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The English Shepherd originated in England. Their ancestors came from the Romans, Celts, Vikings and Anglo-Saxons tribes. At one time each had invaded Britain leaving behind livestock and surplus dogs. These dogs are known to be the ancestors of the first “Shepherds dog” or “Working Colley”.
In the Middle Ages farmers of Great Britain found these dogs useful and began breeding them selecting for purposeful traits. With the different terrains and type of work, many strains of working dogs were developed, such as the Scotch Collie, Border Collie, and Bearded Collie to name a few.
Unfortunately, many strains were lost during the industrial revolution, no longer needed for their original purpose. It then became fashionable to own dogs as companions, influenced by Royalty (Queen Victoria) and the wealthy who enjoyed showing their dogs.
Fortunately the herdsmen of England had developed an exceptional multi-purpose farm dog that managed to dodged the companion dog craze. These English herdsmen, also called “English Shepherds” were known for raising quality livestock. American farmers valued their knowledge and many hired them to manage their flocks.
The dogs the Shepherds used to manage the flocks were highly valued by the American farmers, who called them “English Shepherd dogs”, believed to have been named after the England’s herdsmen or Shepherds. It’s believed the breed was brought to this country by the early English settles. Newspaper articles from the late 1800’s show English Shepherds were also imported to this country from England by livestock importers.
The United Kennel club (UKC) recognized the English Shepherd in 1927, being the original register of the breed. The English Shepherd was very popular in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Then with the decline in farming and ranching in the 1960’s the breed became rare.
The United English Shepherd Association, (UESA) is a UKC affiliated club and provisional Parent Breed Club, devoted to preserving and protecting this magnificent breed.
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