12/31/2025
This.... I get asked all the time if I have mini Aussies!!! 🤦🏻♀️🙄 NO we don't and they aren't a true breed! We pride ourselves on producing, protecting & providing the TRUE working line Aussies from only the Old Foundation Lines!!
Support your foundation line breeders...
Okay, folks...I'm fixin' to rant!!!😡
As a breeder of STANDARD Australian Shepherds...(a breeder of Aussies that represent the Breed Standard set forth by ASCA in 1977 and a breeder of Aussies as they were meant to be at their origins)... it is REALLY frustrating for me to be forced to w**d through THOUSANDS of ads from Mini/Toy breeders when I'm searching for AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS to join us here at Libre.
I'm dedicated to raising Australian Shepherds who represent the foundational dogs who set our breed standard. The miniaturization of our breed is NOT something I support. I was there way back in the day when folks began to depart from our Breed Standard and wanted to take our dogs down, down, down in size... I KNOW what went on back in the day to create these miniaturized size variations, and it's why- as a purest- I won't own anything other than a STANDARD Australian Shepherd (and for the folks who say there is no size standard, you're full of what's laying out in our cow pasture.)
Our breed wasn't established to ride around in someone's purse. Our breed was created and it exists to HERD livestock!!! Granted, the loss of the family farm/ranch in America and the loss of REAL cowboys N cowgirls has definitely contributed to the hits being taken by our breed, however, when was the last time you thought it would be a GOOD idea to turn your Miniature or Toy "Aussie" loose on a 1800-2300 lb bull who doesn't want to load in a trailer??? C'mon!!!
The down-sized versions of our breed being marketed under the name of "Aussie" are an outrage to me. They're NOT Aussies!!! They're designer dogs of various origins that require an Embark panel to guess what Heinz 57 variety of dogs created their existence and they are NOT what our breed was meant to be nor can they do what our breed was created to do! They're purse dogs!!!🤦♀️
Per the ASCA Breed Standard, the introduction states..."
"First and foremost, the Australian Shepherd is a true working stockdog, and anything that detracts from his usefulness as such is undesirable."
BOOM!!! DONE!!! When I type into my search engine that I'm looking for an Australian Shepherd, I WANT the Breed Standard-an Aussie that can do the job our breed was created for!!! Wasting my time delving through thousands of posts and websites advertising purse dogs is NOT how I want to spend my days, weeks, months...
Now, before everybody goes ballistic over this post, if you choose a MAS (Miniature American Shepherd) or a Toy to fit in your purse, knock yourself out. Congratulations on your choice- it fits your lifestyle and that's whatcha need to do- to each their own, but I would REALLY love it if EVERYONE would STOP using the breed name "Aussie" or "Australian Shepherd" to refer to these miniaturized dogs! Your tiny dogs may have Aussies in their background, but they've been mixed with other breeds to create a NEW BREED and ya' all need to market them under NEW BREED NAMES!!! They're NOT Australian Shepherds- they're MAS or they're Blue Merle Papillons and they can NOT herd a bull! Quit calling them AUSSIES!!! 😳
I'm all for the creation of new breeds, but once ya get there, start calling them something else because they are NOT eligible to be registered with ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America) or the AKC!!! They are NOT pure, they are not bred from our foundations, they are not 100% Australian Shepherds!!!
(Good God, somebody tell me HOW I can get rid of ALL the MAS and Toy breeders in my feed?!!!)
