Some of you know me as Aussie 6Pack, but I thought you might be interested in seeing some of the dogs that have enriched my life, so with Robert's blessing I have started this page on MDS.

I will try to add stories for them as I can. Some are your average, run-of-the-mill stories, some got a good start as pups with us, and some are quite profound. But each has a story and each has left a mark on our hearts.

Rescued But Still Blue

He was a mass of tangled fur that only remotely resembled an Aussie.
From behind the chainlink kennel those beseeching eyes stared out. It
was those eyes that saved his life.
When Blue was put into ARPH he was so emaciated that an otherwise
comforting touch did nothing but cause him pain. He was so dehydrated a
blood sample was impossible to draw. His dire condition even brought the
veterinarian to tears. But from the depths of starvation Blue not only
survived, but flourished.

A Home at Last

From the moment he climbed onto the seat of my
truck for the 5 hour ride home I could tell Blue was special. He
adopted me on the drive home from Jacksonville when he gently placed
his head on my shoulder and pressed his skinny body against me. Even
after having been so wronged by his first human experience Blue was
willing to give this new human a chance.

From the beginning Blue displayed the characteristics of the consummate
Aussie. His dossier speaks loudly of his talents, character and his
breed: intelligence, trainability, loyalty, enthusiasm, humor and
personality.
Blue has always been a quick learner. I decided to use the school’s parking lot to practice obedience commands since it afforded us
some space.One day a teacher brought her first grade
class outside to meet the “pretty dog” and awarded Blue an honorary
diploma from Banyan Elementary School. Naturally, he attended graduation.

Both Blue and I are well known about town as we go everywhere together.
The local postal exchange and gift shop has hung his picture on their
wall because he stopped a shoplifter. Mr. Blue literally watched a
young girl steal several items from a rack and place them in her bag.
When she tried to leave the store Blue rushed to the door to cut off her
escape. While not hurting her, he fixed her with the famed Aussie stare
and refused to let her leave. The girl placed the stolen items on the
floor and was allowed to depart.

This special dog thinks and understands what is going on around him. His
ability to reason is baffling. One evening my neighbor and I were discussing
gardening when my neighbor’s two year old wandered off toward the street. As soon as she set foot on the pavement Blue dashed to the street, grabbed the girl’s sleeve and pulled
her back to the grass. Pleased with himself, he sat on the edge of
the grass barking as if scolding us for our negligence.

Blue is always on duty, even when at play. When our foster dog
fell in the swimming pool, it was Blue (who rarely
dives in, but prefers to walk with dignity down the pool steps) who dove in and
brought her safely to the steps.

At a local high school where I teach Mr. Blue has become a part time
faculty member. The school offers several enrichment days throughout
the year and Blue has attended many of these demonstrating how to train and
treat a dog with respect. At his quite popular workshops Blue maintains the highest standards of “Aussieness” by being reserved, yet upon direction he will allow anyone to touch
or play with him.

Blue loves agility and is a member of the local club and working on his
Novice title. Never missing a chance to practice he will bring me the pieces of one of his
PVC jumps from our yard and fuss at me assemble them and have a workout.
My companion helps me around the house on every occasion.

I fix broken sprinklers, while Blue, wearing his Aussie smile, carries (and steals) parts.
I rake leaves, he gathers palm fronds that have fallen to add to the pile. He never fails to grab the last piece before me and gallops around the yard waving the 8 foot branch like a
trophy. Closely watching me drive my lawn tractor to cut the grass,
as I get off, he jumps onto the driver’s seat to take over. If he
could just figure out the shifting mechanism!

After a hard day of yard work (Blue digs holes and I plant flowers) we head for the pool. Blue naturally brings his
favorite pool toy along—last year’s 7 foot long Christmas tree trunk.
(The sight him of him swimming around the pool with his tree trunk is
something to behold.) When I want to take him for our evening walk
he brings me my shoes. Placing them in front of me,
I put on one shoe, and he maneuvers himself so that he is sitting on (and
covering) the other. While I search, he has
that silly Aussie grin on his face. Through it all, his eyes never leave me.The utter adoration is clear to everyone who sees us.

Since joining my family Blue has taught me how to love, and given me patience. He shows me how to
appreciate the beauty of a sunny day, and the joys of walking in the
rain. When life brings suffering Blue bestows compassion and kindness, sitting steadfast and silent at my side.

I’ve owned dogs all my
life and my wife has never allowed any of them in our bed but Blue sleeps
contentedly between us each night. He wakes me every morning, and hugs
me to sleep each night. If I toss and turn and wake during the night,
the first presence of which I am aware is Blue standing on the bed,
watching over me. I don’t know if Blue is the Dog of the Year, but I do
know that he is my partner, companion and a very special angel sent to
watch over me.

We whelped and raised many pups here....many people didn't want the 'work' puppies presented, but we adored them.

1st litter picured...Denim, Forrest, Strauss, Wrangler, Paisley, and Jordy came from Georgia in very poor condition...emaciated and dehydrated. It was later found that Denim had neck injuries, most likely from being mishandled/kicked when he was a tiny pup. coincidentally he was adopted by a doctor whose specialty was spinal injury. He was the 'coverboy' on Critter magazine, which is where his dad first saw him.They are all in homes and happy healthy adults now.

The 2nd litter...Bliss, Karma, Kadee, Tori, Ransom, and Tux were whelped here. Their parents were from a shelter who left them in a run together, resulting in her getting pregnant and she arrived here just a week before delivery. Kadee was named for an adopter who passed away, Tori was named for another pup who died tragically.

3rd collage..Gabby, trilby, and Sam are from the same litter..yes, REALLY! Gabs and Sam were adopted together and live locally. Trilby was named for the sounds she made as a pup....she 'trilled' sounds and now does agility and her mom is a foster home for Aussie Rescue.

Edison is a deaf pup that was tossed out and now lives in Georgia. Jem is also deaf and was surrendered by a couple Ohio because they couldn't deal with her mischievious nature

Koby and Jazz (now Keto) were in a local shelter for unknown reasons and live in south FL.

Blue...a most amazing dog...came from animal control in dire condition...so thin it hurt him just to be touched. He flourished with Larry and went on to do agility, play flyball, catch thieves, and mostly be a loving companion. Passed away from cancer/ligaments surrounding his heart suddenly ruptured. He was 10.

Noah came from a shelter and had severe separation anxiety. His owner worked with him and turned it around. She also learned that deaf dogs are easy to communicate with. His life was cut short by seizures, a problem that is growing more prevelant in Aussies.

Hannah was an owner-turn-in who suffered from fear agression. We worked with her, but she grew more and more unpredictable resulting in multiple bites and had to be sent to the bridge. She is at peace now...

Marlin was rescued along with 20 others from a collector who kept dogs crated 24/7 with little interraction. He was blind, but his last years were spent with the freedom he never knew previously.

Sydney came from Georgia and when his owner developed a seizure  disorder, they had such a bond that he would alert her to them. He passed away suddenly from natural causes.

ARPH Dog of the Year

It’s a bit long, but please read it all the way through. I guarantee you won’t be sorry! 

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 in Delta Sky magazine. http://www.delta-sky.com/2007_09/companions/#loop