Alpinarc White Shepherds are located about 45 minutes south west of Sydney in Leppington, NSW, Australia, on an undulating 10 acre property with views of the Sydney City skyline. A beautiful backdrop.

I have been around ‘normal’ coloured shepherds all my life, a love passed on through my father & step mother. Both of them involved in the German Shepherd community when I was younger, I can’t remember a time in my life without a German Shepherd Dog, and I don’t think there ever will be. 

I’ve been blessed to share my life with many Shepherds’ over the years. I have, however, always been fascinated by whites. My parents had told me about them, but I had never seen one in the flesh myself. Six months before I discharged from the Australian Army, I knew it was time to start my ‘search’ for a regal white.

It certainly wasn’t a light-hearted decision to introduce a White Shepherd into the family. I took the task quite serious, I knew exactly what I wanted, spending hours doing research, discovering a breed club that had been formed in Australia just for whites, learning about the controversy surrounding the colour & the status of the breed around the world. I learnt so much, and it fuelled a fire, a hunger for learning & passion for the White Shepherd, which still burns today.

With my new found knowledge, I welcomed home my first, ‘Ice’ (Kyanjuwa White Kayne), a lovely male from a registered breeder in Victoria. It was him that got me more involved in the White Shepherd community & set me on the path of becoming a breeder.

In 2006 I became a DNA certified breeder with Genetics Technologies, and DNA profile all my breeding dogs. This maintains the integrity of my breeding program, and at any time during a puppy’s life, an Alpinarc puppy can be DNA profiled by it’s owner & not only can it’s parentage be confirmed, but the puppy can be cleared by parentage for any disease testing I have done on my dogs. At this point in time, B.I.T.S.A & MDR-1 gene mutation are the genetic tests I have had done.

I am also an Authorised Collector for Genetics Technologies, already collecting samples from nearly 50 dogs with 100% success (i.e no contaminated samples). My official collector’s number is: A2179S.

I held the position of Registrar on the committee with the WSSDCA for some time, resigning in 2007.

White Shepherd Rescue is another passion of mine, and I’ve assisted with the rescue & rehome of quite a few homeless whites over the years, it’s been very rewarding.  

Over the years, my knowledge of the Australian lines has expanded greatly & I’ve been known to rattle off 3 generation pedigrees without a second thought, I’m sure I have the bloodlines memorised! I make mental notes of hip/elbow results & health issues in the lines, and use all this information when considering potential mates for my girls. I don’t select mates based purely on their ‘pretty’ looks or ‘white’ coats, I take health, conformation, temperament, pedigree compatibility & cosmetics all into equal consideration.

Breeding it an ‘art’, and these components make up my ‘easel’ (a solid base support), if I select carefully, correctly & the genetics fairy is kind and all these fall into place, the ‘paint’ will appear on my canvas as a gorgeous, healthy, to the breed standard, White Shepherd!!!  

I am always available to answer any questions about the breed, and willing to assist wherever I can.

Many registered breeders in Australia were founded on an Alpinarc pup, or from one of my Stud dogs, it’s amazing to see the impact my personal choices have had on the breed as a whole. Of course it takes two to tango, so I won’t take all the credit, the breeders who have used my lines made that decision themselves & have taken those lines in their own directions. I am humbled that I know I can give up breeding tomorrow & my lines will live on in the breed. I wish all those breeders & future owners the greatest success in the world.

I have assisted other breeders with mate selections, mating, whelping, evaluating & selecting their puppies, right down to organising travel. I like to see others in the community helping each other, so hopefully this phenomenon spreads far & wide!

My aim is to breed to the standard, only from sound/healthy dogs & provide loving homes for quality White Shepherd pups, and now only produce one litter at a time, to ensure that each puppy gets individual time spent with it in order to produce babies that are well socialised and exposed to all sorts of situations that occur in your home or out in public, like lawnmowers, vacuum cleaners, stairs, tiles, cats, other dogs and people.

I am dedicated to the preservation, betterment and the recognition of White Shepherds in Australia through positive promotion. I look forward to contributing to this cause with Alpinarc pups, and will be very happy seeing others getting enjoyment out of owning these wonderful dogs.

 

My love of shepherds started at a young age. Me with Alamosa Bamaga 'Khan', sitting in Dad's lap. 

 I'm still involved in showing/handling GSD's for other people.

 And handle in the 'specialty' ring too

Me with Alpinarc Demands Attention after her Runner Up in Show 2007. 

Tia & I in the ring when she won Runner Up In Show. 2008 Nationals. 

 Ice & I, New Years Day 2006
Photo by: R Rendell

Ice as a baby. How could I
not fall in love?? 

Ice swimming in the dam