Once known as a kingpin drover of Great Britain, Old English Sheepdog has a rich working history on the rolling hills of the southwestern England. A drover that had a coat to protect him from heat and cold, has a powerful stance, enduring stamina, and prominent bark was a perfect companion for sheep and cattle owners when it was time to move herds to markets. At the time, aristocrats kept dogs as pets, which was considered a status symbol for which the government imposed a luxury tax. Exemptions were working dogs with docked tails. Docking of tails was a proof of a working dog as it would change their appearance. Considering that laws mentioned taxing “as per tail of dog”, owners docked their tails and there was no tail to be taxed. Another reason for docking was a belief that dog tails got hurt often (more in hunting then herding) so docking offered a protection from potential injuries. Traditional docking of their tails led to the common name of Bobtail for the breed. We cover controversies and historic reasoning for OES tail docking in this article.
Even though the origin of the Old English Sheepdog breed is still debated among experts, it is believed that the original stock contained Bearded Collie, Russian Owtchar, and even Smithfield. The exact year of the first Old English Sheepdog is not known, but the earliest mentions of the breed are in late 19th century making it actually a young breed, therefore the word “Old” is misnomer.
Origin of the Old English Sheepdog breed
We already established that the word “Old” in the OES name is misnomer, but Sheepdog is also misleading as Old English Sheepdogs were mostly used as drovers assisting their owners to transfer cattle from farms to markets. With their muscular and well-coated body, fearless behavior and profoundly deep bark, Old English Sheepdogs were appreciated for deterring wolves and intruders. If you have ever witnessed protective OES, you know that their bark and growl can be quite intimidating. However, they do produce a high pitch bark when they are happy and excited to see you.
Embed from Getty ImagesMany authors covered origin of the Old English Sheepdog, and even though there are variety of sources, some paintings and books lead to dog described similar to Old English Sheepdog, but it can’t be verified as several sheepdogs of that period had similar appearance. What is evident from the books presented in the 19thand 20th century is that dispute about originality and origin of Bearded Collie and Old English Sheepdog was never fully resolved. Even though today it is clear what are the physical differences and traits of these breeds, at that time Old English Sheepdog was often called Bearded Collie without tail, which was customarily docked in England. Bearded Collie was Scottish, while Old English Sheepdog was his English brother. Looking at the pictures of South Russian Owtcharka, it is evident that many physical traits are shared with the Old English Sheepdog, as the OES is more muscular than the Bearded Collie. As natural bob-tailed Old English Sheepdog is rare, most of the bob-tailed Old English Sheepdogs are docked within few weeks after birth and it is now considered to be purely cosmetic. In most countries of the European continent docking is prohibited and considered cruelty. American Veterinary Medical Association lobbies for removal of cosmetic alterations from breed standards as it is deemed unnecessary.
1873 was a significant year for the Old English Sheepdog, as this is the year that the UK’s Kennel Club was established and the OES recognized as a distinct breed. Keeping a dog as a luxury symbol was not only a peculiarity of Great Britain. Wealthy industrialists from the USA noticed fluffy long-haired dogs on their visit to the UK. William Wade was the first wealthy industrialist that showcased an Old English Sheepdog in the United States. By the early 20th century, Old English Sheepdog became very popular with wealthy families of America. Old English Sheepdog was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1885, and the first OES was registered in 1888. In 1904 Westminster show, 5 wealthy families show their Old English Sheepdogs. At the same time, Henry Arthur Tilley founded Old English Sheepdog Club of America. This was the beginning of OES transition from a working dog to a pet. Thanks to mechanical and industrial revolution, herds became large, and farmers were now able to use machinery instead of drover dogs. This meant that farmers could now use other breeds that were intelligent, but also low-maintenance dogs to herd their sheep and cattle. Old English Sheepdogs were well known for their bravery and strong stance when dealing with wolves. This is the heritage all future owners should know as they could be trained as goofy playmates, but also protectors of your family.
Embed from Getty ImagesPopularity of the breed has been changing over the years of the 20th century. Old English Sheepdogs were very popular in the late 60’s, but already in the 80’s number of Old English Sheepdogs registered with the American Kennel Club and The Kennel Club of UK dropped by 90%. It is hard to determine what is the reason, but appearance of designer-oriented breeds with lower maintenance requirements, as well as work-oriented lives with less time for pet care could be some of the factors.
Famous Old English Sheepdogs
The Shaggy Dog movie, sequels and remakes. In the 1959 Disney film The Shaggy Dog, Old English Sheepdog Sam from Bratislava was casted to portray main character’s transformation from human to shaggy dog named Chiffonn. The plot is about teenage boy Wilby Daniels who transforms to an OES with the power of a magic ring. In a 1976 sequel movie The Shaggy D.A., Wilby Daniels is successful attorney, but series of robberies makes him to wear the magic ring again this time transforming to an Old English Sheepdog Elwood. In 1987 Disney decided to make another two-part movie The Return of the Shaggy Dog, which covered events in Wilby Daniels’s life in 17 years period of Wilby’s growing up. 1994 brought a remake of The Shaggy Dog original plot, only this time it was with Bundles, the Old English Sheepdog character. In 2006 another The Shaggy Dog movie was made, but this time the main canine character was bearded collie, not the Old English Sheepdog.
Embed from Getty ImagesOther movies and TV shows in which Old English Sheepdogs appear:
- Bombshell (1933) with Jean Harlow, who owned an OES in real life as well,
- Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960),
- The Lucille Ball Show (1964),
- Billie (1965),
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968),
- The Doris Day Show (1968 – 1973),
- With 6 You Get Eggroll (1968),
- Serpico (1973),
- Digby – The Biggest Dog in the World (1974),
- Gator (1976),
- Jamie and the Magic Torch (1976-1979),
- Private Benjamin (1980),
- The Racoons (1985 – 1991),
- Labyrinth (1986),
- Foofur (1986-1988),
- Barney (1988 – 1989),
- The Little Mermaid (1989),
- Hook (1991),
- The Naked Gun 2 ½ (1991),
- HouseSitter (1992),
- 2 Stupid Dogs (1993 – 1995),
- Speechless (1994),
- North (1994),
- 101 Dalmatians (1996),
- Cats and Dogs (2001),
- Krypto the Superdog (2005 – 2007),
- Open Season 2 (2008),
- Open Season 3 (2010),
- Song of the Sea (2014).
Some of the Characters in books and comics:
- Hot Dog, Jughead’s faithful dog in Archie Comics (1939 – ),
- Boot from the “Perishers” (1959 – 2006),
- Farley and Edgar from the comic “For Better or For Worse” (1979 – 2008),
- Mr. Mugs, the main character in a series of children’s books used as readers for Canadian elementary schools and influenced a lot of future owners to adopt Old English Sheepdogs (1968 – 1979),
- Muffin Mclay in Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Diary (1983).
Famous people who owned Old English Sheepdogs
Martha, my dear. Paul McCartney had an OES named Martha from 1966 until 1981 that apparently inspired McCartney to write the song Martha, my dear. Martha’s offspring Arrow was in a cover of McCartney’s Paul is Live album released in 1993.
Embed from Getty ImagesPresident Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt received prize-winning Old English Sheepdog named Tiny Tre on April 20th, 1933. The presidential pair gifted the Tiny Tree in 1934 to their friend Admiral Cary Grayson.
Roosevelt and their OESActress Jean Harlow, who tragically died of renal failure when only 26 years old, had several prize-winning Old English Sheepdogs. She was known for her portrayal of “bad girl” characters and was nicknamed “Blonde Bombshell”.
Embed from Getty ImagesJeanette Anna MacDonald, famous singer and actress also had an Old English Sheepdog despite the fact that she was allergic to dogs.
Captain Kangaroo (Bob Kreeshan) popularized breed with his Old English Sheepdog “Bebe” being a recurring character on his children’s television program that lasted for 29 years.
Baseball player CC Sabathia owns an Old English Sheepdog named Raider that became viral sensation after posting a picture of Raider in his lap and a comment “he really thinks he’s a lap dog”. CC Sabathia was involved in lawsuit raised against him as his dog bit an electrician working on his home. It is unclear if Raider was involved in the incident, as the suing electrician described the dog as “vicious”.
Cartoonist Robert Ripley also owned an Old English Sheepdog. His OES was famous as one-eyed Old English Sheepdog called Cyclops.
Robert Kennedy, 64th United States Attorney General and U.S. Senator from New York owned several breeds of dogs, including an Old English Sheepdog.
The pioneer whistleblower in NYPD, Frank Serpico, is one of the “regular folks” who became famous for his bravery when dealing with corrupt police officers. AL Pacino portrayed him in the 1973 film Serpico. His Old English Sheepdog Alfie was also portrayed in the movie and Al Pacino made numerous scenes with Old English Sheepdogs. This definitely helped raising the popularity of the breed in the 1970’s.
Embed from Getty ImagesCanadian cartoonist Lynn Johnston created cartoon “For Better or For Worse” based on her family, which included an Old English Sheepdog Farley and his puppy son Edgar. Even at this day Farley is often shared among Old English Sheepdog Facebook groups and serves as unintentional means to popularize the breed.
Another famous OES owners were actresses Katherine Ross, Veronica Lake, Joan von Ark, Lainie Kazan, radio and TV commentator Charles Osgood, Canadian artist Emily Carr, American actor Edward Everett Horton, American radio personality Rush Limbaugh, and American poet Rod McKuen, among others.
Dulux Dog
Embed from Getty ImagesFinally, we cannot talk about Old English Sheepdog and not mention the Dulux dog. In 1961 advertisement director of the Dulux company brought his Old English Sheepdog Dash to the recording studio and Dash kept running across the set to play with child actors. It was evident during the editing process that the interaction with children was adorable and so Dash became a cast member for the advertising campaign. 14 Old English Sheepdogs participated in Dulux commercials since 1961. It is now considered a special privilege to be a Dulux dog, so casting can take hours or even days with more than 400 candidates.
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