Written By Gayle Kaye
The exact origins of the Collie are shrouded in obscurity, and over the years it has been a subject of much research and speculation. The origin of the name “Collie” remains as mysterious as its history. It was spelled various ways in the early years, such as: Coll, colle, Colley, Coally, and Coaly. The most widely accepted derivation is the Anglo-Saxon word “Coll,” meaning black and many of the early Collies were black. But others will contradict that. Some believe in old Gaelic, “collie” was the rural term for anything useful and a “collie dog” was definitely a useful dog. The sad truth is we will never know the exact origins of the breed or its name!
The Collie’s roots trace back to the Highlands of Scotland and Northern England. The Rough Collie was used extensively in Scotland as a herding dog for centuries. The Smooth Collie was used mostly in Northern England as a drover’s dog, keeping large flocks of sheep together and driving them to market. Bred with great care, these dogs assisted their masters in herding and guarding flocks, thus establishing their reputation as skilled working companions.
The early breeders basically took dogs from working Sheepdog families and began developing them into the foundations that would lead to today’s Collie. Certain working strains were bred to each other, crossed with other breeds and by careful selection, the Collie breed was developed over a period of many years. Since the breed was in the formative stages, desirable qualities had not yet been defined. There was no standard of perfection and there were no pedigrees or registrations.
Early History And Development
The breed’s popularity began to surge in the 1860s when Queen Victoria visited the Scottish Highlands and fell in love with the Collies she saw there. Victoria developed a “Collie Court” section in her Royal Kennels and had both Smooth Collies and white Collies in her kennels. Her interest sparked a fashion trend that elevated the Collie’s status worldwide.
While Scotland usually is considered to be the breed’s birthplace, England is often regarded as its nurturing ground, because of the English fancy that developed the Collie into a popular show dog and companion. The breed was first exhibited in 1860 at the Birmingham, England dog show in the generic class “Scotch Sheep-Dogs.” Starting with the first dog shows, the Collie emerged in all its glory, breaking its ties with the purely functional sheepdogs known in the past. The Collie breed was gaining public favor and for the first time breeders began developing show points by selecting on appearance rather than working abilities.
Around 1870, a handful of dedicated British breeders started concentrating on developing show characteristics. This is where the true history of the modern Collie begins. Many of the early breeders were English and lived in and around the city of Birmingham, an area long noted for its good dogs. Known as the “center of the collie cult”, the area became famous for producing some of the best dogs in the early history of the breed. However, in spite of Birmingham’s noted productivity, it is from the entire British Isles that we find the famous breeders and pillars of the breed. These early breeders are the ones credited with developing and refining the Collie and turning the breed into a popular, aristocratic dog. Breeders such as S.E. Shirley, the Reverend Hans Hamilton, Mr. A.H. Megson, Mr. R.H. Lord, Mr. T.H. Stretch and Mr. C.H. Wheeler and others were the earliest pioneers of the breed. Most of these names will not be familiar to today’s fanciers and not much is known about them, but they played an important part in the beginnings of the modern Collie.
American Development
The first British Collies were imported to the United States in 1879. Those first imports brought foundation stock that American fanciers sought for both competition and breeding. These British imports dominated American show prizes between 1880 and 1920, making rapid progress and laying the foundation for the present-day Collie.
One such early breeder was the wealthy financier J.P. Morgan. He was known in the late 1800s as the “King of the Collie World” and he spent thousands of dollars developing his world famous state-of-the-art Cragston Kennels! He imported some of the top British dogs and bred them successfully for several generations.
By the turn of the century, the American Collie was in a state of continued development, paving the way for the emergence of the great American kennels of the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s and beyond. One of the first important American breeders was Mrs. Clara Lunt of Alstead Collies in Rahway, New Jersey. She easily could be considered the “Mother of the Modern American Collie” not only because of her world-famous imports but because of the subsequent breeding of those dogs, many who helped formed the basis of the American bloodlines that followed. Names such as Arken, Arrowhill, Tazewell, Tokalon, Hertzville, Lodestone, Noranda, Sterling, Bellhaven, Honeybrook and Parader dominated the American dog scene and signaled the beginning of the Golden Age of the American Collie. This rich legacy continued and endures to this day!
The Collie Club of America
The collie club of America Inc. was formed on August 26, 1886, which makes it one of the oldest specialty clubs in existence. The original club objective was “the encouragement and improvement of the breed of collies”. Along with a club Constitution and Bylaws, came the first official Collie Standard. The Collie Standard is the description of the true type collie as adopted by the club. It is the blueprint for the perfect Collie.
The first official Sweepstakes was held in 1887 and the first National Specialty show was held in 1894. The club Centennial celebration was held in 1986.
The club has a long and impressive history, having evolved over the years into an organization that services the needs of many: breeder, exhibitor, obedience, herding, tracking, service, agility, versatility, and scent work. Additionally, the club publishes a “Bulletin” and annual yearbook and holds seminars and disseminates health information. The club has a rich and interesting history.
Collies In Pop Culture
As a breed not only have Collies been universally known and loved, but they have a rich and loyal following, and people who love Collies for all the reasons the breed is famous for, generally do so for life. For years stories of Collies saving families, children and homes abound. Over the years, Collies have been used as War dogs, Guide dogs, Therapy dogs, Service dogs — you name the need and Collies have filled it. Multiple dog hero awards have been given. There are hundreds of examples all over the world of Collies undying loyalty and devotion. The fact that the breed has been written about, filmed, idolized, eulogized, romanticized, popularized and photographed for Centuries, speaks volumes.
There are so many books featuring Collies that it would be impossible to mention even a fraction of those published. Not only has the Collie been eulogized repeatedly in the printed page (probably more so than any other breed), but he has been the centerpiece of some of the greatest dog stories ever written. Two books in particular, Lad, A Dog and Lassie Come-Home, have become classics. Both gave the breed wonderful positive publicity and helped establish the Collie as one of the most beloved of all dog breeds. While Eric Knight glorified the Collie in his story, “Lassie Come Home”, it was actually famed dog writer Albert Payson Terhune who put the breed on the map decades earlier with his publication of Lad, a Dog in 1919. Terhune, who never tired of extolling the breed’s virtues, did so in about 30 books. Quite a few authors preceded him, but Terhune’s were the first to be hugely successful.
Here are some book titles for more information on the history of the Collie: “Evolution of the Collie” by Trudy Mangels; “The Collie in America”, by Gayle Kaye and “The Collie Club of America 1886-1965” by Bernard Emmons.
