Heavenbound Farm Australian Shepherd Dogs and
Missouri Foxtrotting Horses
How It All Got Started - Heavenbound's Blue
I am often asked how I got interested in Aussies. In the early 70's, I moved to Denver, Colorado, and went to work for a veterinarian. A lady I worked with brought in a puppy she wanted but her husband wouldn't let her keep him as they already had two big dogs. This pup was only 5 weeks old and very fuzzy and cute. He was also a very strange coloration, having a gray background with black swirled in it. It was love at first sight and I happily took him home. I eventually learned his coloring was blue merle. So I called him "Blue." So it was that Blue took me on a journey through his 16 years and the ensuing 33 years of my life with aussies. What a grand time it has been living with these awesome individuals.
Blue understood so many things I said to him-it was uncanny. I am sure from his perspective, I was a slow learner. I hadn't had a dog of my own before. We explored the Rocky Mountains together, took obedience training classes, travelled the country. We learned from each other. Blue taught me that Aussies reason; they ponder things.
In 1975, we moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Blue and I couldn't see the mountains anymore. We were sad. We exchanged walks on glorious mountain trails for walks on sidewalks with a leash. We made friends and worked to better our neighborhood. While we lived in town, Blue kept watch. One day he was outside in the yard and he started a frantic barking session. I went running outside to see what was the matter. Blue was dancing in circles looking up in a pine tree. I assumed he'd treed a squirrel. But when I followed his gaze up the trunk, I saw smoke and flames. That pine tree had finally worn through the electric wire and the wire was on fire as well as the tree! What a good watchdog Blue was! I called the fire department and the electric company and all was made safe again.
Then in 1977, our dream came true of buying 5 acres and having a horse, a garden, and another aussie. Pure heaven for us both, I thought. I painted and decorated and Blue waited. I thought he would go explore the 5 acres. He laid by the door waiting to go on a walk. Aussies! They want to do everything with you. He wouldn't go without me. So we took lots of walks and built fence and planted a huge garden.
Finally, I found time to look for a mate for Blue. I hoped for some more "blue dogs." I found a pretty black tri female whom I named Cody. Blue liked her and accepted her companionship. Cody was small and sweet and ladylike. Then it was time to find a horse. I didn't have to go far as my neighbor had one to sell. His name was Kipper. He was a strawberry roan and more a large pony than a horse. Kipper, the dogs, and I rode everywhere a horse could go. We spent hours along an old railroad bed turned park trail. Amazing wild flowers were thick there. No two days ever had the same scenery. We saw beaver, fox, and lots of birds. The dogs chased each other and chipmunks and squirrels. They cooled off in the small river that ran along the trail.
That's it for now, but the saga will continue, so watch for the next chapter. The pictures above are Blue and Cody - old pictures, so not as crisp and clear as we can produce today. Below is Blue sleeping in the snow, and Blue & Cody in the creek.
I am often asked how I got interested in Aussies. In the early 70's, I moved to Denver, Colorado, and went to work for a veterinarian. A lady I worked with brought in a puppy she wanted but her husband wouldn't let her keep him as they already had two big dogs. This pup was only 5 weeks old and very fuzzy and cute. He was also a very strange coloration, having a gray background with black swirled in it. It was love at first sight and I happily took him home. I eventually learned his coloring was blue merle. So I called him "Blue." So it was that Blue took me on a journey through his 16 years and the ensuing 33 years of my life with aussies. What a grand time it has been living with these awesome individuals.
Blue understood so many things I said to him-it was uncanny. I am sure from his perspective, I was a slow learner. I hadn't had a dog of my own before. We explored the Rocky Mountains together, took obedience training classes, travelled the country. We learned from each other. Blue taught me that Aussies reason; they ponder things.
In 1975, we moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Blue and I couldn't see the mountains anymore. We were sad. We exchanged walks on glorious mountain trails for walks on sidewalks with a leash. We made friends and worked to better our neighborhood. While we lived in town, Blue kept watch. One day he was outside in the yard and he started a frantic barking session. I went running outside to see what was the matter. Blue was dancing in circles looking up in a pine tree. I assumed he'd treed a squirrel. But when I followed his gaze up the trunk, I saw smoke and flames. That pine tree had finally worn through the electric wire and the wire was on fire as well as the tree! What a good watchdog Blue was! I called the fire department and the electric company and all was made safe again.
Then in 1977, our dream came true of buying 5 acres and having a horse, a garden, and another aussie. Pure heaven for us both, I thought. I painted and decorated and Blue waited. I thought he would go explore the 5 acres. He laid by the door waiting to go on a walk. Aussies! They want to do everything with you. He wouldn't go without me. So we took lots of walks and built fence and planted a huge garden.
Finally, I found time to look for a mate for Blue. I hoped for some more "blue dogs." I found a pretty black tri female whom I named Cody. Blue liked her and accepted her companionship. Cody was small and sweet and ladylike. Then it was time to find a horse. I didn't have to go far as my neighbor had one to sell. His name was Kipper. He was a strawberry roan and more a large pony than a horse. Kipper, the dogs, and I rode everywhere a horse could go. We spent hours along an old railroad bed turned park trail. Amazing wild flowers were thick there. No two days ever had the same scenery. We saw beaver, fox, and lots of birds. The dogs chased each other and chipmunks and squirrels. They cooled off in the small river that ran along the trail.
That's it for now, but the saga will continue, so watch for the next chapter. The pictures above are Blue and Cody - old pictures, so not as crisp and clear as we can produce today. Below is Blue sleeping in the snow, and Blue & Cody in the creek.
Heavenbond Farm has been home to Australian Shepherd dogs since 1973 and Missouri Foxtrotter horses since 1985. W started breeding Assies in 1978 and they have become a large part of life. They are wonderful companions, silly entertainers, protectors of life and propery. 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.
