Welcome back! Long time no see! The most exciting time has come! It is time to reveal the top 5 dogs on the list!! Let’s jump right in.

#5 Australian Shepherd

Australian Shepherds are easily one of the most beautiful dogs I have ever seen. Though they have not spent as much time on the big screen as other dogs I have written about, they have found a new source for fame; social media. One of the most famous doggie Instagrams is @aussieejack, an account with nearly 50,000 followers. This account depicts photos and videos of 3 Australian Shepherds, Jack, Charlie, and Winston. The content highlights the beauty, brains, and talent of these amazing dogs. Referred to as the “Aussie” by friends and owners, these dogs were bred and perfected on the West Coast, not Australia. The American Kennel Club describes the Australian Shepherd as “smart, work-oriented, and exuberant”, a notion I definitely agree with.

Fig. 1 Merle Australian Shepherd 

When full grown, male Aussies weightlifting’s around 60-70 pounds while females are quite a bit smaller, typically weighing between 35-50 pounds. It is extremely common for Australian Shepherds to exhibit 2 different colored eyes, while it is quite rare in nearly every other breed of dog. This phenomena is called heterochromia and can be expressed with any combination of brown, blue, hazel, green, or amber eyes. Aussies also have another unique characteristic; the colors of their fur. The most common and recognized colors of the Australian Shepherd are Merle, Red Merle, Black, Red tricolor, Black tricolor, Blue Merle, and Red. Aussie’s have medium to long hair, so adequate grooming is regular required to keep them happy, healthy, and beautiful. Australian Shepherds live for 13-15 years on average, but are able to live closer to 18 years in some cases. Towards the end of their lives they can suffer from hip and elbow dysplasia, cataracts, retinal atrophy, and epilepsy, as well as other diseases and illnesses.

Fig. 2 Siblings! 

Australian Shepherds are a rare sight at Dogwood Acres so I was always extremely pleased and excited to see one walk through the doors. A pair of 2 Australian Shepards named Spring and Happy occasionally came to visit, usually in the end of summer. As her name shows, Happy was always a very happy, easy-going, and adaptable dog. She played well with others, listened, and always ate all her dinner, something somewhat rare with lodging dogs. Spring is a few years older than Happy and she showed it. She was beginning to approach the end of her life when I last saw her and did not have the energy she used to or that Happy still had. Nonetheless she was still an extremely happy, sweet, well behaved dog. Though Happy and Spring were siblings at home, they were not biological siblings and looked nothing alike. Happy looks like a “typical” Australian Shepherd you see if you were to do a Google search of the breed. He is grey, black, tan, and white, the color pattern referred to as Merle by the AKC. Spring was mostly black, but still just as recognizable as Happy. Fig. 3 Red Aussie 

I am a big fan of Australian Shepherds. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to own an Australian Shepherd and have it be the dog my children grow up with. The dog I grew up with played a major role in my life and I would love for an Australian Shepherd to play the same role in my future children’s lives. I had a hard time ranking the Aussie this low, but that only means the next 4 dogs are something extremely special. I can’t wait to share the next dogs! Come back soon to read about #4!