Meet Merlin! Merlin is an 8-10yo self blue merle Australian Shepherd male. We arent sure of his actual age. He is a standard size and weighs approx. 45lbs. He has a pretty blue fleck in one of his eyes and it gives him an overall 'sorcerers' appearance, hence the name. Merlin recently lost the love of his life, whom he'd been with for all of his 10 years. He was devastated, but he is beginning to pick up the pieces and learning to love life as a single man for the first time in his life. Merlin gets along great with other dogs, and even gets along with cats and children! He's a sweet, mellow guy with a lot of years left in him! Merlin is housebroken and crate trained already too! He is very quiet in his crate and will just hang out if you need him to. But he doesnt get into trouble in the house. Merlin is hard of hearing in his senior years. He is not completely deaf, but much of it
is gone. But he's still a fabulous guy. Merlin rides easily loose in a vehicle. If you are looking for a perfect family Aussie, Merlin is your guy! Please CLICK HERE to fill out an adoption application!
Aussie News
We are looking for foster homes! If you live in a house or have a place that allows for pets and you can open your home and heart to an Aussie temporarily, please contact us! We provide everything you need, all you do is love them and train them to the best of your abilities.
re always on the lookout and on the search for volunteers. You can help in what ever capacity you can, as much or as little as you can manage, maybe it is only a few hours a month, or a few hours a day, what ever your schedule, we are happy to have your help. See below just some of the things we can use your help on.
Transports ~We need help with transportations, moving an Aussie from one location to another, sometimes we are even there to help other rescues move their dogs as well, all rescues rely on each other to help save our dogs, and yes sometimes even a cat or two has been known to travel along.
Reference Calls ~We receive anywhere from 1 to 10 applications a day, just for our region and we need help. We need to call references and veterinarians to confirm that the families wanting to adopt our Aussies are the right people, they are of the caliber we would want to take our own dogs if needed.
Evaluations ~We will also need help to evaluate the Australain Shepherds. They could be in a shelter, we would need you to actually meet the Aussie in that environment, sometimes this can be one of the hardest experience you will do, seeing them scared, shaking, crying, matted and dirty, their little rear-ends not making a single wiggle. Or the could be in a home, the family is moving and can not take them, they are concerned they are biters, what ever the reason, we need to evaluate them and make sure they will not be a danger to a family to adopt, or the foster home they will be living in until adoption.
Home Visits ~We will need someone to visit the homes of potential adopters, even new volunteers and foster homes, we want to know they have a home that can meet the needs of an Aussie, and the family is on board with the choice to adopt or foster.
Awareness ~We are working hard to create awareness and help others understand the breed, to know that instead of a shelter, their is another hope, a breed rescue, be it for the Australian Shepherd, the Border Collie or the Pit Bull. We want to keep them out of harms way and away from the last walk.
Fundraising ~We need help at events for awareness, adoption events or even just one on one communications. We need people of all walks of life, maybe your a marketer, you could help with the website, create flyers, brochures or design a booth. Maybe you know how to sew, we can use those talents as well, vests for the Aussies, or maybe to bake treats or make our Aussome Tugs.
We evaluate Australian Shepherds and Australian Shepherd mixes from selected shelters and private owners no longer able to keep their Aussies. If we judge a dog suitable for placement with an average adopter, we foster it in private homes and get to know the dog. We then post the dog to our website, Petfinder and place it in an adoptive home where the energy levels, expectations and personalities are a good fit.
Think of us as a "doggie dating service"!
Adopting a friend
1. So you want to adopt an Australian Shepherd. We want you to as well! But first lets talk about what an Australian Shepherd is, what they do and why we have them in rescue. We want everyone to be on the same page and we only want the best for our Aussies. They have been through so much and we care for them like our own.
You will need to complete an application and wait for our approval process. Once approved, there is a $250.00 adoption fee. Not a bad price for an Aussie who is up-to-date on all their shots and either spayed or neutered and 99% of the time, house-broken and crate trained. Some even come with a host of commands already understood!
What is an Aussie? Well they are a herding breed, this means they will tend to go into an alert mode and either chase, bark, nip or all three to get the moving object to stay where they want it. That’s their job, and some do it really well. So well that we get them into rescue because they nipped the kids, the neighbor, the mailman or the other dog. Sometimes they just coral them to the backdoor or the corner of the yard, again they are just doing what comes natural. That’s why we love them, they are smart and do what they were bred to do.
Sometimes you will want earplugs, they bark, they tell you “Hey, look someone is in the yard (or thinking about coming in the yard) and you need to know,” You see, they are guarding you, your home and your family. They are very loyal. Would they attack or bite? Probably not, they are mainly alerting you, going after them would require energy they would rather save for playing.
See this is what Aussies do best, PLAY, they can dance with another Aussie and wrestle with the best of them, they wrestle so hard sometimes people think they are out for blood, but they aren’t, they are doing again what Aussies do best, wrestle and exercise. We always say an Australian Shepherd is like a potato chip, you can’t have just one. Australian Shepherds crave companionship, mostly you, but also another Aussie that gets them.
One other thing, they are also part velcro/super glue. They will follow you every where, to the couch, the bedroom, the bathroom, they might trip you in the hall, because they want to be with you. expect them to bond to someone in the home, don’t get mad if they follow them every where and you only a little, it’s what they do. Did I tell you they are loyal?
So if you are good with the possible quirks that Aussies have, we want to see one in your home. But they do need exercise.
We often take in Aussies from families who have fallen on hard times or who might be moving and cannot take the dog with them. There are a number of reasons people decide to rehome their Aussies. Please contact us about your dog. In your email please include the dogs breed/mix, name, sex, if its spayed/neutered, its current health status and temperment, how they are with dogs, cats, and children, and also include a photo. Owner must sign a letter of surrender, transferring ownership to New Spirit 4 Aussie Rescue.
Come Visit Us!
We are not a shelter, nor do we have a shelter facility. All of our dogs reside in family foster homes until they are adopted. If you would like to meet a particular dog, please contact us via phone or email to set up an appointment!
