Hi, my name is Stephanie Bell. I live in Pendleton Oregon, home of the world famous Pendleton Round Up and the Pendleton Woolen Mills. I have lived in Pendleton for about 23 years. I originally came from Enterprise Oregon which is near Joseph Oregon and Wallowa Lake where Chief Joseph once lived.
Pendleton is located in North Eastern Oregon just south of Walla Walla Washington. Unlike the Western side of Oregon this side is mostly desert surrounded by wheat farms. We are located at the foot of the beautiful Blue Mountain range.
I am 30 years old and I have been involved with dogs since I was 6 years old when I got my first one. Her name was Velvet and she was a ASCOB American Cocker Spaniel (buff colored). She was my first 4-H dog. She was really my moms dog so it was hard to go to a 4-H show without Velvet looking for my mom. Mom had to hide behind trees. I played with her in 4-H for a few years until she got too old. She died when she was 14 years old. She was a great dog.
My second dog was a Chocolate Labrador Retriever. Her name was Cocoa. She was the best 4-H dog anyone could ask for. We had many Champion and Reserve Champion wins in both obedience and junior showmanship. We had a lot of fun in 4-H together. Cocoa passed away at the age of 16 in September 2006. Even though I am too old to join 4-H I still attend to work with my current dogs and I also help the new kids with their dogs in obedience and showmanship. When my life slows down a bit I wish to become a leader in 4-H too.
After I was too old for 4-H I couldn't show anymore because neither of my dogs were registered. So I set out on a mission to find the perfect dog for showing and obedience. I did my research for 3 (while I was in college) years, the Australian Shepherd came to be my perfect match. Not too big, not too small, beautiful and not to mention extremely smart. I also wanted something with more energy and more enthusiasm than my Lab when it came to obedience.
Next I set out to find a breeder. The very first breeder I went to had exactly what I was looking for. Laura and Charles Iwan of Blue Sage Australian Shepherds. I need look no farther. I loved their dogs, and I loved their attitudes with the Aussies. They were no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is kind of people. Just what I was looking for. I considered myself very lucky when I found them so fast. Laura was great, she told me everything about her dogs and in our first email to each other invited me to come and visit her and meet the "gang". Well, I did and I decided then and there I was going to have a Blue Sage dog. She was breeding her bitch Hope for the first time to their old-timer Cowboy to see what they would produce together. Both are very sound dogs with great backgrounds. I was getting so excited. Eight puppies were born on November 5th 1997, 3 girl and 5 boys. Laura invited me to come visit the new pups when they were a week old. They were so beautiful. I went every other week to see how they were growing up. Week three was when I silently decided I wanted the female black tri puppy, she was so snuggly with me. Week five I was totally in love with her and told Laura that was the one I wanted. At ten weeks old I finally brought Zoe home and the rest is history. Aussies will be the only breed I will ever own ever again.
Of course I couldn't wait for another Aussie and so I acquired Tucker from a Hope x Cowboy repeat cross 2 years after Zoe's litter, born January 8th 2000.
Sadly Tucker passed away unexpectedly in February 2006. We are still looking for answers.....
I am currently a member of the Australian Shepherd Club of America, the North West Australian Shepherd Club , the Cascade Australian Shepherd Club and the Walla Walla Kennel Club.
My vision for my kennel is to preserve the versatility in this breed. All Aussies should have correct conformation, be extremely smart and possess herding ability. I have read every book I have been able to get my hands on about this wonderful breed and have asked and taken advise from respectable Aussie breeders. A lot of planning went into my first litter and I found the perfect match for Zoe. I wanted everything to be perfect the first time around. Doing it right the first time should be a priority for everyone thinking of breeding, finding the perfect dog for your bitch, reading all the whelping/breeding books one can get hold of and of course seeking advise from respectable breeders. I have been very fortunate that I have been able to do all of the above.
I will always continue to learn more about this breed. As the world changes everyday, so does the Aussie.
Well thank you for reading and getting to know a little bit about me. I hope you enjoy browsing my website too.