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Thats not a border collie!


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LOL, i had Gretchen at petsmart today and this lady asked me what she was and i told her border collie,then when she went down to pet her, she goes "oh, she has husky eyes" lol i just said that the one blue eye is common in BC too

This is my BC/Husky mix lol

 

 

Rachel your girl is very cute. I dont think I had the pleasure of meeting her but, she looks sweet.

 

Edited to add : mom says she threatened to steal her off transport. She says you got a great girl.

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I had a nice gentleman tell me that Toby must be crossed with an Aussie because of his ticking. Funny!

 

 

LOL, at a dock diving competition this past weekend people kept asking me what kind of dog Dave was. I told them he was an "exotic colored border collie." It was much easier to say that then explain that he is white ticked with tri coloring. I have to say at least no one asked me if he was part lab. I swear all of my friends that had non labs seem to get asked that every time we are dock diving :rolleyes:

 

IMG_9974.jpg

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I wonder how many Belgian owners have been asked if they owned a German shepherd?

 

Oh, that quote hits way too close to home. I was at my very first obedience class with my first dog years ago. The second or third week, I had gotten there early. The instructor was in the building working her two dogs. I was sooo impressed; I was in awe. When she came outside for a break, I said to her, "Your dogs work so well for mixed breeds." She looked at me and laughed. "Thanks, but they aren't mixed breeds - they are Belgian Tervurans!" Oh I wanted to crawl under the nearest rock. :rolleyes: Luckily, she had a good sense of humor. Explained to me that if one gets lost, you have to advertise "Lost German Shepherd Mix" since no one knows what a Terv is. That made me feel a little better.

 

To this day, I NEVER speculate on breeds...you just never know. The way some people breed, you're amazed to find that that "Lab" or "Sheltie" actually has papers.

 

When asked about Border Collies, I have always said that because they were bred for working ability and not appearance, there are many, many types. Do you think that's an accurate statement?

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Yesterday at the dog beach, someone again commented on Woo's mismatched eyes. He said "That's unusual to see in ...(big pause) ... that breed."

 

I am mischievous, so I just stood there and smiled at him and said "Which breed?" That confused him even further, because he didn't actually know what breed he was talking about, and as far as we know, Mr. Woo is no breed at all anyway.

 

When I had Briggs, my red tri, and my first border collie Abi, who was a predominantly white tri colour, I ran into a guy who asked me what my "mixes" were. I told him they were border collies and he said "Those are the weirdest looking border collies I have ever seen." Back then it was much less common to see border collies around town and it was even less common to see any that were not the "standard" looking black and white. No one ever knew what my dogs were. Nowadays, most people can identify them as border collies, though about 1 of every 10 people thinks they are Aussies with tails, for some reason. I really think the internet has given people the ability to recognize breeds more easily.

 

Still I spoke to a woman last week that had found a clearly purebred merle BC and had no idea what the dog was, because she didn't know that BCs came in merle. She was having trouble finding the owner because she had identified the dog as an Aussie and advertised her that way. As soon as I clued her in, she changed her "found" postings and the owner picked her up within a day.

 

RDM

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  • 1 month later...

Here's the scoop on Sophia's identity crisis.

 

Shelter said border collie. I thought border collie. I've seen this little girl work and she is definitely border collie.

 

Other folks:

 

"She can't be a border collie. She's not black and white." Hollywood strikes again. That and the AKC, which says it won't discriminate on color but we know it's all a matter of time.

 

"She can't be a border collie. She's too calm." That from the vet when I first took her in. She was still in the honeymoon stage. A few months down the road when Sophie was walking on his ceiling, the vet was thinking border collie too.

 

"She's a Sheltie mixed with something else. That head doesn't belong on a Sheltie." No elucidation about what breed the head might fit upon.

 

"She's a Brittany." I've gotten several votes on that one. Admittedly, she is leggy and feathered, but I don't think Brittanies have herding tendencies. They tend to point at the object of their interest, not lower the head and shoulders.

 

"She's an Aussie. Look at her tail." I'll admit that Sophie is somewhat tail challenged. But I'm quite familiar with the working styles of the two. Sophie may be a BC/Aussie mix, but her style is pure border collie. I'm just not seeing any Aussie moves or behaviors here. No, I don't know what happened to her tail and at this point I don't really care.

 

"She's a border collie." End of discussion from a lady I met who has been breeding border collies for years.

 

Like many of the other posters, I am trying to come up with a really fanciful name for my "rare breed" dog just to see how many people would buy it. Several, I would think. In the meantime, whenever I get a comment about what a beautiful fill-in-the-blank Sophia is, I just smile, say thank you, and nod.

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I actually went to a VET'S OFFICE and the receptionist asked me,

"Oh what kind of dog is that?"

I said, "He's a Border Collie."

She said, "Are you sure he's a Border Collie? Do you have his papers?"

I said, "Look, he's a Border Collie. He's a red one and they're not bred for their color."

She just looked at me like I was lying.

Sheesh, I got him from a breeder and have his ABCA papers.

 

People usually think he's an Aussie, Husky, or German Shepherd.

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Almost everyone says Skye has predominantly GSD in her because of her prick ears.

So we go from "She's probably got a lot of German Shepherd in her" to, the other day, "She must be the most beautiful border collie I've ever seen" :rolleyes:

(from a complete stranger, no less!)

*beaming * Ailsa

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There's a movie out right now I think on pay per view or video. It's called Made of Honor. Anyway this guy goes to Scotland or Ireland for a wedding and is greeted by a "border collie". This dog was so unlike any border collie I had ever seen. It's coat was blown out and so long it practically reach the floor. Like the old Lassie movies except for more of a flat face and a boxy nose. I guess it's what I have heard folks on this board refer to as a barbie collie. Supposedly this dog had just walked off the sheep herding field. I don't think so....more like a salon.

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A guy with a Border Collie mix asked me what Buster was, then he asked me if I was sure, and then said I guess he could be one. I guess it is no worse than the people that used to ask where the saddle was when I had my Dane.

 

I used to get that all the time so I finally saddled one of them and walked with the horsemen's association in the Santa Claus parade! Meet Pongo, my "horse"

a1b3.jpg

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Most people just say "Is that a Border Collie?" while looking very confused, she looks it but they're just not so sure because she's not the right colour.

 

Although the amount of people that then go on to tell me about the "caramel and white" or "apricot and white" Border Collies they had/have that look "just like her!" is insane. It annoys me so much and I have to correct all of them with "she's actually a red and white" and they all look at me like I'm stupid...

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Today Sage was in my car. Man asks: "What breed of dog is that?"

 

Me: "Border Collie"

 

Man: "He is way too big to be a Border Collie."

 

Me: "He is only 35 lbs, which is actually small for a male. Maybe you are thinking of a Sheltie?"

 

Man: "No, I am thinking of Border Collies. The ones that work sheep in Scotland."

 

Hum. Are there a bunch of tiny BCs running around that I don't know about?

 

SageNov2008closeup.jpg

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Cute thread. I get flyball people asking me if Wick is a border-jack all the time b/c of her smooth coat. Then when I moved out west, where kelpies are more popular, I keep getting asked if she's a kelpie mix "because of her ears." :rolleyes:

 

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Wick reminds me a bit of Alex. I think he's met his match ears-wise, though! :D

 

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ETA: LizP, that's just crazy!

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  • 9 months later...

Hi, all,

 

I haven't posted in some time -- not since our beloved Travis the Trickless WonderDog crossed over to a better place in July. My last post was a big "Thank you" to all the caring folks who posted condolences to us.

 

I'm really glad to be back and will be posting more on our new BC from Glen Highland Farm (the wonderful BC rescue in New York State), but right now want to comment on the breed names people call our dogs. We've got a new one to report:

 

A few years ago, I was with Travis, waiting outside a hardware store while Al was cruising the aisles (it was a long wait).

 

An elderly gentleman came up to me and asked, "Is that a cheap dog?"

 

Somewhat miffed (I considered that question in the same category as asking someone what is your annual salary?), I replied carefully, "Well, he wasn't exactly cheap; he cost a few dollars."

 

The old fellow nodded knowingly, and replied, "Yep, he's a cheap dog, alright; on TV, I seen them dogs herding cheap."

 

I felt pretty stupid standing there with my newly christened "Cheap-dog" breed.

 

~~ Mary NH

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I quite often get asked if my working bred aussie is part border collie. Sometimes I get told that she's part border collie. She's not, but there are many many similarities. She doesn't have much hair and her bone structure is very fine.

 

Here are a couple of pics of my working bred aussie, Gypsy.

Photo0007.jpg

 

Here she is lying next to Chase.

HPIM1189.jpg

 

My favorite of all time is when I used to own 2 shepherds and walk them, I had one lady tell me she loves German Shepherds and told me she's going to get a miniature one of those some day :rolleyes:

People....

 

Michele

& Gypsy

& Chase

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I quite often get asked if my working bred aussie is part border collie. Sometimes I get told that she's part border collie. She's not, but there are many many similarities. She doesn't have much hair and her bone structure is very fine.

 

Here are a couple of pics of my working bred aussie, Gypsy.

Photo0007.jpg

 

Here she is lying next to Chase.

HPIM1189.jpg

 

My favorite of all time is when I used to own 2 shepherds and walk them, I had one lady tell me she loves German Shepherds and told me she's going to get a miniature one of those some day :rolleyes:

People....

 

Michele

& Gypsy

& Chase

 

Beautiful dogs, Michele! I especially love the shot of the two on the bed; they look so cozy, heh, heh.

 

Mary and Raleigh

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Ok

 

I try to be reasonable. I am pretty patient with people, I think. My husband and I live quiet lives except for the odd wildlife emergancy with big predators :rolleyes:

 

But I was at the grocery store the other day. I had little Gunny with me.

 

A lady came up to me and said, "What a nice little Jack Russel cross dog."

 

I kind of gave her a puzzled look. Then said, "She's a border collie."

 

"No," the lady replied, "She's not. Look how small she is and a red coat, and her hair isn't longer and fluffier like it should be."

 

 

Wasn't that weird?

 

 

My Robin is a red tri and my own mother keeps asking, are you sure he's a purebred? :D. A new ice cream stand opened up a ways down the road and we've been frequent customers this summer and we take the pups for socialization. People are used to Border Collies around here, and immediately recognize Brodie, who is black and white (mostly white) as a Border Collie but Robin is another story. Most people guess he's an aussie because of the gold eyebrows. I only had one person come up and ask, "Where did you get that red border collie?" Turned out, they owned one too.

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