Von Guadachi German Shepherds & Audacity Border Collies

Atticus J.

Breeder of German Shepherds and Border Collies

  • Santa Cruz, CA ·
  • Responds within a day
  • 100% recommend •

Available puppies

Border Collie

German Shepherd

Sunflower

Ready Dec. 6

2 days old · Male

Forget Me Not

Ready Dec. 6

2 days old · Male

Hydrangea

Ready Dec. 6

2 days old · Female

Blue Bell

Ready Dec. 6

2 days old · Male

Hibiscus

Ready Dec. 6

2 days old · Male

Monstera

Ready Dec. 6

2 days old · Female

Daemon

Ready Dec. 7

3 days old · Male

Rhaenyra

Ready Dec. 7

3 days old · Female

Meet the breeder

I'm Atticus J., the breeder behind Von Guadachi German Shepherds & Audacity Border Collies located in Santa Cruz, CA. We are a dedicated preservation breeder of quality working line German Shepherds and Working Line Border Collies. We do performance sports, schutzhund, dock diving, agility, Barnhunt, herding, and more! Our dogs are health tested, titled, family members.

Q. & A. with Atticus

  • What makes your program special?

    We aim to preserve the Border Collie & German Shepherd Dog breeds. We breed fully health tested, titled family companions that are good examples of the breeds with excellent pedigrees to back them up. Our dogs are stable, level headed working dogs and pets, they have good off switches with good, balanced drives and can turn on when needed. We believe in producing dogs who can do it all!
  • What are the different breed coat types in your program?

    Our German Shepherd puppies include stock, plush, and long coat varieties. Border Collie puppies include smooth and rough coat varieties. Coat types may vary depending on the parent dogs.
  • What are the different breed coat colors in your program?

    Our German Shepherd puppies include sable, black, black and red, and bi-color. Border Collie puppies include blue merle, red merle, black, brindle, lilac, red, sable, sable merle, white and red, and slate. 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.

Getting a puppy from Atticus

Atticus 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.

Atticus partners with buyers to find the best match as the puppies develop and their personalities take shape. Typically, matches are finalized when the puppies reach about 7 weeks old.

“All of my puppy placements are made at 7 weeks old after several types of temperament tests to look at things live drive levels, confidence and recovery ability, natural off switches, work drive, and more. I also speak with prospective owners about their wants / needs of said puppy! ”

Price

Puppy prices include a $650 non-refundable deposit that secures a spot on the general waitlist. The remaining $1,350 - $4,350 is due at pickup, before taxes & fees.
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“All of our puppies are ABCA/AKC registered (Full or Limited) with a health guarantee, and out of fully health tested and titled parents. Our deposit amount is $650.00, and it is deducted from the full purchase price of the puppy to reserve your spot in the litter. Our deposits are non-refundable unless at breeder discretion.”

Contract & health guarantee

Atticus 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 Atticus 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 Atticus 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
      • Car rides
      • Surface & tactile stimulation
      • Socialized in new places
      • Scent introduction
      • 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
      • Vet records
      • Microchip
    • Extras
      • AKC registration
      • Puppy starter kit
      • Blanket with mom & littermates’ scent
      • Initial potty training
      • Toys
      • Food & treats
      • Registration

Location & pick-up

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

Breeder's location

Meet in Santa Cruz, CA

5707 miles away

·

Other pick-up locations

Meet at Fresno Yosemite Airport

5661 miles away

·


Meet in San Francisco, CA

5675 miles away

·

More about Atticus

  • Club memberships

    Atticus is a member of German Shepherd Dog Club of America, Wild West Dog Sports , DVG , and United Schutzhund Clubs of America.

  • Certifications & recognitions

    Puppy Culture Breeder, Associate Dog Trainer.

  • Atticus has been a member of Good Dog for about 4 years

    Atticus was screened for responsible practices and has been a member since 2022.

  • Atticus’s links

Atticus is a trusted Good Dog breeder

Von Guadachi German Shepherds & Audacity Border Collies 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

Litter and program updates

Parent dogs

All breeds

Border Collie

German Shepherd

Parent health testing

Border Collie

German Shepherd

Breeder-Reported Testing

Excellent level

Von Guadachi German Shepherds & Audacity Border Collies 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 Border Collies.

  • Hip Dysplasia (rDVM, not registered), Hip Dysplasia

    Hip testing reduces the chance of passing down hip dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause hip pain and the eventual loss of the function of the hip joint.

  • Elbow Dysplasia (rDVM, not registered)

    Elbow testing reduces the chance of passing down elbow dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause arthritis in the elbow joint and front leg lameness.

  • Eye Certification (CAER, registered with OFA)

    Eye testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide range of hereditary eye illnesses including retinal dysplasia, lens luxation, and glaucoma, which can cause impared vision or blindness.

  • Patellar Luxation

    Knee testing reduces the chance of passing down Patellar Luxation, which results in the kneecap becoming displaced or dislocated and can cause mild to severe joint pain.

  • Shoulder Osteochondrosis, Congenital Deafness (BAER, registered with OFA)

    A breeder may perform additional tests on their dogs that do not fall into these general categories. These tests may be more uncommon or very specific to a particular breed.

  • 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 Atticus to bring home their puppies.

  • Aiden H.

    Verified owner · Sept. 2026

    Atticus is super knowledgeable about the breed and very helpful whenever I have any questions and is super helpful with training advice as well picking him up was easy and she helped make the transition to our home even better

  • Christina B.

    Verified owner · Sept. 2026

    I had always had rescue dogs, so deciding to purchase a purpose-bred puppy was a really big decision for me. I knew I wanted a second dog, and after a lot of research I narrowed it down to a sport dog, then specifically a Border Collie, and finally a female smooth-coated, working-line Border Collie puppy. I wanted a female because I already had a male dog, and I wanted a puppy because I also have cats. I was trying to give everyone the best possible chance of becoming a happy household. I also wanted a breeder within driving distance of home so I could be involved in the process. Finding the right breeder was probably the part that made me the most nervous. I had always adopted rescues and had never purchased a purpose-bred dog. I really did not want to support an unethical breeder or a backyard breeder. I started with the AKC puppy search, but most of what I found was geared toward the show-dog type of Border Collie rather than the working-line dog I was looking for. Eventually I found Good Dog and, honestly, I wasn’t initially convinced that the site did everything it claimed. But it seemed like a reasonable place to start looking, and that’s where I found Audacity’s Border Collies. From the beginning, the breeders were wonderful. They were incredibly transparent and communicative throughout the entire process. I have pictures of my puppy from before she was even born and essentially daily pictures until the day she came home with me. They provided lineage records for both parents as well as health-testing information, and they put an incredible amount of thought into raising their puppies. One thing I particularly appreciated was that they did temperament testing on the puppies and then used those results, along with what they had learned about our preferences and household, to choose our puppy for us. I had told them I wanted a female smooth coat and explained what I was hoping to do with my future dog, and they made the actual match. Looking back, I am incredibly grateful that they knew their puppies well enough to make that decision rather than simply having me choose based on appearance. The puppies were exposed to safe adult dogs, cats, people, car travel, indoor and outdoor environments, grass, and all kinds of normal household experiences. They started potty training, had veterinary checks, hearing tested, and received so much thoughtful early socialization and preparation. It was obvious that they weren’t simply raising puppies until they were old enough to go home—they were actively preparing them for life. They also registered the litter with both AKC and ABCA, which was important to me because I specifically wanted a working-line Border Collie. And the support didn’t end when the puppies went home. They are still in communication with all of us owners, and we still have a group chat. I have never felt like the transaction ended when I picked up my puppy. They genuinely care about the dogs they produce and the people they go to. Today I have the most awesome girl, Lobukhali. She participates in several sports, including agility, Treibball, Barn Hunt, and dock diving. She is confident, driven, toy-motivated, enthusiastic, and has a fantastic off-switch. One of my favorite examples of her temperament is at dock diving. She can go completely full-out when it is her turn, then as soon as her turn is over, she goes back to her crate and happily naps until it is time to go again. That ability to switch between intense work and complete relaxation is exactly the kind of dog I hoped for. She also has a wonderful temperament at home. She gets along beautifully with my other dog and is gentle with our cats. She is an absolute joy to live with, and I genuinely could not have asked for a better match. I am thankful every day to Audacity’s Border Collies for trusting me with one of their puppies. Making the decision to purchase a purpose-bred dog was a huge step for me, and I am so grateful that I found breeders who put so much care into their dogs, their puppies, and the families they go to. I would absolutely make the same decision again.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.