Karen DouglasI am a wife, a mother, grand mother, a sister, an aunt and a friend.
I spend my time with family and friends and love every inch of my life. But no matter who I am with or what I am doing, my beautiful Miniature American Shepherds are not far away in mind or body. In the spring of 1992 I brought home my first Miniature version of the Australian Shepherd. Destiny's Sidekick in Blue. From that puppy our great kennel "Sidekick" came into existence and became a major part of the lives of my family and myself. I have worked hard and with great people to bring lines into my breeding program that will benefit the health and longevity of the breed while maintaining the instincts they were meant to have. From the beginning I have been adamant on doing all health clearances available for any dog I have planned to add to my breeding program. Some times my heart was broken, but I persevered with the best dogs with great temperament, conformation, beauty, and heath clearances. In the early days I was part of the Board of directors of MASCUSA, the parent club of the now "Miniature American Shepherd". Later once the breed had reached recognition with AKC, I worked with the Miniature American Shepherd Club of Canada and a great group of dedicated people to help bring recognition of the breed to Canada. We finally achieved this recognition and are now in the MISC class and can participate in all CKC events!! Personally I have competed and titled dogs in conformation in rare breed shows in Canada and USA and have competed in Rally in USA. However, you will hear the Sidekick name in so many dog venues with admiration as they have achieved great honors with their people. My main focus has always been on conformation and planning my breeding to bring the best dogs I can to future owners as well as find the next generation of Sidekick. Somehow I knew I could not accomplish this alone, and so a long time ago, I knew that the person who was going to be the most dedicated to the breed and help me move Sidekick forward in the way I wanted to go was my dear friend Ellen Robarts in NS. Please read her profile below. As well we are always looking for breed loving people who would love to co own a dog with Sidekick and be part of what we want to achieve. "Always by your Side" |
Ellen RobartsFrom the moment I knew what a dog was I begged my parents for one of my own. I walked and trained and enjoyed everyone else's dogs and in 1984 I finally got my own.
Various dogs came into and out of my life and In 1999 I went in search of a small versatile dog to continue my love of the sport of agility as well as other dog sport avenues. At the time I had an amazing Boxer from a breeder in St. Stephen who insisted I go see the "Mini Aussie" of her friend. I fought so hard not to fall in love with these little dogs but ended up bringing home the most adorable little blue dog in the year 2000. And so started my addiction with Sidekicks! I took that little blue dog and she gave me every cell of her being and I felt like we became one in everything we did. I now live at the mouth of the beautiful Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia and share my life with my wonderful and very understanding Husband. We have one grown Daughter who was born in 2000 and grew up with a Sidekick or two with her in everything she did. I have an awesome group of doggy friends who are always there for support and I have made some lifelong friends through puppy placements over the years. My love for the Miniature American Shepherd has grown over the years as much as the breed itself has grown. When I first met them they were registered as a North American Miniature Australian Shepherd, then the North American Shepherd and now we are recognized by AKC and CKC as the Miniature American Shepherd. I hope to continue to grow with this amazing breed for many years to come. |