Purple and Paws My dog Socks is a Border Collie/Aussie mix. Before I adopted him, I knew nothing about Australian Shepherds. After I’d had him a while, I decided it might help if I researched Aussies and got to know their quirks so I could understand Socks better. Here are 10 facts I learned about Australian Shepherds.
- Australian Shepherds originated in the western U.S., not Australia, around the time of the Gold Rush in the 1840’s.
- Despite the breed’s popularity, Aussies weren’t recognized by the American Kennel Club until 1993.
- Aussies who are primarily white are more likely to suffer from deafness and blindness.
- They are highly sensitive to sound and may develop noise phobias, especially to thunderstorms.
- Aussies shed twice a year, in the spring and fall.
- Genetic research has found that Aussies and Border Collies are closely related to each other.
- Aussies can have “merled eyes” which is when one color is mixed in and swirled with another (Socks has this; his eyes are brown and blue!)
- Aussies can be born with either naturally bobbed tails or full long tails.
- Some Native American tribes called Aussies “ghost eye dog” because of their phantom-like peepers and considered them sacred.
- In the past, to avoid injury, farm workers would dock the the ears and tail of their Aussie since long ears and tails could get in the way of herding.
There you have it! I could fill pages with facts about Aussies but I’ll stop with ten this time! Do you know any interesting facts about Aussies? If so, please share them!