ABOUT KAGEE

2023 News

Welcome to Kagee Border Collies. We are a small kennel located in sunny Northern California in the Sacramento Valley, adjacent to the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, and have absolutely dedicated our life to this breed. You can certainly say we have gone to the dogs! Our lives revolve around them. In fact, years ago we purchased our 18-acre property in mind for the dogs (and the horses, goats, etc. we seem to have gained in the process!). We aren’t just a breeder or exhibitor- we are forever students, completely immersed in the sport of dogs and helping preserve and create the next generation of quality border collies for this world. We aim for a dog with soundness, beauty, health, brains, temperament, and a lovely work ethic (whether that’s trick training, the obedience to stay on a paddle board while you roam around a lake, or the drive and desire to please while sailing around an agility course).

I have been involved with dogs as far back as I can remember. While my friends were playing dress up and pretend weddings in the backyard, I was outside setting up pretend show rings and trotting in every pattern possible with my pet Labrador Retriever. I spent most of my youth studying dog shows and researching from the greats before my time. I have fond memories growing up showing at Labrador specialty shows. While my friends were heading to the toy store, my dad was taking me to the bookstore so I could add to my ever growing collection of dog books. This hobby of continued learning has taken me to the present time. I spend many hours researching pedigrees and studying the dogs of the past, present, and future. Breeding dogs is an art, and it takes many years for one to start to master the craft. Mastering your craft is not something one could do with being involved in your sport infrequently. And that’s why our lives are dedicated to this breed, and continued learning. Over time I have developed fondness for the Australian border collie style and incorporate as much of the pedigrees and type of them as I can. Every few years we go to Australia, attend dog shows, visit with close friends, and have a look at the latest and greatest border collies being produced in that country. It’s not uncommon for us to come back with a list of stud dogs we hope to import from, to have future litters out of a wonderful dog and pedigree. This is the part of breeding we feel we excel at- never settling. Sometimes the best combination of parents to have puppies from is 10,000 miles away, not 5 miles away in a local backyard.

So why do we do this? It’s something that takes a tremendous amount of time, emotion, physical, and mental efforts. What is the value? We do it because first, we love dogs. Second, we get to help preserve a breed so that generations from now, others can enjoy border collies, too. We also get to create generation after generation of dogs that are enjoyed by families for 10+ years of their lives. When we see the faces (and lots of photos), of our owners and their puppies, enjoying each other, it makes every single minute of it worth it.

I have enjoyed so many wonderful moments in this breed, and I can't wait to discover even more! In my spare "dog time" I enjoy helping our national and local specialty clubs put on shows, matches, and events. I also have served several years as a club officer in a local Specialty club and have served on our National Specialty’s committee for various events and fundraisers. We are as active with our dogs as possible, competing in the conformation ring the majority of show weekends, and working on classes and training in Obedience, Agility, Scent Work, and Herding. I believe in an all-around dog, and as each dog shows me what it enjoys doing, I do everything in my power to go that avenue and help the dog reach its full potential in that venue. 

All of our dogs are health tested, including hips, elbows, eye exams, and DNA tests for various conditions and diseases that can affect border collies. We often go above and beyond doing additional testing less commonly found in the breed. I feel it's important to know what you are working with, which is why we fully health test our parents.  We take health very seriously, and this is something we do not compromise. We’ve placed or retired dogs plenty of times that did not meet our standards in health for future breeding.

If you have any questions, or just want to chat border collies, I am always willing to talk! I am very passionate about my dogs and this breed.

Here's to the future!