Echo ARPH #7258 WINNER OF 2007 DOY

Two very active, boisterous Aussie pups were dropped off at the vet's office to be euthanized. Luckily for them they ended up at my vet, who has been an ARPH volunteer and foster home since she was in vet school. She took them in, refusing to put them down, and instead called me. She explained they were safe at the clinic for the time being and we agreed I'd try to find a foster home. The staff managed to find a home for his brother, but Echo suffered from separation anxiety and would be harder to place, so he remained in their kennel for some time. It grew apparent there weren't any prospects for Echo's adoption, and I looked in earnest for a foster home. Melissa Meyer, another ARPH volunteer, heard about Echo at the Vet ER where she works and generously offered to take him. He then officially became Echo ARPH #7258. Months later Echo was adopted. Sadly, and through no fault of his own, he was returned to ARPH. While this was disheartenting to us, the effervescent, indomitable Echo took being back in foster care in stride, smiling every inch of the way. We could all learn from Echo's credo of the glass being half full. Having had Echo for so long, Melissa had a strong bond with him and she wanted to foster him. Again Echo was with her for months. It was a difficult time for Echo, a dog with separation anxiety, with Melissa working long hours. She loved Echo and said if he never got adopted he had a home with her, but she knew in her heart that he deserved better. By this time he had been in foster care nearly a year, so in an effort to reach more people Echo's picture and bio were put into “Critter” magazine in Savannah, Georgia. Shortly after it was published, I heard from Tricia Simpson. She seemed to have a genuine interest in Echo, but after being returned once I was more than a little afraid for Echo. He'd spent nearly a year in foster care and I didn't want him to be bounced around any more, so I put Tricia through the wringer. She happily answered all of my questions and I realized this was Echo's best shot at a forever home. Tricia and Chip seemed sincere, committed, and head over heels in love with Echo, so we set up a meeting. .From Tricia... There was just something about that smile. It truly was love at first sight. Still, as we drove to Jacksonville we began to question our sanity. Having a hectic family life with two young girls we didn't (think) we *needed* another dog. Boy, were we wrong! I don’t know when, or even if, we ever voiced the decision to bring Echo home, but the instant we met Echo we knew that it would be insane not to adopt him. Convinced it was meant-to-be, we followed our hearts and brought Echo home, never suspecting we’d just made one of the best decisions of our lives. On the drive home, we stopped for a break and when I opened the kennel gate, he gently put his head on my shoulder...it was the first of many Echo-hugs for which he is now famous. Echo adjusted to his new home with ease. The other dogs liked him (except for Gatsby, the bossy one, who needed to assert her dominance). Having no aspirations to be alpha, Echo trotted away from her with that signature goofy grin on his face and Gatsby was satisfied, never giving him a moment's trouble after that. The children adored him from the minute he arrived. While he could be a typical rambunctious puppy, he seemed to innately understand that he couldn’t be rough with the kids. Echo had just one more family member to meet…the dreaded Boo-kitty! When they came nose to nose for the first time, we expected the worst, but were bowled over when Boo purred and rubbed up against Echo. It didn’t take long for them to become best friends. Playing hide-n-seek at all hours of the night is still their favorite game. The first night that Echo was home, we were upstairs tucking the children into bed. All of the dogs were there, a part of the usual routine. But, this night would be different. Later in the evening, when my husband and I turned out our light to go to sleep, we heard Echo going up the stairs. Concerned that he had to go outside, we followed him. What we witnessed was a rescue dog that had spent a year in foster care without children, checking on in the children! First, he went to our oldest daughter’s bed and rested his head on her bed next to her pillow. He stood perfectly still, listening to her breathe. Then, he walked into our youngest daughter’s room, put his nose through the slats on her crib, with his head on her pillow, and listened to her breathe. Then, he returned to our room, downstairs, and got into his bed. The first few times Echo did this, we followed him. Now we hear him tippy-toeing up the stairs and we know exactly what he’s up to. About six months after Echo came home, our youngest daughter, who was adopted from China, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome and attachment disruptions. She was just two and a half years old and was having frequent panic/terror attacks. While she was now a part of a loving family, she was having difficulty showing and accepting affection from us. When she had an attack, she was literally somewhere else in her mind and we were unable to reach her to comfort her. During these times, we noticed that Echo would put himself into Piper’s arms, almost forcing her to hug him. As he did this, she would hold onto him tightly and immediately begin to calm down! In the beginning, the episodes were frequent and painful, but, with treatment they are not as severe. We have learned to anticipate Piper’s panic attacks and know that she has “that feeling” by the look in her eyes, which is always followed by a hug session with Echo and giddy little girl laughter. What a delightful sound! While Piper was having a hard time learning to trust humans again, she had Echo's unconditional puppy love. He was the bridge back for a lost little girl that was terrified of her new family. We thought we were insane for bringing this dog home to our busy and chaotic home…little did we know what a blessing he would be to our family! Clearly, we were led to Echo and Echo to us. We were meant to be a family! Now that life is calmer, we had the opportunity to take Echo to school. He has completed his basic and novice obedience training at the top of the class, as well as level one agility. Ultimately, we would like him to be a therapy dog…(correction, he IS a therapy dog. He just needs his certification to be a registered therapy dog and he is currently working toward that and also the R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) program. His gentle, loving nature with children will make him a perfect tutor and we feel it would be selfish of us to keep this special brand of puppy love to ourselves. Echo is the embodiment of love. His smiling face is the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see before I go to bed. He has only been with us for 18 months and already we can’t remember life without him. This crazy, smiling, rescue dog has touched our lives and our hearts…and none of us will ever be the same. As a matter of fact, we are all better people because of him. The lingering question is this: Who rescued whom?! From Echo's ARPH rep... Bringing a child lost in her personal nightmare back to a carefree existence is quite a feat, even for an Aussie. Being good-natured, intuitive, and intelligent are typical traits of our breed, and part of what endears them to us. Excelling in obedience is quite commonplace, and Aussies doing agility is an everyday sight, maybe even ordinary. But ordinary is not what Echo is. No, Echo is quite extraordinary. Echo does all of these things and so much more without the use of vision. Yes, Echo is blind. Echo, the puppy that seemed to be disposable, and was left to be euthanized. Echo, the young dog that was adopted and heartbreakingly returned. Echo, the dog that is clearly a savior for a once lost little girl, and who possesses one of the most infectious grins you will ever come across. Echo, an Aussie who, in spite of all the roadblocks in his life, has the trust to do agility with his loving mom. A=Ambassador of the breed; personifies what our breed stands for: intelligence, trainability, loyalty, and enthusiasm R=Resilience to adversity: despite the obstacles of a difficult start in life is still a loving, trusting individual P=Personality to boot: touches the heart, makes a difference in someone's life H=Humor is always a part of an Aussie's life! They give good cheer and enjoyment to their new forever home! Read the acrostic, and you too will think it was written AFTER hearing Echo's story. Echo was featured in a follow up story in Critter magazine and is also slated to be in Delta Sky magazine.

 The following are the stories of all the entries for this year's Dog of the Year.

 Austin 5-yr-old Austin lives with my husband, me, and our other dog (Zeke, a rescue Aussie from the ATL Humane Society). We got Austin from ARPH about three years ago - we found him on the website, and liked his picture. A lady up in Blue Ridge was fostering him, and drove him all the way to Roswell just so we could meet him in person. (I believe he'd been abandoned by his previous owner, and this wonderful lady took him in) We immediately fell in love with his silly, happy personality, and his Aussie wiggle-butt. When he started living with us, he didn't know how to play or be walked on a leash, and he had a severe squirrel addiction! We took him to obedience training; he didn’t take to that right away, but gradually he started to tolerate a little structure, and worked at it until he became a good sitter, walker and heeler. He now walks around hopefully all day with his tennis ball or Frisbee in his mouth, and we go out 4 or 5 times a day to play and walk. Austin launches himself full-tilt into any available body of water, and our house tends to smell of 'parfum de wet dog' after our walks by the river. He can be a little rambunctious, and we call him Mr. Moose because nothing can stand in his way. Zeke sleeps in bed with us, so Austin’s not invited, but he seems perfectly content with the five other places he’s found to sleep, including the bed in the guestroom. He roams around quite a bit at night; I sometimes wake up to the sound of his toenails clicking around the house. He sticks his snout in my face and snorts when he thinks it’s time to get up in the morning. If I don’t get up quickly enough to suit him, he jumps on the bed and sits on my head. A friend commented that his coloring makes him look like a melted butterscotch sundae, and his unusual looks get a lot of comments when he's out in public. We are so happy with this dog, and are grateful for the work of ARPH at got him to us.

Chelsea ARPH # 9419 Chelsea entered ARPH from one of the worst situations I had ever seen. Chelsea was around 8 years old when she was pulled from a filthy, unheated barn in the thumb area of Michigan. Chelsea had been dropped off at this hoarder's farm as a puppy with her littermates. Her brothers and sisters were fortunate enough to find homes but Chelsea wasn't that lucky. She remained out in the elements for nearly 8 years. She had had almost no human contact and lived with three other dogs in a small pen in the barn with no heat and very little light. The only access to the outside was a small fenced muddy area. She was so badly matted that she had "dreadlocks" on her rear end and on both of her front legs. This beautiful blue merle girl smelled so bad that I had to drive with the windows all the way down in the middle of winter. She went right to the groomers where a grapefruit size tumor was discovered on her side. Her gorgeous coat had to be almost completely shaved since there was no way to get the matting out with the filth all mixed in with her fur. Needless to say, Chelsea was fearful of everything. Stairs presented a challenge. She was very fearful of everyone. She had surgery to have the tumor removed and had complications with that. Depite all the horrendous circumstances she had endured, there was that wonderful aussie spirit that with time started to emerge. She became quite a "goofball" and loved her toys. She would pile toy after toy in her crate along with as many chewey bones as she could find. She started to trust humans and even seek affection from them and began to give it. She learned to play and was good with other dogs having lived with dogs in the barn. Chelsea, now called Chelly ,was adopted by the Ross family of Beulah, MI. She continues to grow and develop and according to her forever mom, she is their Dog of the Year no matter what.

Cyan (ARPH #5759). Cyan landed in ARPH foster care due to her previous owners allowing the batteries on her underground fence collar to run low again and again. Cyan was picked up by animal control multiple times; typically her family would be called and they would go pick her up. However, this time her previous owners decided they didn't want her anymore and therefore Cyan ended up at the local shelter. Someone at the shelter decided to call ARPH and she was placed in foster care with my fiancé, Kyle’s, mother, who is an ARPH volunteer. Of course over the years we had seen many aussie foster dogs at her house but when we met Cyan it was different. Cyan, at 2 ½ years old, was completely untrained and a bit of a wild child but she loved everyone she met and, despite being in a new environment, with strange people, she seemed so confident and eager to start a new life. Kyle, and I just fell in love with her. When we found out there was already a potential adopter coming to see her we were upset but glad that she was going to her forever home. Her potential adopters came to meet her and of course fell in love. They brought her home and we sulked for the day. The next morning we received a phone call; it was Kyle’s dad. He told me that Cyan’s adopters were bringing her back because she chased their cat. Kyle and I could not believe it. What luck! We filled out the ARPH adoption application and went to pick Cyan up that same day, December 18, 2005. Since entering our lives a year and a half ago Cyan has proven to be a loyal companion and eager learner. I knew Cyan had the potential to be a wonderful therapy dog because she loves everyone she meets but I knew that before even contemplating therapy dog work Cyan had a lot to learn about obedience. I brought Cyan to an obedience class and I was amazed at how quickly she caught on to everything and how eager she was to please her people. We worked on various obedience skills everyday and after having Cyan for only 8 months she received her Canine Good Citizen certificate and passed both the Delta Society Pet Partners test and the Therapy Dogs International test. Now Cyan and I spend our Fridays volunteering. In the morning we volunteer at a local school in a reading program (Reading Fur Fun) where first and second graders polish up on their reading by sitting with Cyan and reading out loud to her. In the afternoon you will find us at an adult day care facility where all the staff and patients eagerly await our arrival. Cyan LOVES Fridays and I’m not sure who enjoys the visits more, Cyan or the people who we visit. Cyan certainly has a way with people. Kyle and I bring her everywhere with us and everywhere we go people compliment us on how well behaved she is and what a wonderful dog she is. I tell everyone that Cyan was rescued from ARPH and that there are hundreds of others just like her who need homes; they just need someone to see the potential in them. Cyan brings joy and laughter to all that meet her. She knows many silly tricks, which she loves to show off, including playing dead, sitting pretty, and saying her prayers. Cyan has proven to be extremely easy to train and her intelligence impresses me time after time.

Danny ARPH #9548 In November of 2006, I found (quite by accident, as they had him listed as a Cattle Dog, not an Australian Shepherd) a beautiful red tri Aussie at Paulding County Animal Control. When I went up to visit him, I found a very handsome, happy and sweet older Aussie who appeared to be about 6 years old.Danny was literally rescued from the shelter in the nick of time and on his last day. The shelter agreed to hold him until a volunteer could pick him up on the day he was scheduled to be put to sleep. Danny's story was that he took up residence on a woman's porch in Paulding County. Danny still had a collar with a tag containing all of his owner's information. This nice lady thought for sure that Danny's owners would come for him when she called to tell them he'd been picked up by Animal Control. Well...his owners did not care enough to save Danny from euthanasia, and never picked him up.Despite being a little long in the tooth, Danny was healthy as an ox and once he was neutered, he settled down quickly into the safety and happiness of his foster home with Emily Chapman and her husband Gary, their two cats and their Aussie Wil. I received an application from Mary Sikes of Macon, GA. After speaking to her veterinarian, I realized that Mary and her friend were two very special ladies. They had both rescued Katrina dogs after the Hurricane and were very involved in therapy work at a local hospice center, where Mary's friend's mother lives. They often took their Aussies there to cheer up the residents. Emily made the long drive to Macon to deliver Danny into Mary's loving arms. Shortly after arriving, Mary decided that Danny needed a job...and what better occupation than bringing joy to the resident's in the hospice center. (written by Mary Sikes adopter) "What a dog! Margaret's mother is in a nursing home and Margaret and I have been taking her two Aussies and my Sadie to visit. Last week I decided to try Danny since he's so calm. What a success! He ate up the attention and his calm nature really worked well with the older folks that didn't move around too well. I almost cried when Dan layed his head on one old man's knee and the old fella just cried and petted and hugged the big old brown boy..." Update, April, 2007 (written by Mary Sikes) "He is a regular and most welcome visitor at the nursing home. Several of the bed ridden patients had asked if they could see him. On about the second visit to individual rooms he picked up on where to go. I can now take him off leash and he visits "his" people while Sadie and I do the recreation room. I wish I had the words to tell you just how much pleasure this dog gives. About two weeks ago I got a baby orphan pigmy goat to bottle feed. In an effort to be a very useful aussie Danny has decided the baby is his newest job. Baby goat sleeps curled up next to Dan, follows him everywhere he goes and he when its jump and play time he uses poor Danny as his springboard. When I get home from work the three of us either go for a walk or a short trail ride. Danny and Sadie both were a bit thick in their middles. Not now. They have a waist. He and Sadie have been on several camping trips. He seems to enjoy them, and he's so well behaved he's not a bit of trouble. I had wondered how he'd handle the strange places, people, and horses. Not a problem. He just handles things. The three aussies all get along extremely well, but he and Sadie are very attached to each other. I can always count on having one of them on each side of me. Poor CJ - she's just too busy being busy. I surely do love this big red boy. He fits in like I've had him forever. Again, I owe you for giving me the privilege of having him."

Dixie We were invited to a dog show in may 2006 by one of the owners of the dog school where we were taking our black tri colored Aussie named Sancho. Not knowing there would be rescue groups there we found Dixie while walking around looking at all the dogs. I had already filled out an adoption application online because we were looking for a companion for Sancho. Dixie was with her foster parents with ARPH and she walked right up to my husband, laid down and presented her belly. That was it! The next day Rachael Eley brought her to our house and she and Sancho ran and played in the backyard until they were exhausted. Dixie found her forever home. She acted as if she had always lived with us. Since I was already taking Sancho to CGC classes I started training Dixie too. She was first in her class in basic obedience and then received her CGC award too. She has a great down stay. Despite being given up by her former owners for being” too playful" Dixie loves and trusts us. She wants to be hugged and petted by everyone she meets. When either my husband or son comes home her wiggle butt is so big her tail almost touches her head. She loves to chase squirrels and frizbees. She also taunts Sancho by grabbing the tennis balls and keeping them away from him. The one that is most amazing about Dixie is that she passed the test to be a therapy dog for Happy Tails which is a pet therapy organization in Georgia. We will start making visits as soon as I take the handlers training course on April 28th. In the last 3 monthes I have been traveling back and forth between Roswell, Georgia and Knoxville, Tennessee to care for my Aunt who has been fighting terminal cancer. Some of the times I kept Dixie with Sancho and me stayed with his dad at home. It was so touching to see how tender and loving Dixie was with my Aunt. When Bonnie would be lying on the couch Dixie laid beside her and my Aunt would pet her for the longest time. When I would help Bonnie to bed at night Dixie would jump on the bed and lay at the foot and not move. She really knew my Aunt was in pain and she had to lay still. Many times Bonnie would sat" I know Dixie is going to be a great therapy dog". This picture personifies Dixie. It was taken at a time I was feeling very sad because my Aunts last CT scans showed her cancer had returned and there was no treatment for it. Dixie lay on my chest and gave me such love and comfort. Since Bonnie passed away Dixie seems to know and gives me a little extra love. This is what Dixie has brought to our house.

Eddie Eddie joined our home last fall, around his 11th birthday. As we understand it, he originally earned his name from is breeder and her family, where he was known as “Special Ed” - he was a little slower than the other puppies, and has a habit of cocking his head from side to side when he is spoken to. Eddie enjoyed a life of luxury for his first eight years. He was fortunate to be taken into the home of a two career couple who were able to provide him with top notch “puppy day care”, which included car rides and walks in the park. When their circumstances changed and they moved to a place where dogs could not follow, they returned him to his breeder with the confidence that he would be well cared for and loved. Eddie enjoyed about three years back at the home of his breeder, frolicking with his siblings and friends, until the family’s circumstances again unfortunately changed. Eddie found himself now at the welcoming home of his foster mom, Cheryl Williams. It was our good fortune to be linked with Cheryl by dedicated ARPH representative Pat Dwyer. Pat was taking special care to help us find just the right Aussie companion - and while we were not at first looking for a male, through her guidance, we stayed open-minded and decided to meet Eddie. Our initial meeting in the Connecticut countryside went fine - Eddie seemed fine with Nigel, the three-year-old Aussie looking for a friend. He didn’t seem to notice the Nigel was missing a leg, and neither dog was aggressive or defensive - we went forward and headed home to the Adirondacks with optimism. When we arrived at home, Nigel made it clear that the sofa and bed were off limits - Eddie was unruffled. He in fact was more intrigued with the basket of toys that clearly beaconed to him, and soon took possession of his own favorite teddy bear. Eddie adapted quickly to his new home in the Adirondacks, and to his new neighborhood - a westin terrier, Jim the “Benji” dog, deer, bears, and lots of squirrels! All went along well, and the boys enjoyed walks and treats and cuddles... then one night in the early morning hours, we began to > understand how truly “special” Eddie is. Eddie’s friend Nigel has seizures, and sometimes they are quite severe. Eddie watched this experience once, then immediately knew what he had to do to make a difference the next time something like this occurred. Now, when Nigel has a seizure, Eddie immediately positions himself so Nigel cannot hurt himself on the edge of the bed or the wall. Nigel has been through some significant medication changes, sometimes rendering him more than a little wobbly when walking. Eddie instinctively walks on his left side, where Nigel’s leg is missing, so if Nigel is going to fall, Eddie can soften the outcome. He sleeps during the day close to Nigel and watches over him, and in the car, Eddie is Nigel’s “pillow”, bracing him in turns and allowing him to lay behind him so he does not slide forward. Eddie recently started volunteering at the nursing home division of the health care facility where I work. He is patient will all types of residents, and never minds if someone’s movements are a bit spastic when he is petted - he is happy to sit quietly next to a wheelchair > and be noticed. He also enjoys visiting his pet sitters’ shop, where he greets customers and is considered an Ambassador of the Aussie breed in a community where the breed is popular. He likes his new cottage community that he "owns", and is happy to greet guests and check out the ducks at the waterfront. To understand Eddie’s personality, it is best for someone to have seen the ‘70’s show “Family Affair” - Eddie is quite a bit like Mr. French - the ever present, quietly strong butler that recognizes the family’s needs and selflessly assures that they are met. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word - never needs to be first at the door or the dish - comfortable that his needs will be met and more concerned with making a difference for “the other guy”. Oh, and to the point of touching the heart - he is everything I could have hoped for and more in a companion for Nigel, and, as my family notes when he and Nigel stay there during my work travels, he is certainly attached to his new “mom”. We hope Eddie’s story will inspire others to consider adopting an older Aussie from rescue. If selected for recognition, we would expect Eddie’s acceptance speech to be brief, punctuated with his deep baritone “woofs”: “I am humbled by this honor. Thanks to my breeder Valerie for giving me good genes, matching me with a nice family, and taking me back in when I needed a home. Thanks Cheryl and Pat and ARPH for linking me with my new people. And thanks to my new mom for giving me a little buddy to look after - in my golden years, I feel needed and loved, and ARPH made that possible.”

Jessie ARPH # 7615 Jessie was born with Collie Eye; he was tested by a specialist and the breeder was told that he was almost completely blind. This was a surprise for Jessie's breeder; dad was a blue merle and mom was a black tri-color, so she never expected something like this. She loved this little puppy and was heartbroken about his "disability." The breeder saw something in this special boy and vowed she was going to do everything in her power to give Jessie the kind of life he deserved. She contacted Donna Riley-Sweet. The breeder invited Donna to meet this special little boy whom she described to Donna as "so sweet, fun-loving and happy despite being almost blind." Donna met Jessie and agreed- this was a very special boy. Donna took him into foster care and the breeder gave a substantial donation to ARPH to help cover the costs of his care while he was here with us in ARPH. Even though Donna already had a full house, she saw something in this self-assured little boy, so she took him in until a suitable foster home could be found. The call was out and 450 miles away there was an answer- Ginnette volunteered her home. She explained to Donna that she had fostered several deaf dogs but never a blind dog, and that she was up to the challenge. Donna was pleased that Jessie was going to have a chance at a normal life. Donna had this to say about the little bundle of fluff: "I had Jester (Jessie) at my house for a couple of enjoyable days. He was a fun dog to have around- happy and playful and full of puppy breath and snuggles! Then he made the trip to Ginnette and our friends in Canada to be fostered..." Jessie's passport was updated for his big trip to Canada, and a transport was set up. Jessie’s first stop was a slumber party at Kay Marks’ home. Jessie enjoyed Kay's doting attention for several days before moving on. Kay reported that Jessie was a real sweetie. Jessie’s next stop was the Sue Sternberg seminar. Sue volunteered to give her opinion on Jessie- she stated that this dog would have no problems at all. She said he was confident, but not pushy; she also said that he easily accepted being handled. Sue was impressed with the little pup. This is where he met his new foster mom, Ginnette. Jessie was handed off to Ginnette and started the last leg of his journey to Canada ; this is where Jessie left his mark. You see, Ginnette worked in a family-owned pet store, which in the past had always been very supportive of Ginnette's foster dogs. Jessie went to work everyday, and you couldn't have asked for a better ambassador of the Aussie breed. Jessie was beautiful, intelligent, outgoing, and courageous and one of the most confident dogs Ginnette has ever met! Jessie had the layout of the store memorized within 30 minutes of walking through its doors. One of the store owners didn't even know that Jessie was blind until the third day. Jessie was greeting clients when they came in, played with the dogs that stopped by, and sneaked treats out of their display boxes. Jessie walked up and down the aisles like he owned the place. Most people did not believe that confident little pup was blind- how could he be? Not by the way he was able to follow Ginnette around the store, nor by the tricks he did. He loved scaring people with one of them; you see Jessie would listen to Ginnette to figure out exactly where she was standing...than he would launch himself into the air (all four paws would go at least two feet in the air) and Ginnette would catch him in her arms. The first time he did this he almost gave his foster mom a heart attack, but he loved it. Jessie got better and better at this trick and learned to jump higher and higher into the air. Jessie became so sure of himself that he started launching himself off of the front steps of his home. Again, his foster mom earned a few more grey hairs with the fright this caused her! Another thing Jessie did that amazed people was his ability to chase his Aussie foster brother and sister. He sat for days listening to their tags until he figured out how to follow them. This is where he impressed people. You see, Jessie, at three months was able to run full speed and run alongside his foster brother. People would stop and watch this little boy with amazement on his skill to give chase and be able to stop when called and return to his foster mom’s side. Jessie also loved to wrestle. He didn't care how big or how small the dog was, he just wanted to play. One time he was wrestling with a 5 month old Great Dane. Jessie was chasing this dog and launching his body into the air to wrestle with the gentle giant. The poor Dane didn't have a chance with this blind little Aussie boy- Jessie had him down on the ground where they wrestled for a good 30 minutes. It was at that moment the Dane owners found out Jessie was blind. "Not bad for a blind pup, eh?" said Ginnette. The young couple could not believe that Jessie was blind. This is where Jessie met the people who would soon be his new family: Kevin was in the store buying a new toy for Sasha, his Aussie female. He met Jessie and it was love at first sight. He went home, talked to his wife about this wonderful dog who didn't even know he was blind. They agreed that they were ready for a second dog and that Jessie was it. Kevin, Kate and Sasha filled out an application and sent it in; the rest is history! The following was written by Jessie’s forever home family: Dec/06 "As you know, this is our very first Christmas with Jessie. I guess it's been 9 months since we became a family of four! It took Sasha a while to get used to the idea of having to "share" the treats, and now presents, but she has adjusted well. It's now a contest to see who can go out for a pee and get back first in order to have dibs on the biggest bone in the house! Jessie's usually first, but Sasha generally has enough time to get back in and make a contest of it, since it takes Jess a little longer to find things. Despite being blind, Jess is a perfectly well-adjusted and (I hope) happy boy. He follows us everywhere we go and likes nothing better than to crash next to us on the couch. It was certainly an interesting challenge to arrange the house in a fashion that was amenable to a non-sighted puppy, but I think we've found a happy compromise. I never imagined a visually impaired animal would be so confident, but when I watch Jessie literally charge up and down the stairs, jump off the couch with all 4 paws in pounce-like fashion and land cleanly, I know how powerful and tenacious of spirit this little dog can be! He will not give up until he accomplishes what he sets out to do. And hide things! He makes a game of finding the most intricate areas of the house in which he can hide his treats, bones, toys, etc. He knows exactly where he left them, too! I've watched him go back several hours later to exactly where he deposited his bone. Most of all, Jess likes to run outside with Sasha, pouncing, wrestling, and barking to beat the band! There's something very gratifying about watching him run and bound like it's the most natural thing in the world. Most people have absolutely no idea our dog can't see! Well, it's soon time for another walk. Sasha and Jess share a dual-lead, which gives Jess the confidence to walk with little guidance and/or concern about where he's headed. As long as Sasha's in the lead, he's a happy pup and I think Sasha enjoys the walks more. She's his adopted mother/sister, you know. She watches out for him while they're out together. I've watched Sasha place herself between Jess and oncoming strangers. Not in an aggressive fashion, but she wants to make sure he's safe from harm, just in case ;o) So, I hope your Christmas is a good one, with Lacey, Haven, and whoever is staying with you this month! It's the goodwill and dedication of people like you who give Aussies like Jess the helping hand they need in order to lead a happy and productive life with a loving family of their own. Thank you! Everyone who doubts the spirit of these little dogs should read this. It is the kind of story that proves "special-needs" dogs deserve the chance to live a normal life. Jessie you are everything a dog should be and you impressed allot of people with your intelligence, your courage, your sweetness, your sense of humor and you’re oh so cute aussie smile! Thank you Jessie!

Jewel In March of 2006, I stumbled upon a photo of a beautiful red tri female Aussie in Barrow County Animal Control in GA. GA ARPH volunteer Carla Brown hurried over to the shelter, pulled this pretty girl and took her to straight to the veterinarian’s office for a checkup. Upon entering the room, the veterinary technician exclaimed that this sweet girl was her sister’s dog. She claimed that her sister had adopted Jewel 7 years prior and that she’d fallen on hard times, divorced, and her ex husband was in charge of caring for the dogs. Obviously this gentleman did not have the dogs’ best interests in mind and this gem found herself in animal control. Carla was dubious about the story to say the least; however, the technician was quick to point out prior to examination that Jewel had an umbilical hernia. Carla was convinced when she was shown the evidence clearly. Not wanting to cause a family rift, the technician allowed ARPH to bring Miss Jewel into foster care. Being slightly overweight, but otherwise healthy, this diamond in the rough made her way into rescue. So many people overlook an older dog; however after 4 months, I was contacted by a wonderful family in AL interested in this GA peach. After speaking with Robin Hunter at length about Jewel, she and her husband Bill made the long trek to Atlanta from Birmingham, braving the infamous Atlanta traffic. Robin and Bill had dedicated their lives to a Border Collie who was extremely intolerant of strangers. Instead of abandoning this special dog, they instead adjusted their lives to accommodate the fact that she did accept new people readily. As much as they loved her, when she passed to the Rainbow Bridge, they really hoped for a “take anywhere, meet anyone” kind of dog. They found that, in GA ARPH’s beautiful Jewel. Jewel is a most welcome addition, not only to the Hunter household, but anywhere that her new family wishes to take her. Mr. Hunter comments that Jewel is a welcome patron in their local Home Depot, and at restaurants where dogs are normally not allowed. Jewel has also been a healing factor, not only in the Hunter’s Christian ministry efforts, but also to a few children in their area that have had some difficult interactions with dogs prior. One child’s mother approached Bill at the local PetSmart and asked if her child (previously attacked by a dog) could pet Jewel. This child, who had been terrified of all dogs since the incident, was drawn to Jewel’s calm and compassionate nature and the healing began as she stroked Jewel’s beautiful coat. Sadly, Jewel is suffering some health setbacks of late; however, Mr. Hunter asserts that she has given so much not only to he and Robin, but also to anyone who comes in contact with her. He feels they are truly blessed with whatever time they have spent with her so far and any time remaining in the future is just an additional blessing. Dogs like Jewel are the reason I decided to volunteer with ARPH. Despite neglect, sadness and hardship, her love and determination to heal the human spirit shines through. Jewel certainly lives up to her name.

Roper Roper was rescued from a Pennsylvania stockyard and came to me in White Plains, NY as a 2-year old ARPH foster dog in May 1995. He had been abused by the workers at the stockyard, and it was months before Roper was ready to be placed in a forever home. My husband and I had become very attached to Roper, so it was with many tears that I loaded him into his crate for the 3-hour trip to Long Island, where another ARPH rep had found the perfect home for him. The meeting with the prospective adoptive couple did not go well. Roper was very subdued and would not even look at his new Mom and Dad. When they approached him, he stared at me, then ducked away and tried to pull me away from them. I was puzzled and embarrassed. What happened to the foster dog that seemed so ready for placement? After watching for awhile, the Long Island ARPH rep said, “Carol, you can’t place this dog here or anywhere-can’t you see that he is madly in love with you?” So Roper came back home with me, and in the years that followed he has taught me the meaning of devotion and love. I consider Roper to be the ultimate success story. Rescued from an abusive situation, and initially anxious and fearful of people, Roper eventually became a Delta Society Therapy Dog who has given hours of enjoyment to nursing home residents. The dog that used to shy away from people now leans into them to ask for more petting. He patiently enjoys the Altzeimer patients who grab at his vest, play piano up and down his nose, or run into him with their walkers and wheel chairs. Throughout it all, Roper keeps grinning and wagging his natural bob-tail. He is confident and happy and loves visiting “his” people at the nursing home, going from person to person, nudging at their hands until they pet him. In February, Roper celebrated his 14th birthday with all his friends at the nursing home. Roper was always a willing worker and quick to learn, and he became an accomplished performance dog. He earned his name “Jump Roper Doper” because he was a jumping fool-and could easily jump 36 inches from a standstill. Roper excelled in agility, and he completed all his ASCA/NADAC Elite agility titles, as well as his AKC Open and USDAA Advanced agility titles. He also earned his ASCA/AKC Companion Dog titles. And at the 2001 ASCA Nationals in Greeley, Colorado, Roper received a high-in-trial veteran award in obedience-I was so proud of him! Roper also enjoyed carting in his younger days, and after we moved to Arizona he pulled the “cleanup cart” behind dog or horse entries in the local parades. The crowd always gave him a big hand when he passed by, and Roper seemed to enjoy being the center of attention. Although he still enjoys chasing his beloved ball and an occasional rabbit, Roper has retired from agility and obedience competition. We are continuing our wonderful journey together, and I am so glad that Roper was smart enough to know that we belonged together.

 Keeper I am 72 years old and have been deeply involved with dogs since I was 11 years old. ..I raised a Guide Dog for the Blind, and began training and breeding as a teen-ager. For many years I owned Australian Shepherds, (and my children and grandchildren still do)…but I wanted to get involved with showing in AKC shows and breeding, and never felt there would be enough good homes for Aussie pups…so I became involved with breeding Norfolk Terriers. I have very much missed having an Australian Shepherd but I worried that I didn’t have the time or energy for an Aussie puppy. An Aussie breeder friend suggested that many good older dogs end up in Aussie rescue. At about the same time, I discovered Canine Musical Freestyle, and knew that I had found my next great passion in life. Knowing that my Aussie would now have a full life with me I put in my application to ARPH. I remember laughing about the request to “describe your ideal dog…” knowing that in 61 years in dogs, breeding and training, there aren’t too many ideal dogs, and who could expect one from a Rescue. Keeper (originally Gus) was the third Aussie that was introduced to me. His calm and dignified manner, and the peaceful energy he had around my terriers and my 4 sheep seemed remarkable. He has demonstrated that he can herd, but never volunteers to bother the sheep unless the need arises. From the first day he was with me, he was co-operative and responsive. I waited for the problems to start, but they never did. He was friendly to visitors, but calm and appropriate, yet he was a fierce watchdog when strangers approached the house or car. He took his new life in stride with remarkable dignity, though his aloofness initially told me how confusing this change was for him. Within 3 weeks of his arrival we started our Musical Freestyle class on Sunday afternoons, and soon that became the highlight of our week, and a wonderful bonding experience for us. He seemed to enjoy learning little dance routines. Keeper’s ability to learn is awesome. My dancing friends call him “scary smart.” He learns things in minutes and participates with enthusiasm and joy. He knows he makes me happy and that seems to encourage him to do more. He loves to dance and shows it with his body and his smile. Everywhere we go people are attracted to him and he is always polite and appreciative of their greetings. His enthusiasm, his devotion to me and his willingness to give me his undivided attention is the talk of my Freestyle community. I had to cut his hair, which was very thick and long, last summer. His large fan club loves his new look, and he seems to feel bouncier.

Kip Kip was rescued by AHRP of North Carolina. He was found wandering along a highway in Eastern North Carolina. Kip is deaf and partially blind as a result of the irresponsible or possibly accidental breeding of two Merle colored Australian Shepherds. We met Kip during a house visit from his foster mom and AHRP representative, Kelly. Since we had been on the lookout for a playmate for our Collie Mix, Buki, and these two got along so well, we had to consider adopting. There is a wealth of information online about deaf dogs and using hand signals to train them. After reading most of what's available on the subject, we decided to give it a try. Kip is the sweetest dog we've ever met and loves to be right next to us at all times. He hangs out with Buki, so we haven't had to worry too much about getting his attention when we call. If Buki comes, Kip comes. At night, Kip comes when we flash the porch light on and off (and Buki follows him.) He's learned the hand signals for "sit," "down," "stay", "no" and "good." He doesn't know that he's deaf and we haven't told him. It's nice in a way because he doesn't get startled by loud noises or bark when another dog is barking in the neighborhood. For some reason, his favorite toys are the ones that squeak. Maybe he can feel the vibrations. He's a beautiful and loving animal and we feel very fortunate that he came into our life. He makes us smile all the time. My name is Maggie now; I used to be known as Motley. I was rescued from a large breeding owner who had me produce six litters in my three years of life. I am a shy dog and very skittish. I didn’t know how to play, but guess what? I have two cats here and I enjoy playing with them. I am learning how to fetch but I liked to give the ball to my pet parents. I took this picture to show you some of my toys. The best thing is making my pet parents laugh!

Maggie ARPH #3408 I would like to enter my dog Maggie for dog of the year. She was ARPH #3408, rescued from a puppy mill at the age of 6 after just having a litter of puppies, weighing in at 68 lbs, heartworm positive, had a yeast infection in her ears, a lot of skin rashes and her coat was wirey and dry. Maggie was saved and used as evidence that convicted the woman who ran the puppy mill. I adopted Maggie in June 2000 & she was depressed, overweight and walked behind me with her head hanging down. She was leery of of people but would approach cautiously with her sad eyes. I spent the first while bonding with Maggie and keeping her away from stressful situations. Her loyalty to me became evident in those first few weeks. Soon she was introduced to new people and dogs. Maggie loved the people more than anything and since she never had much interaction with other dogs & had never been taught how to play, she much preferred getting affection from people. This gave me the idea to get her tested as a St. John Ambulance Therapy dog because she got so much joy being with people and that would be her way of giving back to society in appreciation for being rescued from the terrible conditions she lived in. Maggie passed the test with flying colours and we started to visit a seniors home, once a week for about 2 hours. This was in October 2001 and now it will be five years and we have almost 500 hours worth of visits since we started. There has not been one senior who has not loved her. It’s like a gift she has leaning against them and encouraging them to pet her and fuss over her. She makes each one of them feel very special. She learned to love mankind again! Her picture is even on the cover of the Malton Long Term Care Facility’s brochure which I have attached a picture of. Maggie now has a sparkle in her eye, loves and trusts all people. She has the most amazing soft coat & everyone who pets her makes that comment! I can’t put into words how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to adopt her. ARPH found me the perfect dog! They listened to my needs and made an incredible match and brought Maggie into my life and allowed her to leave her mark in this world for which I will be forever grateful. I think Maggie represents the essence of this rescue organization! I occasionally bring fosters into my home for ARPH Ontario and Maggie always sits back and lets them be fussed over during their stay. I swear I heard her whisper to the last one, “ Don’t worry, being rescued is the best thing that will ever happen to you! Just wait until you meet your new forever family. You will think you’ve died and gone to heaven…”

 Marta APRH # 9416 Entered the ARPH program on November 13, 2006. Marta had been dumped on the side of a rural road in southwestern Michigan to whelp her puppies in a ditch along the road. A good Samaritan found Marta, along with her seven puppies, and took them to a local shelter where they remained until Michigan ARPH took her into the program with her six remaining puppies. Marta was 30 pounds underweight but continued to be a very good mother despite her emaciated condtion. She was also heartworm positive. Two days after placing her in a foster home, Marta and her puppies became seriously ill. Marta was better off than her pups who were eventually diagnosed with Parvo. All but one of her pups sucumbed to parvo.Marta was more fortunate than her puppies and did not come down with parvo. When placed in another foster home, Marta slowly began to put on weight but was terrified of men. The foster dad was patient with her and she slowly began to trust him. We were finally able to have her treated for heartworm after she had gained over 20 pounds to a decent weight. She survived her heartworm treatment and slowly learned to trust all humans again. She was great with other dogs and cats were no problem either. I am happy to say that Marta was adopted by Sue Tschirhart and now lives in the lap of luxury with her aussie brother Riley. She loves to go camping in their motorhome and is truly an example of the aussie spirit to have survived all that she endured.

Ned Despite his rough beginnings Ned has blossomed into the quintessential Aussie. He is such a happy boy, all smiles, wiggle butt, velcro, a bit bossy (well more than a bit!) and has the wonderful Aussie sense of humor. Every day we have a new Ned story! He loves everyone, has learned how to live happily with an old Cocker and two cats (and two visiting cats) and is a go everywhere, do anything boy. We adopted Ned in February 2006 after losing our old Aussie. Ned was only 11 months and we are his third home since leaving the breeder. Ned had spent his life outside with little interaction with people and came to us with little confidence and afraid of so many things. When we brought him home he was terrified to go down our back stairs to the side door, screaming, fighting to get away and hitting the ground. He reacted the same way when he saw his dad with a grill spatula in his hand a few months later. He was afraid of the bathroom, people who had anything in their hands, brooms, shovels, a moving curtain or blind, every single piece of agility equipment, you name it. If his leash was stepped on he appeared to feel “trapped” and he freaked. Despite whatever had happened to him he has a fabulous disposition and the biggest heart. Even before his mom started competitive obedience and agility classes with him he began overcoming his fears. He just loves to train and is doing exceptionally well in both of his classes. From being terrified to approach the agility equipment he is now blasting through the chute and tunnel, flying up and over the contact equipment and leaping on the table. Ned has a tremendous heart. He trains with his mom and loves her but absolutely worships his dad. His is friendly with people, good with all dogs, likes his cats. His confidence has grown tremendously in the past year living with us and through his training. His trust and loyalty are so deep now that he just gathers his courage and faces his fears. Then he just bursts with happiness and joy, so proud of himself. Ned has changed his mom’s life. As a “mature” adult she is attempting to learn the intricacies of competitive obedience and agility, both new challenges. In an attempt to keep up with him she now is working out at the gym and going to Weight Watchers. With the thought of what might have happened to this wonderful dog if he had not been in rescue, his mom is now volunteering in Aussie rescue. His dad is now wondering if Ned has any ability on sheep and wouldn’t that be a fun and interesting activity rather than sitting in a recliner. We have such faith in Ned and believe that with his intelligence and talents he can do anything! He has blown our lives right out of the old comfort zone. Ned is one awesome Aussie. One of his agility friends said “Ned has so much spirit!” Another visiting friend said, “Ned is so alive!” People out in public say “What a happy dog!” “What a beautiful dog!” The trainer says, “Ned is a wonderful dog!” When his mom and dad read the description of what ARPH was looking for in the Dog of the Year contest we said, “Yep, that is our Ned!”

Preston Our son Austin had been asking for a dog since our German Shepherd passed away in February of 2001. We decided on an Aussie, based mainly on our experiences with an Aussie in our obedience classes with our German Shepherds way back when. We spoke with several breeders and were actually going to go visit one in the Chicago land when I stumbled on the Aussie Rescue web ring completely by accident! We saw several dogs we were very interested in - and I actually printed out their pictures for our son to see up close. He picked Preston (a beautiful and intelligent Blue Merle pup of the ripe ole age of 4 months!) the minute he saw him. He wrote a letter to Santa that night and asked him for nothing other than that cute little Aussie he saw in the picture. I emailed and submitted the application - knowing that our pup was over 5-1/2 hours away! Preston was delivered for Christmas Eve straight from Santa and our son could not hide his elation. This is HIS baby! We have had Preston for almost 5 years now (this Christmas!) He travels with us everywhere we go - he's been to Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, New York, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Canada. He LOVES to swim and ride on the boat! He is by far one of the smartest dogs I have ever known - and we all fight to sit and cuddle with him. He is kind of a momma's dog at bedtime, because he likes to sleep at my feet on the bed right on top of the electric blanket! He never barks unless a stranger is present - and he walks the kids to the bus stop every morning without fail. This wonderful organization brought us the most handsome and loving dog alive as far as we're concerned!

Roper What can i say about Roper? I have had a number of aussies come in and out of my life and I have to say besides the first aussie i have ever owned, roper is the best!!! roper came to us as a foster! And like all the other fosters that have come into our foster home roper has never left! roper is a 7 years old, black tri male that lived in a barn his entire life until coming to live with us! i picked him up in Delaware when returning from my vacation. The first things that i noticed about roper were his very stand offish personality (typical aussie) and the tick that was on his nose! (That no one else noticed) all i could think of was boy am i in for a treat now!! But i believe that all aussies deserves a chance. The poor boy shook and drooled the whole ride back to pa. i have never seen a dog so matted and full of ticks and still tried to keep a smile on his face!! Arriving to our home in pa after a 4 hour ride, roper was face with 2 other dogs, 3 children and 4 cats!!! . Stress??? Who said stress??? After pulling off a total of 22 ticks and brushing out mats and giving him a much needed bath (7 years worth i think) Roper collapsed for the night. Did I mention it was under the covers with my 5 year old daughter!! For a boy who had not been with kids, he adapted very nicely! Roper now knows that it is ok to chase a ball, but has not gotten the, it’s not ok to chase the cat thing yet!!! I have had 2 surgeries since roper has been with us and during my recovery time roper would not leave my side except to eat and potty, and that was even hard to get him to do. If I moved he was there, and if I had to do steps he walked step for step with me right at me side with his nose to my hand till I reached the bottom. Roper knows his limits, knows his yard and where he cannot go! There are still some things that he is afraid of and we are working on that everyday. Things like 4 wheelers, tractors, and garbage bags!! All is due time I say though. We have come very far for a boy without much socialization in the first 7 years of his life! We had to put one of our dogs to sleep a few weeks ago and roper was devastated. It was almost like he was mad at me for doing it. He would not come near me or my car for a day or so. He still misses her. When it came time to bury her, he sat right at the grave side till we were done, and I swear he cried right along with us!! Ropers personality is one in it’s self. He knows when its time to take the kids to the bus, and if for some reason he does not get to go, he will lay at the door and sulk. He has to lay at or on my feet when I am sitting on the computer. If one of the kids is crying he is right there as if to say what can I do, what can I do to make it better!!! He loves to roll in the grass and the snow! I think he realized the life he is living now is one that is well worth a million dollars. The kids to play with, the dogs and cats to keep him company during the day. Mom’s bed when she is not home (and he didn’t think I knew about that one). Washed, groomed, brushed, cuddled, fed, watered, and most of all LOTS OF LOVE!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh all the comforts of HOME!!!!!!!!!

Roxie I adopted Roxie in January 2005. Since that time we have trained in puppy agility and obedience. We then continued in obedience up to novice obedience. We dropped agility due to Roxie’s poor eyesight. She wasn’t able to see the weave poles or stay on the dog walk. She earned her CGC in April 2006 at the age of 1 year 8 months. We are still training in obedience and we show in APDT RAllyO. Roxie earned her first Rally title in March 2007 doing three trials in three weekends. She had a 188, 196 for 3rd place and a 180 for her title. This she did by the age of 2 years 7 months. Being deaf with limited vision this is awesome. Roxie is always happy and has the fastest wiggle butt going. She loves going to the dog club and greeting everyone. Roxie lives in the country on 5 acres and enjoys running and playing with the other “fur siblings”. Wherever we go people are always amazed when they find out she is deaf. We will be showing in UKC obedience this fall. She has mastered the recall over the jump and we are soon to be ready for the ring. I am thankful for the great start her foster mom, Bille Wickre gave her and for ARPH letting me adopt Roxie. She ROCKS MY WORLD. Rudy ARPH #7688 If we had to place a picture along with the definition of resilience, it would we "Rudy" ARPH 7688. Rudy came to us October 15, 2005 with "kennel crazies" and as a last hope. After several months in 2 shelters, he was days from being euthanized. Once home, it was quickly discovered he was a dog on the edge. Time in the shelters was not good to Rudy. The isolation, lack of socialization, no outlet for his abundance of energy and the extra 20 pounds of body weight had left Rudy on the edge of doggie sanity. It seemed a tennis ball was Rudy's only "friend". He was like a dog possessed, that ball was his and no one, no way, no how, was going to take his "friend". Rudy's first days here were tough on him and us. He was frightened and confused but at the same time very curious of everything around him. After a few days, we realized, we had yet to see him sleep. He played with the other dogs all day and paced the floors all night. The exercise routine started. Even with several miles of running a day, Rudy was a dog out of control. While out on a walk on day, Rudy was barking nonstop and jumping all over me, on my shoulders, off my chest, arms, back etc. A man passing by stopped, he thought Rudy was attacking me. I unknowingly had a tennis ball in the pocket of my coat but Rudy knew. Our first attempt at group obedience classes was a big disappointment. It was way to much for Rudy and for us. We started private lessons. After a few very trying weeks and many, many set backs, just when we thought things appeared hopeless, we saw IT... a tiny spark, for the first time Rudy made eye contact. Then he started to give us attention. Rudy was finally beginning to trust us. He was learning that good behavior gets rewarded and Rudy LOVED the rewards. The more we worked with Rudy the more he wanted to learn and the more he trusted us. Along with that trust came love. In June 2006 we adopted Rudy. In July Rudy was ready for group obedience classes. He did great. He graduated from basic, then advanced and in September 2006, he passed the AKC C.G.C. test! It took almost a year, but Rudy was now a trusting, well trained dog with manners. He was worth every sore muscle, black eye, bruised rib, dirty look and nasty comment we got about him. Today, Rudy is a happy, loyal, friendly dog who believes he is a 55 pound lap dog. Somewhere along than way he even developed a sense of humor, just look at the bottom right corner of the December 2007 ARPH calendar. Rudy is that special dog that we could not give up on. He had that look in his eyes that said "PLEASE....don't give up on me, I won't let you down". We realize it was much harder for Rudy to learn to trust, love and not give up on us than it was for us not to give up on him. A very special thank you goes out to Martin Neely, the obedience trainer that would not give up on Rudy... or us. To Kay Marks, who believed in Rudy and us enough to give us chance after chance. And to Rudy, thank you, for learning to trust and love us enough to become the dog we knew you could be. You have never let us down.

Smokey ARPH #6359 We got Smokey on November 3, 2003. We were looking for a dog that was younger than our other 2 Aussies to help keep the/get them more active. We thought getting him at 17 months old was young enough but not too young. We had a bit of a rough start with working out some dominance issues, but Smokey, now 5 years old, has since become the model Aussie. We have commented several times how lucky and happy we are that we have him and that if only his old owners knew Smokey, there would have been no way they would have given him up. Smokey is mufti-talented in many ways. He helps me with the housework by eating any food crumbs on the floor as well as anything that he deems edible. As for yard work, he munches on the grass keeping it at a manageable height, keeps the birds from getting the bird bath dirty and we now have an official bird no-fly zone in the neighborhood. He has scared just about every deliveryman that comes up the walk, but if they only knew it's the tongue they have to worry about and not the teeth. Smokey is quite the teacher as well. He has taught his daddy that when he comes home, everybody deserves to get a welcome home bone. He also learned that in order to go out at Sam, he needs to jump up on dads side of the bed and crawl up his chest and give him wet doggy kisses. Smokey IS the ambassador of the breed. He loves EVERYONE. He can see neighbors down the street and he cry and just wants to go and say hi. He plays with our sometimes reluctant 11 year old Aussie female (ARPH#4763). They have become the best of friends and she tolerates him at best sometimes. I hate to think of one without the other. We wouldn't trade Smokey, or any of our dogs for that matter.They are happy and healthy and they are our babies, our lives. Thank you Aussie Rescue for letting us have the opportunity to raise and love 2 of your dogs.

Stevie Stevie’s life began with challenges faced by only a few Aussie pups. According to statistics, 25% of pups born to two merle parents are double merles. Dogs with this condition possess 2 copies of the merle gene and often suffer from vision and/or hearing defects. As luck, or in this case MISFORTUNE, would have it, Stevie fell into that category. If this wasn’t enough bad luck, Stevie, unfortunately had an owner who decided to leave him chained up and abandoned him – THANK GOD for Rescuers!!! When he was rescued – along with another dog that did not survive – he was 3 years-old and weighed a whopping 26 lbs! His coat was thin and his ribs were clearly visible. Thankfully, this did not diminish his will to live or his enthusiasm. After spending 8 weeks in foster care with warm and caring foster parents in North Carolina, he became part of our family on March 31. Today he has a family of 4 two-legged creatures, including a 9 and 7 year-old that love playing with him and two other canines (10 year-old Aussie, 7 year-old Sheltie) who are adjusting well to an enthusiastic 3 year-old! Stevie is a smart guy and is quickly learning obedience commands. Although his vision and hearing are not perfect, he is able to chase balls, is learning to catch a Frisbee and can respond when called – he just bumps into things sometimes and isn’t always able to determine where the person calling him is located. He has also become a great running partner for his new mom. Our kids are excited to teach him tricks and some agility skills. Physically, he is extremely quick and has the ability to jump that Aussies are known for. He is appropriately protective of his family and joins in the chorus of barking when visitors arrive. Stevie’s youthful exuberance makes everyone laugh and when not playing, he makes sure he is near someone – just in case they should want him to play! He has brought new energy and love to our home and is helping our children to learn some responsibility and the importance of organizations such as ARPH.

Tyson Tyson was rescued from a puppy-mill by NorCal Aussie Rescue. Kim Kuenlen asked for ARPH’s help with fostering some of the dogs from the seizure because NorCal was swimming in Aussies. Volunteers in British Columbia agreed to take 3 of the dogs and a transport was set up from northern California to Canada. I jumped in and agreed to take a “leg” of the journey. As I left my home to pick up the dogs, I had no intentions of adopting a new family member. My pack was stable and happy and I really didn’t want another dog. I met up with the “underdog railroad” and moved all of the dogs into crates in my SUV. I was immediately smitten with the 1 male of the bunch. Less than 5 minutes down the road I pulled off, and moved him up front so he could ride shotgun. By the time I got to the drop-off point I couldn’t imagine letting him out of my car…and I didn’t. I had not failed at fostering dogs, but I flunked out of that transport. We joke that Ty didn’t want to become Canadian and worked his doggie mo-jo to stay in the states. When I got home and introduced Tyson to my husband…I got “the look”. Tyson was very thin, had been recently shaved and was TERRIFIED of everything. He had not been abused, per say, but was horribly neglected. Tyson would cower in his crate and had to be physically dragged out. If we let go of his collar for a second he would bolt. He wouldn’t eat if we were within sight. He occasionally got so frightened that he would urinate or defecate all over himself. 6 months of TLC, forced hand-feeding and love started to bring about a change. Tyson became interested in his people. He began to follow us from room to room. He still cringed when we reached for him…but he didn’t run away. He started to learn about toys (LOVES his chew bones). Another year or so later and he started to become interested in other people. He would carefully approach stranger and sniff them. No, he wouldn’t allow petting, but he was learning to be close to people. And he finally began to play with other dogs. It has taken almost 2 years for Tyson to become the dog he is today. Ty is a loving, cuddly, bunny-hopping goofball. Every day brings new surprises and another fear conquered. His favorite things in life are being with us, chasing his ball (he won’t bring it back though) and playing with our newest rescue. I recently had surgery and Tyson was by my side throughout my recovery. The skinny scared dog from a few years ago has blossomed into a wonderful companion. While I was lying on the bed, he would creep up gently and give me puppy kisses. When I dropped things, he would bring them back to me. He was never trained to be a service dog, but when I needed him the most, he knew it. Tyson will never be an agility champion, his hips aren’t bad, but because of poor nutrition as a youngster they are just not strong enough for the sport. He won’t fetch…so flyball is out. And…he has ZERO interest in herding! But he has something special. He is loving, loyal and wonderful. He doesn’t run…but hops around the yard. On the toughest of days his goofy grin always makes me smile. He wrestles with Niko (our rescued puppy) and keeps him out of trouble. He has come so far and is so different from the dog that he was when he left California. The best part, is he is rediscovering the puppy-hood he never had. He races around, tosses toys around and just loves life. I could have never imagined how far has come. Tyson showed us that no matter how bad things are, they can get better. We had our doubts when we were trying to overcome his fears…but he just kept improving. It amazes me every day that whatever brought us together that day, has made me a better more understanding person and him a happy go-luck dog. Nope, I didn’t want another dog and I didn’t. I got a new family member, a cuddle-bug, a wiggle-butt, a hiking partner, a tent warmer for those cold nights on the woods and a wonderful companion. Veeva The listing just said “STRAY”. Not even a number. The small write up said this female Australian Shepherd was picked up with a companion dog and was not claimed. The shelter was nothing more than a cinder block building with a few indoor cages and outdoor runs. This is the type of shelter that is government subsidized to handle numerous counties. Most animals do not get adopted. In the area these shelters are located in, people just don't look for family companions. Dogs roam and if they roam off - oh well. That’s why I wanted to help these dogs. Their chances are non-existent. We found a wonderful volunteer willing to drive the 2 hours to go get these 2 companion dogs and bring them to a place that could get them in our care with medical treatment, good food, warm beds and ultimately, good homes. One dog was a male, the other a female. Both were about a year old. The male was called Poncho and the female was named Veeva (a variation on viva, meaning live in Spanish). Poncho was proclaimed to be in good health and was vaccinated and neutered. Veeva, however, was riddled with worms, parasites and was so thin and malnourished, the veterinarian examining her said she had to undergo treatment to get rid of the worms, parasites and gain some weight before she could withstand any surgery to be spayed. As both became acclimated to their new surroundings, they flourished. Poncho was adopted. Veeva got healthier. As she got stronger and was more active, we noticed she ran with a hop. She was reluctant to jump. Her back end would sway and lean to one side. She would lay down and not sit. Something was not right. The vet agreed with us and scheduled Veeva to be x-rayed and evaluated by a specialist. Our fears were confirmed. Veeva was born with no hip sockets. Her hip bones came to rest on top of her hips. Although not in real pain but a discomfort she had learned to live with it, the recommendation was that Veeva undergo Femoral Head Osteotomy, which is removing the head of her femoral bone so she did not have bone on bone. Otherwise she would have pain with arthritis and other things as she got older. They recommended that both hips be done at the same time. Through the generosity of many, including ARPH, her surgery was scheduled the week of Thanksgiving. Her beautiful glossy black fur was shaved from her waist to her back toes. She had to have a sling to hold up her back end, since she would just topple over as she tried to walk out of the hospital. That night she ate her pain patch, so we spent most of the early hours of Thanksgiving evening back in the Emergency room. As we once again walked out of the specialty hospital, along with her stitches on each hip, she had a cone around her neck. Each day, she was exercised with the sling supporting her. The support became less and less. Every week she went back to the hospital for physical therapy. The staff was so amazed at her spirit, her happy personality and the care ARPH was giving her – we became their “pet project”. Finally the day came that she got released. The specialist gave instructions that she was to be allowed to run, play and walk stairs. Strengthen those muscles to build her hips. Then the day came that Veeva had to leave. She was adopted by a couple that had adopted a dog the year before. I knew she would be happy, especially with another dog to have as company and security. I thought that was the end of the story. But, sometimes stories in rescue repeat themselves. The people that adopted Veeva contacted me that they had to give the dogs back. The husband was diagnosed with a fatal disease and the wife was going to have to be the caregiver. They had to prepare and felt the dogs should be rehomed sooner than later. It broke my heart. My Veeva was once again losing what I promised her she would have, someone to love her and care for her forever. In rescue you sometimes have to believe in fate. One of my very first adopters had recently lost one of their dogs to cancer. Their other dog was lonely and they felt the emptiness. I was not sure if they were ready for a new dog, but felt Veeva was the exact dog thy needed to help fill the void and help them overcome the fear of loving a new dog. Veeva has proven just what her purpose is. To everyone she has come in contact with and everyone she has spent time with, she’s shown them how to love, trust and accept. She’s brought a smile to everyone she has met. This little dog that was in so much pain, had such little chance of survival - never gave up. Her name suits her well. Veeva has been an ambassador of what a rescue dog can bring to not just one person, but to many. In her short time, she’s touched the lives of so many. Some with stories of their own to tel. l But, she’s inspired each one in a special way with her journey.

Zack It was January, the first time I saw Zack. He was standing on his hind legs, looking through a door at me. I remember saying, "that's a pretty one", and Kay said, "that's Zack". And so it began. I had applied to ARPH with the idea of adopting an Aussie, with a full tail, under a year old, and in the Spring. My Aussie (with a full tail) had passed away 8 months earlier. I felt that I was ready to start looking for a new Aussie companion. I was just beginning the search, and Zack was the first Aussie I went to see. I came with friends, so I could be objective. He was fun loving, and beautiful, and all Aussie. When we left, my friends couldn't believe that I was leaving Zack behind. The following 3 days, I showed Zack's photos to everyone, and bragged about all his good qualities. On the third day, a close friend said to me, "Listen to yourself, and tell me again, why you didn't bring home the perfect dog for you"? I went home, and called Kay Marks at ARPH, to say that I wanted to adopt Zack. It wasn't Spring. He was two years old. He didn't have a full tail, and he was the first Aussie I had looked at. He wasn't what I thought I was looking for,but I knew that he was the perfect Aussie for me. When I went to pick him up, I knew that I had made the right choice. Today, Zack is such a part of my life. He has blended into my life as if we were partners for years. I am his third home, but I know that he was meant to be mine. He has already adapted to so many changes in his life, but now he has a secure loving home with me. Like most Aussies, Zack is carefree and cautious at the same time. Zack is an Aussie with a mission at all times, or you had better find him one, quick! With me, Zack has had to adjust to long car rides, spending weeks in New York, and weeks at home in PA. He knows that "home" is where I am, in any location. He is a keeper! He is my beautiful, intelligent, loyal Zack. My wonderful companion. Zack is a joy to watch herding the new dog friends that he has made, and the two cats that he lives with now. He has healed my heart with his presence in my life. He has that wonderful Aussie spirit and determination that makes you smile, no matter what. He is curious about everything, and challenged by all he sees and does. He is devoted and loving, loyal and fun. Zack is my Dog of the Year. Zack is my Aussie, and I am his "human", for life.