i saw something silly in a designer breed website(when i was looking up wolf dogs because of another thread) i saw this "mix" , an australian retriever..
but the hybrid isnt the point. according to them " The Australian Shepherd is a
breed of herding dog that was developed on ranches in the Western
United States. Despite its name, the breed, commonly known as an
Aussie, did not originate in Australia. They acquired their name
because of association with Basque sheepherders who came to the United
States from Australia."
so i looked up Basque Shepherds
*http://www.amimascota.com/articles/perros_3/pastor_vasco.htm -cant read it but there are pics.
and then i read this - http://dogs.about.com/cs/breedprofiles/p/australian_shep.htm
now.... we still cling to the Australian name but according to the AKC - and all the others - the breed was DEVELOPED in the US but i didnt see anything in the history that said any other breed was used to ...develop it. just that it was "probably developed in the Pyrenees Mountains somewhere between Spain and France."
i know its a pointless thread, but whats your opinion?
i always did like this breed. i got to work with an aussie/pitbull on the horse ranch. and she was the mother to one of my dogs(his father was a dobe) and he was incredibly smart. too smart, sometimes. and i see the members here with their aussies and all the things they do with them. i'm attracted to the breed.. its definitely on my bucket list lol
but the history just seems cloudy... and i love history, especially canine history.............. which is the only reason i'm posting this. someone out there probably knows more about it and can explain faster than i can research 