Heavenbound Farm Australian Shepherd Dogs and
Missouri Foxtrotting Horses
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Flash! Interceptor is temporarily out of production. I have been using Revolution for heartworm prevention and flea protection. So far so good. Ask your vet. Do not get talked into Heartgard or other Ivermectin products. Many vets do not know about Ivermectin toxicicty in aussies. Read the insert. Call me if you aren't sure.
Puppies! Please see the What's New page for puppy news and pictures (updated May 19). Scroll down on this page for Chapter 4 in Heavenbound's story.
Meet Heavenbound's Violet
Our uniquely lilac-colored blue merle, appropriately named Lilac (see Lilac on the About Us page), produces puppies with her exact same unique coloring. When Lilac's puppy, pictured above, went to her forever home in June 2011, her new family thought Violet would be the perfect name for her - here is their story...
To be honest, my husband and I never considered ourselves “dog people.” It wasn’t that we disliked dogs, our pets just tended to be of the feline or reptile variety. All that changed when our only child, Jake, turned three. We were completely satisfied with our family of three, but we felt that Jake needed a companion. That’s when Violet came into the picture. We did some research and determined that an Australian Shepherd would make a great guardian and friend for a rambunctious boy. When we arrived at Heavenbound Farm, one little blue merle pup (though only 5 weeks old) went straight to Jake and started loving on him. We stayed for over an hour interacting with all the puppies, but there was no question which one we would be coming back for.
The name Violet seemed only natural, given her unusual coloring, and in no time she became an integral part of the family. She and Jake became fast friends and have spent the last year growing, playing, and even squabbling together like siblings. When Jake goes on “adventures” she goes with him, protecting him against any threat (even Mom and Dad if we play too rough for her liking). She offers us unconditional love and endures the often “smothering” attention of a four-year old without pause. She is a great camping and hiking companion. Finding trails with ease, she usually leads the way while being ever mindful to make sure no one is falling behind. In addition, she loves to catch the Frisbee mid-air and play in the water. She has truly exceeded our every expectation.
Not long ago, she and I were laying side-by-side in the middle of the field, watching the sun highlight the tall grass as it slipped behind the mountain and I realized that we were “dog people” all along, we just didn’t know it.
To be honest, my husband and I never considered ourselves “dog people.” It wasn’t that we disliked dogs, our pets just tended to be of the feline or reptile variety. All that changed when our only child, Jake, turned three. We were completely satisfied with our family of three, but we felt that Jake needed a companion. That’s when Violet came into the picture. We did some research and determined that an Australian Shepherd would make a great guardian and friend for a rambunctious boy. When we arrived at Heavenbound Farm, one little blue merle pup (though only 5 weeks old) went straight to Jake and started loving on him. We stayed for over an hour interacting with all the puppies, but there was no question which one we would be coming back for.
The name Violet seemed only natural, given her unusual coloring, and in no time she became an integral part of the family. She and Jake became fast friends and have spent the last year growing, playing, and even squabbling together like siblings. When Jake goes on “adventures” she goes with him, protecting him against any threat (even Mom and Dad if we play too rough for her liking). She offers us unconditional love and endures the often “smothering” attention of a four-year old without pause. She is a great camping and hiking companion. Finding trails with ease, she usually leads the way while being ever mindful to make sure no one is falling behind. In addition, she loves to catch the Frisbee mid-air and play in the water. She has truly exceeded our every expectation.
Not long ago, she and I were laying side-by-side in the middle of the field, watching the sun highlight the tall grass as it slipped behind the mountain and I realized that we were “dog people” all along, we just didn’t know it.
Jake and Violet
Blue, relaxing with a couple friends
Chapter 4
Endearing Blue
To read Chapters 1-3, please click on the link at the end of this chapter.
Blue helped us expand our waistlines too by being ever ready to deliver fresh homemade cookies. This was before all the warnings about chocolate being poisonous to dogs. Blue carried bags of chocolate chip cookies upstairs to my husband, David. I would give Blue the bag and tell him to take them to David up in the den. I'd listen to make sure he didn't stop to sample them on his way up the stairs. But he never got into them. He was happy to deliver cookies because he got one for his reward. We expanded that task to taking tools to David when he was building fence out in the pasture. Blue liked it best when a bag of cookies accompanied the pliers!
Another activity that occupied Blue was watching for squirrels outside the big bay window. The squirrels loved the birdseed. Hemlock trees surrounded the birdfeeders. When a squirrel appeared, the dogs made a mad scramble for the back door. Out the door, around the porch, and hot around the corner of the house to the birdseed station. The squirrel was up the tree by then, scolding the hunters. Even without success, the dogs never gave up the exhilerating chase. When I moved to southern Ohio, we saw fewer squirrels and more groundhogs. We wanted the dogs to catch them so there wouldn't be holes for the horses to step into. We'd call "groundhog" and the dogs would sit and look at us like "What?" Finally, I thought to call them squirrels, and the chase was on. The local folks didn't think I knew my animals, but the dogs and I knew our code!
Watch for Chapter 5, coming soon!
Endearing Blue
To read Chapters 1-3, please click on the link at the end of this chapter.
Blue helped us expand our waistlines too by being ever ready to deliver fresh homemade cookies. This was before all the warnings about chocolate being poisonous to dogs. Blue carried bags of chocolate chip cookies upstairs to my husband, David. I would give Blue the bag and tell him to take them to David up in the den. I'd listen to make sure he didn't stop to sample them on his way up the stairs. But he never got into them. He was happy to deliver cookies because he got one for his reward. We expanded that task to taking tools to David when he was building fence out in the pasture. Blue liked it best when a bag of cookies accompanied the pliers!
Another activity that occupied Blue was watching for squirrels outside the big bay window. The squirrels loved the birdseed. Hemlock trees surrounded the birdfeeders. When a squirrel appeared, the dogs made a mad scramble for the back door. Out the door, around the porch, and hot around the corner of the house to the birdseed station. The squirrel was up the tree by then, scolding the hunters. Even without success, the dogs never gave up the exhilerating chase. When I moved to southern Ohio, we saw fewer squirrels and more groundhogs. We wanted the dogs to catch them so there wouldn't be holes for the horses to step into. We'd call "groundhog" and the dogs would sit and look at us like "What?" Finally, I thought to call them squirrels, and the chase was on. The local folks didn't think I knew my animals, but the dogs and I knew our code!
Watch for Chapter 5, coming soon!
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Heavenbound Farm has been home to Australian Shepherd dogs since 1973 and Missouri Foxtrotter horses since 1985. We started breeding Aussies in 1978 and they have become a large part of life. They are wonderful companions, silly entertainers, protectors of life and property. Never a day goes by that I am not amazed by somthing new this breed can understand.
They know when sorrow is bearing us under; they join in the giddiness of rolling in a fresh snowfall; they listen for the sound of our truck engine and run to meet us at the door; they see the danger of a horse getting too close to us in the field and get in between to drive him away; they see the opossum and raccoon as thieves of our supplies and protect our goods and gardens; they snuggle in our bed (if allowed) and keep an ear out for danger while we sleep; they guide “our little sheep” away from harm by standing in the gap. How could life be right without our Aussies? What better friend could there be? If you have never experienced an Aussie’s devotion, check them out—a great addition to a family and a wonderful companion if you are single. Fun, adaptable, smart, beautiful. They have it all!
They know when sorrow is bearing us under; they join in the giddiness of rolling in a fresh snowfall; they listen for the sound of our truck engine and run to meet us at the door; they see the danger of a horse getting too close to us in the field and get in between to drive him away; they see the opossum and raccoon as thieves of our supplies and protect our goods and gardens; they snuggle in our bed (if allowed) and keep an ear out for danger while we sleep; they guide “our little sheep” away from harm by standing in the gap. How could life be right without our Aussies? What better friend could there be? If you have never experienced an Aussie’s devotion, check them out—a great addition to a family and a wonderful companion if you are single. Fun, adaptable, smart, beautiful. They have it all!
Missouri Foxtrotting Horses
Heavenbound is also home to Missouri Foxtrotter horses, the pleasure horse of today. Smooth gaited, sensible, lovely to watch and ride. They are good natured and medium sized horses that will return you to the barn less fatigued after a long day in the saddle. More like a big dog than a horse. Come try one out... "To Ride One Is To Own One." See the Missouri Foxtrotting Horses page for more info on Heavenbound's horses for stud and for sale.
