In our research, we became fascinated with that old-fashioned collie of yesteryear. The modern collie, though a very nice dog, has gone the way of so many purebred breeds of dogs. Many breeds have poorer health and physical problems, as their genetic pools have become narrower and narrower. There are now characteristic faults within many breeds, and collies are no exception.
In our line of Gracehaven collies, our goal is to keep as much of the rough collie looks, intelligence, and temperament as possible, while taking a step back in time towards a more genetically healthy old-fashioned farm collie.
Our stud is Angus, a wonderful rough collie. Angus is a more old-fashioned type of rough collie, with a stockier build, sturdier bone structure, a gently broadened head shape, and large, expressive eyes. His temperament is very good-natured, kind and gentle with children; but he can do guardian work as well. There was a time when we were very grateful for his abilities when we had a persistent problem with intruders on our land. He once fought a wolf to save our cat, Alexander. Angus was Canadian bred; all we have been able to find out is that his parents were purebred rough collies. Laddie, Angus' sire, was not registered, though his mother, Hannah, was registered with the Canadian Kennel Club.
Angus is like a knight of old; gallant, gentlemanly, courteous. Up until recently, he loved play-fighting the way knights used to joust at every opportunity. Angus views play-fighting as the sport of sports, and has many tricks up his sleeve which he uses to take his offspring down a peg or two when needed.
Ginny, our matriarch, was ¼ rough collie, and ¾ English Shepherd. English Shepherd is a sort of early collie type coming from the same landrace which branched out into Rough & Smooth Collies, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds (Aussies), and the like. One of Ginny's grandparents came from a line of Old Time Farm Shepherds which were a sort of remnant of the Scotch collies brought over by Scots immigrants to the Carolinas and Tennessee. Ginny's grandfather Jacob, is descended from Dunrovin Ole Shep.
Ginny was bred from working lines, although we ourselves only used her for guardian work. Her mother Daisy and Gus both come from lines that worked with livestock.
Ginny was very intelligent, strong, and affectionate; she loved to "shake paw" and to sit and "hold hands" with us as long as we would let her. She was also very vocal; not in the sense of barking, but she tried to "tell us all about it" quite earnestly. The longest she "talked" was after she had given birth to her first litter of puppies, and our Grandpa and Grandma came for a visit, arriving in a mini-van. She stood up at the car door with her front paws on the car door, and "talked" to Grandpa for over a minute through the open window, telling him "all about" her beautiful babies.
On November 14, 2008 we were stunned to lose our Ginny while she still had a litter of nursing pups. We will miss Ginny very much, and Angus will miss his beloved Ginny. We will miss looking into her huge, beautiful eyes and the way she "spoke" with her eyes. She put her whole heart and soul into her eyes, with a strength of devotion that warmed the heart. She was an excellent mother, believing that it was her calling in life. She was a very attentive mother, licking and caring for them diligently. We would often see her licking and loving the pups as if that was the most important thing a mother could do. She has left a legacy in her pups. God truly blessed our lives with Ginny of Gracehaven.
Old Time Farm Shepherds page
This includes some of the history of our Ginny's lines. In the first paragraph, click on Mr. McDuffie's name and follow links to read about Dunrovin Ole Shep. In the 7th paragraph, click on "Jacob" who is Ginny's maternal grandsire.
On the American Working Farmcollie (AWFA) page, you can see pictures of Ginny's grandparents Jacob and Jenny.
And you can see Ginny's parents, Daisy and Gus, here.
If you scroll all the way down the Daisy and Gus page, until you see pictures of a litter of puppies, our Ginny was one of those very puppies! Yes, she lightened up a lot to a blonde color, but she was that dark as a puppy!