What is an Australian Cattle Dog? The Australian Cattle Dog breed was developed to work livestock in the Australian Outback. Through many generations of crossbreeding, it was the combination of The Dingo, Blue Merle Collie (Smooth-Coated), Australian Kelpie, Dalmatian, and White Bull Terrier that resulted in today's Australian Cattle Dog (ACD). ACD's are also known as Blue Heelers, Queensland Heelers, Red Heelers, Australian Heelers, Hall's Heelers and there is no distinction between the different names.
Where did "AuCaDo" Rescue get their name? In 1974 when I first owned an Australian Cattle Dog, the breed registry was called AuCaDo. (Au=AUSTRALIAN, Ca=CATTLE, Do=DOG) Later, in 1980 the Australian Cattle Dog became AKC recognized.
I learned so much from my first ACD in 1974 named Carrie Blue (AKC), and her one and only litter of 6 pups. After more than 300 rescued Australian Cattle Dogs, I am still learning. Each new dog teaches me something new and I am grateful. My current personal rescued Red Heeler female, BlueRose Jessie, is AKC ILP registered, and is a Canine Good Citizen (CGC). Jessie and I have visited the library to have the kids read to her also. I adopted Jessie before starting AuCaDo Rescue and during my search for my Jessie, I was shocked at how many ACD's were homeless, and the seed was planted.
My Personal Rescue from Georgia BlueRose Jessie, CGC, (ILP#155492)
Tail or No Tail? Anyone docking tails does not know the breed, its development or its history. The breed standard is for a long tail, but we see many ACD's come into rescue with docked tails. An Australian Cattle Dog with a docked tail should not be confused with the Australian Cattle Dog Stumpy Tail, which is rare in the United States.
Did you know? Australian Cattle Dogs should not be referred to as "MERLE" in color, as this is for Australian Shepherds. By the way, Australian Shepherds did not come from Australia. Australian Cattle Dogs did truly come from Australia.
Just because a dog ends up in a rescue or shelter, does not mean it cannot make a good pet. A lot of pets end up in shelters simply because the original owners did not do their homework, did not research the breed, and simply picked the wrong type of pet. Or, never realized how much work an ACD pet was, until they had one, and decided they didn't want the responsibility.
There are many reasons why one should check into getting a rescue animal FIRST when looking for a new pet. ONE, shelters out there are flooded with great pets who are just waiting for a home to love them. TWO, a rescued animal will cost you less than buying a puppy from a breeder, and THREE, you will be saving a life! Our rescues are already spayed and neutered, have had their shots, HW tested and put on preventative, and most are microchipped, which is the cost of the adoption fee alone. When a puppy is purchased, then all of these medical costs are on top of the purchase price.
AuCaDo Australian Cattle Dog Rescue is a safe place for Australian Cattle Dogs to wait for their forever people/homes. AuCaDo Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit rescue for ACD's as we affectionately call them. AuCaDo headquarters are located in Remus, Michigan, which is in the central part of Michigan. AuCaDo Rescue has expanded with a chapter in Ohio (2008). AuCaDo Rescue is a home based rescue(s) for purebred looking, high percentage Australian Cattle Dogs, both Blue Heelers and Red Heelers. Since we have so many purebred dogs in need, we cannot accept ACD mixes at this time. We are trying to keep the high percentage ACD's available for adoption, as that is our specialty or should I say PASSION. AuCaDo Rescue averages around 12-15 rescued Australian Cattle Dog's in Michigan at any given time, so we should be able to help you find your special ACD rescue companion. If you don't see your new dog on the available pages, please contact us, as we have a waiting list of dogs coming into rescue.
Our adoption fee is $200 (Ask about our Senior Discount or 4-H Discount). The adoption fee is used for Spaying/Neutering, Rabies vaccine, DHLPP (distemper combo), Heart worm check, Heart worm preventative (year round) and deworming. Some dogs are vaccinated for Bordetella (kennel cough), but we see that the dogs will probably still come down with kennel cough. Some dogs come down with really bad kennel cough from the vaccination, so this is why we do not vaccinate all new dogs with Bordetella. Starting with the dogs we rescued in June 2007, they will be micro-chipped. We have not turned away dogs that require extensive surgery or medical care, we remain committed to the dogs in our care. AuCaDo Rescue has treated medical conditions or elected for surgeries that runs into high vet bills, but we still charge the same adoption fee.
Our rescue takes in dogs primarily from Michigan shelters that contact AuCaDo Rescue to rescue dogs that are in danger of being put down. AuCaDo Rescue Michigan only accepts requests from Michigan shelters, but will consider other shelter requests on a case-by-case basis. At this time, we are being asked to help so many Michigan dogs, that we are finding it hard to help out of state requests.
AuCaDo Rescue Michigan is no longer able to accept owner surrenders. If an owner surrender dog comes into rescue, it could possibly take the space of a dog that may be in urgent need from a shelter. We are very full most of the time and our space(s) needs to be used for dogs in grave danger. In the past we accepted some owner surrenders, and have been burned with the vetting or behavior problems like aggression. We cannot accept aggressive dogs, as they are sadly un-adoptable. Please do not ask me to find your dog a FARM to live on. This is just not fair, to expect the rescue to find a farm for your dog. I have too much respect for farmers to consider their farms as places for all unwanted dogs.
Our adopted ACD's are mainly re-homed in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. We have also adopted to Louisiana, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Canada. An application, home visit and/or pictures of home and yard plus references are required for out-of-state adoptions. Out-of-state adopters must/should travel to Michigan to meet the dog, so it is advised to put a deposit on the dog, until travel arrangements are made. We do not want a disappointed adopter coming here to find that the dog has already been adopted. We will consider shipping a dog if the circumstances warrant it, though no promises. We can take pictures and email more pictures of the dog(s) at any time. Don't hesitate to ask.
Did you know that Australian Cattle Dogs are rated number 10 in the Most Intelligent Dogs lists? While this is a good thing, it is also why so many of these dogs are mis-understood and homeless. Please do your research, if you are new to the breed, for their sakes first and yours second. We have an "About the Breed" page that would be a good place to start your research or just to see if your Australian Cattle Dog is like most others.
Rescue Volunteers Needed
There is nothing more rewarding than bringing a needy dog into your home and watching him/her blossom into a loving, trusting soul.
That first feathery kiss, trust radiating from the baby's eyes, seeing a wagging tail, your first greeting at the door and being a part of knowing that you have helped find this sweetie a home where they will be loved and treasured until the end of their lives, will fill your heart to overflowing. If this sounds like Heaven to you, and you would like more information on fostering, please complete a Foster Application here Foster Application.
Transporting Fosters
If you would like to volunteer to help these loving furbabies
but are limited on personal time, please consider transporting.
We set up relay type legs to get the fosters from the shelter into
their foster home or from the foster home to their forever home. Most
transports are done on the weekends and we can fit it into
your schedule. Please read the details on transporting and consider completing a
transport volunteer form at Transport Volunteers.
Roper, A Deaf ACD at the Ultimate Air Expo 2008 Cincinnati, OH Dock Diving Platform with Foster Mom
Congratulations to Lindsay and Sadie! Sadie, Adopted February 2007
Kent County 4-H Fair 1st Place Showmanship, Agility & Obedience Reserve Grand Champion
Cajun, the Rescue, Wins Indiana State Championships with Liz in Youth Division. Cajun also placed in Adult Novice Division with Jesse. 8-13-06
Cajun was adopted from AuCaDo Rescue in April, 2005 by the Pourroy Family.
Ohio
