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National Geographic : 1919 Mar
Contents
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE watching to prevent his acquiring a taste for chickens and even lamb. Once this predilec tion gets established, it is hard if not impossible to eradicate. In this country we know the collie chiefly as a beautiful, vivacious, and alert companion, but in the great sheep-raising districts of Scotland, northern England, and Wales, he is an abso lutely indispensable assistant of the shepherd. Not that the working collie looks very much like the long-muzzled, much-beruffled, and well groomed specimens which grace the benches at our dog shows. He would never be allowed inside the ring at Madison Square Garden, and if he were he would stand about as much chance of taking a prize as a blue-ribbon win ner would have of defeating him in one of the great annual sheep-dog trials of his native land. He lacks the superficial beauty neces sary to win in the show-ring but he has the brains, the courage, and the stamina without which the sheep industry of Great Britain would quickly come to a standstill. In the land of misty mountains one good dog can do the work of a dozen men, and there is no other animal which could possibly replace him. Obeying the voice, or, better still, the whistle, of his master, a good working collie will "run out" to a distant pasture, round up his flock, separating them if necessary from other sheep, and bring them along at just the right speed; head off any which may try to take a wrong direction; go back and hurry those which lag behind; fight off strange dogs if necessary, and finally bring them into the fold without losing one. Next morning he will take them away to the pasture and guard them all day, if asked to do so, or help his master to drive them to the market, along the quiet country lanes and the crowded city streets alike, preventing every at tempt of his charges to wander or stampede. The Shetland collie, a tiny sheep - herder weighing between six and ten pounds and im ported from the Shetland Islands, is becoming known in the country as an attractive pet. SMOOTH COLLIE (For illustration,.see page 238) The smooth collie is to be judged by exactly the same standards in everything, except coat, as the rough, or common, collie. The artist had never seen one and was some what desperate for a model, when to his sur prise he found that the Belgian farmer who comes for the neighborhood garbage was ac companied by a fine specimen, brought with him in 1914 from home, whence he fled at the instance of the Hun! It is somewhat of a surprise to see what a collie looks like in short hair, but it rather in creases our regard for him than otherwise. For he is a fine, strong, "doggy" animal, and in this example, at least, the "refinement" which so often results in extremely nervous and high-strung dogs has not been sought. The present fad for long, slender, roman nosed and narrow-faced collies seems to intro duce an entirely undesirable slenderness of temper as well, quite different from the genial, easy-going dependability of the "old-fashioned" collie, wide between the eyes and ears. It is a distinct loss to the breed. ENGLISH SHEEP-DOG (For illustration,see page 238) Rapidly gaining in popularity, the curious woolly sheep-dog has become thoroughly estab lished in the United States; he has long been used as a practical helper in the great sheep ranges of western Canada. He bears no re semblance whatever to the familiar collie type of sheep-dog, but looks rather like a great long-legged, round-headed, bounding terrier. He has a formidable voice, very different in deed from the rather fox-like yap of the collie, and while he is some 24 to 27 inches at the shoulder and weighs 60 to 80 pounds one can not quite get away from the impression that he is, in fact, a huge terrier of some kind. The effect is heightened greatly by the long woolly hair on his head and face, which virtually hides the clever eyes, and makes a study of his actual head-form very difficult. The hair on back and hips is very long; when combed out they look very curious indeed. In color they are usually blue gray and white; any strong tendency toward brown is not good. The white usually occupies most of the head and fore-quarters. He is a dog of very striking appearance-one might almost say of un-dog-like appearance. He is large, rather tall on the legs, tailless, and covered from head to foot with a long, loose hair, which tosses about freely when he runs or jumps, giving him the appearance of a huge animated floor-mop. But if you part the hair on his face you will find a pair of beautiful, intelligent, friendly eyes. He is active, good natured, and makes a fine companion. Dogs of this breed were not always bob tailed; originally they were probably as well provided with tails as other dogs. Many of them were used for herding, and consequently exempt from taxation. It is said that the drovers amputated the tails of their working sheep-dogs to distinguish them from those which were not exempted. It is believed by some authorities that this mutilation, continued through many genera tions, created in the breed a tendency to pro duce tailless and short-tailed offspring. What ever the cause, it is certain that today many Old English sheep-dog puppies are born bob tailed. When they are born with tails it is customary to dock them to within an inch or two of the root, and the operation is per formed not more than four days after birth. The docking accentuates the characteristic rounded quarters and increases the somewhat bearlike appearance of the animal. 229
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