Puppies

Our goal has always been to breed Australian Shepherds who are fine companion dogs as well as successful competitors in obedience, agility, conformation, herding, and other sports. Toward that end we strive for Aussies with sound physical and mental health both individually and genetically. Our puppies and dogs are registered with the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA), the American Kennel Club (AKC), and sometimes the United Kennel Club (UKC).

We whelped our first litter in March 1997, and we've had a total of 8 litters. Thanks to our terrific puppy buyers, Perennial puppies are now titled & training in herding, obedience, agility, flyball, tracking, disk sport, and conformation. Some are working as therapy dogs. Most importantly, they have proven themselves to be outstanding companions.

Our own dogs live with us in the house, and Sheila has participated with them at various times in dog-assisted therapy, conformation, obedience, agility, tracking, and herding training and/or competition.

Our puppies are not for sale to the highest bidder, or even to the first person to meet our price. You'll need to convince us that you are prepared to be lavish with your affections and responsible in your care.

There's more to owning a dog than just having the ability to pay for one. We want to make sure you will take good care of the dog and will view your pet as a companion to whom you have a commitment. We also want to be convinced that the Australian Shepherd is the right breed for you, and a Perennial Aussie the right sort of Aussie for your needs. If you want a Perennial Australian Shepherd, expect to be asked questions about your previous pet ownership, your current pets, your family situation, and your knowledge and experience with dogs in general and Aussies in particular. We want educated buyers who will give our dogs and puppies excellent homes. We understand the needs and questions of first-time dog owners and are happy to provide what information we can and to guide you to other sources.

We've had a total of 8 litters. We don't breed every year ~ our last litter was whelped in May 2001, and the soonest we will have another is summer 2005. Our puppies are born in and live in the house with us. We handle each puppy extensively, and evaluate each one carefully to help us select the proper puppy for each buyer. Perennial Puppies are socialized with people, other dogs, and cats, and each one begins crate training, housebreaking, and leash training before it goes home. We don't do all that for the convenience of our buyers. We do it for the puppies!

We guarantee each puppy's general health for 72 hours, within which time we require you to take your puppy to your veterinarian for a general examination.

We do everything we know how to do to prevent hereditary diseases in our puppies, and we warrant our pups against inherited problems.

Perennial puppies are vaccinated as appropriate for their age by our veterinarian. They are also started on Interceptor® for heartworm prevention, and are wormed twice. We have our vet vaccinate so that the puppies will be examined at least twice before leaving us. At 6 to 7 weeks of age, Perennial puppies have their eyes examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist. Our puppies have their dew claws removed at birth, and their tails docked according to the breed standard by our veterinarian when they are about 3 days old.

Most Perennial puppies are placed on spay/neuter contracts. Very few of our pups are sold as breeding prospects. If you are interested in purchasing one of our puppies as potentially breedable, we retain co-ownership pending health screenings and determination that the individual puppy has something to contribute to the breed.

Sheila's book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting and Owning a Dog is not for idiots! Named Best General Interest Book for 2002 by the Dog Writers Association of American, it's an intelligent, com-prehensive, down-to- earth book for responsible dog people, whether they're owned by a dog now or hope to be in the future! For more information, click on the cover. Although now out of print, it is still available through libraries and some sellers.

Registration

Perennial puppies are registered with the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC). They are also eligible for United Kennel Club (UKC) registration. We do not sell unregistered dogs.

Returns

Sometimes life takes unexpected turns. Perennial will accept back at any time in its life any puppy or dog that we have sold. Our contract requires that if for any reason a person cannot, or does not want to, keep a puppy or dog they acquired from us, we must have the opportunity to take it back before it is placed elsewhere, and we do our best to enforce that provision.

Our contract also specifies that we may take back a puppy whose buyer fails to care for or socialize it properly, and we have done so. We take seriously our responsibility to the dogs we help bring into the world. We want them to live healthy, happy lives, whether they are competition dogs looking for top honors, or companions only whose best title is "sweetheart."

Our Buyers

If you want one of our puppies, you'll need to complete a written questionnaire and provide us with references, which we do check. We are pleased to offer references as well, and will be happy to answer questions. Every buyer is required to sign a contract designed to protect the puppy, the buyer, and us. We also provide a written deposit agreement so you know what to expect from us when you reserve a puppy.

When we have puppies, we use a whelping box that we designed and built. You can see part of the box in photos on this page. We've been very pleased with our box, and offer the plans free of charge. The design can be modified for different size breeds. Enjoy!