A Little Bit About Us!

 alnWelcome to Caliber Aussies!

We are Darius and Brody Kruger, proud parents to our daughters, Peyton and newest addition Sloan. As a family, our lives revolve around the things we love most—our toy and mini Australian Shepherds, our Quarter horses, and the western lifestyle.

When we're not raising puppies, you'll usually find us at rodeos, spending time with our horses, or at the racetrack with our pacing Standardbred racehorses. Our oldest daughter Peyton also competes in Junior Olympic gymnastics, which keeps our family busy throughout the year, but no matter where life takes us, our dogs and horses have always been our greatest passion. They aren't just part of our lives—they are our way of life.

Our family's journey with toy and mini Australian Shepherds began nearly two decades ago when I (Brody) and my mother Lorri Tuck founded Snugglebug Aussies along with my father Mitch and sister Vickie. Through years of dedication, we built a respected breeding program focused on exceptional temperament, health, structure, and quality.

When Darius and I began dating, it quickly became clear we shared the same passion for the breed and the same vision for the future. More than 14 years ago, we founded Caliber Toy Aussies, building on the foundation established by Snugglebug Aussies while creating a program of our own. Since then, we've dedicated ourselves to preserving and improving the Toy and Miniature Australian Shepherd through thoughtful breeding, proven bloodlines, and an unwavering commitment to quality.

Although we now live several hours apart from my parents and sister, we continue to work together as one close-knit family. Snugglebug Aussies and Caliber Toy Aussies share the same values, the same commitment to the breed, and the same goal of producing exceptional companions, show dogs and breeding stock. We collaborate on breeding decisions, pedigrees, puppy raising, and the future of our breeding programs, because we believe the best results come from working together.

One of our proudest accomplishments is having five generations of our own home-bred bloodlines in our program. Those generations represent years of careful planning, selective breeding, and a commitment to producing healthy, intelligent, athletic, and loving dogs that excel as family companions, performance dogs, and loyal partners.

Every puppy is raised in our home as part of our family. From their very first days, they receive endless love, early socialization, and the best possible start in life. We believe that breeding isn't simply about producing puppies—it's about preserving a legacy, building lifelong relationships with our puppy families, and ensuring every generation is even better than the last.

For us, Caliber Toy Aussies is far more than a kennel. It is our family's passion, our legacy, and our life's work. We are incredibly grateful to continue the tradition started with Snugglebug Aussies and look forward to sharing our love for these amazing dogs with families like you for many generations to come.