How did we end up with Aussies?

In 1988 we were looking for a dog breed that shouldn’t have hunting instinct since we were living in a conservation area where rabies is a common threat. During our search we found the Australian Shepherd. We knew this breed from Western Riding events since some Aussies came from the US with imported QuarterHorses. Now it was time to do some homework and get detailed information about the breed. It wasn’t easy because at that time the Aussie was not well known in Germany. We finally found the ASC of Germany which had been founded only a little while earlier. Through Holger Brodrecht (co-founder and president of the club at that time) we received a lot of information. Then the search for a puppy started. Our first Aussie was a red merle bitch. A year later a blue merle bitch joined her. We became members of the ASC of Germany which at that time had about 20 member but was constantly growing. We helped organize club events, went to many of them and during a short period of time more and more members joined the club.

How did we get our kennel name?

While searching for a kennel name that could be registered with ASCA a lot of names crossed our minds. Because black is one of our favorite colors we both agreed on “Black Velvet” and got this name registered with ASCA.

How did the ASC of Germany become Affiliate club of ASCA?

With our help the ASC of Germany became affiliated with ASCA in 1992. So far it is the only affiliate club outside the northamerican continent. In 1993 we then had our first Conformation Show with an american judge.

How did we gather information about Aussies outside of Germany?

We visited the ASCA Nationals on a regular basis, got in contact with multiple breeders, have learned from them (and are still learning) and we imported Aussies of bloodlines that we liked into Germany.

When did we start breeding?

Our first litter arrived in 1991. Some more followed later. Our Black Velvet Aussies go back to the following bloodlines: Agua Dulce, Blue Isle, Gitalong, Heatherhill and Slash V.

Where do we live now?

In 1998 we relocated to the USA, to be more precise to Northern California. It wasn’t easy to get all dogs on the same plane but after three weeks of negotiations with the german airline Lufthansa we were all set. We are currently living about 40 miles north of San Francisco.

Do you have more questions?

If you have more questions please feel free to contact us anytime. Send us an email by just clicking on the following address:

Mary@BlackVelvetAussies.com