About Australian Shepherds

They aren't actually Australian.  They came from the Basque region of Spain.  Basque shepherds first took their dogs to Australia and then to the U.S. so Americans call them Australian Shepherds. The breed, as we know it today, was developed solely in the United States.

They gained popularity from rodeos. American ranchers loved Australian Shepherds because they were great herders, but they rose to fame because of their appearances in rodeos. Not only could they herd bulls, they could also perform tricks.

Native Americans considered them sacred. Legend has it that Native Americans call them "ghost eye" and thought they were sacred. They do not always have blue eyes but pale blue, "ghostly" eyes are common.

They often have two different colored eyes.  Australian Shepherd is one of a few dog breeds that commonly have two different colored eyes, called heterochromia.  Aussies might have any combination of brown, blue, hazel, amber, or green eyes. Some Aussies even display more than one color within the same eye.

Many have naturally short tails. Aussies have a one-in-five chance of being born with a naturally bobbed tail.  Ranchers purposely bred Aussies that had naturally short tails because they are safer when it comes to herding.  

They have many jobs.  In addition to being herding dogs, Australian Shepherds serve as Seeing Eye dogs, hearing dogs, drug-sniffing dogs, and search and rescue dogs because of their high intelligence, Aussies are well-suited to do a wide variety of jobs.

One Aussie was a Frisbee Champion. An Aussie named Hyper Hank, and his owner dominated frisbee competitions in the 1970's and even performed at the Super Bowl.

They are great running dogs. After reaching full maturity, Aussies make great running companions.