As a breeder I hear stories all the time about people who went into a group of dogs and allowed the puppy to pick the family. I get requests all
the time from people who think I am going to allow them to come into my home and sit on the floor with a group of puppies and pick the first one that comes up and says hi to them. Sadly that is not how I operate as a breeder.  

DO NOT EXPECT TO CHOOSE YOUR PUPPY. Tell me what you are looking for and I will help you  peel back the layers of each puppies over
all true personality and I will match you with what you really need.  

The fact is that I know what you will be drawn to, it will start with colour and markings and it will end with the most awake and playful puppy the
days you visit. The sad fact is that when you come into my house and look at the 6-8 week old puppies and one comes up and tugs on your pant
leg, you will look at me and say “THIS IS IT! He chose ME,” Trust me when I tell you I’ve been watching families coming into the house over and
over, and every single time this same puppy has come up and tugged at every family the same way and every single one of them have said to
me “THIS IS OUR PUPPY, HE PICKED US!”

What you are seeing is not reality. You are seeing the most outgoing puppy, and he is the most outgoing with every single family that visits, you
are not special to him (sorry to burst your bubble). Most often you’ve also fallen in love with the one that has the most white and copper, or the one that has a different look from the rest of the litter, or the one that’s been in the majority of the pictures I’ve posted because that puppy has simply been there when the camera has been ready or I've just caught that puppy on camera and made it look super cute by fluke. You are not seeing the over all truth about the puppies in your short visits and pictures on the computer.  

You also have to realize that if you get to visit at all once Covid is over it is only once and you are only seeing those puppies for 1 or 2 hours of their 8 weeks of life. Does it ever occur to you that maybe today that one puppy has just woken up and is extra active and that's what you like, or he's been running around all morning and is now sleeping because he's tired and not because he's the mellow puppy of the group. Again you can not possibly know my puppies as well as I do, you only think you know them. Don't you have up and down days, some days when you feel better than others, some days when you would rather be alone and other days when you'd prefer to be social. Puppies are no different.

I'm sorry but you do not get to CHOOSE your puppy like you would go out and choose a pair of socks, we will work together as a team to match you and the puppy together for the best fit for you both.

I live with these puppies 24/7, I see who is always active and who is always more laid back, I get to see who the trouble maker is every day and
not just in the moment, I know the puppies in depth while you only get to see them for a very brief fraction of their existence. You only get a
very small glimpse into their personality while I have had time to explore their personality in great depth.  

My first responsibility is not to make you happy. Sorry but that is the cold hard truth.
My first responsibility is to the Australian Shepherd BREED. That’s why my first priority in placing puppies is the show/breed owners, because
they are the ones that just might use this dog to keep the breed going forward and improving the breed over all. I don't "like" them more than you because they are fellow breeders, this is not a popularity contest and it's not about getting more money from them than I would get from you for the same puppy. It’s simply that I have to be extremely choosy about which puppy I place with them so that they can make future breeding decisions with the very best genetic specimen of the breed I can give them.

My second responsibility is to the individual PUPPY. I will place each puppy where I feel it has the best chance of success and the most ideal
environment to thrive. I need my puppies to be happy, if the puppy is crazy high energy and you work 12 hours a day, the puppy will not be happy. If you run a day care and the puppy is timid, the puppy will not be happy. If the puppy is not happy, you the owner will not be happy. If you are not happy there is a very good chance that puppy will be given back to me to have to re-home. That is something we try to avoid by matching the puppy with the home that can meet the puppies needs best so he can fit into your family with long term success.

So while I do care, and I will take your preferences into account, do not expect to walk into my home and dictate to me which puppy you will be
taking home. We will work together to match both your needs with the puppies needs so you are happy together.

If you only want a blue merle female there is nothing wrong with that as long as you understand you may not be getting the very next blue merle female born. She has to meet your needs as well as you have to meet hers, re-read that part out loud, YOU HAVE TO MEET THE PUPPIES NEEDS. The more specific your requests are the longer the wait may be so that I can find a puppy that you can meet the needs of. If you are busy and not active and the puppy is incredibly active, then you will not be able to meet the needs of that puppy and I will not place it with you. If the puppy is incredibly intelligent and wants to work and you do not want to do a lot of training, then I won't place a puppy with you that needs a home that will work it.  Part of the reason we ask for applications ahead of time is so you can not try and mold your answers to be what you think we want to hear. You need to be honest with me. If you lie to me to try and obtain a "pretty" puppy faster, it may very well backfire on you ending up with no puppy available. Be honest with me about exactly what you can provide. Anyone who tells me they could deal with pretty much anything is lying and I have no time for that, I will deny your application if that's what you try to tell me. You have a life style, I need to know about it, if it changes before you get a puppy I need to know about those changes to be fair to both you and the future puppy you will be taking home.  

In the end you and your family will love the puppy because it fits and meets your needs.
If I were to give in and let you choose your puppy with no guidance from me, you may get a beautiful arm piece of a puppy that you can show off and it may bite your children, attack your cat,  pee all over your floor in fear. In the long run that pretty arm piece puppy may be the worst match for your family.

Trust in me as your breeder, trust that I know my puppies and if you have been honest with me about your wants, needs and abilities, I will match you with a puppy you will love!