Sky was my first dog and the “one that started it all.”

I might as well say it now for anyone who is an “Aussie person.” Yes, Sky is a “mini.” Do I support the breeding of minis? No. Am I under the impression that the mini is a real breed? No.  I will be the first person to tell you that I was the poster child for how not to buy a dog when I got Sky, and made a bad choice on many levels. However, he’s my dog, and I was not going to abandon him when I entered the world of Aussies just because someone somewhere might look down on me or not place a show quality puppy with me because I owned him.

And now, stepping off the soapbox…

I choose this picture because it IS Sky. It is one of the first pictures I’ve ever looked at and thought, “Wow! That picture tells a story I could never put into words.” I’m sure there is plenty of technical this and that wrong with it, but I don’t care. It is my favorite picture I’ve ever taken. Somehow, I was able to capture my immense love for this dog and who he is with just a camera. It tells the story of how we’ve grown together over the years and where we have yet to go.

Sky is a sensitive soul. Don’t misunderstand; he is not calm. He is a firecraker. But he is gentle and kind and very in tune with my moods and feelings. He will do anything that is physically possible in order to make me happy. I am so lucky to have him, and I don’t think I would be as involved in dogs today if it weren’t for him in my life.

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What’s in a name?

My journey into the world of showing and breeding Australian Shepherds has been a long(ish) and interesting one thus far.

First, there was picking a breed. That was easy. I love Australian Shepherds and always will. Then there was picking a breeder. That was hard. Luckily, just as I was about to give up I stumbled across the absolute best person I could have met at this phase in my travels (Hi Jess!). I wouldn’t be even this far without her guidance and answers… and her dogs!

I think one of the hardest, most frustrating parts though has been choosing a kennel name. It doesn’t sound big and hairy and scary, but it is. This name will follow me around for the next, how ever many years I stay in the sport of dogs. And let’s face it, all the good ones are taken!

I had a name I liked from very early on, but there were some drawbacks. It was unique but hard to pronounce, and memorable but in a “I’d know it if I heard it” kind of a way. I tried to come up with others. In the end, they were either taken too or just didn’t “feel” like my name.

So, I’m going with the one I’ve loved from the moment I saw it. The one that made me smile when I said it out loud for the first time. The one I will be proud to hand out on business cards (because that’s going to be the only way people will remember it to look me up!). Without further ado, welcome to the world of dog….

Bona Dea Australian Shepherds

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