Hope & Joy Acres

Kristen A.

Breeder of Australian Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and Aussiedoodles

Pamplin, VA ·
Responds within a few hours
100% recommend •

Meet the breeder

I'm Kristen A., the breeder behind Hope & Joy Acres located in Pamplin, VA. Our goal is to sell reasonably priced, healthy puppies. Puppies come with a health guarantee contract, are kept indoors until they go to their new homes, are exposed to other dogs/cats/kids/normal household activity, started on puppy pads, been dewormed 4x and have received their first puppy shots.

Q. & A. with Kristen

Why did you start breeding?
An Australian Shepherd named “Cali” started it all. She was Kristen’s first Aussie, and she fell in love with the breed. Kristen started breeding Australian Shepherds in 2011. Breeding Aussiedoodles starting in 2018 added another layer to the excellence the farm offers. Then in 2021, we bought an AKC Golden pup, to begin offering Golden Retrievers and Goldendoodles in 2025.
What makes your program special?
They do not sell to puppy stores, have no interactions with “puppy mills”, do not overbreed their females, keep all dogs living in their home as family members (puppies, too!), and keep prices in a reasonable range, so all families can afford quality dogs. At 4 weeks of age, due to focused study of their puppies, they can tell you what the puppy’s energy, talkative, and submissive levels will be.
What are the different breed sizes in your program?
Aussiedoodle puppies are standard 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. Golden Retriever puppies include golden and light golden. Aussiedoodle puppies include brown and white, sable, apricot, 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.

Matched dogs

These dogs are already reserved or have gone home.

Bonsai
Went home
Male
Oakley
Went home
Female
Walnut
Went home
Male
Ash
Went home
Male
Cedar
Went home
Male
Cherry
Went home
Female
Mozzarella
Went home
Female
Feta
Went home
Female
Gouda
Went home
Female
Cheddar
Went home
Male
Havarti
Went home
Female
Colby
Went home
Male
Manchego
Went home
Male
Asiago
Went home
Male
Nacho
Went home
Male
Swiss
Went home
Female
Merry
Went home
Female
Rudolph
Went home
Male
Blitzen
Went home
Male
Vixen
Went home
Female
Prancer
Went home
Male
Dancer
Went home
Male
Cupid
Went home
Male
Snowflake
Went home
Female
Angel
Went home
Female
Holly
Went home
Female
Comet
Went home
Male
Cindy Lou
Went home
Female
Dasher
Went home
Male
Donner
Went home
Male
Helen
Went home
Female
Audrey
Went home
Female
Eddie
Went home
Male
Bethany
Went home
Female
Rusty
Went home
Male
Rocky
Went home
Male
Lewis
Went home
Male
Clark
Went home
Male
Art
Went home
Male
River
Went home
Male
Forrest
Went home
Male
Brook
Went home
Female
Autumn
Went home
Female
Ridge
Went home
Male
Canyon
Went home
Male
Glenn
Went home
Male
Summer
Went home
Female

Getting a puppy from Kristen

Kristen has been certified by Good Dog’s screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you’re ready, reach out to ask about the puppies or anything else on your mind. You’ll get to know each other through messaging, phone, or video and pay securely, all on Good Dog.

After buyers complete the application and screening process, Kristen partners with them to find the best puppy match.

“Puppies are matched with owners with respect to the owners choosing their best fit. We will make suggestions on request as puppies age based on personality, energy level and submission levele.”

Price

Puppy prices include a $500 non-refundable deposit. The remaining $200 - $1,000 is due at pickup, before taxes & fees.

“The price includes puppy, deworming (3 or 4x), first shots, and living in our home for 2 months (no kennels!) exposure training. AKC registration for Golden Retrievers. Australian Shepherds require and non-refundable $250 deposit. Doodles and Golden Retrievers require a non-refundable $500 deposit. Deposits go toward puppy purchase price.”

Contract & health guarantee

Kristen 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 Kristen 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 Kristen directly.

All contracts are handled securely through Good Dog.

You’re protected
on Good Dog

When you pay and communicate on Good Dog, you’re covered by Payment Protection.

What's included

- From Good Dog
  - Lifetime support from Good Dog’s Care Team
  - 10% lifetime discount on Figo pet insurance
  - Puppy Training Program & private community
- Enrichment & socialization
  - Various sounds
  - Surface & tactile stimulation
  - Socialized with children
  - Socialized in new places
  - Daily handling
  - Socialized with other dogs
  - Introduced to people of different ages and appearances
  - Socialized with other animals
- Puppy health practices
  - Vet check
  - First round of shots and deworming
- Extras
  - AKC registration

Location & pick-up

You can drive or fly to pick up your puppy from Kristen.

Breeder's location

Meet in Pamplin, VA

4199 miles away

Other pick-up locations

Flexible meeting point

Kristen can meet at a location that works for both of you

More about Kristen

Kristen has been a member of Good Dog for over 1 year
Kristen was screened for responsible practices and has been a member since 2025.
Kristen’s links
- Website

Kristen is a trusted Good Dog breeder

Hope & Joy Acres 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

Australian Shepherd

Golden Retriever

Liberti, mom
Australian Shepherd
About Liberti
Liberti is a very loyal and very people focused beautiful, blue eyed, standard sized, purebred Australian Shepherd. She loves to run, play fetch, and is very intelligent. She is 100% attached to her people and a total cuddle bug. She is an alpha female and is confident.
Great health testing
Multiple Drug Sensitivity (MDR1), Elbow Dysplasia Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI), +1 more.
Maddi, mom
Australian Shepherd
About Maddi
Maddi is a very sweet, outgoing, loyal, obedient, and super easy to train red tri, standard, purebred Australian Shepherd. She is registered with American Stock Dog Registry (ASDR).
Great health testing
Multiple Drug Sensitivity (MDR1), Orivet Genetics, Full Breed Profile, +1 more.
Belle, mom
Golden Retriever
About Belle
Belle is a sweet, easy going, laid back, easy to train, lower energy girl.
Good health testing
Full Embark Panel, Cardiac Evaluation (registered with OFA), +3 more.

Parent health testing

Aussiedoodle

Australian Shepherd

Golden Retriever

Hope & Joy Acres 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.

Full Embark 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 Kristen to bring home their puppies.

Abigail W.
Verified owner · Sept. 2026
Kristen was so great and easy to work with! She sent us multiple photos and a video of our girl. We definitely recommend getting a puppy from Hope & Joy Acres!
Ethan D.
Verified owner · Sept. 2026
Kristen was very responsive and answered every question I had. She gave me regular updates without asking and knows what she is doing. Overall a great experience and we love our puppy!
Leah W.
Verified owner · Aug. 2026
Kristen was an absolute joy to work with! She was incredibly knowledgeable about the breed and her puppies, and she always took the time to send us pictures and videos of our boy. She even met us halfway to make the pickup commute more manageable, which we really appreciated. Mookie has been such a wonderful addition to our family. He is a happy, healthy boy who was clearly very well cared for from the start. We couldn’t be happier with our experience and would highly recommend Kristen to anyone looking for a caring and knowledgeable breeder!
Rusudan Z.
Verified owner · Sept. 2026
Kristen has been wonderful to work with throughout the whole process. I had what felt like a million questions about health testing, temperament, food, insurance, pickup logistics, and everything in between. She was always patient, honest, and willing to explain things without making me feel like I was asking too much. What I appreciate most is how much she genuinely cares about her dogs and puppies. She's been transparent with health records, keeps families updated, and clearly puts a lot of time and love into raising her puppies. It's given us a lot of confidence and excitement as we were getting ready to bring Ash home. He was already potty trained and knew to use the training pad. Ash, who goes by Cinnamon now, is very smart and trainable. He is the sweetest boy and the best companion. We’re very happy to have him.
Jessica W.
Verified owner · Sept. 2026
Kristen was very helpful and knowledgeable about the breed as well as with the care of a new puppy. She was very informative with all information of our new puppy and even made sure to leave me with helpful tips about crate training as well as potty training.
McKenzie G.
Verified owner · Aug. 2026
I have nothing but great things to say about Kristen and Hope & Joy Acres. Kristen always answered our questions we had. Our sweet boy, now named Koda, is better than anything we could’ve imagined.