Kismet and Erin are pictured above taking their first AKC point in the finest style possible, by going WD, BOW, BOB over a special and then a GROUP FOUR!
Thank you, judge Corky Gauger for this fine win.  It will remain etched in our minds forever.

Erin is just twelve years of age.  She raised her pup herself and did all of his training.  It's Erin's love for Kismet and determination to always do her best by him, combined with a solid pedigree and the very best of mentoring provided by his breeder, Alison Smith, that has made this team not only a success, but a true partnership.

Kismet is OFA good and CERF clear, full dentition and scissors bite.  He has a five point major ASCA and three AKC points as well as a BOB and the group placement pictured above.

Until I get a chance to update this page further, you can see more pictures of this up-and-coming team below and the story of how this came about.

("Kismet")

Kismet is our resident Aussie pup.  He belongs to our daughter and is her constant companion.  She worked for six months with our Mastiffs to show that her desire for a puppy of her own was not a passing thing and that she was capable of keeping up with everything having a dog entails over the next decade and a half, even after the puppy cuteness has passed.  She cleaned ears, cleaned the dog yard, exersized, washed, practised with and helped to train our Mastiffs over that period before Kismet came home.  We are very proud of her level of committment, and feel strongly that any adult or child looking into the purchase of a puppy or adult dog consider what is involved very carefully before taking on something that might not be enjoyable for the family over the long run.

Still, it was very interesting for me researching this breed which was an unknown entity for us and speaking with breeders and trying to remember to be PATIENT and wait for the right pup from the right breeder.  It's so hard when you just ache for that bundle of fluff and puppy breath!  So when I try to help potential Mastiff families understand that they will have to wait, I do understand how hard it is!

We have met and are continuing to meet many wonderful people in the world of activity, agility and ability that is Aussies.  We finally settled on a Paradox puppy from Alison Smith.  Alison is very up front, straightforward and realistic about everything both positive and negative as well as being personable and producing wonderful, high quality dogs.  We liked her right away!  We were thrilled that we passed muster and didn't have to wait TOO long for our puppy... though it seemed ages at the time.  Now we await a little girl-puppy for ME, because I am having trouble remembering sometimes that Kismet is not mine to train, love and cuddle fulltime.  (Erin is very good about letting me borrow him, though.)

The plan was for Erin to get a girl pup.  She wanted a blue merle girl soooo badly!  She dreamt of her puppy every night and often during the day.  Actually, so did I!   We were happily able to visit the litter at Alison's house a few times while waiting to hear if one of them might be ours.  Unfortunately, there was just one blue merle girl and she has stayed at Paradox.  Presto is a very lovely and special girl, and we as breeders ourselves totally understand the fact that the breeding was done to continue the bloodline, with the breeder's choice being kept and the remainder of the litter placed in great show and pet homes.

This left us with a choice of a gorgeous black tri girl or one of the lovely blue boys.  I think we were planning on the girl right up until... well, his name is Kismet for a reason.  He ran straight to Erin and climbed into her lap, rolled over on his back and flapped his four feet in the air at her.  When he was done with snuggles there, he came over to me and did the same.  Yeah, right... what girl puppy?  The beautiful girl was a very engaging pup, as were the rest of the puppies in the litter, but we really had no choice about which one to bring home.  Kismet made the choice for us.

Our photographer friend, Alan Dombrowski, took the pictures on this page.  How he captures the soul of the dog on film I wish I knew.  Thank you, Alan.

If you know of anyone looking for a beautiful, fluffy bundle of intelligence and energy, wit and will, an Australian Shepherd is a great choice.  There are many good breeders out there.  Feel free to refer to our questions page for help in sorting out what to ask and look for in a breeder.  If you'd like to call Alison Smith, her phone number and address are listed in the ASCA breeder listing, or you can call or email us for them.