The television show "Lassie" about a collie that had been featured in books and a movie, ran from 1954-1974 and caused a major surge in the popularity of the Collie breed in the US. Lassie is the only animal to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Collies have one of the most developed senses of hearing of any breed of dog. They are said to "know when a storm is coming", theoretically caused by their ability to hear a storm while it is still very far away. This can sometimes be a curse to the collie, which is often afraid of thunder and other loud noises.
The two versions of the collie are the rough coated and smooth coated. The two varieties came about to accommodate for different climates. The rough coated collie, or long haired collie, was developed for use in the Scottish highlands where the weather is cold and windy. The smooth coated, or short haired collie, was developed for use in the Scottish lowlands, where there are many marshes and the dogs often get wet. Today, the rough coated collie is much more popular than the smooth coated collie in the United States. In the UK, however, the smooth coated collie is just as popular.
The following famous people are/were collie owners:
Queen Alexandra
Queen Victoria
Shannon Doherty
Herbert Hoover
Courtney Cox
David Duchovny/Tea Leoni
President Lyndon Johnson
Renee Zellweger
Elvis Presley
Sarah Jessica Parker
Matthew Broderick
Oprah Winfrey
Calvin Coolidge
Collies have two coats; a dense short undercoat and an outer coat that has a harsher feel.
Collies are prone to hip dysplasia and eye anomalies. Both of these genetic problems should be discussed with a breeder prior to purchasing a collie puppy.
The name of the breed comes from the type of sheep the collie was originally bred to herd; they were known as colley sheep.
Collies are ranked by the American Kennel Club as the 37th most popular dog breed in the United States, based on the number of dogs registered with them.
Collies were first presented at a dog show in 1860.
Young collies will sometimes nip at the heels of humans. This is instinctive "herding behavior" and is typically outgrown.
Collies have a fantastic sense of direction. One collie is known to have traveled 2000 miles back to his family home when he became separated from his owners while on vacation.
Collies have received the Ken-L-Ration Hero Dog Award 5 times.
Collies are such natural herders that, even today, they are used all over the British Isles on sheep farms. In the US, where border collies are more often used for herding, many collies compete in herding competitions, that are typically part of agility events.
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