Who doesn’t love a Collie? - breed of the week
Aren’t they just beautiful? Seeing a collie conjures up such warm fuzzy feelings; the same ones I had watching Lassie on Sunday evenings when I was younger(much younger…lol). They look brave, hearty, loving and kind all at the same time. Again, I am fortunate enough to work with a woman who has two collies. Her most recent is a collie she rescued named Alice. Alice is a bit skiddish because of her background, but loved just the same!!!!
Collies originated in Scotland and were used primarily as herding dogs. Their popularity grew when Queen Victoria visited the Scottish Highlands in the 1860’s and fell in love with the Collie.
Collies come in two breeds, Rough and Smooth. Smooth collies have a short flat coat while rough collies have the long harsher textured coat that we identify with collies. The collie is neither large nor small. It is catagorized as a medium sized dog and usually ranges between 50 and 70 lbs. The rough collie always appears so much larger because of the abundance and thickness of their coat.
Collies are known for of course their beauty, but also for their loyalty, friendliness and intelligence. They are one of the friendliest breeds and make good family pets because of their devotion. Due to their herding background, they are also known for their barking, but are not especially agressive. However, they are considered excellent watch dogs. Their intelligence makes them attentive and interested in everything that goes on around them.
When growing up, a neighbor had a collie named Teddy. He was a neighborhood favorite. We all loved Teddy. This was long before leash laws and Teddy could often be found wondering from house to house visiting the neighbors and insuring that all was safe and sound. Looking at the collie pictures, I thought of Teddy. Between he and Lassie, they provided me with a lasting and loving impression of this very special breed.
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