I've had a love affair going with Australian Shepherds since I saw my first one many, many years ago at the barn where I bought and boarded my first horse, Albert. The barn always maintained an intimidating dog to keep intruders at bay during the nighttime hours when no human was around. Over the years, there were a couple GSDs, a Dobe, a *massive* black lab, and finally Mister, a large and very handsome blue merle Aussie. Typical of the breed, Mister was devoted to his owner ... and *only* to his owner. He took the concept of "Aussie reserve" to the extreme, probably because he was kept chained virtually all the time. Mister, for all his handsome glory, was a dangerous dog. He was a biter and an extremely intelligent dog, fully capable of figuring out how to attack even on his short chain. But he was a heck of a guard dog. I respected Mister for his devotion to his job, even if he did scare the bejeebers out of me. I was intoxicated by his beauty and mesmerized by the depth of intellect in his eyes, but I ached for his miserable life. Perhaps mercifully, he slipped his collar one day and was hit by a car and killed.
I briefly encountered a couple other Aussies over the next few years; they were a popular breed among horse owners in the Chicago area where I grew up. Each Aussie I met was startlingly beautiful and had those absorbing eyes, and each was solely devoted to his/her human. Though they always demonstrated typical "Aussie reserve" with strangers, none exhibited Mister's aggressive tendencies. Everything about the breed appealed to me, but our family's canine members were always strays, and n'ere an Aussie strayed into my path. :-(
Years later when I was newly married, I finally acquired my first Aussie. She was the pure white runt of the litter at the barn where I boarded Albert in MO. I fell in love with her immediately and wanted desperately to bring her home, but we were living in a ratty rental house in the middle of town with two large dogs already, so it just didn't seem feasible. I was heartbroken when she was sold to another gal.
Within a few weeks, Poppy was returned to the breeder when her new owner realized she was profoundly deaf and didn't feel she could deal with such a disability (I knew nothing about pattern white genetics at that time and didn't realize there might be anything abnormal about a white Aussie puppy from a double merle breeding). The breeder/barn owner was going to destroy the "defective" pup. WHAT?!?!?!?? Well, THAT wasn't going to happen! Poppy was my heart. She spent her life with me. Interestingly, Poppy had absolutely none of that Aussie reserve. She loved everybody!
After Poppy, there were a couple Aussie-less decades in our family before I finally decided we needed to infuse our geriatric pack with a bit of youthful exuberance. I started searching Petfinder for an Aussie pup or young adult. I called on a few ads, but nothing panned out until I ran across Tasha's little face. The ad claimed she was an Aussie mix, though there's not much physical similarity beyond her blue merle coloring. Attitude-wise, however, this girl's all Aussie! She'll herd anything that does (or doesn't) move, she is intensely focused on her "job" (whatever that may be at any given moment), she's maniacally active and frighteningly intelligent, and she's definitely reserved with strangers.
Unfortunately, the "infuse our geriatric pack with a bit of youthful exuberance" part didn't quite work out like I intended. Tasha didn't just infuse, she wore us all to a frazzle! Within a few weeks of her adoption, it became painfully clear the only way we were going to survive Tasha was to get her a companion young and strong enough to keep up with her boundless energy. Who better to deal with a maniacal Aussie (mix) pup than another Aussie?
I started searching online again and found the Aussie Rescue site. Soon, Pippin's photo and bio appeared on the site, and I knew he was the one. What attracted me so strongly to Pippin? He's a pattern white, of course, and I'm always drawn to animals with special needs. Besides that, his photo was irresistible. I wasn't going to be dissuaded by the fact that he was in Houston, TX and I was in northern MN. I filled out the online adoption application, sent an email, and then called his human contact in Houston. After weeks of muddling through the adoption process and figuring out how to get Pip from Houston to MN, we finally ended up with our Aussie boy.
Like Poppy, Pippin bears absolutely NO Aussie reserve. He adores EVERYBODY. EVERYBODY is his best friend (is this a pattern white thing?). Not even pushy, greedy, maniacal Tasha can get on this boy's bad side. He simply doesn't have a bad side. Where Tasha is demanding, Pip is goofy. Where Tasha is all business, Pip is all play. Where Tasha is aloof, Pippin is quite literally in your face. Fortunately, they do have Aussie energy in common, so Pip has been able to match Tasha stride for stride since day one.
I don't think I'll ever be without an Aussie again. I just adore this breed. I can't seem to wean myself away from the Aussie Rescue page:
http://aussierescue.leepfrog.com/purebreds/purebreds_mal1.html
It makes me terribly sad to see so many wonderful Aussies abandoned and relinquished by owners who don't understand the breed. It also infuriates me to see so many pattern whites with disabilities produced by breeders who are too ignorant or money-grubbing to follow even the most basic rule of avoiding merle to merle breedings. Aussies are too intelligent and too active for a lot of folks. It's a shame. This is a breed with unlimited attributes to offer an active family or individual. They're not couch potatoes. They're not footrests. They are devoted partners with a strong drive to JUST DO IT and the intelligence to make things happen ... good or bad. I love my Bossy Aussies, even if they do test my patience from time to time. I truly enjoy the challenge of matching wits with a brilliant canine. They help keep me sharp!
Laurie
P.S. Pic is Pippin on left, Tasha on right.
