Collie Dog Travel Bug

To travel to as many caches as possible and have my picture taken with your favorite pal.

The Collie is not a specific breed, but is a distinctive type of herding dog.  It originates in Scotland and Northern England.  It is a medium-sized, fairly lightly built dog with a pointed snout and many types have a distinctive white pattern over the shoulders.  Collies are very active and agile, and most types have a very strong herding instinct.  Collies have spread through many parts of the world expecially Australia and North America.  They have diversified into many varieties, some mixed with other dog types. 

Some Collies have remained as working dogs, used for herding cattle, sheep and other livestock.  Others are kept as pets and show dogs.  They display great agility, stamina and trainability.  Collies are gentle, loyal, intelligent and well suited as pets.  Their gentleness and devotion also make them quite compatible with children.  They are often more suitable as companions than as watch dogs.

The temperament of these dogs has been featured in literature, film, and popular television programes.  The novels of Albert Payson Terhune were very popular in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s.  

The famous Rough Collie, Lassie, has also been the subject of many films, books, and television shows from 1938 to the present.  Lassie was a fictional Rough Collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home.  It was published in 1940 and then filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie.  Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six other MGM feature films through 1951.

(We can certainly attest to the gentleness, intelligence, and loyalty of the breed.  All of the above is true!  This we know after living with Joey, our geocaching buddy and loyal companion.)