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Casselcreek  Australian  Shepherds

~ Where the soul of a human, meets the heart of a dog ~

They come in all colors and sizes
From dingos all full of surprises

Our roots ... Several years ago, while reading Western Horseman (March 1996), I came upon an article describing a popular working breed of dog, the Australian Shepherd.  The article provided some of the history of the breed and detailed the journey of the family of Ernest and Elaine Hartnagle of Colorado and their famed Las Rocosa Australian Shepherds.  Included in the article was a photograph of a cowboy on horseback with his dog sitting behind him in the saddle.   Never before had a picture of man and dog captured my attention more than this one.   It also caught the eye of my husband, who announced he was going to own one of those dogs someday!  And thus began our love affair with the Australian Shepherd.  Soon after, we became the proud owners of a male blue merle, "Pete".

Not wanting to be outdone by my husband and his Aussie, I went directly to the source and contacted Joseph Hartnagle of Las Rocosa Australian Shepherds in Kiowa, Colorado.   I patiently (or not so patiently) waited for the arrival of my own Aussie, a lovely little red merle female, LAS ROCOSA JES FOOLIN.  Tragically, Jesse's time on this earth was short, and sadly she made her way across the Rainbow Bridge.  It is to the love of that little pup that I dedicate this site.

I soon acquired another female from the Hartnagle's … LAS ROCOSA NIK OF TIME.  "Niki" encompasses all that an Aussie should be … limitless energy, intelligence, focus, loyalty, true "heart", athleticism, and the ever-present Aussie grin … not to mention her special talent for sitting behind us on the saddle!

It is with these qualities in mind that I choose to breed the Australian Shepherd. It is my ideal to not only produce sound working dogs with structural balance and clear rich colors, dogs with focus and intelligence, but especially a dedicated canine companion. Temperament is paramount. 

Special thanks go to my friends, The Hartnagle Family, especially Joseph, whose love and unwavering support continue long after placing a Las Rocosa puppy in my home.  You are greatly missed, my dear friend, and will be remembered and loved forever.  Thank you for giving me my start in this incredible Aussie adventure.  

We've had a few changes and a few additions here at Casselcreek.  Due to a duplication in kennel names within the CKC, we no longer use the Laredo name.  In the last few years, we've welcomed three beautiful litters here.  Check our Puppies pages for details.   We're becoming more active all the time, always training for competitive obedience and Rally-O with Deets, Laredo Lonesome Dove, and soon starting some agility, as well as herding. 

Our special little boy, Newt, Laredo Cowboys Like Us, has had an opportunity to strut his stuff in the ASCA and CKC show rings. 

2004 ... Our most recent home-grown babies, Whiskey, Casselcreek Whiskey Girl, and Hannah, Casselcreek Hannah's A Keeper, are keeping us hopping.  Whiskey is beginning to train for obedience/Rally-O and has embarked upon her show career in ASCA, CKC, and even UKC.  Hannah is perfecting her skills as navigator beside Glenn in the Dodge and has also made her ASCA and UKC debut.  They're both wickedly smart, confident, beautiful little girls and we're thrilled they're staying here with us at CasselCreek.  Whiskey's done some wonderful stuff in the herding arena and the fun just keeps getting better. 

2005 ... We've recently added a new addition, Shawndals Got Nothin' To Lose, aka "Gracin".  We're so excited to have this boy here and can't wait to embark on his show career. Gracin will be making his CKC debut at the first Canadian National Australian Shepherd Specialty in September 2005. He's already taken over our house and our hearts, and we're looking forward to an exciting future for Gracin at Casselcreek.

2007 ... Another exciting year as we welcomed Hannah's first litter with 12 babies born March 1st.  Follow the links below to see The Dirty Dozen.  Casselcreek Vintage Paisley, aka "Paisley", the firstborn of the 12, will be staying with us here at Casselcreek to show in the conformation ring and herding, as well as my first dog to train in agility. 

2007 was also a heartbreaking time for us as we bid a very sudden and unexpected farewell to our dear Whiskey Girl.  Click here for Whiskey's Tribute page.