Enrique came to us from a local high kill animal control.  We took one look at the "freckles" near his nose and fell in love with this cutie!  His paperwork says Austrailian Cattle Dog, but we think he's probably more of an Austrailian Shepherd with how fluffy he is!  Enrique is a shelter favorite.  He is so sweet and has the softest fur.  We took him into the cat room today to see how he does with cats.  Enrique seems a little scared of them, but he just sniffed around.  He laid down in the middle of the floor and stayed there even when a little gray kitty tried to swat at him.  We cannot guarantee that Enrique will be like this in your home with a single cat, but when in a room with 20 cats, he seemed perfectly fine!

Update 10/20:  Poor Enrique was adopted by a loving family and everyone was so happy, but unfortunately all too soon.  It became apparent that some family members were quite allergic to him.  Enrique is now looking for a new family to lavish all his love on!  Enrique was very good with their 8 year old son and their cat.  He loves a good stuffed animal to play with.

According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, despite the misleading name, the Australian Shepherd is not Australian at all, but was developed entirely in the U.S. to work as a herding dog on ranches. It is possible that the name was derived from one of the dog's ancestors. The breed's principal forebears were most likely Spanish dogs that accompanied the Basque shepherds and herds of fine Merino sheep exported to both America and Australia in the early days of the colonies. At some point it probably crossed with Collie stock. It has only recently gained recognition as a distinct breed. Its many talents include, retrieving, herding, watchdogging, guarding, police work, narcotics detection, search & rescue, agility, competitive obedience and performing tricks. Australian Shepherds are easy going, perpetual puppies that love to play. Courageous, loyal and affectionate, they are excellent children's companions that are great with active children. A devoted friend and guardian, for they are naturally protective. Very lively, agile and attentive - they are eager to please, with a sixth sense about what the owner wants. Australian Shepherds are highly intelligent and easy to train. Though aggressive when at work with livestock, the Aussie is gentle with human friends. Australian Shepherds needs lots of exercise and a job to do, as the breed is very intelligent, active and easily bored. They can become nervous and destructive if left alone too much without exercise. They are naturally suspicious of strangers, so they should be well socialized as puppies. Working lines of Australian Shepherds may be too energetic to be suitable pets. Some like to nip people's heals in an attempt to herd them. They are quiet workers, unlike some breeds, which are bred to bark constantly at livestock. This breed is not usually dog aggressive. They have a life expectancy of 12-15 years. This breed is often sensitive to ivermectin; however, the dosage for heartworm preventive is considered safe. Be warned that higher doses of Ivermectin are also used to treat mange and caution should be taken.