WELCOME TO
An online museum dedicated to the shepherd's dog,
its history, culture, and lore
through the eyes of artists, writers, poets, and historians;
and to the shepherds that used their herding dogs to bring the flocks safely down from the hills.
"The Shepherd's Dogge...either at the hearing of his master's voyce, or at the wagging and whistling in his fist, or at his shrill and hoarse hissing, bringeth the wandering weathers and straying sheepe into the self same place where his master's will and wishe is to have them."
--- Johannes Caius, physician to Queen Elizabeth I,
from his Treatise on Englishe Dogges, 1576
Above, "Twins" by Sir Edwin Landseer.
("Twins" refers to the two lambs, not the dogs.
One of dogs (the rear one) is a sable and the other a tricolor,
possibly a saddle-patterned tri or a heavily shaded sable.)
There are two kinds of exhibits here that will give you an idea of what kind of dog a Border Collie is and what went into the making of the breed:
The Permanent Collection includes information and history of the shepherd's dog in general; on the Border Collie specifically, its history, physical attributes and working style; and an extensive bibliography. As with all our pages, we provide links to other Border Collie and shepherd's dog sites on the Internet. The intent is to have important and interesting information available to you at all times, but some of it may also change, as things are updated periodically or given a rest.
Left, a scene in the Yorkshire Dales by artist Alan Ingham.
The Changing Exhibit focuses on the cultural aspects of the Border Collie. Here you will find articles, interviews, profiles, stories, book reviews, artwork and photographs, all of which will change periodically. Usually, only one or two items will be featured in the Changing Exhibit. Some may be repeated from time to time, so if you missed something you may have a chance to view it again.
Left, a scene in the Highlands of Scotland, artist unknown.
Below are some of the things we have to offer. Just click on the thumbnail pictures and/or the green underlined text and they will take you where you want to go. Enjoy your stay and come back for subsequent visits. The exhibits are ever-growing and ever-changing.
Left, detail of sheep by Aldrich Otto Farsky (1895-1968), an American painter.
[REQUEST: The Border Collie Museum is always looking for new material, both for this site and for a possible future book. We are particularly eager to find material relating to the Border Collie or shepherd's dog in America. If you have any old books, articles, clippings, photographs, personal or family stories, and other memorabilia relating to the breed that you would like to lend or donate to us and would enjoy seeing incorporated into this site, please contact us (shepdog@gis.net) and we will tell you where to send it. Any material we borrow will be handled carefully and returned to you as quickly as possible. Any material donated to us, will be archived. If we use your material, we will give you credit. --ed.]
Above, "Two Collies" a sable and a black-and-white, from an 1870 painting,
artist unknown
[REMINDER: Thumbnails and/or green underlined text are links.]
THE HISTORY OF THE SHEPHERD'S DOG
The following are people, who, through writing or art, music or poetry, or by action, have contributed to our knowledge of the history of the shepherd's dog. There is very little mention of the shepherd's dog in history or literature, so we are infinitely grateful to the people referred to on these pages.
We purposely draw a distinction between the Border Collie and the shepherd's dog. For our purposes here, "Border Collie" refers to the shepherd's dog that as a breed did not come into being until the late 19th, early 20th centuries; whereas, "shepherd's dog" refers to all working herding dogs, primarily collies, chiefly in Great Britain and Ireland, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, from which the Border Collie and it's cousins developed.
VERY EARLY HISTORY
 Pushing Sheepdog History Back Before Caius |
 Johannes Caius 1510-1573 |
 Francis Barlow 1626-1704 |
THE EARLY 18TH CENTURY THROUGH THE MID 20TH CENTURY
 Introduction to the 18th & 19th Centuries |
 Georges Louis Leclerc Comte de Buffon 1707-1788 |
 Thomas Bewick 1753-1828 |
 Robert Burns 1759-1796 |
Sydenham Edwards 1768-1819 |
 James Hogg the Ettrick Shepherd 1770-1835 |
 William Youatt 1776-1847 |
 Sir David Wilkie 1785-1841 |
 Sir Edwin Landseer 1802-1873 |
 Richard Ansdell R.A. 1815-1885 |
 Queen Victoria 1819-1901 (Reigned 1837-1901) |
 Myles Birket Foster 1825-1899 |
 Rev. J. G. Wood 1827-1899 |
 Albrecht Schenck 1828-1901 |
 Harrison Weir 1824-1906 |
 Edwin Douglas 1848-1914 |
 W. H. Hudson 1841-1922 |
 Heywood Hardy 1842-1933 |
 Joseph Farquharson 1846-1935 |
 Adelaide L. J. Gosset 1855-19?? |
 Beatrix Potter 1866-1943 |
 Barclay Wills 1877-1962 |
HISTORY OF THE WORKING BORDER COLLIE
 The Drovers Dogs |
 Sheepdog Trials In Britain & Ireland |
 Old Hemp 9 Progenitor of the Border Collie |
 The Working Border Collie in America |
 Spot 308 Progenitor of the Border Collie in America |
 Border Collie Cousins |
 The Health of the Breed |
 The Border Collie in Stamps |
 Border Collie Names |
 A Sheepdog Bibliography |
THE 20TH CENTERY AND BEYOND
 John Herries McCulloch |
 Willie Scott 1897-1989 |
 Arthur Allen 1904-1996 |
 Carl Bradford 1907-ca. 1990 |
 Iris Combe 1914-2009 |
 Sheila Grew 1918-1986 |
 Eric Halsall 1920-1996 |
 Barbara Carpenter |
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What's On?
Above, an 1875 painting by George Horlor (1849-1891) called "Sheepdogs Resting in a Mountain Landscape".
One appears to be tricolored and the other heavily shaded sable with no white markings.
MEET THE CURATOR OF THE BORDER COLLIE MUSEUM
AND THE EDITOR OF THESE WEB PAGES
NOTE ON THE PICTURES ON THESE PAGES
For those of you who wonder where I get the pictures on these pages, I have to say they come from many sources and my own collection, both hard copy and virtual, is large. In every case, I try to track down the original artist or photographer, and, in the case where they are living, seek permission to use; but as you can imagine, this is no easy task. So let me just say that if I've put up a picture where you own the rights and have not credited you, I would be more than happy to do so if you will contact me at shepdog@gis.net or if you prefer, I will take it down. If you know the artist and I have not credited him or her, I would appreciate hearing from you as well.
However, there are several resources that I would like to acknowledge here:
Niki Sawyer was a handspinner and a sheep farmer, among other things. "Every morning at dawn," her husband Tom tells us, "Niki hunted the Internet for sheep images over coffee. She looked forward to this special quiet time--it relaxed her and gave us both a chance to wake up before tackling barn chores." Niki passed away suddenly in December of 2006 and her husband has put up a remarkable memorial website for her which includes nearly 6,000 of the images she collected. I am pleased to be able, with Tom's approval, to present some of Niki's collection here.
Sarah Kellem is the great, great-granddaughter of Victorian artist, Richard Ansdell, and has graciously supplied many of the Ansdell pictures I have on this website, as well as much information on her illustrious great, great-grandfather.
Beth Maxwell Boyle is an artist and sheep farmer from New York State, and with her husband, Jim, a metalsmith, runs The Rams Horn Studio. She is also an inveterate collector of sheep pictures, and has kindly allowed me the use of some of them on my website.
Barbara Carpenter is an author, sheep farmer and Border Collie breeder. Her unabiding love for the Border Collie breed has motivated her to amass a large collection of Border Collie memorabelia, which, over the years, she has generously shared with me and others, for which I am grateful.
There are others who have supplying pictures, but these four ladies have made the biggest impact on this website in the way of pictures, and I cannot thank them enough.
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THESE ARE THE OTHER WEB PAGES WE MAINTAIN
These web pages are copyright ©2009 and maintained by webmeistress Carole Presberg and webwizard David Presberg.
