Zia Australian Shepherd Club

Zia Australian Shepherd Club Rescue would like to thank all of the caring families who have fostered/adopted our Aussies and have helped us find homes for this very deserving breed.

Zia Aussie Rescue is an ongoing effort and needs all of our support. Please contact Zia directly with comments, questions and ideas to help with our continuing endeavors.

The gallery below highlights adoptees over the years. Browse by clicking a thumbnail image and then scrolling to view images. A slideshow is also available.

Rhett was adopted by a home where he will be the only dog (which he likes very much) AND he will travel everywhere with his person!

"Hank" was adopted by one of our club members. Hank is trained and competing in agility now! He loves his Aussie sister, Sydney, and can't even remember what it was like being homeless in TX anymore.

 As of 12/10/17, Sadie has been adopted

As of 10/31/16, Pogo has been adopted

JD, photo courtesy Joyce Faye 

About the Images

The images and narratives on this page have been provided by the wonderful people who have adopted Zia Aussies over the years. Thank you so very much!

 Some narratives from

our wonderful adoptive families

Pippa - Adopted!



Tango & Cash! A 2-fer! The folks who were supposed to adopt Tango ALSO decided to adopt Cash!! So, both dogs are now adopted! They will both be living in a great home in California.



Marigold - Adopted!

Macy - We have a new Aussie we can already call adopted!. Macy is a very loving 10 year old Aussie. She is now getting regular exercise and working on losing weight & acclimating to her new home.



 Louie - came in for rescue and was adopted in 3 days!

Here are some things his new owners have to say about him:

• he’s a smart, happy and athletic boy
• he gets along well with his new sibling, Annie
  
• he's learning some house and leash manners 
• he’s a fan of balls and rope toys and loves to run around with Annie chasing him
  
• he's a big snuggler
  
• he’s a great addition to the family and we’re glad to be his forever home!
  

Colter - was adopted in December 2010 and was about 2 years old at the time. Colter's family has sent periodic updates throughout all these years.

• Colter is confident, happy, charming, and smart!
• In 2012, Colter got his Canine Good Citizen certificate! Colter says "Boy did that take a long time to prep for! STRANGE PEOPLE HAD TO TOUCH ME AND I HAD TO LIKE IT!!!!"
  
• Colter has gone on many, many hikes - can't even count! He also loves walks and rides in the Jeep!
  
• Colter is the biggest couch potato on the planet!! If anyone wants to sleep in, he's there with them!
  
• Colter loves to eat - two of his favorite words are "dinner" and "breakfast".
  
• Colter has been to many doggy classes including obedience, rally, herding and he has learned to swim!
  
• One year, Colter and his family had to evacuate due to flooding. Colter rode in a helicopter, then a bus, to get to the relief center. After many months, they were all able to return home.
  
• Bark Box Day!! (above) - it's 2021 and Colter is still happily-ever-after in his wonderful home!

Boston and Brooklyn came into Zia’s rescue program as part of a pack of 4 Aussies that were left abandoned at an empty house. When they came into rescue, they appeared to be seriously lacking socialization - they were “shy” and some wouldn’t let us get near them. Boston and Brooklyn were adopted by a wonderful couple who opened their home to these two special dogs, hired a trainer, and worked diligently for over a year to rehabilitate them. Boston, Brooklyn and their owners stopped by during a cross-country trip and we got to see how well the dogs are doing now. You would never know how they started out! They readily came up to us, played with toys, and were friendly toward us - an amazing success story!

another Cooper! (we've had several dogs that came to us by this name!)

another Cooper (we've had several dogs that came to us by this name!)

Georgia (formerly "Shawnee"), has gone to Santa Fe to live with a really nice family!

Ajax (formerly Will) was adopted by Ralph and George in the East Mountains outside of Albuquerque. He enjoys living with his pack and is happy to be settled in his beautiful new home.

Annie, a 16 year old Aussie, was rescued and lovingly cared for by Kathy G. until Annie passed away in Sept, 2017.
Annie lived with Kathy for a happy 10 months. She loved her new home and lived there peacefully and enjoyed her golden years by Kathy's side.

Opal, a black and white 1.5 year old female, was adopted through ZIA Aussie Rescue! She moved to her new home in the country, near Pojoaque, NM. With 2 acres of grass and trees, she spends her day playing with Ally, a 9 year old female Aussie. Ally is quite accepting of her role as yard-trainer for Opal. Running around the yard full speed ahead with her favorite squeak toy is one of Opal’s favorite activities. Together Opal and Ally enjoy walks to the nearby riverbed, with time to explore and splash in the water. Frequently, they travel to Albuquerque and enjoy walks in the parks. Opal likes everyone and makes friends easily with other dogs. She feels quite secure in her new home. Opal's family sends their appreciation out to Julie and Kathy for fostering Opal and preparing her for her new home.

Cora is an older Aussie mix (we estimated 13 when we got her) who was found by the cleaning crew in the backyard of a house that had been foreclosed. She was extremely malnourished and had been left outside with no shelter during the harsh winter that year. Now, she is safe and happy in her new home in Colorado! Update from her wonderful new family - we LOVE to hear these stories:
Cora is doing great. She has come out of her little shell and seems to be one happy girl. She actually comes up to me and gives kisses now. She greets people that come in the front door. She isn’t afraid of the vet anymore. She still is my shadow.  She looks like she has a smile all the time. Her weight is holding steady at 62 pounds. All in all she is doing great. If she truly is 14, she is a very young 14.

Sassy is now living in AZ with 2 other Aussies. She plays a lot with her younger brother, Jasper. She loves playing with various balls - tennis balls, basketballs, other toys... Sassy is a natural trail dog! She has gone mountain biking with her new family and one day, encountered two elk. While Sassy thought about running after the elk, she stayed with the family. Sassy loves all the exercise, care, and attention she gets in her new home! We're so happy for Sassy!

Jasmine was taken into the Zia rescue program from Valencia Valley Shelter just before her euthanasia date. Jasmine was a stray that wandered into someone's backyard and was attacked by the dog that lived there. She's what you would call "a little tender soul" and was happily adopted.



Kassie (before and after) Kassie is an Australian Shepherd cross but clearly has a lot of Aussie in her! She was left at the Valencia Valley Animal Shelter by her owner and was rescued just before her euthanasia date. Kassie has a wonderful personality! She gets along very well with all people and dogs. After she recovered from a pretty bad case of kennel cough, Kassie went to live near Alamogordo, NM where, according to her new owners, she is a great addition to their family! One of Kassie's main jobs is "holding down the couch". What a great life!

TJ has gone to a home where she gets to do agility with her new owner! TJ completed a couple of agility classes in 2009 and seems to be a natural at the sport. This is great progress for a dog who spent a good deal of her younger months tied out. TJ is now a very social girl and has calmed down quite a bit with the large increase in exercise and mental stimulation.

Earl was adopted by his foster mom, Kathy. . It's a case of the foster home ending up being the forever home! Kathy does German Shepherd Rescue for Central NM GSD Club. So, Earl adds a bit of color to her pack of 4 almost-black German Shepherds.

Jessie lives in Anton, TX in the TX panhandle. She will stay with another Aussie male, Remington. The new owners found Jessie on PetFinder. They owned a deaf dog in the past and wanted to adopt a dog that would be harder to place. Jessie is doing well in her forever home. Her owner, Heather, says “she is so much fun, I just love her to death”. Heather says that Jessie is so funny with toys and is having fun running around playing. At first, Jessie didn’t want to leave the house. Heather had to go and get her by the collar to take her out to go potty. But, now she wants to be with Heather and willingly goes outside with her. Jessie and her new Aussie roommate, Remington, are also getting along well. Remington has learned to take care off Jessie. Heather can tell him to go get her if she is sleeping and he will go and touch her with his nose to get her attention. Jessie also gets along well with Heather’s dad’s dog, Juno. Juno is also deaf. Photo courtesy Joyce Faye

Rival's Story, by L. Eide, DVM
When Rival came to me it seemed to be fate dealing her cards. I had just placed a foster dog I called Pecos, when I went to an agility trial and saw a dog in Zia Rescue named by his foster mom: Pecos. He had the biggest prick ears I had ever seen! I knew at once he would find a home with me. Julie convinced me to just try him for a week, but as soon as our eyes met, he had found his ‘forever home’. I changed his name to Rival and started training immediately. A year later and he was in his first agility trial. He now has his first titles as well in AKC, USDAA, and ASCA agility. He is a joy to be with and every day with him is special. He is my bat-dog, my snuggle-bug, my bunny chaser, lizard hunter and the fastest little Aussie in the Southwest! Thank you to Julie and everyone who helped little Pecos become my Rival!
Update on Rival:

Rival is now a USDAA ADCH (agility dog champion)