As any good story does, it starts with a dog. 

A dog named Whiskey.
 
He’s a massive, poorly constructed physical representative of the breed with terrible hips, east/west stance, and a collie like face. 

But Bethany didn’t know anything about pet vs show quality, standards, and panels in 2013. 

All she knew was she wanted a companion - her first dog as an adult. 

What he lacked physically from the standard, he made up for in temperament. 

Whiskey was the only male to run straight towards Bethany when she visited the litter while the others fell victim to puppy distractions. He fell asleep on her foot while she signed the paperwork. And before she left the driveway, he already had her whole heart. 

He was a library reading dog for shy children, an obedience demo dog for intermediate classes, was in Modern Dog Magazine, and had a regular following on social media which earned him a few gigs for companies like Chewy and Barkbox. Someone even recognized him while walking around the Navy Pier in Chicago! 

He earned his CGC and TKA, tried and loved dock diving and herding, traveled to countless states, and was (and still is) the “trust with any child or person in a public setting” kind of dog. 

Every day he showed up, every chance someone stopped me to pet him because he was so handsome with his symmetrical markings, every time he was patient with a child, every time he learned a new trick in an hour - only served to ramp up love and interest in the breed. 

Our life will always have an Aussie in it because of his unfailing companionship. And our hearts will always belong to the dog we honor in our name. 

The world needs more dogs like Whiskey. At Whiskey Ridge we aim to make that happen.