Yesterday I meandered over to the dog park to make my first set of new furry friends, and I am glad to say I made a few!
For today, meet Ace, a 4 month old Australian Shepherd puppy.
A little background on Australian Shepherds for you—they're actually NOT from Australia, despite their breed name. They were developed in the United States and seen as early as the 1800s, and the breed rose gradually in popularity with the boom of Western riding after World War I. They're currently considered the 18th most popular dog breed in the United States.
I can completely see why—I would be lying if I said I didn't want an Aussie growing up. They're incredibly smart—and are normally described as protective, good-natured and affectionate. They are bred to herd animals—but what also makes them so distinct is their strikingly unique coats—and Ace was no exception!
I spoke with Amanda, Ace's owner and she filled me in on this peppy little pup. Amanda's boyfriend got Ace from a farm in Reading, PA, where Ace was amongst 14 other puppies in 1 giant litter. The breeder said he would be the, "calmest" of the bunch, but he's definitely proven to be incredibly energetic and active!
Amanda and her boyfriend normally bring Ace to the park as often as they can. Ace, "is like a bouncy ball and bounces off every wall" every time he comes out of his crate—typical puppy behavior.
Amanda and I were talking about the breed as Ace ran around the park with a Border Collie mix, and we mentioned the herding. Our dog Chloe (from my last post) came with us, and she is constantly herding the other pups—so when I mentioned this to Amanda, she explained:
“We just learned that the biting of our butts is him herding us, so any time we walk out of the room, he’ll jump up and walk behind us and just bite our butts to try to get us to walk back into the room. Apparently that’s what they do to sheep, and now he’s trying to herd us.”
While snapping these shots, Amanda was able to show me just how smart and well behaved Ace was, and took some treats out so he could pose for me!
Full Name: Ace
Nicknames: Acie, Acer
Skills: "He's an escape artist, Ace can get out of the crate when it's still locked. Sometimes when we get home he just ends up out of it."
Fun Fact: He didn't always love snowy weather!: A few months ago, the first snow we got, he was only with us for three weeks then—he got outside and wouldn't move. He was afraid of the snow, and he just sat there. It was just so funny, he refused to go out. But now, any time it snows or rains, he loves it."
