desire to work any breed of livestock. They are loyal to their handler with a
dominant personality and a "try anything" attitude. Their intelligence affords
them the ability to be very creative if not kept mentally and physically
occupied. These are not a breed of dog for everyone and certainly not for the
novice or first time dog owner. They are not suited for apartment life, nor
suited for a life forgotten in the back yard. They are best suited for what they
were genetically bred for many years to do --- herd livestock.
INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ACD AND OUR BREEDING PROGRAM:
Australian Cattle Dogs are also called Blue or Red Heeler, Queensland
Heeler, or simply Heelers.
Our objective is to breed superior herding dogs using good solid genetics.
We are well versed in and have spent many years studying and applying
genetics. Genetics are the foundation that our breeding program is based
upon.
We strive to place our puppies with responsible, loving owners who will
continue to provide excellent care, proper facilities, and a lifestyle that would
keep any Australian Cattle Dog mentally and physically active. All puppies are
sold on a lifetime return guarantee, however; we can not refund the deposit or
purchase price of the puppy/dog.
We selectively breed for natural herding ability with a desire to work any
breed of livestock. Australian Cattle Dogs were genetically bred for herding
livestock. Our goal is to preserve that natural desire and herding ability. We
also breed for good temperaments, biddability and good conformation.
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the dog is registered with. Which is not a bad thing. They need a dog for a specific purpose and if the dog fits their
need/want they are happy. Most of time they don't care if the dog is registered or not, only if he can get the job
done. Not everyone wants or needs an AKC registered dog. We do have ACD's that are not AKC registered. These
dogs are not sub-standard and nothing is wrong with them > they just happen to be registered with the Working Cow
Dog Registry (a registry specifically for dogs that work cattle), instead of the AKC. These dogs have a long lineage
and have been in my family since 1984.
For the person that may want to show in conformation and/or AKC herd trials, we have champion sired, with
champion lineage, AKC registered ACD's.
ACD's were bred and genetically selected for the purpose of working cattle.
Despite much research, information and documentation concerning the development of the breed, there is still much
controversy (even today) over which breeds were used in the 'creation' of the ACD. The perfect combinations of
dogs were sought after to be able to withstand the harsh environment of the Australian outback. Thus, many
different breeds were tried before the "perfect" combinations were found.
In the 1830's Thomas Hall developed a working dog breed
known as the Hall's Heeler. Hall imported "Drovers Dogs"
from Northumberland (the home of his parents). These
dogs were came to be known as, "Northumberland Blue
Merle Drovers Dogs". They were not the "merle" coat
pattern as we know today, but were a ticked or mottled color
coat pattern. This distinctive mottled (or blue) color is still
seen in some modern British working dogs.
By 1840 Hall, after having crossed his Drovers Dogs with
his Dingo's, was satisfied with his breed. The next thirty
years, these "Hall's Heelers" remained solely on the Hall
properties and were used on his large cattle operation.
In 1870, Thomas Hall died. His cattle empire, as well as
Hall's Heelers were made available at auction. Some of the
dogs were kept by stockmen from Hall's properties, others
were bought by cattle ranchers and other fanciers. It is
thought that "Timmins Biters", owned by Jack Timmins, were
in fact Thomas Hall's, Hall's Heelers. By the 1890's, Hall's
Heelers, were known simply as Cattle Dogs.
In 1897, Robert Kaleski compiled the first breed standard
for the Cattle Dog. It was published by the New South
Wales Department of Agriculture in 1903 and 1910.
A few years later, in the 1920's, Kaleski introduced an
assertion that the Dalmatian and Kelpie were used in the
making of the Cattle Dog breed. There is much controversy
as to if this is correct or even true. Over time, Kaleski's
theory has become accepted by some, even though newer
research has not been able to substantiate his findings. It
is said that Kaleski was fasinated by similarities. For
example, he thought a red cattle dog looked more like a
Dingo than a blue, therefore; he had extreme prejudices for
the red cattle dogs and thought they were more Dingo. Due
to this information, it is thought that Kaleski tried to explain
that the coloration of the Cattle Dog's tan point's came from
the Kelpie and the mottled color from that of the Dalmation.
In the 1940's, an Australian veterinarian, Dr. Allan McNiven,
infused the Dingo back into the Cattle Dog breed. These
became known as "McNiven's Dogs" and were heavily
imported by ranchers in the United States as cattle working
dogs. When the Royal Agricultural Society Kennel Council
(R.A.S.K.C.) discovered that Dr. McNiven was crossing the
Dingo back into the Cattle Dog breed, he was banned from
showing and all his dogs were removed from the registry.
The first attempt at breeding a dog suitable for the
harsh conditions of the Australian outback was Jack
Timmins. Timmins crossed the "Smithfield" with the
Dingo and were known as "Timmins Biters". The
name "Smithfields" was a name taken from the central
Smithfield meat markets of London. These dogs were
heavy built, black, flop-eared, bob-tailed with white
around the neck and sometimes feet and end of the
tail. "Timmins Biters" were known to have a severe
bite and would kill calves when they could.
This prompted several ranchers into crossing the
Dingo with rough collies. Their progeny tended to
bark at the head of the cattle and work them into a
frenzy.
Thomas Hall, in 1840 imported some "Blue Smooth
Highland Collies" to cross with his Dingo's. These
were described as blue merle dogs more like the
Border Collie or bearded collie. He continued to
breed these dogs until his death in 1870.
In 1870, two brothers, Jack and Harry Bagust, bred a
Hall's Heeler bitch to an imported Dalmatian to instill
the love for horses and loyalty to their master. This
cross was successful, but at the expense of working
ability. Since both brothers admired the working
ability of the Kelpie, they bred a black and tan Kelpie
into the breed. This last and final cross proved to add
the working ability back into the breed and added the
tan points that is found on the modern-day Australian
Cattle Dog today.
Which ever piece of history you chose to believe is up
to you.
