Old English (Bob-tailed) Sheep Dog. 147 



So he had, but unfortunately for the argument of 

 those who say the true Bob-tail is Welsh bred, such 

 dogs were originally brought from the Southdowns, 

 in Sussex, by Mr. Edward Lloyd, grandfather to the 

 present Rhiwlas squire. 



As a fact, the old English sheep dog is pretty 

 common in almost every county in England, but is 

 most often found as the dog of the farm in the 

 midland and southern counties, and as assistant 

 to the drover in the metropolitan and other cattle 

 markets of our large centres. He is an excellent 

 cow dog not so good for sheep, and were the 

 latter to turn and face him and stamp their little 

 feet in anger at his shaggy face, as the Welsh and 

 Scotch sheep often will do, quite as likely as not 

 the " bob-tail " would use his teeth on the foolish 

 creatures. In no degree has he the patience of 

 the true collie, an attribute in which the latter 

 excels above all others of the canine race. 



One of the peculiarities of these dogs is that 

 many of them are bred either without tails at all or 

 with very short tails tails ready docked in order 

 to spare the mutilating process which their owners 

 would have to undergo. It has been considered that 

 these puppies born without tails are the purest 

 bred, but this is another fallacy, for both " tails " 

 and u no tails" are usually produced in the same 



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