Welcome to
We are a small breeder of miniature AKC Australian Shepherds and as such our dogs are part of our family and we are able to put lots of time and love into each and every puppy.
who we are
About Us
Our puppies are whelped and grow up in our home. We are located in the beautiful state of Arizona. My husband and I grew up in California. We are high school sweethearts and his military career has taken us all over the United States and overseas; he is now retired and we are settling down. My husband and I absolutely love the miniature version of the Australian Shepherd! Our first Mini Aussie came into our lives in October 2009 and we have been in love with this breed ever since. The brilliance and loyalty of the Australian Shepherd is unsurpassed!
I grew up on a ranch with a mother who bred Shetland Sheep dogs. My mother instilled the importance of maintaining high quality in both genetics and temperament in any breed. My husband and I are carrying on her mission in the Australian Shepherds. We breed to maintain the beauty, intelligence, and temperament of the Australian Shepherd, just in a smaller package! We will not sacrifice quality for any fad trait (i.e. size, eye color). These dogs stand out for their versatility! They are becoming well known for their talents as therapy or service dogs and our dogs fit into almost any active lifestyle, so whether you are into show, herding, hunting, dock diving, agility, flying disc or obedience competitions or just want a running partner or great family pet BlueZion Aussies has the dog for you!
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history of the
Australian Shepherd
The history begins, although most facts are shrouded in time, with the most commonly held belief that the Aussie origins began in the late 1800's when western ranchers were importing sheep from Australia. During this period the most popular sheep were being imported into Australia from the Basque regions of Spain. When the herds were shipped, their shepherds were sent with them to manage and care for the flocks on the journey. As the Australian's reputation for quality sheep grew, the demand for their sheep grew also and American ranchers began importing them. The livestock were shipped to the America's, again accompanied by the Basque shepherds and their herding dogs. Ranchers of the American west were reportedly very impressed with the working ability of these "little blue dogs" and began interbreeding them with their own shepherd dogs. The result is today’s Australian Shepherd.
In 1968 a horsewoman in Norco, California, named Doris Cordova began a breeding program specifically to produce very small Australian Shepherds. The most well-known dog from her kennel is Cordova’s Spike. Spike was placed with Bill and Sally Kennedy, also of Norco, California, to continue to develop a line of miniature Aussies under the B/S kennel name. And so it began!
In the suburbs and cities, families wanting a big dog are attracted to the “big dog” qualities they find in this smaller version of the Australian Shepherd (AKC has recognized the Australian Shepherd since 1976). In 2010, meetings began with AKC to include the Miniature Australian Shepherd as a separate breed but there were concerns about the purity of these miniature versions of the breed at this point that were not part of the AKC registered Australian Shepherd population and after much debate, in 2011 they were accepted into AKC under the new name “Miniature American Shepherds.” As of July 1, 2015, the Miniature American Shepherd is fully recognized as an American Kennel Club (AKC) Herding Breed, separate from the Australian Shepherd.
