Gemfire is a small kennel devoted to the preservation of the Australian Shepherd. I am a small breeder devoted to the preservation of the Australian Shepherd.
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I strive to produce healthy, happy pets sound of mind and body that do well in the home or competition. Located in mid-western Arkansas, my dogs participate in multiple sports and make excellent family companions.
I am thrilled to say that all puppies from both the Twizzle x Winifred litter and the Bomber x Prudence litter have found their homes. Thank you to everyone who has inquired!
We currently have NO dogs or puppies available, and we have no litters planned until fall/winter of 2025. š„°
Our next litter will be a frozen breeding, going back to our foundation, which we are super excited about! CH Draco x Phoebe!!
The DNA results are in on the Mystery Litter!
All puppies belong to the same sire!
AKC Pointed Gemfireās Twisted Fun āTwizzleā!
Chowder and Lentil are both now pending, I am only currently taking applications on Gumbo, the blue Merle female.
I have 3 puppies still available from my Bomber x Prudence litter.
Chowder, blue Merle male, marbled eyes, available to a show or sport home. (Pending placement)
Gumbo, blue Merle female, blue eyes, available to a show or sport home.
Lentil, black tri female, available to a companion home. (Pending placement)
All puppies are now fully vaccinated, completely house and crate trained, potty trained, walk well on leash, and have basic foundations in place. They have clear eye exams and are well traveled.
MINDSET MONDAY
One of the best ways to improve your mindset is to practice gratitude. This applies to all areas of your life, including your dog show journey.
Consider all you have to be grateful for:
šThat you are able to own a beautiful dog
šThat you have the ability to attend dog shows
šThat you can participate in a sport you enjoy
Literally, there is so much.
Practice gratitude daily and see your outlook improve!
Did you purchase your puppy from a breeder? They should be a valuable resource when you have questions or problems about your new dog.
I still have the following available:
Chowder - blue Merle male, born 1/9/24
Gumbo - blue Merle female, born 1/9/24
Lentil - black tri female, born 1/9/24
I will be taking updated pictures tomorrow, the Soup babies will officially be 4 months this week. š„°ā¤ļø
I love it when puppy placements start. I love the entire process. And I would like to reflect, so this is a little bit long:
The moments of excitement, of wonder; the moments of worry, the times of sadness and fear; praying every night that everything goes right, then begging God for his mercy when something goes wrong; wrapped up in all the ups and downs, the sheer joy, and the love. All the love in the world for these little, tiny innocent beings, that rely so helplessly on us. All the love for our friends, our support groups, the people who lift us up in times of suffering, the people who stand beside us in joy during times of celebration.
Someone asked me recently, āHow do you know? How do you decide which puppy goes to which person? Why do you make some people wait so long on the waiting list, while others seem to get their puppies sooner?ā
I get asked this often, and the answer is both incredibly complicated, and yet intrinsically simple.
I just do.
I do not āsell puppiesā. I raise family members. And there is a distinct difference. Unlike most breeders, I do not shove my puppies out the door on the dot at some prescribed mythical ābest dateā of 8 or 9 or 10 weeks. My puppies stay as long as they each need to stay to find their right home. And my prospective families stay on my list as long as they each need to find their right puppy.
I spend months with my puppies, not weeks. Most stay through the entire vaccine series, and donāt leave my home until 4-6 months. I provide all of the beginning vet care for them - the first eye exam, a minimum of two vaccines (administered by a vet) and 6 dewormings, microchipping, I start their flea, tick and heartworm preventative myself, and make sure there arenāt going to be any reactions to anything, so that the new owners can simply transfer records and continue care.
I start all of their basic training - they are started on place, stay and wait just as soon as they can get up and walk. They learn stand, sit, heel position, and walking politely on a leash before they are 8-10 weeks. They begin crate training at 6 weeks and are generally completely crate trained by 8-10 weeks. True potty training begins much younger than anyone thinks about - from the time the litter boxes come out at 3 weeks old, we are learning to not potty on anything except what smells like outside. This means that house training just becomes combining the crate training and potty training, so that the puppy is never unsupervised in the house unless itās crated. My puppies are usually completely house trained by 12-16 weeks, supervised. Meaning - they are no longer tethered, but arenāt left loose alone when Iām not home.
By the time my puppies reach 3 months old, I know their ins and outs, how they are to live with, exactly what their personalities are, what they do when they are happy, sad, mad, frustrated, angry, excited; I can tell you every little thing about every single one of them.
I spend an equal amount of time with my prospective puppy owners. You donāt just ābuyā a Gemfire puppy. You get adopted into the family. Some people āclickā easily. Others take more time, and I value them both equally. I donāt always get it right, no breeder ever does, but rarely has it ended poorly.
Iāve learned from the handful of bad placements that Iāve made over the years, and adjusted accordingly. I take the time to learn the people who want my puppies, I sit back and spend a lot of time observing, because itās really easy for someone to tell you what they want you to hear in the middle of an interview when itās all planned out. I build relationships with my prospective owners, because my puppy is going to be with them for the next 10-15 years, and that puppy is my family. I wonāt send a family member to strangers.
Itās amazing, the way everything switches from, āI wonder who your mommy or daddy is going to be?ā, during the first few weeks after puppies hit the ground. Then it seems like time flies by so fast, and as their personalities start to come out, it starts to click. Things like, āThis puppy is such a clown, he would be perfect for X.ā, or, āThis puppy is really a challenge that Y would enjoy!ā
As I close in on my 16th anniversary as a breeder, I find myself humbled. Who knew I would ever make it this far? I have trained and handled HRD dogs in search and rescue, I have personally owner-handled and titled dogs in almost every event that existed prior to COVID, I have placed dogs that went on to FEMA teams, dogs that have competed at the national and world level in multiple events, service dogs that have saved lives or given comfort to their owner/handlers, dogs that have become the foundation for other programs, and beloved companions that have brought joy all around the world.
Thank you all for being along for the ride. It has truly been my joy and privilege. I look forward to what is to come in the next 15 years!
We have puppies available, ready to go now!
If you have been waiting for a Gemfire puppy, now is your chance!
1 blue Merle male, 1 black tri female, 1 blue Merle female, updated pictures tomorrow 5/7!
From the Mystery Litter-
Gemfireās Twisted Crossroads āJoviā
Black tri male DOB 9/20/23
From the Mystery Litter!
Gemfireās Twisted Beaches āMyrtleā
Blue Merle female DOB 9/20/23
From the Mystery Litter!
Gemfireās Twisted Shackles āDeckerā
Black tri female DOB 9/20/23
From our Mystery Litter!
Gemfireās Twisted Britches āPantsā
Blue Merle female 9/20/23
Owned and adored by Gemfire!
Eight (8) pairs of clear eyes in Tulsa today at Animal Eye Care! Thank you as always to Dr. Gwin, your expertise is so appreciated. š
Puppy placements begin soon! We will be traveling to southwest Kansas, eastern Iowa, and West Virginia in the next couple of weeks. I have 2 puppies still available, and one of them for sure will be a blue Merle girl.
These babies are energetic and drivey. They have easygoing temperaments, they are adaptable and handle change with ease. They have excellent off switches, and they settle nicely in their crates. They have a high response to food, toys and praise in training, they back chain extremely quickly, and handle repetition very well. They are very intelligent and biddable with a strong desire to please. I am so thrilled with this litter!
We have been SUPER busy, and these puppies are growing like weeds!! I canāt believe itās almost time for the first vet visit. Happy week 6 babies!! š
Well, the puppies had a bit of a tough start, so Iām sorry for not posting more, but I havenāt been on Facebook much, with all my time and attention focused on them. We did lose the other little blue boy at day 2, he was just too small and did not make it. The last blue girl was also teeny, teeny, tiny (she dropped to 5oz from her 7oz birth weight before we got her turned around) but we managed to pull her through. She is SMALL, still, only 25oz (under 2 pounds) at 3.5 weeks, but she is mighty and feisty and wonāt take no for an answer. š
Erica still hasnāt given them official names, but they all have nicknames that we call them. š We will do individual photos for their 4 week birthdays, and put some names to their little faces for you all. Tonight they got their first mash, and itās kind of tradition to post that, so I didnāt want to miss sharing this milestone with everyone. š„° They dove right in, and were adorably covered in it, but mama cleaned them right up afterwards. š
Happy birthday and welcome to the world babies!! First up - black tri girl!! š„°š
Winnie had her X-ray and vet checkup today! It looks like we will have a couple of spots on our puppy list! š³šš„° She is PACKED!
How many do you see? š„°
Winnieās due date is approaching! We are now in the final days of pregnancy. Her last pregnancy checkup is on Wednesday, at 2:30 pm (CST). As part of this checkup, we will be getting a pregnancy X-ray, to check for size, position, and approximate count of puppies we will be expecting. This is especially important due to the fact that Winnie is due on a weekend, so we want to know ahead of time, if possible, if there is any need for a c-section or any other possible medical interventions that need to be made.
We are so ready to meet these babies! Winnie is doing well, but getting uncomfortable and obviously nearing her time. She has been spending more time in her box, and the last couple of days the puppies have started to drop.
Official win photos of Gemfireās Unbridled Dragon āFlickaā from Little Rock last month.
CH After Allās Dragon Song āDracoā x AKC/ASCA Ptd Bayshoreās Ali McGraw āAliā
DOB: 7/15/2015
In just two short weeks, we will be welcoming one of our most exciting litters to date! A dual-sired litter:
AKC Ptd Gemfireās Twisted Fun āTwizzleā
AND
Gemfireās Plot Twist āPhoenyxā
Have *both* been bred to Gemfireās Hocus Pocus āWinnieā.
All puppies will be DNA profiled at birth, to determine parentage as well as test for any health concerns. Blues and Blacks expected, NO reds. All puppies will carry MDR1, clear for all other health risks.
I expect this litter to be extremely versatile, both sires have proven offspring competing and titling in 8 different sports, as well as multiple task-trained working service dogs.
Inquiries are welcome, a waiting list has already begun. Pedigrees available upon request! Both sires are currently on the east coast trialing and showing. This litter will be whelped and raised at Gemfire.
Official photos to come, but Gemfireās Unbridled Dragon āFlickaā (CH Draco x Ali) stepped into the AKC ring this weekend (for the very first time ever!), and picked up an OHG3 out of the Veteran class! Thank you to everyone for all of the lovely compliments on our girl! I am so dang proud of her! Thank you SO much to breed judge Nathaniel Horn and Group judge Gigi Griffith for the recognition.
Dublin has some puppies available on the west coast! Mr. Bean is so cute!! š
āØSummer Pupdates!!āØ
AKC Pointed Gemfireās Twisted Fun āTwizzleā is now in NJ with Farah Melamud, and his son, Gemfireās Plot Twist āPhoenyxā is now in SC with Kelly Vogl!! We are excited to team up and see what these two lovely boys can accomplish on the east coast! šš„We have plans for conformation and several sports for both boys, before they come back home.
Our fall 2023 litters have been bred. Watch for announcements as we confirm pregnancies! If you are on our waitlist, please get with us to confirm your spot.š„°š
2024 litter plans: we have been asked several times about litter plans for next year. As of right now, we have no plans for any litters at Gemfire. We will be focused on titles on our own up and coming dogs, while mentoring some of our co-owned girls through their first litters. We will announce those as the breedings take place.šÆ
The exception: If the 2023 litters donāt take, we will go ahead and repeat those breedings, as we have a clear calendar for litters next year.š
I snagged some updated pictures of Winnie today. I canāt believe she will be 4 in a couple of months! š
Gemfireās Twisted Sister āPhoebeā is at the vet for progesterone and brucellosis. We are very excited about her upcoming first litter!
Pixieās gone to college!! š
It's ! Meet Pixie! She participated in an Initial Visit at the BCCC and she aced all the tasks! We can't wait to have her come back for studies!
Want your furry best friend to become a BC Eagle, like Pixie?
Come and visit us! Sign up:
https://sites.bc.edu/doglab/participate/ -Up
ID: A portrait of a happy dog with a white, black and brown multi-colored coat at the Boston College Canine Cognition Center.
Gemfire had an excellent time at the Claremore Kennel Club dog show this year.
While we didnāt come home with any points, we did get a reserve on Twizzle, and both he and Phoebe got lovely complements from judges Ms. Marie Falconer and Mr. Jimmy Moses. We also got a beautiful towel for Twizzleās class win, thank you so much to the sponsors!
Congrats again to all the winners! We canāt wait to be back again next year. š„°
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Claremore, OK 4/2/23 Gemfireās Twisted Sister āPhoebeā
Claremore OK 4/2/23 Gemfireās Twisted Fun āTwizzleā
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Gemfire is a small kennel devoted to the preservation of the Australian Shepherd. Located on the Arkansas/Oklahoma state line, my dogs compete in multiple sports and make fantastic family companions. All of my dogs live in the house and are a constant part of my day to day life. Puppies are raised underfoot with dogs, cats, children and lots of visitors to make life fun.
