The Miniature Australian Shepherd in some ways has a short history, but in other ways, its history goes back a couple of hundred years. But for sure, the Miniature Australian Shepherd has an interesting history that is still being written.
What's in a name? The Miniature Australian Shepherd is known by several names. It also is known as the North American Shepherd and the North American Miniature Australian Shepherd. This is solely because of a now-defunct rule by the first organization to accept the breed, the American Rare Breed Association, which stated it couldn't have the same name as a breed registered by the American Kennel Club. It is NOT because it's a different breed or bred down via other breeds than the Australian Shepherd.
Get your passport stamped: These dogs aren't native to Australia. In the 1800s, Australia was importing its finest sheep from Spain. The Spanish herders would include these little blue dogs with their shipments to keep the sheep in line. Then the dogs were shipped again to sheep ranchers in the American West.
We were here first: Pictures from the Old West that show ranchers with their imported dogs prove that the Miniature breed may have been the original size of the dog, and may have been bred larger when cattle ranching took over from sheep herding.
Work in progress: Reputable breeders are still attempting to gain universal acceptance for the Miniature Australian Shepherd. They're still breeding their miniatures to standard Australian Shepherds to expand the breed's gene pool and to eventually have Miniatures be able to produce a full litter of Miniatures.
Let's get together on this: The two most recognizable parent organizations for the Miniature Australian Shepherd, the North American Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of the USA and the Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of America, are currently working toward combining into one organization. Basically, the groups feel if they stand together, it will be easier to achieve their goals.
Eye, eye, eye! The most fascinating part of a Miniature Australian Shepherd is their eyes. Eye colors can vary. They can have two green eyes, two brown eyes, or two cold blue eyes. They can even have one blue and one green, or one brown and one green!
Working with its own style: The Miniature Australian Shepherd has a home on working farms and ranches. It's perfect for wrangling smaller stock, like sheep and geese. Unlike the standard breed, the Miniature Australian Shepherd will crawl over its quarries' backs to get the upper hand!
To find out more interesting facts about the Miniature Australian Shepherd, visit your local library, bookstore, reputable breeder, or your favorite search engine on the Internet.
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