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In amongst my old files was this article.
Mr. Rendel wrote this after his discussion with Margaret Osborne. Shelties and Collies Are Praised as Watchdogs Although collies and Shetland sheepdogs are related and look alike (but with the collie almost twice the size of the Sheltie) they are distinct breeds with different characteristics and standards, said Margaret Osborne, an English authority on both breeds, last weekend. She was one of the foreign judges in Baltimore for last Sunday’s Maryland Kennel Club show. “The Shetland sheepdog is described as a small collie, but it is not,” Miss Osborne said. “The Shetland sheepdog is a more animated and alert dog than the collie and shows more reserve toward strangers, but both are trustworthy with children and good watchdogs.” Miss Osborne was so busy judging collies, Shetland sheepdogs, and Welsh Corgies from 9:30 a.m. to after nightfall that she didn’t take time out for lunch, but settled for a hamburger between classes. Maryland’s was her only American assignment. She spoke about collies and their small cousins during a dinner the previous evening. “Although the standard says that the general appearance of the Shetland sheepdog should be that of the ideal collie in miniature, we don’t want Shelties to be miniature collies,” she said. “We want them to be two different breeds, each with it own characteristics.” She mentioned an oddity in the Sheltie’s manner of herding sheep. “They do not drive sheep by going around them, but by cutting across the flock’s backs from one end to the other.” She brought up a misconception about collies’ heads. “The general public, certainly in Britain, has gained the idea that because the collie has a long, elegant head, he has lost his brains,” she said. “The long head has been part of the breed since at least the early part of this century and is not a recent development, despite opinions to the contrary. “The fact is the brain of a dog is placed along the length of the head rather than across it, so the collie certainly has not lost brains but, if anything, gained them.” Miss Osborne started breeding Shetland sheepdogs when she was a girl 40 years ago (Her parents were against it, but that’s what she wanted to do). She has bred collies since 1940. Her Shiel Kennels in Kent contain about 30 dogs in the two breeds. “I rarely miss a championship show anywhere in the British Isles,” she said. “I rarely show more than three dogs at a time and always show my own. There are few professional handlers except in the terrier breeds. I do my share of winning.” She mentioned an incident about a Sheltie she had sold. “I sold a puppy at the age of 7 weeks,” she said. “Almost two years
later this dog saw me in the ring for the first time while I was judging in Amsterdam. She was so delighted that she pulled out of her collar and flung herself at me.” Note: Margaret Osborne is the author of “ The Shetland Sheepdog”, Arco Publishing Co., NY. |