Australian Shepherds are a bit of a misnomer. Earlier ancestors came to America from Australia, and they got to Australia by way of Europe. Basque shepherds brought these “little blue dogs with bob tails” herding wonders with them as they followed the sheep industry to where it needed them, and where they were needed was tough country.  Traditional European herding breeds weren’t up to withstanding Australia’s rugged terrain, and the western United States wasn’t much kinder.  These tough, hardy dogs skilled at moving cattle made them a particular asset to a shepherd in the American West, and ultimately, the dogs were developed to be today’s Australian Shepherd, the only livestock working breed developed in America.

The first glimpse many people had of the breed was at “wild west” shows or rodeos. In the 1950s and 60s, rodeo contestant, Jay Sisler, brought his three Aussies, “Queenie,” “Stubby,” and “Shorty” to shows where they “showed their stuff.” With not much more than a nod from Jay, the diminutive blue and white dogs mesmerized audiences throughout the US and Canada where they silently moved 20-30 sheep from one place to another. Jay Sisler and his team of dogs were featured in the Disney movies Run, Appaloosa, Run and Stub: The Greatest Cowdog in the West.  Read more about Jay Sisler on Stockdog Savvy’s blog (it’s where the thumbnail image is from), and see Jay’s dogs perform in the video below: