Faithwalk Aussies and Miniature American Shepherds
Faithwalk Aussies and Miniature American Shepherds
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About Us

As a teen I volunteered at a large zoo, and later worked in a couple
pet stores with exotic birds and reptiles, and then spent almost 20
years workings hands on with wolves in captive situations in licensed
facilities. I rubbed elbows with wild wolf researchers and those working
with other captive wildlife big and small. My early interest in big
cats became a lifelong passion for canids and their behavior and that
has been the focus of my life. I raised and trained a sled dog team
that I ran all over this part of the country, and later fell in love
with the Australian Shepherd after rescuing one. It was in living with
and working with the wolves that I realized how critical quality of life
and enrichment is for all animals, captive wildlife and domestic
animals. I learned what each species and animal needs and worked hard
to give it things to do to meet those needs. When you go to the lower
quality zoos and see animals pacing or doing other stereotypic
behaviors, you know their needs are not being met. Same for dog kennels
where dogs pace and bark all the time. It's very sad for such animals.
I have also studied and observed the social behavior of wolf packs as
well as dogs living in a pack situation (as pets, but in groups), and
also learned various effective training methods from some of the best in
the field. I learned much about medical care, nutrition and so many
more things in my decades of working with these animals. I still spend a
great deal of time learning all I can and am glad that more positive
training methods are becoming the normal way of working with all
animals.
I owe a huge
debt of gratitude to all the people and animals who have taught me and
helped me become who I am today. I believe in paying it forward and
that is the biggest reason I built this site. I don't want it to be a
"breeder" website but a resource for all kinds of information on this
breed and dog care in general.
I have put all my years' experience in giving my current dogs the
best possible quality of life possible. It blesses me to see them
thrive and enjoying life to the fullest, and I want to share that with
anyone who wants to learn.
As you can tell by this large photo content of this site, I really enjoy photography, especially animals and nature. I almost always have a camera in hand as I play with and train the dogs, as it's a fun way to capture various aspects of their life and behavior. I enjoy documenting behavior and interactions as well. I also take a camera on our hikes and adventures. Hardly a day goes by I don't take pictures of something. I just find so much of God's creation so amazing and wonderful, and I want to share that with others. I think it's one of the ways my artistic talent is expressed.
I also very much enjoy writing on various topics pertaining to anything canine. I have written and published a number of articles, as well as co-authored a book on primitive dogs with Vladimir Beregovoy. You can see or order that here:
http://www.hoflin.com/Books/Primitive.html
I also contributed content and photos to Nicole Wilde's two books on
wolfdogs. My articles have been published in a number of magazines in
this country and abroad, mostly Canada and Europe. At least one article
was translated into German to be published in Austria. Writing is
another passion of mine, as is education on everything canine. I used
to travel the US doing educational presentations to all sorts of groups
and individuals in schools and other facilities, and to various clubs
and private organizations. I have spoken to groups large and small in
many states and done thousands of presentations in my lifetime. I
figure I have had many good teachers through the years and I want to pay
it forward, plus help others become better caretakers of the animals in
their lives.

I added a photo above of our new place, taken recently in the fall and over the pond in the middle of the yard. I love the reflections! The dogs are loving having more room, and so are we!
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"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."
Psalm 55:22
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"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever - in case I need him. And I expect I will - as I always have. He is just my dog."
-Gene Hill
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