Where can you find an Australian Cattle Dog? Usually by my feet. 🙂 See what I did there? 😀 In this video I go over some tips, experiences, and average cost when looking for one.
#australiancattledog #dogrescues #dogbreeders
0:50 Shelters & Rescues
4:25 Distractions and Story Time!
7:06 Breeders
12:21 Cost
14:35 Final Thoughts
You can search your local humane society and other local shelters if you are wanting to rescue. Also checking out www.petfinder.com is a good place to look at listings for dogs that need adoption.
Breeders can be found in facebook groups, searching online in your local area, and another place to help you start your search for a breeder is going to www.puppyfind.com
You can search by state and breed on both websites. There are many sites out there and many rescues as well that are easy to find through internet searches. Please always ask questions and check out any place you plan on adopting from.
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29 Comments
Found my boy on petfinder a person to person adoption. We tried 4 dogs before this one. My wife wrote a heartfelt letter that got their attention. Fosters can be weird to get dogs from. Last pair of dogs o had were adopted and I had them for 12 and 14 years. That was inadequate for experience? Keep trying stay humble because the gate keepers are power hungry.
Reputable breeders will also do the following:
-Have you return the dog to them if you can no longer care for it.
-Will have proven the parents in some way, working ability, conformation, etc.
-Have the puppy buyers sign a contract stating they will not breed the puppy without the consent of the breeder.
People breeding their personal pets without doing these things are the main reason purebred dogs end up in shelters. Thanks for sharing, I always enjoy seeing your sweet pups.
This was a fantastic video! When you started talking about the breeders, the breeder that we got our ACD from was great., He has been breeding since the 70’s and we got to meet dour fur babies mother, father, grandfather and grandmother.. We received the bloodline paperwork on both of the parents and the grandparents.. We found the breeder on the AKC Marketplace and they were here in Indiana so we only had to drive 1.5 hours to get her.. We went to their house and saw all 3 female puppies and where they have been living and it was so clean we couldn’t believe it. Now we did pay more than $850 for her but she does come from a champion bloodline. We picked her up at 6 was old because the mother had weaned the puppies and she could go home with us.. We couldn’t be happier with her, not to say we haven’t had any challenging moments but it will get better.. Her name is Kalani and she is our only fur baby and only pet until next year when we get our chickens… She is just the cutest!! ❤️
I agree! Ask questions. I've watched enough Judge Judy to know that adopting a dog from anywhere can be problematic. ;D
We got really lucky…$80 from the local animal control (spayed, vaccinated, flea/tick treatment, and microchipped), and we got our cattle dog. She walked right up to my husband and literally hugged him. We waited for two hours at the facility for someone to process our paperwork – we were afraid to leave because we didn't want to lose her – and then Maggie became ours! She was about 1 1/2 or two years old and had had a litter recently, so we didn't get a puppy, but her issues were minor. And yes, she gets along well with our indoor-only cat.
I'm glad you endorse all avenues to cattle dog ownership…they are so worth the effort!
They are crazy… My blue heeler pup and cat play all the time. Every once in a while the cat decides he’s had enough though and the claws come out… But that’s the best way to teach a dog about cats in my opinion. Let the cat fire that nose up a couple times and they won’t mess with them when they get older.
I think you're the absolute best channel for real life info on ACD <3 much love xx
I visited (my now dog) at the rescue 3 times before going to pick her up. She was shutdown and very closed off to people.. it took her a while to warm up to me, but now she’s the happiest she’s ever been. The best dog I’ve had is a heeler mix from the shelter.
In Texas we paid $500 from a breeder and I was scared because I had always gotten all our animals from the shelter. He was a local breeder but that wasn’t his main job, he owns a cattle ranch and the dogs work. He has red and blue heelers. Mom had akc papers dad didn’t. We got to meet mom and dad and got to talk to families who have dogs from him and some from same mom and dad (previous litters). He asked us a lot of questions and we had to fill out an application and kinda write an essay on why we wanted a heeler. Through out the process he kept sending us updated pictures and videos. We picked her up at 6 weeks since she was already off moms. She came with her 6 weeks shots and dewormed.
We got our heeler mix at a Pets Plus, they do a lot of rescue animals. We got our dog as a pup that just got there. We went a few times to play with the dog and applied and in a few days we got an approved call. 🙂
Got my baby from the APA, they recommended to me to check their website multiple times a day for puppies, they update their site every hour and my puppy and her brother were listed 30min before they closed. She’s a cattle dog mix and I was so lucky to get there when I did since another potential adopter came right after me to get her. I applied for 15 dogs on Petfinder before adopting her, be patient and try local shelters first.
I've seen alot of the high priced pups coming from breeders claiming the parents are working dogs on a farm. To me that doesn't warrant the $1300+ asking price. But then again I have mine for sport, not on a farm.
Definitely good advice for those looking. Although our family group isn't breeding any for a while, a lot of farms and working ranches around here seem to always have puppies on the ground.
When we were looking for a Companion for Pepper we checked the Shelters constantly. Long story short the Covid restrictions made it a nightmare. We decided to reach out to the Rancher who we got Pepper from. We waited until Ginger was born. Just $250. But perfect in every way! They are siblings from different litters. Definitely working dogs! And we have 3 cats! Guess who rules the house!
Thank you for taking your time to share!
Please like Pepper The Blue Heeler channel.
When you said they are lost and hunched down in the shelter. I dropped a tear. That is how I found my boy. Love him. Love your channel.
Here in Australia they’re rarely surrendered so I wasn’t able to adopt and had to go through a breeder. The breeder was the same guy my dad got his blue from 40yrs ago and she was a phenomenal dog!
I was so lucky my grandma has a horse and sheep ranch in Idaho. Their mama heeler had a litter of three, and I was asked if I could handle having one. It was very serious and I had to take a separate trip to get educated, that they weren't like other dogs. My boy started following me around from the very beginning. He chose me. Now he gets to see his family about once a year. They are all earnest working dogs, and they all remember and love him. He does have a crush on grandma's husky, though.
Found our 4 yr old healer Ringo in a shelter. Bonded with our lab Shepard mix as though they have been together forever. Great 👍 crazy puppy. Always herding . Gets along great with our siameese cat also. They play together.
This is kind of random but I was wondering, do you take your babies to the groomers ?? And if you do, how often ?
Hi, I'm trying to teach my 5 month old blue heeler to play fetch. He will chase after the toy if I throw it but he doesn't come straight back to me. He runs for the toy, puts it in his mouth, walks in my general direction, then walks to the side a little and lays down to chew on it. I think he just wants to catch the toy and chew on it instead of playing with me. I tried using food but he just drops the toy and runs for the food, instead of bringing the toy all the way to me first. I try to teach take it but he wont even try to put the toy in his mouth because he knows I have food. I'm 12, we are first-time dog owner, we don't have a long leash, and he has a weird phobia of leashes. I also do not have a toy with a rope attached to it. We have a leash but it is only about 2-3 ft. long and he just lays down and does nothing if I put it on him. I don't know what to do right now because he doesn't catch the toy to play with me but only to catch it and chew on it. I tried using food to reinforce what I want but I cant reinforce anything because he doesn't do what I want and only cares about the food.
My cousin has a male a little over a year. She ended up getting him in Texas at a feed store for $50. We got our boy super last minute. We were going to go into Petco to get some supplies and saw a truck with a sign that said “Heeler Puppies”. I was like…okay we are JUST GOING TO LOOK. 10 minutes and $550 later we came home with Ruger.
When we got our German Shepherd we rescued him off of Craigs List. When we asked his previous owner questions, he didn’t know anything. Didn’t even know the vet that he was going to. Long story short, he is doing better now :)!
For our Collie and Aussies; I still keep in contact with their breeders. We got cute little care packages with them as well.
I recently discovered your channel and I am absolutely in love!! I have a blue heeler and was searching for an Australian cattle dog channel, and I found one! Love your stuff!
I found a cattle dog on the side of the road. She has one blue eye. I thought she was one of mine and got loose or something but she was just running loose on the road. I got her and tried to find her original owner. But no one ever claimed her. She’s more grateful and loyal than my other 2 that are from breeders. She’s precious.
There is an Australian Cattle Dog Ethical Breeders Association. These dogs are DNA tested. Puppies are tested hearing at a Neurologist.
Verify DNA test at testing company because unethical breeders are forging these certifications. Look at the DNA of both parents to make sure not a carrier for genetic diseases. Paying more for a puppy from genetically healthy parents will hopefully eliminate heartaches in the future.
You explained the options perfectly.
The 'rescue only' fanatics can't grasp that people can't always find a suitable rescue dog (one that's not too big, is good around children and other dogs/cats etc). We've had rescues in the past, but we have young kids now and wanted a puppy to grow up with them. I had been warned not to choose a shy puppy, because they may suffer from fear issues later (which wouldn't have mattered to us pre-kids). When we visited the breeder, one of the pups walked straight up to say hello, so we like to think he chose us. 🙂
We got our Roxy from a farmer about a mile from our house. He has cows and chickens and one male ACD and two females. He breeds each female once a year. He actually had two litters at same time born just three days apart. He told me Roxy’s mom is a Texas Heeler. I asked what’s that he laughed and said a Heeler from Texas. She looked like a cattle dog but was taller and lankier than what you normally see. The other litters momma was ACD all the way and so was the father. BUT, the dog that was with the farmer, by his side, laying at his feet, was the sweet Texas Heeler mama. I liked that so I picked one from her litter. I asked him of the three adult dogs which one was smartest, best to mind and easiest to train. He said he likes them all and they all have special qualities but the Texas dog is his favorite because she listens best and she’s always by my side. I said that’s what I want. He had taken them to vet for puppy shots at six weeks and they had been wormed. I didn’t see fleas on any of the dogs or puppies. He had the litters separated into two horse stalls that were clean and had nice fluffy clean shavings. He had built a fenced large playpen inside the barn where pups could play in the sun. It was spotless. He said it was rough with two litters at same time he had not been able to handle them much aside from cleaning up and feeding. He had 15 puppies! They were all beautiful and healthy. With so many choices you’d think it would be hard, but in 15 minutes I had it narrowed down to two. Roxy stuck by me and the other pup walked away. I said this one is my dog. Paid $100 for her. Took her to vet he used the next week and the vet had purchased Roxy’s sister from him. Actually I bet vet probably took a puppy for payment toward his bill for all the shots and worming!😉👍
man those people working in shelters suck! my heeler is friends with my mom's cat, all that is trainable (at least from my experience)- one would expect people working in the shelter would know that. great info in your video though 🙂
I got my blue heeler milo from a local amish for 150 he was super nice and let me visit before I picked him up and no it wasn't a puppy mill we knew him and his family also milos dad and mom were there
I was able to meet my blue heeler’s parents without a hitch and I think everyone getting any puppy should try to do the same. We really got a feel of how she’ll likely behave and look at an older age which is really nice.
Great video! I'm an Aussie, and all of my animals have been rescues, apart from my own first personal dog (Rosie) my sister bought for me back in 2001, when I split with my partner and moved into my own place. Rosie was a heeler/kelpie/staffy cross, and I've had another 2 cattles since then, both of them Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dogs. My second one, Specks, was a rescue, a deaf Stumpy/ACD cross, and I've recently purchased Tommy, a 10 month old purebred pedigree ASTCD from a breeder. I was always someone who swore black and blue that I'd only ever have rescue animals… but this time, I decided I wanted to get a puppy/dog from a breeder. I did my homework thoroughly, and found the most amazing breeder two states away, who had put Tom up for sale, as she had one too many dogs over her council permit, and unfortunately Tom had to find a new home. I was given his pedigree papers, and his parents ARE actually Australian champions, so I was a bit chuffed about that.. not for the status of that, but because he's got the best of their traits… he's a beautiful looking guy, and he's got the most lovely, easygoing, goofy nature, as all well-bred ASTCDs have. And he had all the testing done on him… DNA testing, BAER testing, hip scoring. The breeder asked me lots of questions to make sure I was an appropriate home for him, and I asked her lots of questions too, but I didn't really need to, as her profile on Dogzonline, the Aussie organisation that has all the registered breeders in Aus on it, was absolutely amazing…. and she really cared about the type of dogs she's breeding. The other reason I didn't want to get a dog from a rescue is that, by law, rescue dogs have to be desexed to be rehomed… and I want to desex when I want to, as rescues here will desex as early as 4 weeks. It's just coming to light now how detrimental to a dog's health early desexing can be. So I wanted the option to get an entire dog that I will desex probably around 18 months of age. I paid around $1500, but that was inclusive of road transport of Tommy down to me… in a properly decked out van for dog transport, run by ppl who breed and show Bernese Mountain Dogs. The whole process ran smoothly and I think I'm very lucky to have Tom… but it's also a testament to doing your homework, and going with your gut too! Sorry for the novel lol!!! xxoo