SoloRiver Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Solo has been a husky Brittany wolf Cocker Spaniel (what????) Fly is usually mistaken for a mutt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 It's funny, Oreo's not a purebred but I think everyone says "border collie" because she looks like the standard black and white fluff butt. Zoe... well most people don't even bother making a guess, they just kind of go, "And she's a......????" When I say "Maybe a sheltie-mix" they nod their head understandably. When I say "Maybe a border collie mix" they kind of look at me funny. She definitely does not look like a traditional BC! But the weirdest one, to me, was actually when my husband's father was visiting at our place, Zoe was on leash and feeling skittish. He looked at her and said, "She moves like one of those herding dogs." O.O This is from a person who doesn't like dogs, doesn't know much about them... but HE of all people saw border collie in her!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebC Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Our contractor christened Bo as 'that Dingo' But most people don't hazard a guess - it's just 'what kind of dog is that?'. Some think he is a mix because he is a merle, and they are looking for the 'traditional' solid black and white colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivia Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Hmmmm...When walking both Carlie (red and white tri rough coat) and Grif (black and white rough coat) I always seem to get "border collie right?" as they point at Grif and Carlie is always assumed to be an Aussie. Humph. She is also pretty small at 29 lbs with prick ears and I have had a couple of people ask if she is a papillion!?!? World's largest one maybe! Olivia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyleew Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 I have had quite a few people argue with me that Brewster is a pit bull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nes Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 I've gotten a few labs, but everyone thinks madi is a purebred rotti which is the most rediculous thing I've ever heard because she's skinny, slinky and has HUGE ears. As if every dog with tan earbrows and light toes is a rotti We've gotten maybe two that thought she was a doberman, but the vet just told us she's half so I guess that was a better guess then we thought Most people just have NO idea what she is and assume heinz 57 Nes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna frankland (uk) Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 well apparently tikki is part fox! i still cant see it myself but obviously the man at the boot sale was an expert i was so proud of myself, not only did i NOT explode at him, i also managed to NOT tell him that this was in fact biologically impossible lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Well that's ironic... I'd never gotten a strange guess for my two, but I just had someone online look at one of Zoe's puppy photos and ask if it was a shepherd. o.O LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prosperia Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Papillon. Then when I said no, she's a bc, the woman was all "Hmmm, are you sure? Well, she did look a little to big to be a papillon." Uh yea, Ya think? Most people dont guess, they just ask what kind of dog she is. The few who do guess usually say australian shepherd or "herding dog". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 The absolute weirdest ever was Pit Bull (green eyed, smooth coat, prick eared bitch). The woman actually grabbed her kids and crossed the street. My "Pit Bull" was looking at her kids and wagging her whole butt. She also got called a husky mix and when I ran her in a few sled dog races a lot of people mistook her for a "purebred" Alaskan Husky. One person called her a Kelpie and another a Dingo mix. I had her tied to my truck at a trial and Roy Johnson, who was judging that day, stopped dead in his tracks and said "She goes back to my Roscoe, doesn't she." Indeed she did, 5 generations back! My red rough coat mostly gets Aussie, but also husky and Springer Spaniel. My small, fine boned split face gets Whippet, Sheltie, husky, Mini BC. Duncan, who was a tri with brindle points, one prick ear and one rose ear, usually got BC mix. He couldn't possibly be purebred because purebreds never have brindle and their ears are supposed to match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Owen Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Well personally I think Bailey is Border Collie x gold fish (brain size+memory) x tug boat x frog (length of tongue) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Man, I'm bummed. No one ever comes up with weird things to ask if Finn is. Buddy, now, was another story.... but I think he was just so odd-looking that nearly everyone just asked "What kind of dog is THAT?" and only a few hazarded guesses. Mainly they came up with sighthound type guesses (once someone asked if he was a Borzoi, which I secretly thought was hilarious, but I replied soberly that he was not.) He got Saluki once, and Afghan hound mix once. Mainly it was whippet crosses and the like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordercentrics Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Not really a guess, but two children in a park saw Meg and Finn McCool walking, and said "that one looks like a fox and that one looks like a bear". So, they have been the fox and the bear to us ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjk05 Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 My dogs are always part-cattle dog/blue heeler... and the most insistent people are usually other border collie owners (of the more traditional fluffy B+W variety). Nobody in the city can believe border collies can have ticking, without some cattle dog input (and I guess the fact that I have a cattle dog confuses the issue). I've had BC breeders tell me I've been "sold a story" if I believe my dog is a pure border collie, and one vet who listed Bill's breed as "cattle dog cross" even after I explained he is all border collie. Bill: Sometimes I can understand their confusion- this is my Bill's half-brother, also a border collie: And our pup Connor, smooth coated and mostly black and tan, does look a bit like a kelpie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 couldn't possibly be purebred because purebreds never have brindle and their ears are supposed to match. I never thought of that. Maybe that is why Dazzle gets "border collie mix" so much - her ears don't match. Interesting. I just hate what barbie collies are doing to these guys. :mad: It makes everyone think our dogs are far from being border collies! (pit bull?!? Give me a break! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 I used to have a Pomeranian and convinced numerous people that she was a mix between a cat and a fox. "Cat-foxes are very expensive because they have different numbers of chromosomes and are very difficult to breed." I wonder what they are teaching in biology these days, considering how many people bought this story. I forgot that Solo is most often mistaken for an Aussie. A lot of people don't seem to know that Border Collies aren't always black and white. He's also bigger boned than a lot of Border Collies so I guess maybe I can kind of see the mistake except that (a) Solo isn't keg-shaped and ( he has the longest, fullest, most beautiful tail you've ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 What I usually get is "is she a -hesitate- border collie mix?" I reply, "she's purebred", they say "oh, they usually don't have that much black do they?" I'm thinking about telling folks that they are confusing her with a Barbie Collie, which is an off shoot of the breed, bred for dog shows. And then when asked her age, I say 7, and they say "years or months?".... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philologus Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 Because England is such a small place and we live not far from the England/Scotland border, it is unusual to meet anyone who does not immediately recognise our dogs as BC's. I was at the English Nationals over the weekend and the range of dogs was amazing. The "barbies" were not much in evidence and those who breed "barbies" would not have classed half the competing dogs as being BC's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoeysMom Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 Well, I have to admit, even I thought Joey was part husky at first. In my defense (thin though it may be) we got her from a shelter, and they told us she was an Aussie. After being on the boards, it is clear that she is all border collie. No doubt in my mind now. Others still swear she's a husky. Thanks to you all for setting me straight. I always get that "that dog has crazy eyes" since both of her eyes are both blue and brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladybug1 Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 Someone argued with me that there was no way Toby was purebred Border Collie. They had a short haired BC and according to them BCs only come in short hair. I corrected them smiled and walked away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Columbia MO Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 I just hate what barbie collies are doing to these guys. It makes everyone think our dogs are far from being border collies!As the token owner of an AKC conformation champion (who is also a Pro-Novice USBCHA dog), I don't think this excuse holds up at all. Here's why... In my state of Missouri, there are--MAXIMUM--maybe 5-6 Border Collies that have ever been shown in conformation, including my dog and his littermate--both now retired and neutered. I am not aware of a single BC conformation breeder in the state. According to the BCSA Breeders' Directory, the only AKC BC breeder in MO lists her only activity as herding. And it isn't only Missouri. Nationwide, there are only about 200 members in the BCSA, and I would guess about half of them either don't breed or don't do conformation or both. They are FAR outnumbered by working lines breeders. Here in Missouri, I would guess there are probably 5,000+ working Border Collies, of which about 50-100 trial on a regular basis. We're one of the top cattle states in the country, and so they are very much in evidence in working environments, at fairs or anywhere that cattle are in evidence. When I take my dogs on the street--one b/w rough-coated AKC conformation Ch. and one very lightly coated ABCA-lines dog, split face tri with ticking-- everybody knows right away what they are and knows they are the same breed. They recognize them if I only have one of the dogs with me too. I would say I have virtually 100% recognition--higher than when I had a Golden Retriever. The reason? It is hard to find anybody in small-town MO that does not either have a BC, have a relative with one, or grew up on a farm with one. They have no problem realizing that they come in different colors and coats. Maybe the problem with recognizing the breed is more of an urban problem. I think the general public tends to be uneducated about breeds in general. I have had several people identify my Jack Russell Terrier as a "Jack Dempsey" terrier! He has also frequently been called a fox terrier, a rat terrier, and often a "terrier mix." Note that he was the 1997 #1 conformation Jack Russell in the USA. Being a conformation champion and terrier group winner did not mean people automatically recognized the breed! My Australian Cattle Dog was either a wolf, dingo, dalmatian, pit bull, hyena-mix... or when he was a puppy with big ears... a BUNNY! I'm enjoying this thread. But anyway, if you guys want the general public to recognize your BCs, you should move to a state with a lot of cattle! Columbia, MO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 I had a little one say Holly was a cow. He did have the colors right, just a wee bit off on the size. It's was cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 I was walking both dogs in my neighborhood one day when a woman passing in her car suddenly stopped, leaned out her window, and said, "Ohmigod! I thought you were walking a fox!" I patiently explained to her that foxes (at least in our area of the country) are red and white, while my Border Collie is black and white. Stupid people shouldn't breed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 LOL Some of these are cracking me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 14, 2006 Report Share Posted August 14, 2006 Originally posted by BustopherJones:I was walking both dogs in my neighborhood one day when a woman passing in her car suddenly stopped, leaned out her window, and said, "Ohmigod! I thought you were walking a fox!" I patiently explained to her that foxes (at least in our area of the country) are red and white, while my Border Collie is black and white. Stupid people shouldn't breed... Um, maybe she was smarter than you realized and simply thought you had imported a pet Russian silver fox! LOL! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tame_Silver_Fox J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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