Our favorite Australian Cattle Dog nickname (but only when it’s said really fast) is AcCaDoe. ‘ACD’ is also fun to roll off one’s tongue, and depending upon your frame of reference, “Red Heeler” or “Blue Heeler” are also monikers we’ve heard. The “heeler” part of the name comes from the breed’s gift for moving reluctant cattle by nipping at their heels (clever, right?), while the “red” or “blue” parts come from the dog’s coloring. At one time, dogs from a line bred in Queensland, Australia which were successful at shows in the 1940s were called “Queensland Heelers” (this, to distinguish them from lines bred in New South Wales).

Cattle Dogs are one………wicked………..smart……….dog. If you’ve ever known one personally or had one do your taxes, you already know this. ACD owners, got pictures?

As for our image, if you’re a soft touch like we are and feel bad for the cow, you should know that this ‘love nip” likely lasted as long as it took for a 1,600 pound critter to shake the dog off.

Photo shared with the kind consent of Jeffrey Jaquish – ZingPix, http://zingpix.com/