Merry Christmas from all of us at MASCAN!

Photo courtesy of Alta Aussies.

  President's Message

“I am very proud to be a part of bringing together breeders, owners and fanciers of these wonderful dogs, Miniature American Shepherds.  This is an exciting time to make new strides and new beginnings.  Many of us are no stranger to the past ridicule and unacceptance of the Mini Aussie as a size variety of the Australian Shepherd.  Over the years, we have fought hard, spending countless volunteer hours, with the goal to gain recognition as Miniature sized Australian Shepherds in Canada with CKC.

Through that dedication and passion brought us to the conclusion that our goal was not likely reachable without a majority of support from the Australian Shepherd community.   Therefore, in order for our smaller Aussies to be accepted and recognized as they truly deserve, along with other purebred dogs, was to take a different route, perhaps a little challenging at times, but that would take the Mini Aussie into a new era as a new breed now called Miniature American Shepherd.

As we move forward together as a group of MAS enthusiasts, our goals should be to promote the breed, share information, and hold MAS related events.  One of our goals of this club is to gain recognition by our own country’s kennel club, the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club.)  As we make this transition, I would also expect us to treat those that do not wish to follow this path but to stay 'breed club-registered as Mini Aussies' with respect.

My personal goal as President is to see this club function as a team with honest and open communication with its members.  To provide a gathering place for discussions regarding health, breeding, events, etc.  Within this role, I plan to foster non-judgemental discussions about new or different ideas in regards to all aspects of breeding, owning, and promoting this breed.  I hope together we grow as a group by learning from each other.  Whether you are just starting out, or whether you have 20 years plus of experience, each person may have something valuable to contribute and are entitled to their opinion.

Welcome to everyone who has joined us on this journey."

Lisa Hartjes

President, MASCAN

Approaching Deadlines

******DEADLINE ALERTS******

The deadline for converting an AKC Australian Shepherd to an AKC Miniature American Shepherd is December 31, 2014. 
The deadline to register a litter that has an Australian Shepherd parent is February 1, 2015.  The litter must be whelped no later than December 31, 2014. It is highly recommended that you send your paperwork in as soon as possible after whelping to ensure that your litter can be processed by the deadline.
If you have a dog registered as a Miniature Australian Shepherd that is also registered with AKC as an Australian Shepherd, you must convert that dog to a Miniature American Shepherd by December 31, 2014 or offspring from that dog will not be accepted as of January 1, 2015.
Effective January 1, 2015, puppy papers may only be used to enter AKC regardless of the date the papers were issued.
Effective January 1, 2015, MASCUSA will no longer issue NAMASCUSA registration certificates.  Applications submitted must include the AKC/FSS Application and will only be processed for registration into AKC/FSS. Individuals who were issued an Individual Dog Registration (IDR) form for a dog whelped prior to January 1, 2014, may register their dogs in AKC by submitting the IDR form along with the AKC/FSS Application to MASCUSA. 

If you have any questions, please contact board@mascusa.org.