Bearded Collie

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

31 May 2008 05:10 PM

The bearded collie -- also known as the Highland collie, the mountain collie, or just the Beardie -- is one of Great Britain's oldest dog breeds. Some historians believe that the breed existed in Britain during the first Roman invasion; a more popular theory is that the breed comes from the Magyar people's shaggy herding dogs (like the Komondor and the Puli).

The bearded collie was not a nobleman's dog -- the breed was popular with the herdsmen of Great Britain. But there are few early records of dogs that weren't popular with the nobles. One of the first known images of a bearded collie comes from a 1771 portrait. This image of the Beardie predates the establishment of the similar-looking sheepdog in the early 1800s.

By the end of the Victorian era, bearded collies were popular for both work and for show in Great Britain -- especially southern Scotland. However, there were no official bearded collie kennels until after World War II! The breed crossed the Atlantic in the 1950s but none were bred in America until the late 1960s.

Beardies are hardy, active, and agile. This is a true working dog, well suited to a day of herding in the misty weather and unpredictable terrain of Great Britain.

Despite the abundance of coat, the dog underneath is of medium size. Adults stand between twenty and twenty-two inches at the shoulder; the body is balanced and strong. When on the move, the bearded collie lifts his feet only enough to clear the ground, giving the impression that he glides, rather than runs. Those feet have well-padded soles, able to handle all kinds of turf.

Bearded collies come in a variety of colors, including black, brown, fawn, and blue -- with or without white markings. The skin pigment generally matches the coat color, so a black dog will have black eye rims, nose, and lips. The coat itself is a double coat: a softer undercoat and a flat, strong outer coat. The hair is long and dense to protect the dog against the elements and other hazards of herding (predators and thick ground cover, for example).

And yes, the bearded collie DOES have a beard. The hair on the cheeks and chin flows down towards the chest, suggesting a beard.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger