With the arrival of the 10 puppies on December 2nd/2022, my Life has been nothing but "Everything Aussies", as in Australian Shepherd Dog. Moreso then naught with any new litter.
Tesla & Buddy's Litter of 10, Born December 2nd, 2022
I’ve been breeding Aussies for going on 16 Years now. We are known as the Checkerboard Aussies. How did we come to choosing this name? I was talking to my Cousin Brad & his wife, Paula, when I first started breeding Aussies, saying to them, “I have no idea what to call ourselves” immediately Brad suggested the “Checkerboard Aussies, which truly is very fitting considering we are South of the Checkerboard.
From a young girl, before becoming a teenager, I recall telling a friend I wanted to have lots of property, horses & to breed German Shepherd Dogs
That dream became reality when I lived in Kitchener ON, breeding German Shepherd Dogs. After a couple of litters we kept one of the pups, who we had named Boggie. At 125 lbs., he was truly a gentle giant, loving people, other dogs, cats, & even came nose to nose with a field mouse not even making a move to show it any harm. We lost our sweet Bog when he was 12 1/2 years old. He had been one of the best dogs in my Lifetime, until I was blessed to have a 2nd best dog.
When I moved back to Bruce County, as I am a true blue Bruce County Girl born & raised in Southampton, ON, going on 20 Years this Year, we bought our first Australian Shepherd.
My husband, Rob, had no idea what I was talking about when I told him I wanted an Aussie. Two years prior I had been on the Internet checking out Blue Heelers, and Aussies. Shortly after moving here to Wiarton we got our first Aussie, Blue, who we tragically lost by someone coming into our driveway one night & hitting him. We were devastated as he loved me & was very bonded to me. My friend called me not long after we lost Blue telling me about a litter of Aussies. This is how we came to have Bandit, my 2nd best dog in my Lifetime.
Bandit Loved our Grandson, Aiden, who was a Year older then him. Where Aiden was, Bandit was. Bandit was an amazing Babysitter/Protector. The one time we had Aiden for a week, I couldn't find Aiden, I was calling and calling, almost frantic. At the back of the house coming out from the Hay field was Aiden with Bandit following right behind him. I never had to worry about Aiden as Bandit never left his side.
Bandit also helped every new puppy we brought into our pack. Our first female, Lexus, not the pup in this photo, used to get into my flowerbeds when I was weeding them. When I told her "NO flowerbeds, get", Bandit used to go up behind her, drag her by the back of the neck out of the flowerbeds. This boy was always my right hand Best Friend. Bandit loved everyone, especially our grandchildren. He loved the cats, other dogs, and anyone he met on his Life journey.
My Mother lived with us for 5 Years, & she also loved him so very much. When she moved into the Nursing Home he sometimes got to go along with me to visit her . Of course, you can tell by the photo, it made her day seeing him too.
Oh yes, Bandit was his dad's boy too. When Rob was outside, you were sure to also find Bandit right along. When Rob went to go in the truck, Bandit made sure he was in there right along with him. Have you ever seen a picture with a dog showing his Master so much affection as this one?
Bandit loved Rob, as you can see him looking up at Rob here with a "big" smile as to say, "Where we going now"?
Bandit's most ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE thing to do was be in a truck. You open a door to our truck, and he was in there like a shot. You didn't have to go any where, he would just be happy to sit in there all day long....
We had brought our sweet Princess Paisley home at about maybe 4-6 weeks old, as she had been a rescue dumped off on a sideroad with her litter mates. Bandit didn't even blink an eye when she came home with me. He had the biggest heart for everything & anyone.
This was the first, and as far as I knew, the last time this ever happened. However, now that I think about it when he was a young pup, maybe around the age of 1, we had been out on the deck. I had to go get something, leaving 1/2 a sandwich on my plate however on returning it was gone, for the life of me I couldn't remember eating it??? Then there was another time, our grandson Aiden, at that time was maybe 3 years old, had been up at the table having cereal, and I had been in the kitchen. Aiden had gone down the hallway to the bathroom. I kept hearing this slurping... you guessed it, Bandit was up sitting on the chair enjoying cereal for his breakfast too. Guess he didn't realize he wasn't to be sharing Aiden's breakfast? Very very seldom this boy got into trouble with us, as really... look at that face how could anyone get mad at that face ?
This boy could put a *smile* on your face on the worst of days.
When I came home I always had the best greeting in the World I could ever have from this boy. I went away down to Nova Scotia for 3 days, and Bandit didn't move from the top of the stairs, or hadn't eaten for 2 of the days. He waited laying at the top of those stairs, night & day, the whole time I was gone waiting for me to come home. Bandit was my boy, through & through.
Bandit had the most beautiful *smiles* in the World, can't you tell?
My & Rob's Bandit Boy.
My Boy, My Bandit
From the day we brought Bandit home, until he was at least over 3 months old, and quite heavy by that time, I used to carry him outside to do his business, and to play with him, then I would carry him back in the house. Rob used to say, "how long are you going to be carrying that pup around"... well the answer to that was until I was comfortable I wasn't going to lose him, as I had lost our Blue Boy. It was hard for me, as after losing Blue, and then getting Bandit a month later, as a friend called me up and said there is a litter of pups available down by Kitchener. As over protective as I was with Bandit, I had still been grieving for my Blue, as that boy would NEVER ever leave my side.
Bandit new our property line up around the house, never going out to the road except for ....
Rob had been home fixing something outside, Bandit must have been around a year old at that time, it was Summer. I had to go into town, telling Rob to keep an eye on Bandit while I was gone. I headed out onto the highway. I don't know what made me look in my rear view mirror just before I got to the bend in the highway, but I did and there was Bandit running as fast as he could down the highway behind me. I pulled over, you have no idea how fast, he came running up to me & into the open door of the car. This was the only & last time this happened, as going forward he was always with me, and very seldom left by himself in the house. He was my heart & I his.
I could share many many more photos of Bandit, and many many more wonderful stories about his Life with us, however I am certain it would take pages and pages of this blog post.
Thanksgiving Monday, 2017, we lost our boy, he was 12 1/2. I think of him often, I look at photos of him & still cry, I talk about him & I cry. I am writing this post & the tears won't stop. I miss this boy so much. He was my joy & my comfort many times through all the years he was mine. Bandit has a piece of my Heart forever.
Bandit August 2017
Bandit was the "Checkerboard Aussies, Australian Dogs.
"Our Days Begin & End with our Checkerboard Aussies" "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".
