If you've had a second to check out our website, you probably understand that "Must Love Dogs" is how we roll! We are dedicated dog lovers and it's been a life-long love affair!!! If you've read about our history, you're aware that we've been involved in the Australian Shepherd breed since the 1970's and our families have been involved with Aussies since the 1960's, but that's not the entire story... Having grown up with a dedicated blue merle named, "Freckles," I was blessed to know the Australian Shepherd breed from the get-go, BUT my Dad was a South Dakota farm boy who was TOTALLY into bird hunting, therefore, I also grew up with Labrador Retrievers. My Mom's family was the family dedicated to farming and ranching, and their passions were dedicated to the Australian Shepherds. I was blessed to grow up in a dog-loving family and to get to know both breeds. When I left home to pursue my own adult life, I decided to jump ship and enter into loving, breeding, training and showing a new breed separate from my family's chosen breeds. I chose Rottweilers! They had the beautiful black bi pattern I loved so much in the Aussie breed AND they looked like Labs on steroids! For a few years, I stayed involved with the Rottie breed and in my local AKC kennel club, but as time went by, I found it more and more difficult to obtain homeowner's insurance while owning a "protection" breed. When my kids were born, I decided to return to the family-friendly, dedicated breed I'd been raised with, the Australian Shepherd. My first "ALL MINE" Aussie was a WILD blue merle with very minimal white. He had a heavily blue/black-blotched coat (not a scientific term~ lol!) with intense copper! The only white he carried was on the very tip of his tippy toes and one tiny spot on his chest. He was Aussie GORGEOUS!!! His colors were brilliant! I obtained "Jasper" from an old rancher outside of Perkins, Oklahoma, and I was never so thankful to be back into the Aussie breed! After Jazz came into my life, I also obtained another Aussie named, Skye. As the saying goes, you can't have just one! Aussies are an addiction! As the years went by, I ended up getting back into the Aussie breed in earnest- breeding, training, showing and LOVING my dogs! I once again got involved in my local AKC kennel club and enjoyed my time with all the other dog enthusiasts. By that time, I was thoroughly hooked on my Aussies! I would never again venture outside the breed! After re-dedicating myself to my Aussies, I began a breeding program pursuing a specific look in my dogs. Though I loved ALL Aussies, conformationally, I LOVED the big, fluffy, showy dogs who filled the Conformation Ring. I loved their look and movement, BUT, there was still something missing and I couldn't find THE DOG that I wanted for the ring. The dog I wanted just didn't exist!!! It became a goal to create my own dream dog. Unfortunately, life got in the way of my Aussie goals! After a divorce, a move was necessary. I ended up only being able to keep one of my precious Aussies- my sweet Shiloh. She became my only dog, and as my Service Dog, she took care of me night and day saving my life over and over. She stayed by my side as I battled a life-long disease (Type 1 Diabetes) as well as cancer. My girl and I beat it together!!! I wasn't healthy enough at the time to get back into my Aussies full-time the way I had been before my illness, and I wasn't healthy enough yet to show, so, it remained just Shy N I for several years. At the end of every tunnel, there's a light!!! Through a very strange series of events, I ended up in Colorado here at "The Homestead" and in that journey, I landed someplace where I could begin again. It's tough starting from scratch on a goal you were pursuing 20-30 yrs ago and had to let go of, but here we are!!! I'm rebuilding my Aussie program from the ground up, enjoying the love and support of some amazing friends, and brick by brick, we're getting back to where we once were. We've got the advantage of building on breed programs we were involved with years ago, and we're getting closer and closer to that non-existent dream dog we were hoping to find way back in the day. It's good to be back, and I can't imagine ever again being without my amazing Aussies!!! The dogs we've loved in the past all the way to our present are bred from Hall of Fame and Hall of Fame Excellent Kennels, Las Rocosa, Southern Cross, Mistretta, Bayshore, McMatt, Millwin, Imagineer and Briarbrook, as well as the extraordinary show kennels of Bayouland and Northbay-Xsell. As Coloradans, we've been most dedicated to the bloodlines of Las Rocosa of Colorado- ASCA's #1 Hall of Fame Excellent kennel (HOFX). Excellence is what we're always aiming for and I'm SO thankful for second chances!!!
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