Visiting Kelpies

Gabby, Niko, Mick, Goosie, Ella April 2017

We have a friend who has a lot of Australian Kelpies. They are very sweet dogs, but VERY high energy. I love going to visit because there’s no shortage of dogs to pat and play with. These are the luckiest dogs in the world. He gives them the very best care and love and attention.

Ella, Mick, Buddy, Me, Gabby March 2018

Kelpie History

“The ancestors of the Kelpie were simply (black) dogs, called Colleys or Collies. Kelpies are partly descended from Dingoes, with 3–4% of their genes coming from the native Australian dog. Some people have deliberately mated dingoes to their Kelpies, and some opinion holds that the best dilution is 1/16–1/32, but that 1/2 and 1/4 will work.

The first dog called a Kelpie was a black and tan female pup with floppy ears bought by Jack Gleeson about 1872 from a litter born on Warrock Station near Casterton, owned by George Robertson, a Scot. This dog was named Kelpie after the kelpie, a mythological shape shifting water spirit of Celtic folklore. Legend has it that "Kelpie" was sired by a dingo, but there is little evidence for or against this.”

Goosy, Mick, Gabby, Niko June 2015

Heidi March 2014

Our friend, John, got the first dog, Heidi, and she became his constant companion. She went to work with him and everywhere he went. She was a very well behaved dog, but definitely a one man dog. She was an old dog when we met her, and she died a couple years later.

Niko, Gabby, Goosie, Mick June 2015

A while after he got Heidi he got Niko for his son. Then he got Goosie. He got Mick to breed with Goosie and the puppy kept from that union was Gabby.

Ella March 2018

When Heidi died, they adopted a rescue and named her Ella. A year or so later he bought Buddy, a puppy, to breed to Gabby. So that’s the kelpie pack.

Buddy, Ella (with stick), Mick March 2018

They love chasing sticks and balls.

Ella has the stick…

Ella is the one to watch for. If she gets the stick or ball, she will run and run and the others will chase her.

Buddy, Gabby, Ella, Mick March 2018

Once I’ve worn them (and myself) out throwing sticks, we go into the house and it’s patting puppies time. These guys have never figured out they aren’t lapdogs.

Ella, Buddy (upside down), Me, Gabby March 2018

The best way to handle hyper Buddy is to put him upside down. It slows him down a tad. Gabby is the smallest of the bunch and pretty content to sit beside you and soak up pats.

Ella, top, and Buddy January 2018

Ella and Buddy are great pals, probably because they are the newest to the pack.

(Forgive me, John, if I’ve mislabeled them in the photos…)

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Kelpie