We share our home with three intelligent and fun-loving Aussies: Ellie, the baby at 6 years old (seated left), whose great joy is herding sheep and being shown in the breed ring; Suzie, 10 years old (seated middle), my agility and herding partner; and Vladi, 7-year-old ARPH rescue (seated right), our goofy boy who also loves sheep herding! Xena, lying down, was our 13-year-old rescued blue heeler mix whom we lost September 1, 2009.
Opari is the Basque word for gift. Suzie, our first Aussie, was a gift to us - one that we will always treasure. Suzie, in turn, has given us the gift of great adventures in dog training and competing in dog sports for the first time in our lives. The training and competing has given us the gift of new friends whom we cherish for their fellowship, encouragement, support and, if we get lucky, shared congratulations among all our friends.
DISCLAIMER--IMPORTANT
Those interested in the Australian Shepherd should be aware there are no size varieties of Australian Shepherds. There is no officially recognized Australian Shepherd variety such as "Standard," "Mini/Miniature," or "Toy" Australian Shepherd. Advertisers of Standard, Miniature, and Toy varieties of Australian Shepherds are simply employing marketing terminologies to facilitate the sale of animals to the unsuspecting public that are, in reality, just dramatically smaller than the norm. Responsible, reputable Australian Shepherd breeders who care about protecting this unique American breed of stock dog do not promote the sale of Standard or Miniature or Toy varieties of Australian Shepherds. This is a marketing ploy to sell faulty, undersized pups for increased prices.
