Heidi Erland is a photographer and got her dog Robley, a Red Merle Australian Shepherd 2 1/2 years ago.
"He was born in Canada in eastern Alberta but his parents are from the U.S." She got the dog from a breeder in Canada named Caitland Aussies, in Hayter, Alberta. "His father was born here in Southworth Washington and his mother was born on the east coast (...) so his pedigree is exactly what I wanted." She did not use the web to find Robley however, she learned about the breeder from a friend.

"Aussies have the single largest breed registry in the world," said Erland.

"I love his happy personality and he's got that in spades."

Robley has a big full coat and he appears to understand that it makes him seem bigger than he is because he works hard to be friendly. "He will lay as flat as he can on the ground to make himself appear as small as he can. His temperament is wonderful with people of all ages and that's my favorite thing about him. He will turn himself inside out for kids. With babies he will get as low as he can and then he explodes in a giant ball of wiggle," Erland said.

Robley is a confirmation dog which means he goes to shows and demonstrates how well he conforms to the breed standards. "We traveled to Saskatchewan for a show and he exceeded my expectations, and paid for his entry."

Erland has four dogs at home but, "He comes to work with me and he's lucky."

The connection to Canada continues with his diet. She feeds him Acana dog food, from Canada. He likes string cheese, broccoli, and will, like some other dogs, seek out only ripe blackberries for a treat.

His thick coat means he gets a bath twice a month and "he's very used to being blow dried," Erland explained.

Erland also described something more about the breed. "He's a Merle, but they come in four colors. And his eyes, because they are marbled are particular to the Merle gene which is unique to this breed. His eyes are kind of wild looking."

This is also a very well traveled dog having been to every state west of the Mississippi River but two, and two Canadian provinces. "He's a road trip dog."

How to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week:
Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Animal Hospital at 5261 California Ave. S.W. and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online.

Photos may or may not be used and our "Pet Reporter" may be in touch with you to arrange to take a photo. Pets nominated will be chosen on the basis of uniqueness of the pet and the quality of the story and information submitted.