Appendix A: Sources of Information
Appendix B: Titles Your Dog Can Earn
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
EXCERPT
Chapter 1
Those Little Blue Dogs
Early Origins of the Breed
The breed we know as the Australian Shepherd was first used first to herd sheep in the Basque region of the Pyrenees mountains. The actual origin of the breed cannot be traced through records, because the Basques had no written language. Many could not speak English, and their language was neither French or Spanish. However, because these dogs accompanied their Basque herders from Australia to the United States, the dogs came to be identified as Australian Shepherds. According to Juanita Ely, one of the earliest breeders of record, “The wool from Australia was finer and much longer staple than we had here in the United States, so we brought boat loads of sheep from Australia to Seattle, Washington.” A Basque herder from the country of Andorra and his little blue dog named ‘Teddy’ came over to care for the sheep on the boats and started to work in the vicinity of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
Idaho to get Australian breeding stock with the finer quality wool. They brought the Basque herder and his little blue dog with the ewes to Colorado. There was a little bob tail blue female only a few miles from her ranch in Colorado that had also come to Idaho from Spain. That is how she got started in the breed.
Breeds That Share A Common Ancestry
There is a similarity between the Australian Shepherd and the Pyrenean Shepherd, also known as the Berger de Pyrenees, that has been developed as a breed in France since 1926, but it is not a replica; because the Standard, which was written for the Berger in 1926, placed all types of Pyrenean Shepherds into two categories (smooth and rough faced). Certain traits (including copper trim) were faulted and thus eliminated. Consequently the diversity of the Pyrenean Shepherds comparable to early Australian Shepherds was greatly reduced.
Australia, the German Coolie or Koolie, a breed that closely resembles Australian Shepherds in type and temperament, is believed to be the Welsh Heeler or Old Welsh Bobtail. It is thought that these Welsh Sheepdogs dogs are also descendants of a the Basque sheepdogs that migrated with the ancient Iberians (northern Spain) to the British Isles.
Germany, not far from the French Pyrenees, exists the German Tiger dog, one of a numerous variety of the Old German Shepherd (Altdeutscher Schaeferhund) reminiscent of some of the early working lines of Australian Shepherds and considered to be one of the breeds contributing to the Koolie of Australia.
Spain. The Saxony Merinos were a breed of sheep taken from Spain to Saxony Germany in the 1700s.
Modern Aussies
The breed was founded on Australian Shepherds who were proven by hard continuous ranch work in real working situations where they learned how to handle themselves in varied terrains under diverse conditions. They were tough enough to turn a charging mother cow, yet gentle enough to nudge a lamb with their nose to get it moving along.
Emmett, Idaho, was the first to introduce the Australian Shepherd to the American public with his trick-dogs as they performed at rodeos throughout the United States and Canada during the late 40s and into the 1960s. Jay’s Aussies appeared in several films, including Disney’s Stub–The Greatest Cowdog in the West and Run Appaloosa Run.
Spain with a Basque herder who worked for the Warren Livestock Company in Wyoming. When bred to Ely’s Blue (Heavron’s Bob ex Young’s Bitchie) produced Hartnagle’s Jinx and Goody (Goodie). Under the original registry system for Australian Shepherds, Goody later became known as Wood’s Blue Shadow. Through a stroke of fate, Goody (AKA Blue Shadow) became one of the most important foundation matrons in Dr. Heard’s Flintridge bloodlines, Hartnagle’s Las Rocosa Aussies and Fletcher Wood’s line.
Shiloh’s most famous daughters, Champion Las Rocosa Leslie CSD, produced Hall of Fame Sire Las Rocosa Lester, who was bred to Las Rocosa Christophene OTD-c to produce multiple Hall of Fame producers.
