Reputable BC/Aussie Breeders/Rescues in the NW?

Anybody? I'm certainly doing my own research, but I feel like I can trust a majority of the members on this forum

Oh, and if you wouldn't mind posting/pming experience or reasons for suggestion, that would be extra neat!

Speaking of which, pming works as well.

I've heard GREAT things about Pacific Northwest BCR (Pacific Northwest Border Collie Rescue  Dedicated to placing lost or relinquished Border Collies into working or active homes) and you might also want to look into TDBCR in Canada (That'll Do Border Collie Rescue).

As for breeders, you might want to join the BC Boards at bordercollie.org (BC Boards (Powered by Invision Power Board)) - lots of people in the working world there and a great place to meet people in your area who can direct you to breeders, trials, and lessons.

Do you care if they breed working dogs or show dogs?

Home

And take a look at AussieBoard • Index page for a great Aussie forum. They've got a great list of breeders categorized by region. They also have tons of rescues listed and one of the mods is very active in Aussie rescue in WA.

Here are some, I looked at Oregon, Idaho and Washington:
Hidden Valley Border Collies of Oregon (they don't mention testing on their site but if you enter their dogs' names on the OFA website you can find the testing).

Many don't have sites but here is a list, don't know who's good and who's not: Border Collie Breeders List

Oregon Trail Border Collies (show breeder)


*BKM Kennels* - Quality Australian Shepherds (show breeder-test eyes and hips according to site)

CTC Aussies - Liam Neeson of CTC (test eyes and hips according to site-show breeder)

Goldcrest Australian Shepherds Home (show breeder-most dogs have hips and elbows done, one has a CHIC number, some don't have testing but they are probably too young)

www.hiddentreasureaustralianshepherds.com - HIDDEN TREASURE (they do a bunch of different stuff)

Laurelhills Farm - AKC/ASCA Australian Shepherds (show breeder)

<TITLE>Champion Golden Retrievers and Australian Shepherds for sale (show breeder)

Tri-Smith Australian Shepherds (show breeder)

Selkirk Border Collies (they show but they also claim to herd and do agility)


Couldn't find a lot of working breeders which was disappointing...at least none that health tested. Keep in mind I did not look over those sites super well, just checked for health testing, litters per year and if they did something with their dogs.

You're going to get varying information about show and working lines in these breeds. Aussies I find are less polar and less political but only slightly. Border collies... well you do need to decide where you stand on these issues before buying.

I suggest visiting the bc boards and reading up a lot there to understand the politics in this breed. The only breed with more may be the German Shepherd, lol.

I would suggest staying far away from show breeders (okay, thats as nice as I can put it because every bone in my body really wanted to write something else like 'stay the crap away from show BC breeders ).

The first breeder that comes to mind in the NW is Laura Hicks Welcome to L & M Ranch <p>

Another one is Don Couch, you can find his contact info Border Collie Instructors: Northwest

I agree with StarDogs that checking out the BC Boards is a great place to start and they will be way more help in finding a reputable Border Collie breeder. A number of things are different in working vs show. In working Border collies they are bred because of there ability to work for long periods of time, instinct, trainability, working ability, stamina, health, etc. Most of the time working bred BCs have way better off switches to just 'chill' so they don't have to be doing something ever second of every minute (my 19 month old is currently sleeping beside me after being in a kennel all morning).

They are usually very healthy because they must have huge amounts of physical toughness to work stock for long periods of time and be good at it. Not to mention the amount of mental toughness/stamina it takes.

Be very careful when looking at a lot of the Aussie show breeders. There is a lot of emphasis on flash over substance. Not all, I know of a great show breeder down in Texas who still maintains a great balance, but she's ASCA, not AKC.

Whoa, thank you for all the help, guys! Some of those sites I reviewed lightly last night, and from what I saw, I liked, so I'll take that as a good sign. I'll probably look at them more closely later, when I'm in more of a 'lurking' mood, I guess.

Alright, prepare for long winds ahead.

To make it a little clearer- My boyfriend and I should be renting a house with a yard this coming winter/spring, and we'd like to get another dog, for lots of reasons. I guess the two primary reasons are as follows -
*It would greatly help my dog's separation anxiety. And for a while now, I've generally just wanted him to have a buddy.
*My boyfriend wants his "own dog". We both "share" my dog, but he wants a puppy to bond with/train, etc. Don't worry- he'll be doing independent research, too, but he's going to be away, starting tomorrow, for four months working outside of a town with little to no internet connection, and little to no resources(small mountain town lacking free internet usage, with a teeny tiny little library). And since I'm super excited(and it's probably just a good/responsible idea), I thought I would start looking now. (Oh, and just for good measure - in the event that we should break apart, these dogs would both be going with their respective owner. ie - my dog comes with me, his dog goes with him. We are both really very civil people, and not the type of folks who adopt a dog as a symbol of their relationship, and then dump it later. We've both stated we would rather be homeless than give away a dog.)

We are currently leaning towards "purebred" rescues, though we'd like to check out the breeder scene as well. The rescue scene just feels better for us. However, talking to breeders just might be a good experience.

The three breeds we discussed were Australian Shepherds, BCs, and APBTs.
I currently have an Aussie, and we both couldn't think of a more perfect dog.

However, boyfriend is interested in a dog that is small and light(think lady BCs?), as Happy, our Aussiedog is a little stockier than his own preferences. And possibly even more active.

As for APBTs, this breed is beloved by both of us, and we understand how passionate and amazing these dogs can be. However, I feel like a shepherd's temperament would be more suited to our lifestyle, and I don't know if a terrier-style drive is something we're ultimately looking for. We also house smaller animals, so that could very well be an issue.

So, it currently looks like the lean is toward BCs. We both agreed we would rather have a 'pet quality' working dog(if possible?). Not only are they preferable for our circumstances, but we probably won't be showing any time soon(and by that, I mean never). I also believe my dog was from working lines, so I feel as though I have an idea of what working dogs are like.

So, we're looking for a sharp dog with high drive and high training ability. A dog that could possibly go on week-long hiking trips in various climates, with frequent bouts of various physical activities. Strong mental stamina with the ability to learn a myriad of tricks is also in the mix.

Again, thanks so much for all the recommendations and advice. We are also open to the prospect of different breeds, as well as any advice for our situation. I'm a bit young and I've never dealt with actually going to a reputable breeder/rescue before, and I'm excited to do so. My only dog came to me at a young age, and I believe he was born from an Amish family farm who chose to breed their working dogs.




And seriously, if you read all that, gold star.

Thank you for the heads up Laurelin, this is something I haven't thought about. I feel like I know about 'dog politics' in general, but maybe not for particular breeds.

I do feel like I know a beginner's amount of Aussie Politics, however.
..Do you mean, for example, if you breed two Merle Australian Shepherds, it could be lethal to some of the puppies? Those types of politics?



I also thought this breeder (Tara Australian Shepherds) was somewhat interesting. Maybe it's just the opening picture on the page She's apparently just starting out, but it seems like she knows what she's doing. I was only skimming, though.
I have so much research to do.

I read it all! I think a bc could be great! Have you spent much time around them at all? I tend to find if you're around them you'll figure out pretty quickly if they're the breed for you or not. They're very unique dogs.

There are a TON of bcs in rescue simply for the fact that they're bcs. That said I'm pretty sure when I finally get my bc in a few years, it'll be a breeder dog. Ether route is a good one.

definitely check out the border collie boards. Great resource and I've been lurking there for a long time sans bc so they're very open to newbies and prospective owners.

Not really. Border collies are very very split between types. The ABCA (american border collie parent club) was very much against the breed being recognized by the AKC. They fought this tooth and nail but there was a smaller group that created the BCSA (?) which is the AKC parent club.

Dog Wars is a great read on that subject.

There are three types of bcs being produced out there (other than just plain badly bred)- conformation dogs, sports dogs, and working dogs. There are some overlap between conf and sport and a tiny bit with the working dogs. The working breeders strongly disagree with border collies being shown. They believe border collies to be a working breed, not a show breed or a sport breed. Therefore the only way they believe to test a border collies breed ability is through stock work. (actual work or generally USBCHA Open trials, not AKC herding tests or the like). They vehemently oppose the showing of the border collie in conformation. The conformation breeders are going for a specific look. Their dogs are the most distinct dogs visually in that the conf lines look vastly different than working/sports lines. They're shorter back, domed heads, heavier boned, heavy coats. Most conf border collies come from ANKC (australian) show lines which have diverged from the working lines long ago. Sports breeders will often breed for agility and flyball or the like. Some breeders try to do the 'all around' thing by dabbling in a bit of this and that.

You'll hear terms like 'Barbie Collie' slung around or 'sporter collie'. This all happened so recently that its very much a sore spot. The conflict is still going on over which type is actually a 'border collie'.

It's not so much an issue if you go through rescue but if you go through breeders you will need to decide what type of breeder you want and agree with.

I'm trying to stay informative and not getting into my own opinions because I believe it's very important to form them yourself. I didn't form mine no matter what anyone on either side said until I did my own research. Border collies are kind of special in that they are still used for their original purpose unlike many breeds. That's the driving force behind this debate.

That is very special, and I think that's very attractive in a dog's breed. I feel like that's an idea I might be able to keep in circulation, and I feel like my boyfriend would respect the same.

And you probably know, but you're welcome to share information and opinion alike. I'm always interested in hearing both, I usually feel like this helps me in better scrutinizing on my own opinions. .. Though I might have to build those opinions first, before I scrutinize them Either way works - at any rate, very informative. Oh, and of course, thanks for reading it all! Ha.

I wonder if Dog Wars is at the city library.

I would say a Border Collie is a fit. But don't rule out the other breeds, too, just because I say a Border Collie would fit.

Yes, you can get a pet 'quality' dog from working lines. It would either be a dog that didn't have enough drive/instinct to work on a farm everyday or one that didn't make it as a herding trial dog. It doesn't mean ANYTHING about the personality though. As most of that is based on how much instinct they have for stock. Also, there is no reason why you can't get a working bred BC pup that is NOT pet quality and compete in other sports.

The main problem people have with 'sport' or 'confo' Border Collies is that they are BRED for that. Most working BC people have no problems selling to a sport home if they don't plan to breed. Some of these working BC people even do agility/ob/whatever with their dogs. But they do not breed for these things, as breeding a sound working border collie will usually mean they have what it takes to be a top notch Agility or Ob dog.

Like Laur said, before getting your Border Collie, do research on the split.

If you haven't noticed already, I'm very much for keeping my breed to it's original purpose. I've seen the two different types, and if it wasn't but for looks, I like the working bred look better. It's much more unique. I don't want to sway your opinion just because of looks, as that seems low of me. But you wanted opinions, lol.

What age dog are you looking for?

Laur, what happened recently?

What do you mean? *is confused*

That.

Oh, I just don't like the terms as I think they come a bit snide. Show and sport collie people HATE those terms. I won't use them, instead I'll always use conformation or sport bred collie. Just personal opinion. I try to keep peace with my conformation collie friends too.

I mean the whole split/AKC thing is fairly recent so the animosity is still there.

Oh okay. I don't use the term much, either, even though I don't agree with what they are doing.

Tara Aussies are good ones; I've talked a bit with Kristin. She is just starting out but she's got great mentors. She's on Aussie Board as well.

Female Aussies are a bit finer boned than the males if that's what he's looking for, but not quite like BC's.

I have a couple of friends that are into show/sport bcs. They know my opinions on it and I know theirs and we keep it to that. They're good people though just we don't agree on that issue.