How it all began

Coolaminda kennels was established after the loss of two old friends, my tan & white Mini Foxies aged 15 & 13 years. In the effort to find a new puppy I discovered that the tan and white mini foxie had become quite rare because there were so few people breeding the elegant, long legged type of foxie I had owned. After many enquiries, I finally contacted the Mini Foxie Club of Australia (MFCA) and got to know some of the few who bred tan and white Mini Foxies, was impressed with the generosity of these breeders who shared their extensive knowledge about the breed and was placed on a waiting list for a tan and white female puppy.

Since then my passion for the little dogs has resulted in becoming a MFCA registered breeder in order to preserve the true, tan & white Mini Foxie type. There are many back yard breeders claiming to breed Mini Foxies so it is wise to purchase a puppy from a MFCA registered breeder. During my search to find a Mini Foxie puppy, I saw everything from a Heinz-variety Jack Russell cross to a Chihuahua cross being presented as a Mini Foxie.

My love affair with the Mini Foxie breed started in 1992 after I became the owner of Sassy, a delightful tan and white Mini Foxie. My husband had often talked of the exploits of a tan & white Mini Foxie he had once owned called Brownie who had faithfully accompanied ‘the boss’ to work in the bush for many years.

The tale was told of a particular afternoon when Brownie and the boss were walking along a bush track on the way home from work. Suddenly, Brownie startled a scrub turkey and took off into the bush after it. The boss called and waited in vain, but Brownie was in hot pursuit and had adopted selective hearing. Eventually, as it was getting dark and fearing that the dog was lost or had been taken by a dingo, the boss with a heavy heart, dropped the beanie he was wearing onto the track to mark the place where Brownie was last seen and continued home. As he made his way to work the next morning, there in the frost, curled up on the beanie was Brownie. Needless to say, the boss was delighted to have his offsider back.

The boss had suggested at times that we might get a tan & white but as I had never owned a Mini Foxie and had always had larger breeds, particularly the Australian Kelpie on the farm, I was not enthusiastic. Then I met Sassy.....

Sassy was 6 months old. She had been a companion dog for a woman suffering from cancer who was in remission and wanted to travel so Sassy needed to be re-homed and we had decided that she would be a suitable companion for my husband’s elderly mother. Well; Sassy arrived at our farm, jumped down out of the ute, ran across the yard and jumped up into my arms. I was smitten! Needless to say, Sassy stayed with us and the Mini Foxie love affair began.

Sassy’s most endearing trait was her cute smile with her lips pulled back in a doggie grimace and all her white teeth showing. It was the funniest thing to see. There is nothing like a Mini Foxie to keep you laughing! She had pretty, folded down ears and was loyal, intelligent and affectionate with the most expressive face I have ever seen on a dog. I could almost tell what she was thinking.

Later, there were puppies and a daughter named Miffy was kept as a companion for Sassy. Miffy was a delightful creature, affectionate and full of cuddles. She was intelligent, fine and athletic and would stand up on her back legs and dance and spin in a clockwise direction for a treat. (Her mum, Sassy was only ever able to spin slowly in an anticlockwise direction due to her love of food!) Miffy loved nothing better than a cuddle and never missed an opportunity to be picked up and nestle in my arms with her head tucked under my chin. If I was in the garden watering, Miffy was there begging to be picked up. Most of the watering was done with Miffy in my arms!

Needless to say I was heartbroken when my two loyal girls finally died and so began the search for another tan & white Mini Foxie ...... and the rest is history.

A Mini Foxie is an arm full of cuddles.