Tony and Eileen Coronado are both California natives and lived in Romoland, California since 1984. In October 2006, we moved to our new ranch in Deer Park, Washington. It was a ‘Noah’s Arc’ experience without the water (7 horses, 13 dogs, 2 cats, 2 fish, and a tortoise!).
In 2009 we moved back to California due to the collapse of the economy and we lived in Nuevo, CA. And yes, they all came back with us.
As of June of 2019 we were part of the great exodus from CA, and moved to Snowflake, Arizona. We can be reached by email or phone. My cell phone number is 951-663-2976.
Eileen and Emily
Tony and I strive to breed top quality Australian Shepherd dogs and American Quarter Horses. The Australian shepherds and Quarter horses have been in Eileen’s family as long as she can remember. Here is a picture of Eileen and her Aussie Emily dressed up for the Norco parade, Sept. 1964. Poor Em she sure took a lot of torment from me as a kid, good thing about Aussies, they are very forgiving.
The Aussies have always been the versatile, beautiful, loyal companions, dependable babysitters, and great ranch dogs that have made this breed so popular today. The rest of the world is just finding out what we’ve known for years. Australian shepherds are wonderful dogs, no others are so well rounded, versatile, loyal and loving!
Aussies excel in agility, herding, conformation, obedience, tracking, scent work and just being your best friend. We’ve even done Search and Rescue with one of our boys, Gorgeous. He was ready for certification testing in less than 3 mos. compared to the normal 9 mos. of training, and accepted and consistently “hit” upon cadaver scenting. Not many dogs will do that .
Our bloodlines are strong and sound. We do not breed any dog whose hips rates less than OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) Good and Elbows- Normal. We are very selective when breeding to outside dogs due to the issues of genetic eye soundness and of course the issues of epilepsy and other prevalent genetic diseases that now sadly permeated this wonderful breed. Our dogs eyes are cleared yearly and puppies at 7 weeks of age by veterinary Ophthalmologist, we have tested every puppy, and every adult since the early 1990’s and have never had a dog diagnosed with CEA, PRA, PRCD which means we do not have any of these eye diseases in our bloodlines, past and present. Now we do genetic testing for HSF4 (hereditary eye cataracts), DM (Canine Degenerative Myelopathy), and MDR1 (Multi Drug Sensitivity) testing, and CEA, DM, PRA-CORD1-4. There is proof that even if a dog tests N/N for MDR1 (which means they do not have that gene for that condition in their body), the dog can still have a severe reaction to Ivermectin products and other sensitive items such as drugs used for anesthetizing. I do test the parents for MDR1 which will let us know if any pups could be carriers. None should be afflicted as we would not knowingly breed a carrier to a carrier. However even if the dogs are cleared (N/N) in this test it gives a false sense of security thinking their Aussie (or any merle gene dog) is safe to administer Ivermectin products such as heartworm meds, and some anesthetic drugs when in fact it may not be and the dog could still be in danger. Always remind your veterinarian that this is an Aussie and to use extreme caution when administering drugs to it. That being said, we do our best to ensure our dogs are as genetically sound and free of genetic diseases and conditions as possible.
Side note: for years (since the early1990’s) horse people dewormed their horses with Ivermectin, it was a miracle drug at that time, as it completely eradicated the bot fly that tormented horses and owners for years. However due to overuse it is currently ineffective as a wormer. We found that if Aussies and other merle gene dogs, somehow ingested any of the Ivermectin or horse manure (yes dogs love horse poop) from a newly dewormed horse, dogs were dropping dead, having neurological issues resulting in seizures and sometimes permanent damage from the effects of the drug. Most of us just used common sense and did our best to keep the dogs away from Ivermectin and the horses that ingested it for 48 hours. There was no name for this condition until the last few years, that gene has been identified and labeled as MDR1.
Below is an article written by CA Sharp a geneticist who is also an Aussie breeder and has a wealth of important info for us breeders. This issue below of breeders not doing eye exams on puppies when so many of these issues and diseases are discoverable at that early age and yet some are no longer detectable after 8 or 9 weeks of age, has always been a sore spot for me, especially when trying to find new bloodlines or dogs to breed too. So many “breeders” feel the genetic panel eye test are all they need to test for, but they are sadly mistaken. Yes as a buyer and breeder I would be very unhappy to find my dogs now carried and had Iris Coloboma’s or other eye problems, but the worst part of their negligence is now the dogs have to suffer with diseases that were easily avoidable.
Health Corner by ASGHI (Australian Shepherd Genetic Health Institute)
Eyes, Eye Exams and DNA Tests
“There are several helpful DNA test for eye diseases but DNA testing alone is not enough. There are other diseases that don’t have a test, including common ones like Iris Colobomas, Distichiasis. Any dog with the HSF4 mutation, even one copy, needs to be monitored periodically for cataracts because it is at risk of developing them sometime during its life.
All breeding dogs should be examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist within the year prior to any breeding. All puppies should have a puppy eye exam before they go to their new homes. There are several diseases that are present from birth. Failure to detect that puppy could cause you to make unwise mating decisions with the parents and their offspring that become a crisis down the line when a lot of people realize you didn’t bother to check and passed it along. You could also find yourself faced with unhappy breeders and puppy people when they discover their dogs or litters now have something you didn’t bother to check for.”
Australian shepherds are beautifully colored with a wide variety of patterns that never get repeated. We have all four colors, reds, blacks, red merles and blue merles. Eyes can be any pattern from blue (marbled, halves, striped, and dotted) to brown, green or amber. We even produce blue eyed tri’s and bi’s.
Our Aussie’s temperaments are an added bonus. They are loving, protective and willing to please. Their intelligence is astounding. The more you teach them, the more they want to learn. Their sense of humor is a trait that is an extra bonus, they love to make us laugh and especially seem to know when we need cheering up. Their grins are infectious and a total joy to come home too, they make us feel we are the most important person in the world. In their world, we are.
We are always glad to introduce people to the wonderful world of Aussies. If you’re ever in the area, stop by for a visit.
Our Quarter horses are also a very important part of our family. They too have been in our lives for many years. The bloodlines our horses carry are dependable working lines, with some excellent racing lines bred into them for speed and endurance. These horses and their ancestors have been with us for the last forty + years. Their overall health and correctness and strong breeding has given them long, healthy, useful lives. Of course, quarter horses come in all colors, however, because our late stallion Tig was a dun who produced beautiful duns and buckskins, we carry those color genes. Its a color that is very pleasing to the eye and a cooler color when riding in the hot summer sun. These horses make great arena horses whether it’s pleasure, reining, cow horse or rodeo events. As with our dogs, temperament is extremely important to us. Doesn’t matter how good looking or athletic an animal is, if its temperament is not willing to try and do whatever it is we need it to do, to please its owner, handler, rider, then we would be fighting an uphill battle most of the time. Trainers will tell you, if an animal isn’t willing, biddable (means to please) it makes the job of training extra hard. Both our horses and our dogs come from very long bloodlines of people pleasing ancestors.
If you’d like to visit us, the dogs and or the horses, give us a call, we are always glad to sit and talk Aussie or horses.