What On Earth Is That!?

by Cheryl
(New Zealand)

I had never heard of the Aussie Shepherd until about 5 years ago - I wish I had known of them years before!

I went to a breed show looking for the breeders of my smooth collie and as they weren't there I went strolling around the other exhibits. Sitting on top of a crate, and so relaxed that he was almost comatose, was the most beautiful dog I'd ever seen - a red tricolour Aussie with Irish points. Talk about love at first sight! I struck up a conversation with the owner and got to play with all of the dogs they'd brought to the show. It was right then and there I decided I had to have one of these 'Aussie' things.

After waiting for nearly 2 years for a litter the day finally arrived and I got to pick a pup out of a litter of 2 black tri-colours, 1 red tri-colour, 1 blue merle and an extremely pale blue merle. I picked the red tri & the pale merle boys as my choices and watched them grow via the internet for 7 weeks at which point I picked my puppy.

After screaming all the way from Auckland (he was so loud they heard him through the floor of the plane!) he was off-loaded on the passenger carousel at Wellington airport and I got my first glimpse of my new best buddy. He was nameless as the name I originally had didn't fit BUT on the 3rd night, as I watched his almost white coat rummaging around in the garden in the dark looking for a place to pee, his name just came - CASPER. The breeder thought it very fitting and he was registered with the kennel club as Ukulunga Ghost of the Rainbow.

Casper has many alias names. He is known as wriggle-butt, fur face, fuzzybum and baabaa. We never get far when we are out walking as he is truly a people magnet - not a lot of kiwis have seen an Aussie before as they aren't that common in New Zealand. Before his pigment started to darken at around 1 year old he would often get mistaken for a sheep when we were walking - I used to get some very odd looks indeed.

He's nearly 3 now. His coat colour has darkened up a lot from his original puppy paleness but he is a {dilute} so he's never going to get the real vivid merle colours but we don't mind. We do obedience - not very well I might add as neither of us take it seriously. I had NEVER met a dog that has a sense of humour before I got Casper. He has an intense love of squeaky toys and tennis balls and frisbees and playing with the hose and water in general (in fact when I run the bath its hard to convince him that it isn't being run for him!). He and the cat get great satisfaction out of teasing each other and he just loves romping around with my collie and any other dog we meet that wants to run around like an idiot.

I know that he's smart even though he pretends he isn't - by 18 months he'd figured out how to turn on the water taps in the backyard - yep he LOVES the water.

Other Aussie owners I have met have said that Aussies are like jellybeans - 1 is never enough!. I well and truly have the Aussie bug and I cant wait to get another one!

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