SilverBirch Lets Go Fly A Kite                                                                      Las Rocosa Winnie the Blue

Lex is a Red Tri-colored Male.                                                                      Winnie is a blue merle female.

The Babies are HERE!  Winnie and Bouncer are proud parents!

     The Australian Shepherd is a truly versatile breed.  The breed was developed in the American west. The Australian Shepherd was originally a herding and guarding jack-of-all-trades.  Australian Shepherds are gentle enough to herd lambs and have enough power to herd cattle.  However, their duties did not end in the stock yard.  They also had to be gentle, patient companions for children.  An Australian Shepherd without a flock will simply view you, the children, and other pets as his or her flock and protect you as such.  You will occasionally be herded together, but always loved.

 

     Australian Shepherds are a medium sized dog.  Males stand 20 to 23 inches at the withers (the highest point of the shoulder).  Females are 18 to 20 inches tall.  The correct Aussie should be a study in moderation.  All parts should be in harmony.  They should give  the impression of strength, agility, and alertness at even a quick glance.  Aussies come in two acceptable colors with two possible trim colors.  The main color of an Aussie will be black or red.  The Australian Shepherd also carries the Merle gene.  The Merle gene produces some of the most beautifully colored coats in the dog world.  The Merle gene acts by diluting the main body color in random places.  The black pigment is diluted to a blue or silver color, producing a "Blue Merle".  The red is diluted to a soft beige color, producing "Red Merle".  Any Aussie may have white, copper, or both as a trim color.  Trimming is confined to the feet, socks, underbelly, chest, collar, and blaze.  It is unacceptable for an Aussie to have white on any other part of the body.  Regardless of the body color, trim pattern, or merling, both eyes and both ears should be surrounded by color.  

 

     Although Australian Shepherds are beautiful, ideally sized, and agile, they are not a dog for everyone.  In fact, few people are truly Aussie people.  These dogs have active minds.  They will not wait for you to come from work and then lazily sleep by your feet while you unwind from your busy day.  They will dance with joy to see you and expect to DO something with you.  An Aussie without a "job" will find something to do.  Maybe bark, dig, chew, plan escapes, annoy your neighbors.  However, when properly directed, Aussies make wonderful obedience dogs, agility dogs, flyball dogs, and frisbee competitors.  They can also excel in tracking and herding competitions.

 

     Our boy, Lex, is quite talented when he wants to be.  He is showing excellent promise in obedience, flyball, and agility.  He enjoys swimming and we will be working on some water safety training soon.  However, he has a great deal of puppy in him.  He still thinks it's ok to have an attack of the zooms in the middle of an obedience routine.

    Lex passed away much too soon with a brain tumor.  Upon hearing that Joseph, of Las Rocosa Australian Shepherds, insisted the male pick of his next two litters was coming out to New Hampshire, and that was that!  And that is how "Bouncer", Las Rocosa And Tigger Too!, came to BirchCrest!  As you can see, he is a gorgeous Red Tri.  We can't wait to see what he and Winnie will produce for puppies.  I think both Joe and I will be keeping one!

 

      Winnie, our blue merle female, is from Hartnagle's Las Rocosa.  The people who literally wrote THE BOOK about Australian Shepherds (All About Aussies).  As an 8-week old puppy, Winnie jumped onto the pavement and landed wrong on her foot, cracking a small bone.  Since we hope she will be a performance dog we took no chances and splinted her.  In this photo, you can see how miserable she was in her splint.  Now that she is out of her splint, you should see her go! (-and go and go).  We at BirchCrest are truly blessed to have not one but TWO Las Rocosa dogs in our breeding program.  It is through the generosity and compassion of Joseph Hartnagle.  He is an amazing individual and I am honored to call him my friend, Joe will always be in my heart.