Bison Ridge ACDs

I purchased a dog from Pam a year ago as a puppy. He’s a great and healthy dog. Just would like to point out some things about previous posts
1. Cattle dogs come in blue or red not cream or yellow so that person has no idea what they’re talking about. They also do not come in wire coats at all so she’s clearly not knowledgeable about these dogs. All deposits are non-​refundable to ANY breeder even the other breeder my second dog is from.
2. Dogs aren’t bred aggressive. If your dog became very aggressive at a year of age it was because of how you raised it. Introducing your new puppy to «100 different people in ten days» is going to do nothing except scare the already weary puppy… Some puppies are born more outgoing and others more timid that is their personality.
3. These dogs are AKC registered meaning the breeder is licensed and inspected by the USDA so no she is not a puppy mill nor is she an ignorant back yard breeder pumping puppies out for profit.
I am not a friend of Pam’s or anything. I am a knowledgable ACD owner who has professionally worked with dogs for a number of years. I was very shocked to read the other reviews. If you know how to train and exercise ACDs then she is a great breeder of high quality puppies of this breed.
The bad reviews are from people who know nothing about the breed. Don’t get an ACD if you do not have experience with high strung working dogs

Bison Ridge Acd’s does not sell aggressive puppies since they are sold at 8 weeks of age it is the responsibility of the new owner to train and accept the challenge of a new puppy. It is important to research the breed before you buy a puppy to make sure it is a match for your family .
I am tired of seeing post that it is always a breeders fault when in truth it is the puppy owner that is at fault not the breeder.
Cattle dogs are not for everybody and need to have the proper training as well as the owner puppy obedience classes are the best way to make sure your puppy suceeds in life and is not setup to fail.

Beware of Pam Phillips, Bison Ridge. I sent her a deposit of 300.00 the beginning of March for «A CREAM SHORT HAIRED FEMALE». The week before I picked it up, the dog developed a wire coat. Pam let me drive three hours one way, without letting me know the dog wasn’t a smooth coat after all. Finally, the first week of May, after ignoring me and not answering my texts and emails she said she would give me back 200.00 of my deposit. It’s now the first week of June and I still have NOT received my deposit back. She continues to ignore my phone calls, texts, and request through email as to her intentions in this matter. Dealing with Bison Ridge has been a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. I feel being treated this way by what is supposed to be a professional is sad. Update… Pam sent me a check for half of the deposit and then stopped payment on it.

BUYERS BEWARE. HEARTACHE AWAITS. AGGRESSIVE DOGS, NOT PROPERLY SOCIALIZED.
We purchased a female cattle dog from Pam Phillips in 2011. On her website and over the phone she presented as a reputable breeder who claimed her animals were bred to be companion dogs. We were hesitant to buy sight-​unseen, but our concerns were allayed when we spoke with her over the phone.
When we went to pick up our pup, we felt we were rescuing the puppy from the deplorable conditions in which it was living. In short, the place was full of dogs that weren’t friendly enough to be around people who barked incessantly from their various crates and pens. The puppy cowered in the back of the crate before she scooped it out; then the puppy ran and hid under our car until it was lured out with chunks of hot dog.
Inside Pam Phillips house she had pens set up with other small breeds she must breed in addition to heelers (a sign of a puppy mill). There was dog feces on the floor of her bathroom in a towel, there were other poor, helpless pups sitting in pens, it was a nightmare.
Once we got the pup home, we set to socializing it according to various training books we had read. We took this pup everywhere with us, introduced it to literally 100 people in 10 days, to many dogs, always in a positive environment. We saw to it that the pup had everything it could possibly want or need for a good life. We made sure to always have positive interactions with people, but the pup consistently tucked itself between our feet, or tried to crawl into our laps whenever we tried to introduce new people.
Within a month or two, it was clear the dog didn’t like meeting new people unless they had a dog. So we consulted a behaviorist/​trainer recommended by our vet who suggested not forcing the issue. We undertook a rigorous training régime to attempt to work on some of the aggressive behaviors that started to appear (barking and lunging at strangers, barking and lunging at children, etc). We took 16 weeks of obedience training. We worked one-​on-​one with our behaviorist.
The dog continued to struggle socially, but we were working so hard with the trainer we remained optimistic. We couldn’t have people over to our house because of the dog’s severe reaction (chasing visitors, barking/​lunging at them) but we kept on working. We did only positive reinforcement and saw some meager progress.
As the dog aged, however, it seemed the negative behaviors were hardening. When the dog turned about one year old, it no longer was friendly to people with dogs. Now the only people we could socialize with when we had the dog with us were those with dogs whom we had met within that first year. All new people and new dogs were off-​limits. They received what we came to call «Kujo» barking.
That was when we consulted a veterinary behaviorist (a dog psychiatrist) recommended by our vet. The woman conducted a seven hour in-​home consult and put the dog on several medications to attempt to relax the dog so we could train her better and to stem some of the aggression. Sadly, about six weeks after the meds were started, our dog bit a neighbor.
We posted our story online to attempt to find a new home for the dog with no avail. We reached out to Pam Phillips who never responded to our email. But we did receive two separate calls from other people who had purchased blue heelers from her – and both had eerily similar experiences: aggressive dogs, not people-​friendly, extreme difficulty with training, and not suitable for a family pet.
The dog we received was a heartbreak and a nightmare. She had to be put down because she was so human aggressive. I hope that people will read this review and stop giving money to this woman and her terrible breeding program and perhaps she will be stopped.