The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-30
ORIGIN OF COLLIE IS
SHROUDED IN DOUBT
Probably Is Not a Direct De-
sccndant Of Early Shcp-
herd Dogs.
Is INTELLIGENT ANIMAL

II ten dog men we're asked the dos
whose origin Is the easiest to trace they
probably would say that that breed II
he collie. To the casual observer TINS
seems the most natural answer. but
deep and p%ainstaking study reveals that
such IL not the case. The striking sim'-
larity between the collie. especially the
plebeian branch Of the family which
generally goes by the name of shepherd
dog. and his Wild cousin the wolf prob
ably has done much to foster and spread
the theory that the collie liz the neares,
kin Of the wild dog.
The collie. the wolf. the jackal, the
husky OF the Arctic regions and the
s.,rt-doluesticated dog ~ the American
Indian. IL IL true. all bear marked re-
sem,tiuce 90 each other. hut bcv use
his Is 80 i does not necessarily ollow
that they are closely related n
seems To he a delicate question and
one that causes endless deb tes. hut IN
the case OF the collie the bulk OF the
mr. "r.., seems ~ - in tn negative
The first authentic work on the
collie came from the Greeks. who
kn.y and appreciated the value ~. these
dogs as aids In the tending OF sheep.
Neither Greece nor Rome. however. has
left any pictures or drawings of its
sheepdogs. Even II they had left
records Of the appearance OF these dogs
It would not have been NJ any practi-
cal use TO the collie breeders OF to-day
for the collie r. undoubtedly % british
orig. II has nothing to do with the
dogs the Romans used in tending their
sheep. The exact origin OF the collie
seems to he an open question. some
persist in their claims that he is the
direct descendant of the wild dog. II
probably Is true in that the FIRST dogs
ere domestlcated for the purpose of
tending the sheep. but that the collie
H. the parent roo seems more than
improbable.
A strong proof that the collie il the
result OF the special requirements under
which he has been asked 20 work may he
seen In the fact that the sheep dogs OF
the world show many different types.
In Tibet. for example. they have big
masttff-hk. dogs which easily can pro-
tect their charges from the attacks Of
wolves. The original sheepdog OF Great
Britain WAS something OF this kitd OF a
dog and many contend that the deer
hound. the Irish ~wolfhouud, the otter
NOlll, we S'%ilupB tlt llt 'tl4lt an
sprang from a common source, which
r.. nap.y was 4 broken coated woltish
G,r. mo-" resembling the ~deeihouud than
the collie Of to-day. mother popular
theory Is that the old English sheepdog.
Of which here are earlier records than
the collie. was responsible for the later
breed. the cross used to produce the
collie being that OF the deerhound or
greyhound. II can be stated safely the
shepherd dog Of Scotland did not assume
his pr.scn, appearance ,ill the latter
part OF the seventeenth century
Even the name of This beautiful breed
j. of doubtful origin. Cody. cooley,
cIily. coley. cole are all words which
ave reference TO tn" color black, AID il
j. but natural 20 assume ina. collie
should originally have had = similar
meaning. but exactly how IL came TO be
1up.led 10 ih!s dog has not been shown.
Gaelic C~uilean. meaning a dog, a puppy.
~ a whelp Even this does not clearly
show the origin, and Ike the origin OF
the breed remains an unsolved problem.
The collie has long been regarded as one
OF the most Intelligent of All dogs. ard
many claim hat he should hold this title
urdisputed. The stories told Of the
Amos human intelligence OF this breed
seem 10 give substantial evidence that
the collie uses more than mere Instinct.