I get this question a lot when people meet Lucy. She kind of looks like some sort of cross between a border collie, english shepherd, and a smooth collie. Maybe? And the truth is she is. Old Time Scotch Collies (OTSCs) are a landrace breed that originated in, you guessed it, Scotland. They were considered the original farm dog and many of the collie and shepherd breeds that are registered by the AKC today are descended from the OTSC. Dogs with particular characteristics were separated to form a distinct breed over time - the rough collie being the main breed. These dogs became recognized by the AKC as a distinct breed and these dogs became more a part of life away from the farm as people in towns and cities wanted dogs with a particular appearance, rather than a working dog. Over time the OTSCs became almost extinct (in fact, a women from the UK connected with me last year looking for a puppy and said OTSCs were extremely hard to find over there!). In the 1980s, a group of people recognized the almost depleted breed and began a registry for them. There are now around 500 OTSCs registered in the US. Check it out! https://www.scotchcollie.org
And now you’re probably wondering about that other word I used - landrace. Landrace breeds are “ a local variety of a species of plant or animal that has distinctive characteristics arising from development and adaptation over time to conditions of a localized geographic region and that typically displays greater genetic diversity than types subjected to formal breeding practices” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). In other words, Lucy comes from a group of dogs that originated in Scotland and have some distinct characteristics but also have a lot of genetic diversity because they are not subjected to formal breeding practices. OTSCs are not recognized by the AKC precisely for this reason. They just don’t fit into a perfect little box when it comes to physical appearance. But this makes them much healthier than their relatives and gives breeders the freedom to really hone in on what they are looking for when it comes to making the perfect match - especially if you’re really interested in a dog with a great temperament or that can do certain things really well. Think about all those times you’ve heard people say, “mutts make the best dogs” or “honestly, the best dog we ever had we got at the pound”. The attention to physical characteristics many times leads to dogs that may look just right, but really aren’t meant to be a family pet. And that’s what really sets an OTSC apart from the average purebred. Focus isn’t on appearance so much as it is what they do and how they act.
Take a look at this photo of Lucy, Tutka (our former stud) and two other OTSCs that I dogsat this summer. (Wow, and if you've ever tried to get a photo of 4 dogs at once, you'll appreciate how hard this photo was to get. I thought 7 kids was bad enough...).
All the same breed, you can see the similarities, but there is a lot of diversity. The size of their snout, the length of their legs, the shape of their head, coloring, even their coats are very different. I was really struck by it this summer when we had Tutka for several months. Lucy and Hamish are very similar in many ways, in both size and manner. Tutka had a lot of those same qualities. But I was most struck by the difference in their coats. Lucy and Hamish have very smooth and silky coats and shed very little, even during those particular times of the year. The two dogs I was babysitting had extremely long and dense coats. Tutka’s hair was more like fur - coarse, extremely dense and tangled much easier. I was astounded by the amount of hair he shed. Even though we brushed him daily, I would sweep up piles of it every day. I began to wonder if I just hadn’t noticed it that much with Lucy. But as soon as he left our home, the hair was almost gone. The density of his hair also meant that it collected dirt as he lay in the yard or driveway. And OTSCs have this awesome “teflon” coat as people call it. They may come in filthy, but after a short while, the dirt just sort of falls off and they look like I had washed and brushed them. It’s kind of bizarre. Tutka would literally have piles of dirt under him in the morning. But he always looked clean and beautiful! Hamish and Lucy have more of what I would consider the more tradition OTSC easy-care coat: Silky, clean, tangle and shed free!
Because there is less concern with physical appearance, these dogs are very healthy, with relatively few health concerns to worry about as a breed. Also, breeders have the opportunity to breed for personality and temperament which has created a breed that is really defined by something called “biddability”, their tendency and desire to listen, obey and to please their owner. This alone was the biggest reason that we chose OTSCs. After dealing with the stubborn and strong-will of the Alaskan Malamute and the rather indifferent and uninterested Pyrenees, Lucy was a breath of fresh air. I grew up with an Australian Shepherd and, though they are related, there is none of the incessant barking, neurotic busyness, and exuberant greetings that I remember from Smoky.
As a busy homeschool mom of 7 kids, my youngest 18 months at the time we got Lucy, it actually was within my grasp to fully and successfully train Lucy to behave as the wonderful family dog we had always wanted.
The amount of time that it took for her to “get” it was astoundingly quick and not only that, she seemed to want to behave for me. She is extremely sensitive, so it doesn’t take much more than a particular tone to my voice for her to realize when she does something wrong and it’s rare to see the behavior again. (I will say she is “my dog” and she recognizes me as her person. There are times when my husband and kids will need me to get her to do something if she doesn’t feel like it at the moment. She may be great, but she’s not perfect ;).
Overall, I can’t say enough about these dogs. They certainly have their challenges as any dog will, but if you’re looking for that movie-star dog that seems to fit the very essence of Lassie, an OTSC is about as close as it gets!
I have to throw in a few puppy pictures too...
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