History of the Australian Shepherds
The origin of the Australian Shepherds not definitely known. Despite their name, Australian Shepherds are not from Australia.
They has ever been speculation that they might be a remnant of the lost continent of Atlantis.
According to early owners and breeders, Australian Shepherds were introduced to Australia from the Basque region in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. For lack of enough employment in their own land, the Basques migrated to other countries, taking their dogs with them. These little blue dogs acquired their name as they arrived in the United States with the boatloads of Australian sheep.This took place in the early 1900s as the American wool market was rising.
These dogs were similar to the dogs that traveled to the New World with the Spanish sheep and resembled today's Australian Shepherds. These dogs were renowned throughout the sheep country for their keen herding ability, protective nature and intense devotion to their master.
The Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, houses paintings that illustrate these dogs. The sheep industry was so essential to Spain's economy that the governing King, Alfonso the Learned, formed and association to protect the flocks, shepherds , and their dogs, know as the (de la Conjeja de la Mesta.
As Spaniards expanded to the New World, so did their sheep and dogs. The dogs were well suited for the work in their new territory as conditions there (throughout the southwestern United States) were very similar to those in Spain. The flocks prospered and the dogs became know as New Mexican Shepherds. The Spanish Shepherds were larger than the little Basque dogs.
The dogs remained isolated with minimum exposure due primarily to the vastness of the territory. It was good until the Gold Rush and rising American wool market that the wild-colored dogs started attracting attention. These dogs bred true to type and in the course of time were crossed with other good working dogs of the sheep country to develop our present-day Australian Shepherds, more affectionately called "Aussies."
When Jay Sisler, a rodeo contestant and rancher from Idaho, teamed up with Shorty, Stubby and Queenie during the 50s and 60s, he dedelighted rodeo audiences throughout the U.S and Canada with an array of tricks that have have yet to be equaled even today. In fact, so unique and versatile were these dogs that Walt Disney produced (two movies),Stubby, (The world's Greatest Cowdog,) and (Run, Appaloosa, Run), featuring them.
it was inevitable that these dogs would rise in popularity. The Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) was founded in Tucson, Arizona, in June, 1957. By special arrangement, the English Shepherd Registry (known as the National Stock Dog Registry) became the official registry. Soon other fanciers formed clubs in Colorado and California. A network of correspondence soon provided a small but growing membership. In the early years most of the activity took place in Arizona, California, Colorado, and the Pacific Northwest.
The breed club registry became functional in 1971 as well, as the ASCA developed several programs to encourage more club activity and further promote the Australian Shepherd .A formal show program was provided during that year in witch members could gain obedience titles, tracking degrees and conformation championships through competition.
A stock dog program was initiated to help preserve the inherited herding instincts of these agile, athletic working dogs. Certification for stock dog titles can be earned for qualifying work at sanctioned trials.
Popularity is rapidly growing internationally with fanciers throughout the United States, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, France, Puerto Rico, Japan, Belgium, and Mexico.
Text by Joseph Hartnagle
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