I'm the breeder behind Lost Coast Aussies located in Ferndale, CA. We aim to offer great family pets that are healthy for the long haul. Our dogs are great with livestock and other pets, and they absolutely adore children. They are as athletic as the day is long but happy to snuggle up by the fire in the evenings (adequate “off” buttons). Just great dogs.
Q. & A. with Tessa
Why did you start breeding?
This was my dream breed, and I watched shelters for years to adopt one, but they never came through shelters! I finally decided to find a breeder and that was difficult as well. When I went to pick up my puppy I was shocked at the number of dogs in rows of kennels. I gulped, realizing I was in a puppy mill. I decided to breed so I could do a good job and offer this dream dog to others looking.
What makes your program special?
We do not dock tails. We never have docked a tail and never will. We love their beautiful, full tails and feel that all dogs should get to keep their tail. We feel that docking is cosmetic amputation of a very important body part. We have dogs with and without tails and our docked dogs always have problems with poo getting stuck to their hair because they can’t ‘lift’ their tail out of the way.
What are the different breed sizes in your program?
Poodle puppies include toy, miniature, and moyen sizes. Miniature Australian Shepherd puppies are miniature size. Aussiedoodle puppies are mini size. Sizes will vary depending on the parent dogs.
What are the different breed coat colors in your program?
Our Australian Shepherd puppies include red merle, blue merle, black tri-color, and red tri-color. Miniature American Shepherd puppies include red tri-color, black tri, red merle, and blue merle. Miniature Australian Shepherd puppies include blue merle, red merle, red, and black. Aussiedoodle puppies include blue merle, red merle, black phantom, black and white, black tri-color, red phantom, and red tri-color. Colors will vary depending on the parent dogs.
Where do your breeding dogs live?
They live in my home and guardian homes.
Matched dogs
These dogs are already reserved or have gone home.
Cinch
Went home
Male
Pocket
Went home
Female
Dally
Went home
Female
Misty
Went home
Female
Windy
Went home
Female
Fog
Went home
Female
Raine
Went home
Female
Stormy
Went home
Female
Bolt
Went home
Male
Breeze
Went home
Female
Nimbus
Went home
Male
#5 Ash
Went home
Male
#7 Birch
Went home
Female
Cider
Went home
Female
#4 Willow
Went home
Female
#8 Hickory
Went home
Male
#6 Maple
Went home
Female
#3 Autumn
Went home
Female
#1 Butternut
Went home
Female
#2 Aspen
Went home
Male
Shortcake
Went home
Female
S’more
Went home
Male
Puddin’
Went home
Female
Ambrosia
Went home
Female
Tiramisu
Went home
Male
Streusel
Went home
Male
Fritter
Went home
Male
Plaid
Went home
Male
Cotton
Went home
Male
Denim
Went home
Male
Lacey
Went home
Female
Flannel
Went home
Male
Corduroy
Went home
Male
Paizley
Went home
Female
'Mater
Went home
Male
Sprout
Went home
Male
'Tater
Went home
Male
Chili Pepper
Went home
Male
Sweet Pea
Went home
Female
Blossom
Went home
Female
Beans
Went home
Male
Getting a puppy from Tessa
Tessa has been certified by Good Dog’s screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you’re ready to reach out, feel free to ask any questions about the breed, their program, or specific puppies.
Together, you’ll choose the puppy that’s right for you, stay in touch with regular updates, and plan how to bring your new puppy home.
Price
Puppy prices range from $1,500 - $2,500 and include a non-refundable deposit of $500. Tessa offers Klarna for payment flexibility. Learn more
“Price of each puppy depends on the quality of each puppy. Merle females are at the higher end as they are in the most demand, while tri males are at the lower end of the range. Deposits are non-refundable but may be rolled over to future litters. Initial deposit of $100 places you on the waitlist. Additional deposit of $400 at 5 weeks (or sooner) secures your chosen puppy. All deposits are applied to the total purchase price of your puppy.”
Contract & health guarantee
Tessa may provide a written contract or
health guarantee when you purchase a puppy. This helps
protect both you and your breeder, ensuring that you
both have a clear understanding of the terms of your
puppy purchase. If Tessa offers a contract
or guarantee, the details will be personalized by them.
If you have any questions or want to know more,
don’t hesitate to reach out to Tessa directly.
Lost Coast Aussies meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:
Responsible breeding practices
Health of breeding dogs and puppies
Puppy environment and enrichment
Buyer education and policies
Parent dogs
All breeds
Miniature Australian Shepherd
Miniature American Shepherd
Shorty, mom
Miniature Australian Shepherd
About Shorty
Shorty is a beautiful and athletic dog who absolutely adores children. She is in a guardian home with a rodeo family and enjoys travelling to rodeos to support her small humans. She's an absolute sweetheart.
Windy, mom
Miniature American Shepherd
About Windy
Windy is a female Miniature American Shepherd over 3 years old. Carefully selected as a great representative of her breed, Tessa decided to make her part of their program. Tessa has passed Good Dog’s screening process, which involved a review of their breeding practices, environment, and the mental and physical health of their dogs.
Chancho, dad
Miniature Australian Shepherd
About Chancho
Chancho is a male Miniature Australian Shepherd over 7 years old. Carefully selected as a great representative of his breed, Tessa decided to make him part of their program. Tessa has passed Good Dog’s screening process, which involved a review of their breeding practices, environment, and the mental and physical health of their dogs.
Peach Pie, mom
Miniature Australian Shepherd
About Peach Pie
Peach Pie is a female Miniature Australian Shepherd. Carefully selected as a great representative of her breed, Tessa decided to make her part of their program. Tessa has passed Good Dog’s screening process, which involved a review of their breeding practices, environment, and the mental and physical health of their dogs.
Good health testing
Full Embark Panel, Elbow Dysplasia Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI).
Jill, mom
Miniature Australian Shepherd
About Jill
Jill is now spayed and living the retired aunty life! Jill is Peach Pie’s mom.
Abby, mom
Miniature Australian Shepherd
About Abby
Abby is a female Miniature Australian Shepherd over 7 years old. Carefully selected as a great representative of her breed, Tessa decided to make her part of their program. Tessa has passed Good Dog’s screening process, which involved a review of their breeding practices, environment, and the mental and physical health of their dogs.
Parent health testing
Aussiedoodle
Australian Shepherd
Miniature Australian Shepherd
Miniature Poodle
Moyen Poodle
Toy Poodle
Lost Coast Aussies reports to performing the health tests below on their breeding dogs. Ask your breeder about the tests performed on the parents of your litter. Learn more about health testing for Aussiedoodles.
DNA Disease Panel
Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).
Verified owner stories
Hear what other owners say about working with Tessa to bring home their puppies.
Kay M.
Verified owner · June 2023
I’m in “puppy love”
SM
Shirley M.
Verified owner · Dec. 2022
We have always adopted pets of unknown origins and breeds, from local rescues, and seemed to gravitate toward adopting border collie / shepherd mixes; however, we have had no success in finding Aussies to adopt, so we decided to look for a breeder.
We researched several mini-Aussie breeders for our what we consider to be our final dog, seeking one who holds high ethical standards and who DOES NOT DOCK TAILS. What luck to have one such breeder - Tessa Lawson / Lost Coast Aussies - right in our backyard! Once you message, talk with, or otherwise correspond with Tessa, it is obviously apparent she LOVES what she does, loves and is tender with and attentive to her dogs and their pups.
Tessa is generally quickly responsive to our questions, both prior to and after adoption; she maintains detailed records for each pup and is very conscientious when it comes to the health of her litters (keeping current on de-worming and vaccination schedules). Access to the puppy cams help prospective owners keep up with the growth, progress and activity of their puppies and the litter.
SB
Sarah B.
Verified owner · June 2023
Getting a puppy from Tessa was the best decision our family could have made! Enzo, as we now call him, is such an important member of our family. He loves our kiddos so much already. Tessa takes all the right steps to make sure these puppies are healthy and happy before sending them to their new homes!
Michael A B.
Verified owner · July 2022
+6
Tessa was terrific to work with. She did such an amazing job raising this little one. She helped us choose the right pup for our family and to get the pup from California to Washington. We absolutely are in love with our new pup. I highly recommend Lost Coast Aussies.
Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.