The Mendicant Bug

Look at that cute little dirty nose. Went to the dog park.  Daedal was being good today, but Willow was being possessive with her frisbee and attacking any dog that got too close. Multiple dominations were required and it was hard to keep my cool, which doesn’t help. On the way out, we were throwing the frisbee and someone released their dog to go “play” with her. So the pit bull charges Willow down as she’s bringing back the frisbee and she snaps at it and they get into a scuffle. For one thing, damn pit bulls. For another, why does she insist on picking on dogs so much scarier? One of the dogs she was getting snappy with was a great dane three or four times her size. She’s a fierce little devil.

Australian shepherds are supposed to be good protectors. She’s so scrawny, it’s hard to believe she could be. Contrary to the name, Australian shepherds didn’t originate in Australia. They were bred from several different breeds in the western United States in the 1800′s. Originally, one of their ancestors probably came from Spain where Basque farmers used them with their livestock. During the landrushes of the 1800′s, many breeds were mixed in the American West. Dogs of UK and Spanish descent are believed to have contributed the most to the breed that came to be known as Australian Shepherds. The name seems to have come more from the fact that herding dogs were bred for specific landscapes in Australia and that practice was applied to this emerging breed. So Australian Shepherds are to Australia as Continental Breakfasts are to Europe.

I’m no expert here, so if I’m wrong, hopefully someone with more knowledge will fill in the gaps and/or correct bad info. As I understand it, there is a good deal of controversy.