A little bit about how Gottabe started:

My idea of what I wanted in a breeding program was to be small, exclusive, and to breed always with better health.  I wanted to acquire more knowledge, and I had a desire to produce dogs that could:  (1. be wonderful companions;) (2. be athletes in the performance and conformation arenas, and (3. bring the breed forward in terms of health and temperament.)

In the 30+ years I have had Aussies & Mini Aussies, then Mini Americans, I believe I have stayed true to these goals.

Gottabe started in 1994 when I purchased my first Aussie.  I had been showing and breeding schipperkes for over 10 years and decided that I wanted another breed, a dog that was a little less independent, one that wanted to do what I wanted to do.  Also wanting to expand into other fields of competition and a dog my daughter could do junior handlers with.  I checked out Corgies, Shetland Sheepdogs, and Australian Cattle dogs before I realized I was drawn to the Herding Group.

A friend had suggested Aussies, but I dismissed them as “those muddy spotted dogs” I had seen on ranches.  Then one day I flipped my calendar and fell in love.  There was a blue merle puppy with 2 blue eyes.  It’s a shame to say I fell in love with a picture and not a dog, but the more I investigated, the more I felt this breed was the “one.”

 

After contacting several breeders I bought my first Aussie, “Jazmin” from Sunshine Kennels (thank you Lynn Cobb).  Jazmin was a black tri that never got into trouble, never chewed up the hose, never barked too much and was very easy to housebreak.  One problem- she hated to show.  I then purchased Katie from Windfall Kennels.  Katie loved to show, wiggled her butt so much she slapped her cheeks, and thought people were here just for her.  Due to an unknown deadly bacteria, I lost Jazmin at the age of 3.  Katie missed Jazmin so much , Lynn gave me Sam.  Sam was also a black tri and thought that the world was here for her to herd, guard, or kiss.

I loved my Aussies, but I soon found out that a 50 pound dog takes a LOT more time to groom for show, takes up lots more space, needs larger crates, heartworm, food, etc.  In 1998 I was surfing the web and came upon a Mini Aussies site.  These dogs looked just like what I felt a smaller Aussie should look like!  I followed the links to several other sites and realized that these dogs were just the size I had been looking for.  A smaller version of the dogs I had come to love.
I purchased my first mini in January, 1999.  Her temperament was exactly like that of my aussies and she exhibited great herding instinct.

She is also a ball fiend!  But, she was not the type that I wanted.  So, I decided to breed my own.  My first breeding was in 2000 & produced Must. CH Gottabe’s Spot The Winner, Must. CH Simon Sez Fairplay, OTCH MACH7 Mult. Agility Titled Gottabe’s Sparkling Cider, and our wonderful Gottabe’s Ima Mak’n U C Red.  These crosses started the foundation of my kennel, and my relationship with Miniature American Shepards.

My goal of producing wonderful, healthy, affectionate, intelligent, healthy, biddable Aussies with a height range of 16-18” (although we don’t always get what we want - ask any parent of a teenager!)  We are now on our 5-6th generation and have produced many multi-titled conformation, agility, herding, obedience, Rally, lure coursing & family companion extraordinaire!  In addition, all of our breeding dogs have multi-generation health clearances.  We are located in Nevada but have dogs across the US, Alaska, and even “across the pond” in the UK.