Meet the NSMASC Board Members
Cassy Janssen serves as president of NSMASC! She and her husband Nate live in East Grand Forks, MN with their 4 Miniature American Shepherds, a couple cats and a small flock of chickens and ducks. She has been an active member of the club for many years.
Cassy was fortunate to have been introduced to the breed through Lori Mckusick when she was a teen. Through the years she has trained and trialed her dogs in agility, rally, obedience, disc, scentwork, herding, and conformation, as well as attended several National Agility Championships and National Specialties. These activities also sparked an involvement in her local training club and the regional Australian Shepherd rescue where she serves on their respective boards.
Volunteering has held a primary focus in Cassy's personal life and she is excited to step into this new role within NSMASC! She hopes to help promote the versatility she loves so much about MAS, as well as develop a deeper sense of community within our breed.
Lucinda Schuft, Vice President of NSMASC- I have participated in dog sports for around forty years. Prior to that, I had horses and participated in rodeo, eventing and just fun stuff with my horses.
I got into Miniature American Shepherds thanks to Lynn Gray. Prior to that i had owned two Champion Flat-coated Retrievers, with performance titles, trained retrievers for field competitions and obedience. When I met Lynn I was competing with Golden Retriever in obedience and looking to get a nice all around dog. Hence Bluegrass Boomerang came into my life at 6 years old. I already had a pup from Lynn, so these were my first MAS, but before recognized by AKC. Boomerang and I earned rally and obedience titles and NADAC agility titles in our very short time together.
After that several other MAS came into my home and I also got into border collies. Boomerang was my first herding dog, and I learned more and more about working stock. Which I’m enjoying. I currently own two border collies, one MAS who has her Championship (earned it in two show weekends with all majors) and a Grand Champion Icelandic Sheepdog. I finished both of those myself in recent years. We still,have a black Labrador as well.
I currently am working on learning herding and competing with a master level barn hunt dog who also just completed her master rally title. I have a couple younger dogs coming up in various sports but much,of my focus this year will be on herding. I compete in dock diving, rally, regular obedience, NADAC agility, barn hunt, and hopefully some herding. I have retired from conformation.
Megan Philpot, Secretary- I can't remember a time when dogs weren't something that I was passionate about. I got my first purebred dog as a college graduation present to myself. I wanted a breed that I could do anything with and fell in love with the Australian Shepherd. I've been breeding Australian Shepherds for 11 years and have multiple dogs in performance homes with several MACH and PACH titles. I love training my dogs and compete in Agility, Obedience, Rally, Conformation, and have started training in Scent Work. This love of dog sport bought me to the MAS as I wanted a smaller more portable dog for traveling and kept coming back to everything I loved about the Aussies. The versatility of this breed is what I have been most drawn to and strive to produce.
I'm an active member of our local kennel club and have been an instructor for many years teaching obedience, rally, conformation and agility. I've been a member of the NSMASC since 2019 and have served 2 terms as a director befor becoming the secretary. I also act as the MASCUSA affiliate rep for our club and enjoy getting to sit in the board meetings and hear what is going on in our parent club.
I would like to see our club get more active and offer more fun activities to do with our dogs. As such a versatile breed I'd like to see us do more in the performance events and celebrate all that our wonderful dogs are capable of.
Therese Stoebner, Treasurer- is a founding member of NSMASC and has served in many capacities during that time. She stumbled across MAS in 2008 when a lost dog showed up on her doorstep. It just happened to be a Mini and her husband said “this is the next breed we’re getting”. So off she went looking for a breeder and found Sharon Hulke and Birchview Kennels! The rest is history and she currently has two minis, 8 year old Maisey and 1 year old Trip.
Therese plays lots of games with her dogs, including conformation, herding, obedience, rally, and agility. Therese owns The Greater Dog training center in Stillwater, MN and also volunteers with the Washington County 4-H Dog Project, teaching obedience and rally.
When not playing and working with dogs, Therese and her family run RavenRock Farm, where they raise and show purebred Fine Fleece Shetland Sheep.
Dana Huntington, Director (Conformation Committee)- I have been involved in purebred dogs my entire life. I went to school for Veterinary technology graduating in 2005. I interned at a Bulldog and reproductive specialty clinic that also had 3 board certified orthopedic surgeons. I enjoyed working with the specialties within the clinic gaining experience in reproduction as well as orthopedics. After graduation I worked with Dr Jessica Levy and Dr Jina Andrews specializing in holistic care and got training in traditional Chinese medicine and canine nutrition among other traditional and alternative practices.
While breeding bulldogs I served many positions on the St. Paul Minneapolis Bulldog club board of directors, was a member of the Bulldog Club of America and have assisted the national comity with the Bulldog National. While I no longer have Bulldogs in my home I still have a strong connection with the Bulldog community and have offspring from my stud competing in rally, conformation and coursing/fastcat.
In 2003 I purchased my first show dog, a Bulldog Sophie who began the journey I am on now. I have bred many AKC champion bulldogs and have owned the sire of one of the first Bulldogs to get titles in lure coursing. The first year AKC introduced National Owner Handled Series I had the number 6 NOHS and number 18 Breed/all breed Bulldog. I got my first Best In Specialty Show in 2012 with an entry of over 120 dogs with GCH WestOak Ain’t Nobody Business But Mi Own. In 2012 I decided to try my hand in agility wanted a dog that would actually want to run with me. Through careful breeding my Bulldogs maintained breed type and were more than capable of running agility, they just saw no reason to run unless it was time to eat. I purchased my first Miniature American Shepherd from Birchview Kennel, Kat decided she she was not a going to be a show dog and went oversize. Any one who has seen me run agility knows it was 12 years in the making and took 3 dogs to get me in the agility ring, my poor trainers have had their work cut out for them, the amount of times I have been told no your other right or lets try xyz cross this time or WHAT WAS THAT?! These women have the patients of saints.
In 2016 I purchased a red merle MAS from Birchview Kennel MOHBISS GCHB Birchview fishontheplatter @ WestOak CGC RA HIT TKN She has been an amazing dog in and out of the ring. Phish easily finished her AKC championship, grand championship and grand championship bronze with multiple specialty wins and group placements. Phish finished multiple years in the top 20 when she was being campaigned. Phish passed on her beautiful temperament, some lovely agility prospects and 2 AKC champions, one at birchview and one with me at WestOak. UBIS UGCH MOHBISS GCHS WestOak In It To in IT! HIT FDC DJ DS BCAT River has been everything a breeder could ask for there hasn’t been anything she wont try not just for me but for her love of work. At MASCUSA 2024 national River walked away with qualifying runs in every single event she was entered in, she was entered in them ALL. She gave me her all from sun up to sun down for an entire week. She qualified for Most versatile MAS and Ultimate MAS we also brought home an award of merit and best bred by exhibitor, all of this at 3 years old with a trainer who just started getting into sports.
I believe our dogs should be versatile. There is no reason our dogs can’t excel in the ring, on the field and on your couch. I want to see our breed community work together to keep these amazing dogs healthy and be exceptional companions.
Maddie Koehler, Director (Performance Committee)- Maddie passion for performance events started when she brought Whiskey home, and they started playing Updog. Now, she competes in a variety of events with her four Mini American Shepherds.
Katie Cassens, Director (Communications Committee)- My partner, Victor, and I and share a blended household of his chihuahua (Missy), my cat (Elliot), and our two young Mini American Shepherds. Storm was my first MAS, and I totally fell in-love with this breed. I love the MAS for their size, drive, and versatility. We recently added new puppy named Atlas.
While growing up, my mom showed dogs in conformation and taught puppy classes. We always had a crew of dogs around of various breeds including Aussies and Berners. I had my own Aussie through middle and high school and participated in 4H (agility/obedience) with her, as well as titling her in AKC Obedience and Rally. After college, I took a long hiatus with no dogs. In my thirties now, and Storm has brought me back into the dog world at full force. We currently compete in Rally, UpDog and Conformation. We’re also training for Agility and Dock Diving.
I’m brand new to this board, but excited to be more involved in NSMASC, and building a community around this breed and its fanciers