24 THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEP DOG 



"As to the size of the original breed, I cannot help 

 thinking he was a much bigger dog than is seen now- 

 adays. They have a dwarfed appearance ; they are all 

 little big 'uns; and to obtain that characteristic there 

 must have been the size some time or other. And I 

 confess I prefer the big ones ; they have a grander 

 appearance. A big blue and white dog of twenty-five 

 inches catches the eye, and he can carry a heavy coat 

 without looking like a smothered Yorkshire or a door- 

 mat-like Isle of Skye terrier." 



On the other side of the question the argument is 

 frequently advanced that the big dog is unable to pass, 

 should occasion demand it, over his sheep's backs. 



On the face of it, the case which calls for this 

 acrobatic display of canine agility must be extremely 

 rare. It argues a mass of densely packed sheep, hemmed 

 in on either side by an impassable obstruction, and an 

 immediate necessity for their guardian to get in front 

 of them. Admitting these premisses, we are to suppose 

 ' that a dog, with sufficient sagacity to travel over a 

 flock's backs at all, is unable to find a way round. 



It is an unusual combination of circumstances, as any 

 drover will tell you, but it is well within the bounds 

 of possibility, and we are dealing with a workman. Let 

 us consider it in all seriousness. 



It may be that you have sometime noticed the 

 extraordinary lightness with which a trained athlete of 

 massive proportions strides over his obstacles in a hurdle 



