Page 20 - Aussie Magazine no1, 2023

History

Little blue dogs…

Farmers in the Midwest and East sent their
flocks west, accompanied by the British-derived
sheepdogs that had been tending them for
generations. Many of these dogs originated from
working Collies, which oftentimes were merle, as
well as tricolour, and black or tan with white –
typical Australian Shepherd colours and patterns.
These English Shepherds, as they were called,
also occasionally produced dogs with half-tails,
or no tails at all.

Most of the sheep that were brought to
the West in the late 19th Century
were Merinos. These luxuriously
coated bleaters originated in
Spain, where their export was
punishable by death until the
1700s when Charles III of Spain
sent some to his cousin, Prince
Xavier of Saxony. After crossing
the newly arrived Merinos with
their Saxon sheep, the Germans
soon became an epicentre of
Merino breeding. One German émigré
in particular brought these improved
Merinos to Australia, where they soon numbered underscored by the landmark 2017 Cell Reports
in the millions, eventually traveling from there to a study that examined the canine genome to see
sheep-starved American West. how dog breeds are related and, by extension,
how they developed. The study found that dogs
Newspaper accounts of the arrival of these sheep can be genetically sorted into 18 clades, or
from Down Under also mentioned the Australian groups of related dogs. The Australian Shepherd
Shepherds that accompanied them. Much like belongs to the UK Rural clade, alongside the
the English Shepherds that came from the east, Collie, Shetland Sheepdog, and Border Collie.
these “little blue dogs” weren’t a Bonafide breed, Like many of the dogs in that clade, the Australian
but rather a loosely defined type. They, too, were Shepherd carries the MDR1 mutation, which
derived mostly from British stock, as was most of causes sensitivity to Ivermectin, among other
Australia’s human population. No one in Australia substances, and the breed can develop Collie
called them Australian Shepherds – that name eye anomaly – disease sharing that is further
was given to them by observant Americans testament to its British roots.
who knew where they came from. While these
Australian arrivals weren’t necessarily numerous, Interestingly, the study also found that 10 percent
eventually every merle sheepdog earned that of German Shepherd Dogs also carried the MDR1
moniker. gene, and posited that the Australian Shepherd

either contributed to this quintessentially German
A mix of different cultures… breed – or that the two had a common ancestor.
Evidence that the Australian Shepherd we know Given the Merino sheep’s journey from Germany
today derives from British herding dogs, whether to Australia to the U.S., it’s conceivable that there
via the eastern United States or Australia, is were some German herding dogs in tow as well.

20 | A Worldwide Magazine for the Aussie • Issue 1/2023