Hello…I am Ruth Vanderhoof, President of the Toy Australian Shepherd Association of America. I would like to introduce myself to all of you who are not familiar with the history of the formation of TASAA. The Association was officially formed in February 2004. It has been about a year and a half in the making and is the vision and culmination of a group of people that see the Toy Aussie as the smallest version of the Australian Shepherd.

President's Message
 
 

In wanting to show the Toy Aussie, not necessarily to just show them off, although I see nothing wrong with that…we felt that unbiased trained eyes (Judges) evaluating the breed is the best way to bring type, structure and ultimately credibility to the breed. What we found was no representation for the Toy Aussies, and therefore they had no voice and no venue.

A group of like-minded folks met together to try to find the most equitable way to facilitate this. The Association was formed so that the Toy Aussie as a whole has a voice in the dog community and we now have a membership that is going to stand behind the efforts to form a Registry. The goal is to improve the type and structure of the breed through close examination of the breed standard, and breeder education on the importance of health issues such as Hip ratings and Eye certifications. I will be looking for opportunities to open more venues for showing the Toy’s in all areas of dog show competition and to provide a place for those with other achievements to archive there success and endeavors.

This web site will have a news section, a bulletin board for listing events and seminars that may be of interest as well as links to web sites that have pertinent and informative information. There is a list of Breeders, and I hope that each and everyone will come to know one another and me. Our group is a small but growing group of Toy Aussie enthusiasts that understand the importance of net working and sharing knowledge, and standing behind those that have volunteered their efforts to make this happen. The Registry is still in the process of formation, but soon will become THE place to archive the genetic make up of those dogs that are contributing to the small sized version of the Standard Australian Shepherd.

The Association will also be a place for those that are curious about our breed to reference information and to find a compilation of reputable and informed enthusiasts. Anyone planning a breeding should be vigilant in reading and following the Breed Standard. All breeding’s should be planed with the improvement of the breed in mind.

The breed is genetically old, but the Toy Aussie has had little structure in the recording of its evolution as of to date. From this day forward, I promise to do my part to help bring a better light to the acceptance of the Toy Aussie and to help lend credence to it validity. My ultimate goal is for the Toy Australian Shepherd to be recognized as a size variation.

Our Toys are born from Mini to Mini breedings as well as Toy to Mini and Toy to Toy. I would like to see the gene pool stay as diversified as possible. In no way does this Association differentiate between the bloodlines of the Toy and Mini’s.

Respectfully,
Ruth Vanderhoof
President, Toy Australian Shepherd Association of America
February 1, 2004
president@tasaa.org