Peace Creek Mini Aussies, Miniature Australian Shepherds in Florida

PEACE CREEK
MINI AUSSIES

Miniature
Australian Shepherds
in Florida

I am a breeder.....

My food receipts for a family of 4 is less than

half

of my dog food bills each month.

All my cardiac medications don't come near the expense of dog medications each month.

My water bill has

tripled

My electricity bill has

almost

doubled

It is I, a breeder, who when my fridge quit, saved the dog meds and let the food go bad.

My feet find the way to the

puppies

before I have even grabbed a

Dr. Pepper

in the

morning

and

the

puppies

are

my last stop before bed.

While my friends are on a cruise to the Bahamas and my family meets for Christmas, I

home

delivering puppies.

I haven't had a real vacation in 8 years, but maybe soon. All plans are made around heat

dates,

whelp

dates, vet dates and shipping dates.

I shower and 10 minutes later I smell like a dog and am covered in paw prints

and hair.

My clothes are all stained with fecal matter, urine, afterbirth or bleach. I have to

remember to

clean

shoes before leaving the house, or if I

dare to get into my

sister's impeccable car!!

Most of my friends breed dogs.

Who else can you call at 3 am for support?

Who else has the experience I sometimes need, the meds I sometimes need, or just an

uplifting

word

sometimes need?

Who else would understand how it feels to have invested hours and hours in a weak puppy

lose

it? Or

the joy in investing hours in one that lives?

I have slept on the floor beside a litter until the crucial 2 weeks have passed. I have

bottle fed a

litter

… feeding every 2 hours and taking 90 minutes to do

for

weeks at a time.

I have learned to be proficient at micro chipping, vaccinations, fluids, bottle feeding

tube

feeding, tail

cropping, and dewclaw removal

, as well as diagnosing various ailments.

My vet knows me by my first name, my grandchildren's first names, and knows my bank

account and

debit card number

by heart. So does Lowe's!!

My vet takes his time to teach me what he knows, because he knows I care. He also

knows

that I

funded

the new x-ray machine, the new floor scales, the new ultrasound

machine

, and his

cruises.

I am a breeder.

It is to me that 63 days takes on new meaning, still excited by every new life.

It is I who deliver all my pups, hemostats, scissors, styptic powder, towels and heat

lamps on

ready

happiness and sadness sometimes intermingled.

Even though it increases my work load, I look forward to the 10-14 day stage when eyes

open,

and

puppies begin to emerge from the helplessness of newborns:

puppy breath, a

first bark

and hearts

exploration. And, OH!, those puppy kisses and cute little wiggly

butts!

I am not uneducated, unemployable, illiterate or lazy as some Animal Rights folks would

imply

breeders.

I am a conscientious lover of animals and I have found my niche.

I am a breeder.

And although I feel no shame

there is a part of me that feels the need to hide from

powers that

could

come to invade my home and take my dogs .. maybe for

.. finding a mild infraction,

.. a leaf in the water dish

.. a kennel not yet cleaned for the day

.. a rash, cut or cold I am home treating?

I feel I should tell the kids and friends to hush, do not tell others we are dog breeders,

and I

wonder

when

breeding puppies

went

into the same secret place as criminal activity?

I am a breeder and I am not cruel, dumb, uncaring or criminal.

I am not raking in money while sitting on my butt.

Every penny I make I earn through blood, sweat and tears, and

the greatest majority

it goes right

back into

the

dogs!

My greatest joy is a healthy puppy and a wonderful home. The cards of thanks and the

pictures of

puppies with their new families are the fringe benefits of my efforts.

I am an animal lover, registered nurse, midwife, vet tech, heavy laborer, customer

service

representative,

photographer, website designer, secretary, marketer,

dishwasher, maid,

dietician,

fence builder.....

AND I AM A BREEDER!!

Borrowed with permission from Linda Axe's website

and adapted for Peace Creek Mini Aussies.

What Do We Do?

In our quest to find the right dog for the right kid, we have fallen

in love with the Mini Australian Shepherd. We would like everyone

to have one and know the joy of such faithful, loyal, and loving

companions like we have. Each and every one of them has only one

desire.....to please his human. They are so intelligent and easy to

train it's almost unbelievable.....and I thought German Shepherds

were easy!!!! The Aussies showed me the error of my beliefs. I

read somewhere that "you don't own an Aussie.....IT owns YOU,"

So in the spirit of sharing our Aussies, we are striving to breed

beautiful, healthy, happy puppies that adhere to the breed Standard

and

are affordable enough for most everyone to have a Miniature

Australian

Shepherd for their very own pet. We've also added a

couple of

standard aussies, and occasionally we have a toy size

puppy. Some day

we hope to enter the conformation ring, as well as

obedience and agility.

Our own personal pets have free run of the house and yard. The

others take turns at being in the house or in the large play yards

we've

built for them, complete with shade trees, doghouses, and

wading pools

for the summer heat.

All breeding is done with consideration to each sire's and each

dam's

strengths and weaknesses, striving to maximize the good

points in each,

and to follow the breed standard. About 2 weeks

before one of our

dogs whelps, she moves into the house, has her

puppies, and stays in

the house until the babies are about 6-8 weeks

old..... or when they

outgrow the crates and/or exercise pens,

Then they're moved out to

the puppy pens that have indoor/outdoor

runs for protection from the

elements, with their moms, until

she's

ready to wean them.

All the puppies are handled constantly from the time they're born

until

they leave us for their new homes, ensuring that they will be

well

socialized from day one. The result is happy, self confident

puppies.

All the dogs, and especially the puppies, are kept on a

strict schedule of

worming and vaccinations, and flea control is

diligently attended

to.....after all.....this is sunny Florida where

none of the parasites are

ever frozen out. We welcome you to our

website....keeping in mind that

it's a work in progress. I'm going

wait until the grown dogs are back

in full coat before I take

more

pictures. Take a look around and maybe

you'll find your

next best

friend!!!

Charlotte Upchur

Robbyn Harris

Brittani Harris

Scott Bashore

Who Are We?

July 15, 200

Peace Creek Kennel is located on five acres in the heart of sunny

Central Florida, in Winter Haven. Peace Creek Miniature Australian

Shepherds is owned by myself, Charlotte Upchurch, and four of my

grandchildren. I have always owned and bred dogs, and some very

nice ones at that. Many years ago, I used to show my dogs and

friends' dogs in AKC conformation classes. And then.... LIFE

happened....I got married, went to nursing school, raised a family,

and ran a contracting business on the side for my husband. That was

the end of my show career...or so I thought. I had always kept as

many dogs around me as possible, and raised a few very nice pups

along the way. But the years passed and the opportunity just never

presented itself to get back into showing.

In 1995, two of my granddaughters came to live with me, and in

2002, another granddaughter and a grandson joined us. I was in a

quandary as to how to get these kids out from in front of the TV and

to be more active. They had always loved my dogs, and would watch

me teach a puppy to heel, sit, etc., and decided that they could do

that too. That was when I discovered 4-H and the "Dog Project".

And THAT is how our adventure into the world of Miniature Australian

Shepherds began. With the help of my grandchildren

Robbyn,

Brittani, and Scott

(aka "Bubba"), we will continue on with

this

adventure indefinitely,

hoping to provide them with a life long

interest, and a sense of responsibility to the breed that has given us

so much. I have decided that when my own personal pets (they're

getting on up in years now) pass over the Rainbow Bridge, I will never

have another breed of dog other than the Mini Aussie.

email us:
charliann123@aol.com

call us:
863-318-1876

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