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As a kid I had a German Shepherd cross. Everywhere Cindy went Champ was sure to go!! Sounds like a nursery rhyme? My Dad gave me a cheap little dog training book and I taught that dog the best I could. Most of the training came from dealing and riding horses. I made a bar jump from some scrap wood and a broom! I would put him on a stay, tell him to jump and be taking the pictures at different angles. Little did I know where this would take me as an adult.
It all began when Allen and I got married back in 1978. We bought a sable and white Sheltie, decided we wanted to do something with this little guy. Training was in my blood from very early in life, so we picked up a couple of training books, looked into AKC events. Ordered the Rules and Regulations on obedience training and started training this dog. We even looked into a local Obedience club in our area. We stopped to watch a class to find out this dog of ours was way ahead of anything they were teaching. I went to the training director after that class and asked her by the end of the 8 week course would we be ready to earn a CD title? Her reply was No. This was in August. We went home that night not to see that instructor again until 8 weeks later at the local obedience trials to earn our first CD title with two first places with low to middle 190's and winning run off's. And within 13 months from start to finish this little dog we called Jehoshaphat earned his UD title! With limited showing and many first places. And the Utility class at that time was not divided into A and B. We were placing with OTCH dog's!
That instructor was right, the odds of someone putting that much effort into training was slim to none. But this woman didn't know that Allen and I didn't take no for an answer!
Obedience showing was in our blood by now, we got another Sheltie and he was even better than the first dog. Poor first dog he was the real Guinea Pig. This dog went onto earn his UD and to go to the Gaines Regionals! In all, by the late 1980's I had 4 Shelties to earn the UD title.
My first hand at breeding, I kept the only pup to be born. I called her Sarah, she was born in 1985 and I had decided from the very start I was not going to train her with the old yank and jerk method! I was going to try something different, I was going to try to use FOOD REWARD! Boy did I catch flack on this! That was taboo at that time. They would ask what happens when you don't have food? You sure can't use it in the ring??
Well, this little Girl learned to love to work and couldn't wait to get on her leash and train.
Low and behold we went into the ring and she was sharp! We earned all three titles in 9 trials, 8 first places 1 second and Dog World and onto the Gaines Regonials!
I have put many CD CDX titles on other people's dogs, a Dobe, Two Sammy's which went onto being ranked #2 and 3 in the Shuman/Delaney systems. And a few other Shelties and Ben our German Shorthaired Pointer. He also went to the Gaines Regonials.
Around the end of the 80's first part of the 90's we were introduced to two wonderful things. The first was some dear and wonderful people (Nelson and Emily Fletcher) we had run into them at the obedience trials but never got to know them until they invited us and some other people over to try out this strange game of AGILITY! Man did we fall in love with it. After the workshop Allen went home and started building everything. People kept telling us agility will not catch on and it will really ruin good obedience dogs! All Allen and I could say is right! If anything it should make them better, give them something more to do than heel and all those straight fronts. Between the Fletchers and Allen and I we toted that eguipment everywhere.
We held our first agility test and maybe there were 10 of us. Jump heights were changed with each dog. At this time we also owned and operated Alcyn's Dog Obedience, our student's also fell in love with this sport and were some of the first to earn the ACH titles.
Then about 1992 I started noticing this very interesting breed of dog, some had enrolled in my classes and I started seeing them in obedience trials. What caught my eye was they seemed to have the energy and temperament that I liked. Little did I know that Allen had spotted them also! The Australian Shepherd!
He and some friends that were students at the time had two Aussies. And boy did they start working on me to get one. I liked the idea, but like I told them, we need another dog like we need a hole in the head! We had two Shelties and the two Sammy's that I ranked that were owned by someone else had become mine and a GSP! Well as you can see the rest is history, I am hooked! And you can't have just one!!
My first Aussie was purchased from a very responsible lady. This pup picked me. I was looking for a lighter blue, he was dark blue, wanted one with a blaze he had a gray strip with very dark deep copper a very handsome pup. Very outgoing, into everything and loved a good joke.
I remember sitting out in the puppy day pen with him and his brothers. He just would not leave me alone. My friends were in there with me and he just would not stay out of my lap. I moved him from my lap to check one of the others, the sideways look that puppy gave me made me smile and I looked at him and pointed my finger and said to him if you go to an obedience home you are going to drive them nuts and break some hearts. And on that, he curled his lip like Aussies can do and jumped in my lap again!
Well how could you resist?
Then something bad happened, the breeder went into the house to bring out the pedigree. Some friends were over with some Aussies swimming in the pond. All had left but one person and her dog. Debbie handed me the pedigree then went over to talk to her friend, then her friends Aussie got excited ran up to greet her and did an Aussie body slam! Knocked Debbie down and the way she fell she broke her leg! As we were waiting for the emergency crew to get to her house, which by the way is in the country, which seemed forever we covered her up talked to her. As she is laying there she looks up at me and asks are you still going to get a pup? She was thinking after seeing how rough Aussies can be that I would change my mind. All I could say is this is one heck of a sales pitch how can I turn you down while you are laying flat on your back? I think I have to get the whole litter. Then I told her I have a GSP and he can get pretty rowdy!
That week while she was in the hospital, some friends took the pups to get eye exams. And to our dismay all cleared but the pup I had decided to take. The Vet said , he didn't think it would turn into anything and it wasn't hereditary. I had already told her I couldn't get that pup off of my mind and we would take him. She said come over look at the other boys and see what you want to do. When we got to the house, me and two of my lady friends were sitting on the floor one on each side of me. The pups were let in, one went to the toy box the other under the dining room table and that,Well, that stinker pup must have had me on his mind all week also! He stopped at the doorway saw me sitting across the room, between my two friends! Got that OH BOY she's back look in his eyes and ran right to my lap!! The look on everyones face, was that is funny he remembers you. How could I not take that pup now? I would just have to deal with whatever became of his eyes.
To our great sadness he was blind by the age of four months. We had surgery done and he went on to earn his UKC/ASCA CD and agility titles.
Well when I told him that day that he would break someone's heart, it was mine. I lost my buddy just under the age of six due to other health issues.
My husband Allen was so in love with that dog also, that we knew when we started to breed this wonderful breed that our main goal would be to strive to breed individuals clean as possible from defects. Starr page was our Foundation Bitch, she blessed us with some awesome kids. See Rowdy and Rush's page.
Thank you for taking the time to read about how we got started and how this wonderful breed came into our life.
-Cindy
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