Scotch Collie History
“... I believe that the old-fashioned collie or shepherd dog was one of the finest dogs that ever came to be the companion and helper of man... I wish Country Life in America could do something to save this noble breed from extinction, and I wish I could find out myself where I could get such a dog.”
Otis Barnum, in a letter to the editor County Life in America, December 1911
So why did these Scotch Collies become so rare that they were almost lost to the pages of history?
In the 1880's, Scotch Collies were highly valued family members, celebrated for their superior intelligence, natural biddability and calm disposition. They were valuable during World War I & II when the US Army used them for search and rescue. They were known as "Mercy Dogs", locating wounded and dying soldiers.
In the show dog world of the 1880's, judges began choosing collies with long snouts and excessively long hair, with no thought for their intelligence, workability and biddability.
When the family farms were exchanged for the factories during the industrial revolution of the early 1900's, their numbers continued to decline.
By the late 1980s, only a few remote pockets of these Scotch Collies with their valuable traits existed.
The Old-Time Scotch Collie Association was formed out of a desire to revive and increase the numbers of these historic collies. They recognized the need that had been voiced by so many for over 100 years, that we must keep the Traditional Scotch Collie alive! We have joined a growing number of others who continue the vision to keep the Old-Time Scotch Collie alive and thriving!
