CHAPTER XVII 



THE OLD ENGLISH BOBTAILED 

 SHEEPDOG 



FEW varieties of British dogs are so well known by the absolute 

 novice as the Old English Sheepdog, Bobtail, or Drovers' Dog. Nor 

 is the reason far to seek. Long ere fickle Fashion set her seal 

 upon the breed, or clubs and shows existed, the dog was one of 

 those that every day, by reason of its occupation, was brought more 

 or less in contact with man. In towns it was seen as the Drovers' 

 Dog ; while in the country its vocations were more pastoral. There 

 was nothing of the fashionable beauty about the dog, whose monetary 

 value was represented by a very modest sum a few shillings, in 

 fact, at which price more than one good dog changed hands. In 

 the old days he was kept solely as a utility dog; to-day it must 

 truthfully be admitted that he is more or less an ornament, for, 

 as in the case of the Collie, to allow the Bobtail to pursue his calling 

 would be to spoil him for show, and it is in the latter capacity that he 

 is of the greater monetary value. Even thirty years ago specimens 

 of the breed might have been picked up very cheaply from drovers 

 at cattle-markets, fairs, and the like. Shows, so far as this breed 

 was concerned, had not then begun to make their influence felt. 

 Directly they did, however, the best specimens were snapped up, and 

 the Bobtail as we know it to-day was gradually evolved. 



The Old English Sheepdog is a very distinct variety from the Scotch 

 Collie, as the two breeds now exist, although they may have had a 

 common origin ; indeed, there are strong probabilities in favour of 

 the theory that the English Sheepdog was the stock from which the 

 Collie sprang, through, it may be, a cross with the Rough Greyhound. 

 Both breeds are, doubtless, composite, and it is quite impossible to 

 say of what elements these, or, indeed, any other recognised breeds 

 were originally composed. The Old English Sheepdog, as now 

 recognised, is of a pronounced type, differing considerably from 

 most other breeds ; the nearest in general appearance to him 

 among our show dogs is the Bearded Collie, illustrated elsewhere, 

 and thought by some to be identical with the variety now under 

 consideration. 



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