Ducks At A Distance

Tag Archives: Love

Argument about aussies on craigslist has me curious. Please read?

–First post is by a lady who claims to breed “toy / mini australian shepherds.”

I have a 3 year ancient, 8 pound black tri BET (blue eyed tri PRODUCER). ASDR registered, full registration is available-

Pet price
Breeding price

He LOVES to snuggle on the couch, is reserved around strangers, but will LOVE you, partially potty trained as he will mark, but isn’t terriable about it-I’m out of town right now, and will be back in the next week if you’d like to see him. This is a RARE breed, YES THERE ARE TOY AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS-I have an AKC 8 pound female, and. Tucker grew up in a kennel before I bought him, but has been inside my loving family, and is VERY SWEET!!! He will dance for you and and lick you!!

email me for more information-I’ll work wiht the price depending on yoru wants/your home, but hes not free, and keep in mind this is RARE and sought after- www.barbiedollsteacupaussies.com

–Second post is by a person discrediting her.

Toy aussies / Mini aussies are NOT real breeds!
Yes, they do EXIST but so does my Australian Bernard. But surprise, that’s not a real breed, just my australian st. bernard mix!

The AKC does not recognize “Mini aussies” or “toy aussies.” No reputable kennel does! The ARBA recognizes ‘Minis’, but not ‘toy aussies’, have you heard of this association? Okay then. And it’s amusing, the registries and clubs who do recognize and breed ‘Mini Aussies’ don’t even recognize the ‘toy aussies’ as a real breed.

It’s right with any breed… would you refer to a Yorkshire Terrier as a standard Yorkshire Terrier? No, because there is only one size (so anyone who’s paid hundreds for a ‘teacup yorkie’, you should have done your homework), the same is right with Rottweilers, Labradors, Jack Russell’s, etc.

So how do you get a miniature or toy aussie? Please read the excerpt:

In the end there are two ways to achieve smaller sizes–by inbreeding on naturally small dogs or by thwart breeding to other small breeds to rush the miniaturization process. Obviously each approach has its problems.

Inbreeding reinforces desired traits, but also brings out the hidden genetic problems. So generations of inbreeding can cause a privileged occurance of inherited problems like hip dysplasia, epilepsy, cataracts, auto immune problems and so on.

The other means is to thwart breed. Some folks seem to think that if a dog looks sort of like an Australian Shepherd–merle coloration, wedge shaped head, longish coat and docked tail, that it must be an Aussie. Just because it waddles and quacks, doesn’t mean it is a duck!

Some of these breeders will incorporate other toy sized breeds to rush the miniaturization process. This amounts to essentially breeding a mutt and fraudulently selling it as a purebred dog. A good way to make sure this doesn’t take place is to question the breeder for records showing that several generations of dogs have been DNA tested proving that their parents are the dogs represented on the pedigree. This is a common place requirement in legitimately recognized breeds like the Australian Shepherd.

Reducing a dog to a toy size also can increase reproduction problems. Females may only be able have tiny litters of one to three pups, sometimes only by C-Section. Toy sized puppies can be born with a myriad of ingrained defects, some apparent, some not. Remember, in scenery, change takes place slowly. The breeders of miniature and toy breeds are forcing changes in the structure of their dogs at an astrophysical pace.

The toy breeders are attempting to produce an entirely new breed variation on just a few generations at the expense of the health and well being of the animals. Reduced size brings about profound changes in soundness–such as the need for Cesareans–because of the rapidity of the change from large to small. The dog’s genetic code does not necessarily change in proportion to the reduction in size.

Toy dogs are often bug eyed or wall-eyed. The reduction in head size occurred quicker than the reduction in eye size, thereby moving the eyes around to the sides of the head. Dogs bred for small size often have nervous system difficulties such as epilepsy.

Vets can provide you with a long grocery list of problems that they frequently see in association with the extreme miniaturization of a breed.

There are no doubt, healthy, pleased miniature and toy sized Australian Shepherds, but how many others are having problems? Question the breeder of the toy dog how many of the offspring he or she has followed up on throughout their lives? What sort of health clearances did these dogs have and how often were they checked. What is the mortality rate of the puppies?

What it comes down to is this: It has taken generations of careful breeding to produce consistency in the Australian Shepherd.

The goal of the original breed was to maintain a working ranchdog who was healthy and had a temperament suited for herding livestock and protecting the family home. Reputable b
Oh, I didn’t even notice it got cut off. I don’t know what the rest of the post said. But my question was did this person with the ‘toy’ aussie have grounds for what she was saying? Are they soon to be usual by the AKC? But from what I’ve gathered, that’s not right. Thank you guys. I like this breed, and I didn’t think this BYB was right, but she was a little convincing.

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Indian Runner Ducks for sale


A small flight of Indian Runner Ducks and drakes for sale – preferably all together. The video shows them first thing in the morning, being let out. Their jest for life is infectious.. Don’t let anyone tell you Indian Runner ducks do not need water — they LOVE it, they probably spend more time in and around the water than all the rest of our breeds. Just because they have long necks so can reach into a bowl, does not mean that they like not having proper water to play in. contact farm at …

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Why Do Waterfowlers Love Cork Duck Decoys?

During the season we duck hunt every day. Not every few days or on weekends, but every day one or more of the “Pawlet Duck Club” is on the water somewhere in our little valley, tossing decoys into the river. This year, “setting the dekes” became one of the most pleasurable parts of the hunt as we all upgraded to new cork decoys that are certainly the finest production cork decoys ever built. Our little river now hosts a resplendent flotilla of magnificent decoys that would draw any duck out of the sky. And when the ducks aren’t flying, they’re simply wonderful to look at.


Just putting these decoys in the water is worth the price as these are heirloom quality decoys with construction and paint features beyond anything any of us had been privy to. From the designs of Cameron McIntyre, one of the premier decoy carvers and restorers in the country, each decoy is made in the same step-by-step process McIntyre uses in the carving of his wooden decoys.


What makes it a bit humorous is that Vermont is not exactly a hotbed of waterfowl hunting, at least where we live. There are only eight of us in the club (four of which are dogs) and commonly fewer ducks than members. But we like it for more reasons than just the hunting. Divide the value of our hunting equipment by the annual duck harvest and these are quite possibly the most expensive ducks in North America, but that only adds to the irony and the humor of the endeavor.


The few misguided ducks that do come our way, we have come to the conclusion, are either lost or anti-social, but for us it is an autumn ritual that means much more to us than the simple harvesting of ducks. Given the annual take, it’s a good thing as it is as much about the simple pleasure of good chat, good russet and spectacular sunrises as it is anything else. Dropping a work of the carver’s art in the river on a cold morning is a big part of it. And then there are the dogs.


Our dogs have grown up together, have probably taught each other more about retrieving than any wisdom us poor humans could impart. And they revel in each other’s company. Every morning while we drink russet in Tom’s kitchen, they tear around the household in delightful anticipation of the morning’s hunt, a cacophony of wet noses and otter tails slamming against the cabinets. While they play, we close our russet, gather our guns and decoys and prepare to set out for the river.


These are super-magnum sized decoys with extraordinary realism. The cork diffuses the set alight and gives them a realistic look that no plastic or composite can possibly equal. The construction is rock solid and the paint work on these birds is as meticulous as any paint you will see on the most expensive decorative decoys and they are using McIntyre’s exact paint formulas for perfect color.


The heads are carved in high head and low head configurations and the tails are reinforced with wooden inserts for toughness. The gray wooden keels are substantial and these decoys ride the water with the substance of real birds. Out of curiosity we compared these to other corks on the market and the competition is not even close.


“Heirloom quality” is a term often used, but seldom in this day and age does the object stand up to scrutiny. In this case, there is no doubt from the second you hold one of these birds in your hand. There are those who would buy these decoys for the mantel.


Understandably so, for they are truly works of art, but when these are handed down to our sons and daughters they will be treasured, not only as classic works of the carver’s hand, but as the decoys that Dad shot over back in the heyday of the old ‘Pawlet Duck Club.’

Orvis has been outfitting customers for the sporting traditions since 1856. As the world’s oldest mail order company, Orvis has always offered quality products, such as hunting gear.

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