THE 



OLD ENGLISH SHEEP DOG 



CHAPTER I 

 Introductory 



1 HE origin of the breed, alas ! like that of many others, 

 lies buried in the mists of antiquity. Whether the 

 prototype of our modern bob-tail was, as some authorities 

 aver, a massive, powerful animal, whose duties included 

 the guardianship of his flock against the attacks of bears 

 and wolves, must remain a matter of conjecture. 



Certain it is that in foreign countries, where these 

 conditions still obtain, and the duties of the sheep dog are 

 those of a guardian rather than a drover's dog, the variety 

 differs considerably from our own. 



The mighty Calabrian, or sheep dog of the Pyrenees, 

 guardian of the flocks of the Abruzzi, stands over thirty 

 inches high, and is built on the lines of a mastiff rather 

 than a bob-tail. He is usually white in colour, with 

 broad patches of tan or brown and a bushy tail. 



The herd dog of the Himalayas, again, is shaped more 

 like a massive wolf-hound than a sheep dog, and is a 



