We are a mother/daughter team, Sheryl and Tera Kaminski. Tera handles the
conformation showing and Sheryl does the performance events. Tera grew up
showing in the Jr. Showmanship ring. She has since aged out of Jrs. but has many
good memories of those days! Be sure to check out her
Jr's page.
We believe in doing the best we can for our dogs. That means we don't have more
dogs than we can take care of properly. So we will always be a small kennel.
That's okay. We don't do a lot of breeding. We've been in Aussies since 1993 and
had our 5th litter in 2006. We always felt it WAS important to raise sound,
healthy, intelligent and correct dogs. AND to socialize and train them properly.
These things take time. So when we have a litter, everything else stops. We
devote 100% of our energy to the upbringing of the puppies.
Our dogs are all housedogs. They all go running with my husband (off leash), in
our fields almost daily. They have a big fenced dog yard where they get plenty
of sunshine, fresh air and exercise. They all have jobs to do to keep their
minds fit too. This is a breed that thrives on work, be it in the show ring, the
agility or obedience ring, or helping with the sheep. Keeping an Aussie's mind
active and stimulated is just as important as feeding it's body properly.
One of our primary goals in breeding is to breed healthy dogs. We believe that
starts with healthy sires and dams. All of our dogs are fed a prey model raw
diet. We are very conservative with vaccinations, doing only what is required by
law. Our dogs have been treated homeopathically to restore the natural good
health that is their birth right. Vaccines can damage the DNA, cause the
production of auto-antibodies and cause inherited vaccinosis and chronic
disease. (See our links page and
Vaccination Concerns article for more information
on this). Unless these issues are addressed homeopathically, each generation
gets weaker. We will be breeding 3rd generation naturally reared dogs on the
dam's side in our next litter. Our goal is to
breed genetically sounder dogs with each generation who are true to the breed
standard. We utilize other holistic modalities such as chiropractic also.
We train and compete with our dogs in obedience, herding, conformation and
agility. We've also done therapy visits to a local nursing home. We are members
of the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA)
and the United States Australian Shepherd Association
(USASA).
To keep our dogs healthy, we feed a species appropriate raw prey model diet (SARF).
After 20 years of trying various brands of commercial dog food and never being
happy with the condition of our dogs, we tried the SARF diet. That was in 1998.
We have never looked back and would never consider feeding kibble again. The
dogs are glowingly healthy, in superb condition and rarely get sick. Their
immune systems are strong now. No more ear infections, skin problems or bad
breath. Teeth do not need cleaning anymore yet remain sparkling white. We seldom
visit the vet's office. Reducing the number of vaccines, stopping heartworm and
flea and tick medications and has helped strengthen their immune systems. For
more information on feeding a raw diet, see our Raw
Feeding page. For more information on the dangers of vaccinations see our
Vaccination Concerns page.
Our puppies are placed in holistic, raw-feeding, minimal or no vacc'ing homes
only. We will mentor those who are new to this path. We give life long support
to all puppy buyers. Planning a diet, helping you work with your vet on a
vaccination protocol, finding a good homeopath, and discovering which
alternative treatment modalities are right for your dog are services we provide
our puppy buyers. We are always happy to help with any training or behavior
concerns you may have too. And most of all, we love getting phone calls and
e-mails from our puppy buyers expressing the joy they have found in their new
furry family member! To hear the pride and love in someone's voice and to know
that the puppy we bred is the cause of that, means so much!
Our kennel is named after our first Aussie, Kira. Kira
means "sun" and she truly was a ray of sunshine in our lives. Her memory will
always be an inspiration to us. She loved everybody and never met a stranger.
With each new dawn comes the promise of great things. She taught us much and
those lessons will not be forgotten.
Our dogs are members of our family. They will never be just another number or a
means to an end. Our goal is not to breed the most champions, or have the number
one show dog in the country. It is to learn and grow together. THE JOY IS IN THE
JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION. Our dogs have taught us much and we are truly
grateful for that.
3 generations, Arrow (the grandpa), True (the mama)
and the pups; Kelly (now Luna), Teal (now Jacqui), and Tawny (now
Austin)!
