Ode to an Aussie

Its been a while since I dedicated a blog to a specific breed but when you've got something nice to say... say it! I have taken a special liking to a few of my friends here at the Paw (Jib, Argos, Stella, Blue) and wanted to study up on their breed and share with you a little about the wonder that is the Australian Shepherd. Just by spending daycare time with them, I have noticed a few common personality traits. First and foremost, they are energetic...very energetic. I have yet to see a single one of them join into the afternoon nap and I have definitely never seen one yawn. They run around the room instinctually herding everything that moves and only Jib will stop for a moment to put his head in my lap for some pets. They are gorgeous, loving, and extremely friendly but as it turns out, aren't Australian.

Weird huh?
To really get into it I did a little background research and found out the Aussie really originated right here in the US. It was so named because the sheepherders they worked with came from Australia. Their little helpers, however, are pure breed North Americans (western, to be exact). The rest of their history was pretty straight forward.

-Bred to be working dogs so are now absolutely fantastic at agility, obedience, flyball, frisby, etc,

-Appearing in all the coolest colors (Stella and Argos = blue merle, Jib and Blue = red merle) plus two additional tri colors

-Have the most striking eyes in either light blue, golden brown, or if you're lucky, one of each.

-And, coming in two sizes. The original (all our clients) and mini which can be as small as 15 lbs!

If you havent met one yet, hopefully this blog encourages you to seek one out at your next doggy outing... though you'd never actually catch one. In fact, my bet is if you did, you'd probably earn three wishes out of the deal. Give it a shot! :)