shepherd dog Archive
Questions Searchers Ask About Scotch Collies
Reading over the analytics report for my website over the last 6 months I noticed that a lot of people come here looking for answers to specific questions. So I have decided to answer a few of these questions here. The following are actual questions people have asked search engines and been brought to thisRead More
The Scotch Collie – Poultry Topics, July 1907
The collie or shepherd dog has been bred in Scotland for many years as a help to shepherds. Those old collies bred many years ago would hardly know some of the great winners of today. They were a short, broad-headed dog, as most dogs’ heads are made. A short jaw for strength. But man wantedRead More
The Field illustrated 1915: The Scotch Collie
Without doubt no dog has been more talked of and written about than the modern Collie. He may have degenerated, as many dog show people feel, having been inbred and pushed too much for certain points, but after all, Buffon’s statement that the shepherd dog was the original dog from which all others descended isRead More
Whatever Happened to Old Shep? by Linda Rorem
People continue to think about the old-fashioned collie and wonder if any can still be found, perhaps some old strain surviving on a remote ranch or farm. They know about Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, English Shepherds, show Collies, but these are breeds are not, in and of themselves, the old farm collie that is being sought.
Facts for Farmers – 1869
An early American source on the Scotch Collie, this book covers every aspect of agriculture from breeds of livestock to barn construction to farm economics and includes many beautiful engravings. It shows that Scotch Collies were well known and commonly used in America before dog shows and Queen Victoria boosted their popularity, it also showsRead More
SCOTCH COLLIES from Hunting Dogs – 1909
The Scotch collie dog will make the best friend of all the dogs in the canine race, writes a collie admirer. Of all useful animals God gave to man what can excel the dog, at least with the stockmen; in affection no other dog can compare with him, he is a dog that every farmerRead More
Wandering Willie
Note: The story below is about Willie, a “Northumbrian collie” from the Cheviot Hills, no doubt a representative of the regional shepherd dogs that would become know as the Border Collie in later years and not a true Scotch Collie. Read more about Britain’s different regional shepherd dogs. Many a touching story has been told of theRead More
Dogs; Their Origins and Varieties – 1847
THE SHEPHERD’S DOG, OR COLLEY. The genuine original Shepherd’s dog is now nearly altogether confined to Scotland, where he is called the “Colley.” He stands about twenty-one inches in height at the shoulder; is very gracefully shaped; muzzle pointed; ears half erect; coat long, but fine and silky; tail and hams fringed with hair; colourRead More
The Collie Family Tree is Incorrect
I see the “collie family tree”, which was developed some years ago by Linda Rorem, referenced quite frequently on collie related websites [VIEW THE COLLIE FAMILY TREE HERE]. It is very useful in illustrating the relationships between various british sheepdogs but I have to say it has one glaring flaw which blatantly oversimplifies the situationRead More
Biographical Sketches and Authentic Anecdotes of Dogs – PART VI
Excerpted from “Biographical Sketches and Authentic Anecdotes of Dogs” by Captain Thomas Brown – 1829 SAVES THE LIFE OF A COW. I have been furnished by my friend, Mr Peter Macarthur, with the following anecdote of a Shepherd’s Dog which, he assures me, belonged to his grandfather, who resided in the island of Mull:—Upon oneRead More
Biographical Sketches and Authentic Anecdotes of Dogs – PART V
Excerpted from “Biographical Sketches and Authentic Anecdotes of Dogs” by Captain Thomas Brown – 1829 AN ACCURATE SERVANT. “There was a shepherd lad near Langholm, whose name was Scott, who possessed a bitch famed over all the West Border for her singular tractability. He could have sent her home with one sheep, two sheep, orRead More
James Hogg, The Ettrick Shepherd – 1829
Excerpted from “Biographical Sketches and Authentic Anecdotes of Dogs” by Captain Thomas Brown – 1829 Note: James Hogg was a Scottish poet and novelist who wrote lovingly of his collies in the early 1800s. He lived in Ettrick, Scotland, which is in the border region. It is entirely possible that the Border Collie was distinctRead More
