Susan says:

“If I had gotten an Aussie the first time I saw and fell in love with one, I would have been in the breed for almost 23 years. He was the farm dog at the stable where my then six-year-old oldest daughter took her riding lessons. He was a beautiful red tri - majestic, calm. Polite to everyone who came, but he knew where you were allowed to be and where you were not. But life happens and it was not until 5 years ago that we got our first Aussie.

“Like many people, I have always had dogs. Of course, now when people say that to me I cringe, because I now realize how much I thought I knew and how little I do actually know about dogs. From the mixed breed rescue dogs I brought home as a kid, through the German Shepherds I had in college, to the rough collies I had as my own kids were growing up, and ultimately the Australian Shepherds who grace my life now, I have learned better and better training techniques, gained better and better understanding of how dogs think and learn, and become more humble in their love and acceptance. One of my 4H kids gave me a sweatshirt for Christmas this year that sums it up beautifully.  “Dogs are not my whole life. Dogs make my life whole.”  And Aussies more than any other breed do that for me.

“I always knew that I would someday breed dogs. After all, I spent many years in college training as a geneticist and many, many years living with dogs. It seems a natural progression. Besides, that way I get to play with little puppies.”