A dog from my childhood...a border?

[izzysmom]

So I ran across an old photo recently. In the picture I'm around 5 or 6, maybe(? not sure) and my best friend at the time, Joe, was posing with me. In between the two of us, the fine furry friend with the smile is Boots. He was actually a dog who wandered into the neighbourhood one day and decided that he liked it there. For years he'd show up every day, hang out with me, and we'd go on adventures and explore. It was sort of like Boots was my dog; he just didn't live with me. (I only found out several years later, during one of the last times that I saw him alive, that 'Boots' was actually named King and lived about two miles away. Had his own home and family, but he adopted me as his pet. )

Now here's what I'm wondering. Since I'm one of those people who has difficulty recognizing anything but the 'classic' border collie, would you say that Boots was a border? Or perhaps a border mix? Admittedly, this isn't the best photo to really tell, but it's the only one I have of him. It never dawned on me until I came across this picture again that just maybe, Boots might have been the reason why I have found border collies so fascinating, and had always secretly wanted one. To my inexperienced eye I'd say he looks like one...what do you guys think?

btw, Boots was one of the greatest dogs. Ever.

[GreensMom]

I am no expert but it looks to me like Boots is part bc.
You and Boots look very happy together.

[wolftexas]

He looks big to me and wide. Did he have a tail? I might go with Aussie mix just from face and mass but wouldn't rule out border collie mixed with some sturdy farm dog either. Can't really rule out from just size alone because there are some BIG borders here in Texas. Most of the dogs here are used to work cattle so bigger is better. For example check out this picture! Hard to believe those are border collies!

http://burnetbordercollie.com/wp-content...0/0042.jpg

[katy_harvey]

He could be an English Shepherd, think thats what they are called, there was one in an episode of House that looked pretty much the same! They are basically bigger BCs

http://www.nesr.info/rescue/whatis/misty.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Shepherd

Thats an english shepherd

[katy_harvey]

But then again could just be a big border, Harvey's dad is MASSIVE, think he's gunna be the same lol

[izzysmom]

Hi guys,

I know, this picture isn't the best at being able to see him in full...but yep, Boots had a tail. From what I can recall it was fairly thick and he'd hold it in one of two positions (depending on his mood) either upright or at half-mast, and it had a bit of a curve. He wasn't quite a big dog per se...I would estimate his weight at around 40 lbs. at most. (I haven't weighed Izzy in a while, but I'm estimating him to be somewhere between 35-40 lbs. now, probably closer to 40.) I find the dog in the first link you have, Katy, looks similar to Boots, esp. the front end of the dog. He was more well-furred than that dog, however.

Well, ol' Boots' origins will definitely remain a mystery, though the suggestion of English shepherd might be a clue. Whatever his background, he really was a cool dog. Thanks for your suggestions!

P.S. Wolftexas, those are big collies! And very happy-looking ones, too.

[trickytrip]

He certainly was a handsome fella, you were lucky that he chose you.

[SpeckledBC]

Boots sure was handsome!! I'm pretty sure he's full BC ! Either way he sounds like an awesome dog, he was loved by you and your family and he's so darn cute !!

[Fergus10]

I'm not sure. He's definately from a breeding type of some sort, looks slightly chunky to be pure collie to be but it's always hard to determine from pictures. I wouldn't be surprised if he was your influence, either way he certainly was a beautiful dog.

[aaronbardsley]

Which breed does your dog actually belong to?? It's quite confusing to identify his breed from the snap..