Tag: Australian Cattle dog

Stella

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Owning Australian Cattle dog mix (ACDx) Stella has taught me more about owning dogs and my relationship to them than any other dog that I have owned. Each dog is different, my home, my needs, my desires and thoughts on what a good dog is are different from yours. Not better or worse,

I brought her home as a nine month old puppy and had I not gotten serious about training and working with her, she could have been an unpleasant handful because she needed, and still needs, a job. A lot of hard and rewarding work has gone into giving her a job. I have tried to give her interesting work as well as a calm home environment for her to relax in. Stella is ten now and she’s a good dog.

Of course, I am not at all biased. 

Achilles

Canada_Download_Sep10 010 Achilles aka ChiliDog is an Australian Cattle dog mix. I’ve owned him for just over seven years and guess his age to be ten or eleven. In two ways he is atypical of the breed because he has never met a human he disliked, and also because he is not driven to do a job, though I suppose liking humans is a job. Often when he is at rest or relaxed his tongue hangs out like this. I have no idea why and he certainly isn’t letting me in on his reason.

The Three Cavaliers

The Three Cavaliers

From left to right, Stella, Kendal, and Achilles. Stella and Achilles are Australian Cattle dog mixes and Kendal is (perhaps obviously) a chocolate Labrador Retriever.