by Vivian Flynt © 1995, 2012, and 2016 This story was told to me by a dear friend, a retired gentleman who lives in Columbus, Ohio. Jim is my hillbilly buddy, and cannot read or write. This true story of two generations of English Shepherd heroes was too good to lose, so I wrote it […]
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Category: History
Things I remember about ES from my childhood
by Kay Delk Keziah @2016 Grandpa and other local farmers (most were dairy farmers) had purebred ESs in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Grandpa’s last ES died in the 60’s and later he sold out of the dairy business, but kept farming. He had had beef cows, sheep, goats, horses, chickens and ducks. Most of […]
Conformation Corner: Merles
by Vivian Flynt © 2016 Question: “I’ve been looking at getting an English Shepherd. I’m disappointed they don’t come in merle. Why is that?” Short Answer: Sables. Merling is incompatible with sables. A long time ago ES breeders decided they could have one or the other, but not both. Need more? Okay, here’s the back […]
A Historical Look at Rear Double Dewclaws in the English Shepherd
by Vivian Flynt © 2015 Many dog experts describe dewclaws as a rudimentary fifth toe, a functionless, vestigial digit on the inside of the canine leg. I have to admit I bought into that description until last week, when our black-and-white English Shepherd, Jake, got a chicken strip wedged in his mouth. After our attempts […]
Old-Time Farm Dogs
from “All Purpose Dogs” by B. B. Titus, Field & Stream, Jan. 1957 submitted by Linda Rorem I was reared in what is now an all-but-abandoned section of Vermont, the town of Vershire…there wasn’t a lot of wealth in Vershire, and we had to make do with as few dogs as possible. So nearly […]
Rare Breed Spotlight
Dog World, September 2009, ARBA “In 1937, Leon F. Whitney of Orange, Conn., a veterinarian and dog-book author, wrote that the English Shepherd “is probably the most numerous dog in America. It is the ordinary shepherd one sees on farm after farm throughout the country” (How to Breed Dogs, 1937). Historians have speculated […]
Working Dogs…
Submitted by Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor “ABOVE: Stodghill’s Warrior, ESCOA Number 54 709 loading a Brahma calf. The English Shepherd has to be fast and heel low to keep from being kicked. Please notice how Warrior dodges the calf […]
Desirable Hunting Dogs
submitted by Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor “Pictured above is Stodghill’s Betsy Shep, ESCOA No. 51-0038. Please notice how she is treeing. English Shepherds are desirable as hunting dogs, treeing squirrel, coon, possum. In fact English Shepherds will tree anything […]
Genetics and Why It Matters
by Merijeanne Hollingsworth @2015 Dogs have tremendous genetic variety: from a wolf-like ancestor, they have developed into thousands of dissimilar breeds (genetic evidence shows this “split from wolves” happened around 27.000 years ago.) The differences between “breeds” of dogs are both physical and behavioral. It’s important to understand at least a little about genetics to […]
English Shepherds and Livestock Guardian Dogs
Differences in Behavior & in Roles by Carla Green @2015 People often ask me whether they need a livestock guardian dog such as a Great Pyrenees, or whether an English Shepherd would fit the bill. I believe this question results, at least in part, from confusion about what some have called the “guardian” nature of […]