About Us
Fran Withers lived in Georgia for ten years and met Kim Johnson in Savannah, Georgia in 2002. Fran was impressed with all the hard work that Kim did for Aussie rescue. Kim is very dedicated to the cause and has been instrumental in placing countless Aussies in wonderful homes. Fran immediately agreed when Kim asked if she could help with some evaluations and basic training for incoming rescue dogs.
It was our mutual love for the breed that introduced us and we have cherished our friendship ever since. We are now sister kennels with two kennel locations, one in Michigan and one in Georgia, under the Dynasty Miniature American Shepherds kennel name. Fran had been the sole owner of Dynasty for 15 years and was proud to have Kim as a kennel partner. We are very excited about our bright future, breeding and showing high quality, top contenders in the Midwest, East coast and Southern states. We love hearing from our pet/companion homes as well. Knowing our puppies are out there enriching lives all over America as well as internationally, is very rewarding.
Dynasty Minis' success comes from teamwork. Fran and Kim both plan for and whelp the litters. Fran is the one who spends the first few months with the show prospects before they move South to start their career. Fran also presents several of the dogs in the ring and has several owner handler group placements. Kim raises and trains puppies and presents them in puppy shows and also has done some owner handler showing with our dogs. Our handler, Arvind DeBraganca, and his wife Joyce spend hours training, grooming and presenting our dogs. They are an integral part of our team.
Photo: Fran Withers with Ember, Arvind DeBraganca with Remi and Deacon, Kim Johnson with Blaze and Kenya in Ohio in November 2016.
I am Fran Withers. I live on 52 acres in a small town in South West Michigan. I have bred, trained and loved Australian & American Shepherds for over twenty years. I enjoy the mini size, as they are much easier to get onto grooming tables, travel with, bathe and are generally easier to maintain. They are everything I loved about the Aussie, in a smaller package.
I, Kim Johnson, live in Hinesville, Georgia, near Savannah, where military retirement brought our family. I was introduced to Australian Shepherds over 18 years ago when we purchased our first dog from a pet store (big mistake). Ginger is the first dog I ever owned and quickly fell in love with the breed. We have since lost Ginger to cancer, but she remains in our hearts. She led me into rescue, where I have helped Aussies, Mini Aussies and other breeds for the past ten years. Along the way, I adopted my older boy, Rex, who was my heart dog and was my first mini. He got me hooked. He lived with us for over ten years and passed away in June 2013 at the ripe old age of at least 15! I currently have three dogs that reside with me: Xena, Remi and Bootsie. Xena has long retired from showing, but her accomplishments live on in her great-great-grandpups.
Dynasty Miniature American Shepherds is proud to be an AKC Breeder of Merit.
We dedicate all that we do to Dynasty's Kiana Rose. She was the beginning of a long line of breeding, learning and loving the Australian Shepherd and Miniature American Shepherd.