Boldheart Mini Aussies
reviews and complaints

It seems like she's become a puppy mill, don't get me wrong she seems very nice when you go to buy the puppy (in cash) for sure...but I've been watching her website and I've noticed that she's churned out about 20 litters this year (2018). I made a huge mistake buying Kathys not so mini, giant mini Aussie (25" tall at shoulder and 55lbs solid muscle...he was supposed to be 14-18") I told her I was a totally novice dog owner and she told me I would do great because he was a calm boy that would not be dominant, oh how she was wrong...I told her exactly what I wanted and she said he and I were a great match! but we are not! it's like she doesn't even read her applications and she just copy pastes auto responses.
He's a very jealous dog and he bites my family members to the point of drawing blood when they get close to me or touch me...and he bit me twice when stepped in the way of him biting a family member. I get that he's a teenager but no amount of professional help is changing this possessiveness over me.
He is a very healthy dog though...but he belongs on a farm/ranch (like all her dogs) and not in a house and especially not in a condo or apartment. I will be searching for a farm/ranch for him to be re-homed.
Beware that you will not get a medium sized dog (14"-18")you will get a large dog...Kathy's dogs are not "mini" and for that she is a liar. Furthermore they require 8+hours of full 1on1 interaction.
I don't feel sad to give him up though. I've spent lots of money and time on him so that he is well prepared for life...but his next family has to be a farm/ranch. He's even going with his agility track that I transformed my whole backyard to build so he wouldn't get bored when he went outside and start digging or jumping fences.
These dogs should only be going to farms/ranches/experienced Aussie owners. Not houses and condos in New York and other high-density cities. These are not pet dogs they are 100%working dogs and this is contrary to what I was sold and told.
My whole family laughs how I got duped...so I'm a little happy he bites them, but yeah...I got duped and bought from what I feel is a puppy mill accredited by the AKC.
Lastly, I know there's people that want to say how I shouldn't have done this or that or that they have a great dog with boldheart bloodline, that's about their opinion and every dog is different so you could have a 50/50 chance it seem. I only want the people going to buy these dogs to know what to expect, especially if they're a novice like I WAS; So: they're not mini in any way and they count as a large breed if you're renting (its by weight and shoulder height not the fake name of the breed), you do have to have daily activities/outings/puzzles/games and you do have to train them every single day (8hrs/day minimum), you do have to have an entertaining backyard with obstacles to run on/over/through or else you will have holes in your yard, they're not good with other small animals (no hamsters/cats/birds/small dogs) because they have a very high prey drive, they're very beautiful and I have been approached many times by larger men literally telling me they want to steal my dog and some actually trying to get their dog to chase my dog away from me (I carry mace and a knife and soon a gun so I can protect myself and my dog), they understand English/any language you teach them and are very perceptive/protective so if you have a neighbor that has a howl type dog this will drive your dog into a fear frenzy, along with female family members or any females in public loudly cooing/awwwing or making loud baby type noises (this happens a lot in a crowded city with a beautiful dog)...there's so much more to say that all the research you could ever do would never tell you...so shove it you preachers of lack of research because no research will prepare you for this dog as a pet owner, the only way I can put this is that you have to have large herding dog behavior experience and you have to have lots of money, lots of dog dedicated time, and mental and physical energy to devote to them to keep them entertained. I've suffered many injuries, accidental and not accidental because of my boldheart Aussie dog and because I was a novice owner. I'm not going to get down on myself though because not only was I duped and I got a giant instead of a mini(or a medium as I think the smaller versions should be called), I also did everything I possibly could as that was the agreement I made with myself when I bought this life, if our match didn't workout then he had to be well trained and ready to go to a new family so that he could make it once he found his match.
I deeply regret buying this dog from Kathy, I regret believing she had matched me with my perfect dog and I no longer want to ever own a dog of any kind ever again after this experience. I wanted a dog to love and experience an active life with not a dog I had to tirelessly supervise, engage, and entertain (it's almost impossible with how intelligent he is)...like he goes rock climbing with me! he's a mountain goat! he loves agility and it is fun...but it's difficult to deal with the huge size 25" tall (7" taller than promised) and the biting... and my family wont change (lol...don't even ask me to change my family I've tried) and stop treating him like the small dogs they own and now they're scared of him...sigh. So I still love my dog but my family is not compatible with him because he's a biter and since they'll be around longer then him I'd rather move him to a family that will treat him like the big dog he really is.
Keep this in mind when you go to purchase a REGULAR SIZE Boldheart Australian Shepard, Kathy may trick you to think that her dogs are between 14"-18"tall (http://www.boldheartminiaussies.com/AboutUs.html) that's a flat out lie! my boy is a GIANT @ 25" tall! and 55lbs solid muscle!

I bought one of her pups four years ago. cisco is the best dog I have ever owned!

I have a mini aussie from kathy. she is 10. extremely smart, extremely agile, and a very happy and fun loving nature although a bit fearful. she is completely trustworthy with children and babies, I think they are among her favorite humans! very tender with the little ones. on the downside, she has been very aggressive with random other dogs, really can go ballistic. was very hard to train her out of that, although we did succeed, I am still careful. she still is not crazy about having another dog come into her territory, unless she knows them. healthwise, her immune system has not been the strongest, with various weird stuff over the decade, but nothing terrible. I love her. she's not a cuddler but doesn't leave my side. she is the best traveler I ever had, I take her with me all over the country, very reliable and obedient girl. these dogs are very high energy, bred for endurance, and I find you must let them expend that energy in a positive way, preferable while doing a job.

I have a kings castle miniature Aussie who's dad comes from a bold heart mini Aussie. We absolutely adore him! He is one of the best tempered dogs and loves kids. When he was younger of course he enjoyed herding kids but he never bit any of them. My Ollie is over two years old and we would buy another Aussie from these two breeders because the dogs are so awesome. I did my research and socialized my Aussie very early taking him to doggie day care, where the dogs play inside all day, a few times a week. I get numerous compliments on ollies personality. Also never once was I told I could pick the dog, we pick Ollie when he was a week old and that is the dog we picked up seven weeks later. Honestly, our dog was one of the most easy going dogs and adapted to our multi generational household. Ollie lays around with my older parents during the day and does not jump on them and then gets his daily play with me when I get home from work.

I own a boldheart dog and he is wonderful! yes, he might be smaller than I had thought/wanted, but I told kathy upfront that temperament and personality were the #1 thing with me and how he came 'dressed' made little difference. so, yes, it's probably considered a toy size or in between toy and mini but... his personality is exactly what kathy said he would be and exactly what was needed to fit into my already established pack. when I described my pack, my home, our yard, etc, kathy said she had the right dog for us and she was right. he is perfect. he is wonderful and he is amazing. healthy, happy and fits right in. never a moment of problem. I will say, as I am a behavioral dog trainer... no child should be left alone with any dog! kids scare dogs, kids run at dogs, kids poke, pull, scream, yell, and dogs that have no place to go to safely get away will react that way all dogs react and it usually involves teeth. kids think puppies are cute, cuddly toys and they are not. they are living things that do not want to be pulled around like a stuffed doll. a responsible dog owner reaches out to the breeder for advice, guidance and then does what is recommended. not all dogs fit with all families but it sounds like kathy made every effort to help them and they did not hold up their end.
I recommend people read this negative comment with a huge 'hummmm' and it sounds like the family is feeling guilty about not doing when they should have done and taking it out on kathy. guilt does that to people. pass the blame so you feel better.
Anyone that is considering one of kathy's dogs... just call her. talk to her. you'll see for yourself. the internet can spread toxic things out all over cyberspace but do your homework. kathy is really honest and does not deserve for this complaint to be all over the place.

I own a boldheart dog and she is the greatest dog ever. I have met kathy and her wonderful pack of aussies, who were beautiful and friendly and pure joy to be around. my dog is 2 now and she has become the greatest little friend you could ever ask for. I absolutely hope to get another boldheart dog when the time is right.
It is true what other owners have posted about activity level — this is not a dog for people who like to sit on the couch! but if you want a friend to join your active lifestyle, you couldn't do better than a boldheart puppy.
in addition to her sweet temperament, my dog is constantly complimented on her good looks and excellent bone structure. she has been healthy and sturdy and just perfect!

Dear sirs,

in answer to the complaint filed by robin ann plischke (email - nucleus@battleaxrecords.com) filed on 2/2/09. west and robin plisechke bought a mini aussie puppy in august 08. I evaluate the puppies at 8 weeks and told west he could have his first choice if I did not keep him to show or his second choice if I or the stud dog owner kept that puppy. I kept the first puppy and west took there second choice from 3 I made available to him to chose from not including the puppy I kept. the puppy west chose evaluated as confident and biddable, not alpha. the puppy weighed 4 lbs at 8 wks and just under 8 lbs and 11”s tall at 5 months (he was underweight) when I paid his air fare to have him shipped back to me. west paid $1000 for the puppy, $345 for shipping, crate and health certificate, total $1345-not $1800. puppy was shipped 8/30/08. I have all of our email correspondence. I emailed the pet puppy contract to robin. she said she did not have microsoft word and could not open it. I told her I would print 2 copies and put them in there puppy care package. I asked her to sign both copies and mail them back to me and I would sign 1 and mail back to them. I never received the contracts back. on 11/2/08 west emailed me and I called him as soon as I received his email. he said he had called but I never received his call. I only have a cell phone and some times calls do not come through. west said there 5 yr old daughter was holding the puppy on a leash at a game on a field with children running every where. the puppy jumped at one of them (they are a herding breed) scaring the children. he did not say the puppy bit anyone. he did say he had scratched one of the children. he asked what to do. I asked if he had taken the puppy to puppy kindergarten as is required in my contracts and he said no, it was 40 miles to town and he did not know where to go. I told him petsmarts have training classes all the time or he could look in the phone book and find a trainer. I also asked if they allowed the puppy to put there mouth on them and west told me he liked to wrestle with him. I told him he could not allow the puppy to put there mouth on them as the puppy has to learn there place as the puppy will play with them just as he would another puppy unless taught other wise. I told him puppy’s teeth are like little needles at that age. he said he would not play with him that way any more. I told west he needed to always supervise any time his children where playing with the puppy. he said he would. I asked west if he had been socializing the puppy and told him there was a socialization chart in the puppy package I had sent. he said they really had not looked at much of the info I had sent. I provide a care package including a puppy training tape with 3 wonderful dog trainers, vaccination record, printed training material including a socialization guide and chart to make sure your puppy receives proper socialization, and information about the australian shepherd breed, dog food guide, toys, treats, leash and collar. I asked if he had watched the puppy training tape I provided with the puppy care package or had read the printed training material. he said he did not have a vcr and had not read the material I sent. I asked him to rent a vcr and watch the tape as most of the things he needed to know about how to raise a puppy are covered in it. he said he would. west called a week later and said the puppy had growled at his 5 yr old and his wife was going to lock him in a crate. I asked him if he had started puppy classes yet or watched the tape. he said no, his wife wanted to send him back. west told me he called petco and they had refused to train the puppy. I asked who he talked to as I would like to talk to them. I could not believe they would refuse to train the puppy with out even seeing him. west said he did not know who he talked to on the phone. I made arrangements to have the puppy transported back to me from california to arizona. west said he would keep the puppy for a couple of weeks then drive the puppy to the person transporting the puppy. I told west the stud dog owner would be there to see what she thought about the puppy. she is a third generation breeder/handler. west never showed up or called the transport so I called west after the person providing the transport called wanting to know where the puppy was. he said he changed his mind and was going to keep him and get him into puppy classes as he had been perfect for 3 weeks. west called a couple of days later and told me he had been sitting in a room when his 5 yr old daughter came running in screaming with bloody lip. he said he did not see what happened but his wife said she was going to lock the puppy up in a crate and let him die in there if I did not take him back. I told him to put him on a plane asap and send him cod. I told him to be sure and send his shot record and vet records with him. I told west I would evaluate the puppy and if I found he had a bad temperament I would provide a replacement puppy. he said his wife did not want another puppy. I told him I would give him back his purchase price minus the money I had to pay for the puppy’s air fare if I found the puppy had a bad temperament. when I picked the puppy up he did not have any type of shot record with him. I called and left a message for them to send his shot record to me. I never received anything. the vet had given him his rabies shot the day he was shipped as the airlines will not take a dog with out proof of rabies and he was over 5 months of age. he had not received any shots other than the ones I gave him so I started his shots all over. I talked to their vet (the one that gave him his rabies shot at over 5 months of age in order to get on the plane) and they told me the puppy had been seen one other time that they had brought him in. he had been poked in the eye at 3 months old. they did not get any vaccinations for their puppy at that time or for that matter did they take him in within 3 working days from the time they received him per the contract.in my evaluation I found the puppy had not learned to walk on a leash properly, he pulled at the end of his leash continually and did not listen. if he had been a big dog he would have been dragging me. he also continually jumped up on me and had not been taught to stay down. I kept the puppy for 1 month and evaluated his temperament. he was afraid of my 4 yr old grand daughter at first but came around to not being afraid. my 4 yr old granddaughter and 8 yr old grandson started training him and he did very well. he learned to walk on a leash and not pull, stay down and not jump up on you and was well on his way to learning to sit pretty, down, stay, roll over and get up on a bucket and sit there. my grand children have been raised around puppy/dogs and know how to respect them. I gave the puppy to another family. I told west when I spoke to him the last time that I had re-homed the puppy for free, not receiving any money for him. they have 2 grand children, ages 5 and 8, that also know how to treat puppy/dogs. they love him and have not had any trouble at. they tell me he is one of the smartest and easiest dogs to train they have ever had. “jaxon” grew up to be 15”s so is not a toy aussie as toy’s are under 14”s. I talked to west approximately the end of january 09 to let him know there was nothing wrong with the puppy’s temperament. I also told him he had not fulfilled his end of the contract as he had not socialized the puppy, not provided the puppy kindergarten training that was required and had not kept up on the puppy’s vaccinations. I told him owning a puppy was a responsibility that needed to be taken seriously and he had not put any effort into getting his puppy into training as required. west started screaming at me and cussing at me and said he would make my life miserable. he hung up on me. I called the stud dog owner and spoke to her. she also called west and he started screaming and hung up on her after telling her he was going to take me to small claims court. I and a friend flew to santa barbara, california on 4/10/08 to meet with the stud dog’s owner and meet the potential stud dog and evaluate his temperament. the stud dog has a wonderful out going and friendly temperament. the dam of the puppy is also very sweet and friendly. I will only breed dogs with great temperaments. I told west all of this before they purchased the puppy. I tried attaching the contract I sent west and robin plischke so you can see what they really paid and what there requirement was when they purchased the puppy from me.
Thank you.
Kathy tomerlin [protected]
Www.boldheartminiaussies.com

Quality pet puppy sales contract

Quality pet: these puppies are sold only as puppies to be spayed or neutered. this puppy may or may not have a disqualifying fault or other shortcomings that would prevent its being considered for showing and/or breeding. if there is a fault, it will not prevent the puppy from living an otherwise normal and healthy life.
Date: 8/26/08 breed: north american miniature australian shepherd color: black tri
Dob: 7/2/08 dog xxx # _ eye color: left eye - brown right eye - brown
Sire: tayins bigshot at stockholder reg # d0423kk2127
Dam: p williams polly reg # m-872 this puppy is sold as a quality pet puppy for the price of $1000 and under the following terms:
Deposit: $ 200 paypal certified check #_ money order_ cashiers check_ cash _ balance due: $1145 including shipping date: 8/26/08
*personal checks require 10 days to clear thank you

provisions of sale
1. seller agrees to provide health records, pedigree and registration forms on this dog. registration papers will include boldheart as the first part of the puppies name.
2. seller guarantees the above dog to be in good physical and mental condition and free from disease at the time of sale. buyer agrees to have the puppy examined by his/her own veterinarian within 3 working days following possession by buyer. if any sign of illness is found (other than worms, diarrhea from change in diet, change of
Enviroment or travel stress, etc.), the buyer must contact the seller immediately. the buyer may elect to keep the puppy and assume all costs for its care, or may return the puppy for a full refund upon the sellers receipt of the
Veterinarian’s statement regarding the puppy’s health. buyer is responsible for any and all vet bills. return will be at buyers expense. this is to protect the buyer as well as the seller. seller’s intent is that the buyer will both be 100% satisfied with his/her purchase and understand that when dealing with live animals, some things are beyond human control.
3. buyer is expected to properly socialize and expose puppy to various situations as to develop a sound temperament. the first two years are especially important. if this puppy has not attended obedience school as well as puppy kindergarten, guarantee is null and void regarding temperament. it is important that the puppy learns who the leader is and how to socialize with other puppies/dogs as well as people.
4. most of seller’s puppies are on a spay/neuter contract. it is most important to me that they go to permanent loving homes where they will receive good food as well as necessary veterinary care and of course, lots of love. all pet puppies will be required to be spayed or neutered. registration papers on all pet puppies will be held by seller until proof of spay or neuter by the attending veterinarian is received by the breeder. it is advised that this is done between the ages of 6 to 10 months of age. “proof” may be a copy of the bill with the following: veterinarian’s name and address, date of procedure, name of dog and owner’s name and address. the papers on all pet puppies will be marked “this dog is not to be used for breeding and if bred, the resultant puppies will not be registered.
5. if prior to this agreement, the puppy as determined to be pet quality and the puppy purchased as such develops within 26 months from the date of birth any eye defects, hip dysphasia, or any inheritable or genetic defect which would prevent it from enjoying a reasonable and normal life, the seller will replace the puppy with a comparable puppy in the seller’s next available litter. buyer will be responsible for all shipping costs.
before any guarantees will be honored, buyer must provide seller with a veterinarian’s statement, on veterinarian’s letterhead, stating the health condition and the genetic origin of health condition as well as prescribed treatment routine. the seller reserves the right to have a second veterinarian of choice evaluate the dog’s condition, at seller’s expense, before the guarantee will be honored, except in the case of ofa evaluated hip x-rays or cerf eye results.
6. the buyer certifies that the puppy will live with the buyer, be confined by a fenced yard or other agreed upon arrangement, and will have adequate exercise, nutritious food, and necessary health care including yearly vaccinations.
7. the buyer and family shall treat the puppy in a humane and loving way at all times, and make sure that anyone temporarily caring for the puppy shall do the same.
8. the buyer certifies that he/she is not acting as an agent in this purchase and under no circumstances will this dog ever be sold, leased, or given to any pet shop, research lab, shelter, pound or similar facility.
9. the buyer agrees that seller shall repossess puppy immediately upon evidence of neglect, endangerment, and/or abuse at no expense to seller
10. if at any time in the life of the dog the buyer is unable to keep this dog, seller will try to assist buyer in finding a new home for the dog. there is no reason that any boldheart puppy should ever end up in a pound or rescue situation!
This contract is non-transferable. should buyer relinquish ownership in the puppy, for any reason, this contract shall be null and void.
Although there are no plans at present to stop breeding mini aussies, the above guarantees are valid only so long as seller is breeding said dogs. should seller cease breeding said dogs, for any reason, this contract will become null and void.
this contract is made and signed by both the seller and the buyer for the well being of the said puppy. if the buyer breaches any part of this contract or any special addendums attached to this contract, the seller can and will repossess the puppy.

Seller: kathy j. tomerlin
Seller’s kennel: boldheart
Seller’s address: po box 91, kearney, az 85237
Seller’s telephone: [protected]
Seller’s web site: www.boldheartminiaussies.com
ktomerlin@copper.net
Seller’s signature: _ date: _
Buyer: robyn & west plischke
Buyer’s address: 190 joaquin miller rd. lake arrowhead, ca. 92352
Buyer’s telephone: [protected]
Email address: nucleus@battleaxerrecords.com
Buyer’s signature: _ date: _

thank you and enjoy your boldheart puppy.

Boldheart Aussies are fabulous dogs. They are curious, loving, intelligent, hardworking and beautiful. I have a pair of 5 year old blue merles out of King that have traveled with me twice at Christmas driving cross country from California to Maryland, stopping at beaches, Mammoth snow, Santa Fe ranches, Sedona boutique hotels, Arkansas motels until we reached my brother's ranch. They are wonderful companions - loved wherever they go. They are dogs that need an active lifestyle - canyon trails, beaches, they are part of nearly every family outing. They excel in sheep herding trials and agility. My great-hearted boy is a Frisbee dog and would be a soccer player in a biped life. My girl is very beautiful and spirited. Eighteen months ago I bought a pup for my brother and had the thrill of visiting Kathy's ranch and seeing all the amazing Boldheart dogs - Lacy Blue Jeans, Banjo, Canyon, Melody, among others. Kathy was great - she saw my two dogs in the SUV and said - Let them out! Let them run with their relatives. We were there for over an hour. It was heavenly.