Gus became a sheepdog

 About a week after the last twin male puppy was adopted, the last puppy was slashed near the eye brow by a terrier in the home over food. He probably could have used a few stitches but he didn't get them. I took him home to doctor him up and get him better nutrition as he was knukleing over a bit in the front pastern joints. (knees). Some other people called who wanted a puppy but they very often wanted a girl or were quite confused as to what a Kelpie was. Many people think it is a cute little something like a yorkshire and will sit on their laps all day or under the computor. They dream of a noble dog who will play with the kids all day but have no plan as to how to train a dog other than put him in the back yard when they are tired of the afair. It is amazing how many people just want a puppy and they have no idea of the breed. I began to sift more and more people out and soon it was apparent they would have to have about a million bucks and live in a mansion with a large estate and a flock of expensive sheep for this puppy to while his days away with, sipping champaign and getting steak on a daily basis.  I named him Gus and said he is here to stay.  He has a flock of sheep to tend to when he gets older but there is no mansion, no steak, and no champaign. But he whispered into my ear that he would settle for a bit of mutton now and again and a beer with his mates at the end of the day. And for the sake of the Dingo God,  keep him in a job.
Thanks for all who have inquired after he already got his name. There are a few more Kelpie homes out there it seems but the source has dried up here.

One Puppy Left

Thankyou Greg who lives in Montague for getting the twin boy of the girl puppy. It was love at first sight. May you have many days together exploring the out doors.

This leaves us with the first born and largest puppy. He is the most laid back. He likes to explore and follow a scent. He is just as friendly as the other puppies and not not afraid of a thing. He just never did clammer for as much attention as the other puppies. He is actually the alfa male amoungst the puppies but does not need to push his wgt around as he is quite confident. In most of his pictures taken on that day 2 weeks ago he looks half wet as he must have flopped down in a mud puddle. One of the pictures shows him tolerating a brother using him for a stepping stone to get on a log. He is unconcerned.

Girl Puppy Goes To Her New Home

The little girl puppy is on her way to Washington state! After a 45 hour stay at my house, she left with Bryant and Melissa who were kind enough to take her to Portland, Oregon where her new owner, Donna, will come down to pick her up. Having her at my house was a lot of fun. She is going to be a great dog, but way to smart and active for someone in suburbia who just wants a cuddle pooch to sleep on the couch all day. She tried to help herd the bottle fed lambs, and boss the big dogs! She corrected fairly easily though, with only one small piddle mistake in the house. She learned to come to the name Matty and learned to sit that bottom down on command right now! Her new owner has lots of horses and other animals and plenty of experience with herding dogs.

As it was the week end and she didn't get to go to the vet and going to a whole new area, we started her on her first vaccine right here. Here, we have one picture of her trying to call her new mom long distance via cell but she didn't know the number so she fell asleep trying. She also practiced sleeping in her travel crate.

The bottle fed lambs got a new homes also and will be the starter flock for Tammy in Roseberg, Oregon.

Above are the two male puppies still left out at the ranch and needing homes.

A puppy gets a home for Easter Sunday.

So thanks to Cindy, the middle size male got a home. Who has the best Easter? The puppy or the human? May they have many more Easters together! We so appreciate Cindy and her husband drove up from Redding to get their next compaion.

After a briefe stop at our house to feed the lambs, we drove out to see the puppies. Four fat Kelpie mix whipper snappers were there. The father dog, Spot was showing off his goof ball wrecked old plastic bucket toy. The puppies did not dissapoint. They were full of it, each one showing off his or her unique personality. It was a taxing decision as all of the puppies are good. No one shirks and runs under the house. They are all good dogs and were acting like folks come to see them every day. They knew it was time to impress. I saw the middle size puppy doing an especially playful dance one moment and I'm sure it helped him sneak under the wire! Just when the biggest puppy was taking a snooze and the smallest boy was having a spat with his sister.What a clever plot. He ended up going home with his new family. But it was close...none of these pups shines above the others. They are all easy going, playful, personable and good looking.

I guess it's a chemistry thing. Male puppy chosen will have a country life and be expected to hit the trails along with his owners on horseback and travel many a mile. Somehow, I don't think he'll mind a bit. Riding on public trails horseback with a dog these days is a demanding job for the dog. The running along part is easy, but the dog has to be very obedient and tuned into his owner and charges (Horses). He can not make waves, he must be very well behaved as the trails must be shared by so many other people of many disiplines. A word of advice to puppy. Don't you dare poop on the PCT! Only deer and coyotes get to do that.

The puppy on the shoulder is going home. You can see that the male puppy that is like the female's twin was really trying to get in on the wagon ride too. And don't mistake my Icelandic lambs for puppies!

Mother of the puppies

The mother of the puppies is named Bubbles. She is calm in the house. Generally has a good temperment. She is protective of the puppies. In the picture with the 3 dogs she is with her daughter from the previous litter and a puppy from the current litter.

She looks black and tan but her base color is actually very dark liver.

The lighter red dog is her son, GW from the previous litter. He is less "Kelpie like" and more laid back. Non the less he seems to have some good working attributes.

To find out more about these puppies email me at shastaice@4fast.net

Kelpie mix puppies are 7 weeks old

These puppies were born Feb. 17th 2012. So...this rancher had his favorit all time purebred Kelpie named Captain. He has many stories to tell about Captain's long working career. He bred him to another working dog of his named Scout 1. She was part border collie and part Australian Shepherd. Thus, he got a female, Bubbles. Bubbles is getting on in age now but was accidentally bred twice. One litter last year and this litter now. This owner has too many dogs of which he admits. I am helping him to place the puppies because I can't stand to see them end up as another of the many dogs on the farm that are not working and tied up all day. I do think they are good working dogs and deserve individual attention and to reach their full potential. . He is too over whelmed with taking care of his elderly bed riddern mother right now. There are 4 puppies. 3 males and one female.

The female and one of the males are about the same size and look exactly alike. They have similar personalities. They want to sit at your feet and beg to be picked up and sit on your lap. Right now, that is their main purpose in life!

One male is a bit bigger than the rest. He is a bit more mellow and is less interested in begging for human attention. He likes to explore and be bossy.

One male is in the middle of the two extremes. He also likes to explore but does not like to get to out of touch with the pack or humans.

None of these pups is shy or fearful. They simply plow thru mud puddles, crawl or leap over ruts and logs and natural obsticles. They clamber up the porch steps, get trounced on by the bigger dogs with out getting phased. There are alot of other dogs and cats milling and running around but the puppies take it in stride.

Rescue Puppies have a Dad named Spot.

The farm puppies shown on my previous post are sired by a dog on the ranch who is about 1/2 Kelpie and 1/2 McNab with a bit of Aussie mixed in. His Name is Spot. He's between 45 and 55 pounds and very athletic. He is good at sticking around home, guarding the territitory and has basically never been trained to do anything or be socialized and is never kenneled or tied, just stays home. He barks when people visit but does not bother anyone. He will come up to you if you flatter and entice him, otherwise he just prefers that his owners do all of the petting.