How common are OES

I'm not sure if this is the correct category to place this, but I would like to ask the question anyhow.

I have a seven month old OES. He is my first dog (I've always been a siamese cat person), but I think I made a very wise choice with this breed and wish I'd done it years ago! OES are very special dogs and he has enlightened my life.

Whenever, I take MacKenzie out, I always get stopped by his admirers and I often hear the comment: "You don't see many of these anymore"! I know that I did have to travel quite a distance to get him as a puppy and there weren't too many available at the time on the internet. This could, of course, just relate to the situation in the UK. What is the situation in other countries? Are OES an unusual sight, or are they quite common?

It might sound a daft question, but I'd be very interested to hear from the international members what their local view is.

Thanks

Nick

Respond to this topic here on forum.oes.org

While not exactly rare, they certainly aren't common.

I usually get comments like: "I've never seen a real one of these before" or something like that. :wink:

Welcome and I'm glad you are loving your Kenzie We fell in love after our 1st one as well.

If I walk Tonks and Luna on a busy street, they stop traffic. Granted, it happened more often when they were small puppies, but it still happens occasionally. Where we live, its a warmer climate, so you see fewer dogs like an OES in full coat which do better in cooler regions.

They're not all that common here in Victoria, Australia either. Not rare exactly but no I dont see many others except when I visit Lisaoes of course.

Lisa can give a better idea about the Aus situation as she has owned OES for much longer than I have.

I am in upstate NY and when we go out - we stop traffic. the dogs had a hard time learning that cars were not always going to stop and say how cute they were - I think Marley still poses every time a car goes by

have seen exactly two others at nonOES sponsored events. One I already knew about the person - the other was a surprise.

Bob was walking Chauncey last week in our developement at midnight (their normal time for last call) when a group of late teen-early 20ish girls stopped their car and got out to pet him. I could tell when they got home that they both hated that encounter............NOT.....

Bobby said he wished he had Chauncey 35 years ago.
Don't worry too much about his wound's they'll heal.....trust me I'm a nurse :wink:

OES are very rare in our area.

Walter is the only OES is our whole County. He gets all kinds of love and :kiss:

when we go out on the town

I have never seen an OES around other than the forum members and the breeders. If I ever see one I think I will die of shock. Then Edgar will pee his pants.

I saw one once that was not a forum member, not a mile from our house. I was driving and I turned the car around to go and talk to the owner. We talked about doing a play date, but I never did hear from them....

How do you all deal with the staring? I get so uncomfortable with people stare at my dog (Tibetan terrier) when I take him for a walk. The roads are muddy and dirty so I have to make him wear dog shoes when I take him for a walk. So a dog with dog shoes + top knot = a lot of staring.
OES is a very rare breed in my country. I haven't seen one here, although I've heard of one in another city here.

Archie isn't COMMON - he is rather well bred

:lol:

he's the only OES in my town

When I am travelling I do a double take when I see another.

bealsibub wrote:

I have a seven month old OES. He is my first dog (I've always been a siamese cat person), but I think I made a very wise choice with this breed and wish I'd done it years ago! OES are very special dogs and he has enlightened my life.Nick

Ps Do you still have a siamese cat??
My OES loves my siamese but the feeling is NOT mutual.

Ah Archie is not common. You are right. In Florida there are not many. I do know of 7 in my area. WE do get stopped a lot and people ask love them. Most of the time i get "Oh I would love one."

OES are rare in our area. But, surprizingly, most people either 'grew up with one' or 'lived right next door to one' growing up.

I helped to rehome one in my area, and I have seen two others. They're all females, so Wendel is the only male in the area.

I do love the attention they get when we go anywhere. People always smile. Even those who are 'afraid' of dogs will admire them from a distance.

You should see when we go to the dog park. Wendel gets the most attention because of his baby blue eyes. Most have never heard that an OES can have blue eyes.

* Capt. Obvious Danger wrote:

OES are rare in our area. But, surprizingly, most people either 'grew up with one' or 'lived right next door to one' growing up.

This is exactly the comment we get when someone sees Nelson. Either they had an OES growing up or their neighbors or a friend or relative had one years ago. Since most people don't keep up coats like those of us on this forum do, they may not recognize one if they saw it.

I personally think the original Shaggy Dog movies of years ago started the "fad" of having an Old English Sheepdog. When people realized the maintenance required for a big shaggy herding dog the focus shifted to easier to care for breeds.

Hi Mim,

Alas, I no longer have siamese, but I do have a British Blue and a British Cream, and two Moggies! All but one Moggie keep well out of Kenzie's way!! The other just stands there and gets licked to death while he butts the hairy monster that towers over him!

Archies Slave - I was in Dorset last weekend with Kenzie!

I too have found that a lot of people appear to have grown up with one or had a relation who had one etc!

It's really interesting hearing comments from all over the globe!

Thanks

Nick

People often say they have not seen one for years. We live in Kent UK. Where did you get your sheepie from? The last time I was at the local country park, a man said he had not seen one for years. I pointed out there was a couple he had just passed who had one, but they keep her in a short haircut. He hadn't even noticed it was a sheepie! I think he saw Rufus because he was greeting all the other dogs and running around, with his hair blowing about in the wind, but the other one was quiet and well behaved :roll:

Generally speaking, I don't think they're that common. Common to me is a shih tzu or lab. I also never trust "I grew up with one" since often times, they really grew up with a poodle or something else they delusionally think was an OES.

Maggie McGee IV wrote:

* Capt. Obvious Danger wrote:

OES are rare in our area. But, surprizingly, most people either 'grew up with one' or 'lived right next door to one' growing up.

I remember OES and poddles being popular when I was a kid - but moms were home and available to do all that brushing then too.

edit - poddles being a close relative of the P-o-o-d-l-e, I told you I nedded a proof reader!

Have not seen one here but have heard there is one other and it's cold and snowing here :lol:

I had never seen one here until we took Lola to the vet. We thought she might have parvo at the time, so we were isolated. I was in a room where you could see everyone coming and going through the glass. I saw TWO sheepies. It drove me nuts not to be able to go and say Hi.

No one is interested the OES if we have the Komondor with us. Most people have never even heard of a Komondor let alone seen one before, except in dog shows.

What! It isn't me stopping traffic! ha

With the two of them now it is crazy. I don't know where to look sometimes with the stares. Lots of stops for pictures too. Laika still thinks what a beautiful dog is her name. I have also had the groups of squealing girls :lol:

seriously I tell guys at work just take these guys for a walk. I guess I would have a better chance with a Rottie if I wanted to meet a guy.

They are fun dogs and it warms you heart to get so many smiles from passers byes.

It's one of the greatest feelings, seeing just about everyone that drives by
beaming with a smile just by looking at the dogs! Someone I work with has said to me it is the most impressive looking thing when she sees us
walking both of them together. WOW and we get to see them together all the time--how fortunate. I also have a couple of customers come in where I work who used to own sheepdogs, but now come to get updates on mine
because they say they are now to old to own them. Of course being as proud of them as I am I am only to willing to fill them in on their antics.

My husband and I are guilty of fighting over who gets to hold the leash when we go out. :oops:

We have enuff sheepies here to have a CLUB!!!!! I just love anytime we all get together!! We have a ball just watching them play!!!

TONIGHT is the STLOES ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY!!!!

Santa Paws is coming with special toys for all of our stuffieterminators!!!

Hopefully, me or Judi will take pictures and post them for all to enjoy!!!!!!

poor old stuffies.......................

:lol:

I think its not so much they are "rare" but people shy away from the high maintenance of the coat. I always have people say I want one, I want one, and then when I start to tell them how I spend hours every week brushing and the cost of grooming for the two every month, theylook at me like I'm crazy :roll:

There are only a handful of OES around me and we are all friends. You are so lucky in MO to have the club right there and all those parties!

Now I'll show my age....the "older" people remember the OES from the show Please don't eat the daisys...

Who remembers Beebe, the sheepie from Captain Kangaroo days?

Ashley wrote:

Now I'll show my age....the "older" people remember the OES from the show Please don't eat the daisys...

I remember it well

I prefer to think of myself as 'seasoned', for all the good that does me. I am convinced, however, that it was shows like that, as well as the fact that Paul McCartney had a beautiful sheepdog, that started my obsession with the breed.

Thanks to OES Rescue here in upstate New York, there are more sheepies per square mile than I suppose is average, but they still turn heads no matter where they go. Loki, for one, loves the special attention. :lol:

Yes, I remember Bee Bee too :oops:

Other famous sheepdog owners...Jean Harlow had two, Serpico ( the infamous cop in NY played by Al Pacino in the movie) and of course Paul McCartney's beloved Martha...Any others? Hmmm...now I have to think :lmt:

Cheyenne Sam, the dog in the original 1959 Disney Shaggy Dog movie. And his son, Lord Nelson, the dog in the "Please Don't Eat the Daisy's" TV show in the 1960's.

Nelson was bred by Winifred Barnes, an early OES breeder in California (originally from England), who used "Bridewell" as a kennel name. Nelson's sister was my first sheepdog when I was a kid and his grandson was my second OES. I believe that Katherine Ross, an actress in the '60's who starred in "The Graduate" and "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid" also had an OES from that litter.

Ashley wrote:

Yes, I remember Bee Bee too :oops:

Not as famous but there's always Lester Holt! He has 3.

.............and of course Rush Limbaugh has two: Abbey and John Quincy. I had to laugh when he took great offense when someone said Abbey looked like the Obama's PWD. He took great pains to make clear that 'OES are much, much nicer'. I agree. :lol:

It was 'Nelson' on the show "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" with Doris Day that hooked me on Sheepies--
She was a Sheepie owner--our first sheepie was a pup from a litter her dog sired.

I believe there was a sheepie on the show "My Three Sons"!!

Showing my age --I know!

Six OES on my street, of course 4 of them are mine

. There are at least 4 other ones in the area that I know of

I have never seen another one around here in South Dakota, but lots of people have mentioned they knew of someone that had an OES.

Kirby seems to make people smile when ever they see him.

They are very special dogs.
LuAnn

Found one more famous owner...Franklin D. Roosevelt!
Finding all these little bits of triva about sheepdogs is fun!

Doesn't Tiger Woods also have one? ( at least until the divorce :roll:

)
I believe I read that somewhere.

While I agree that my OES Remy gets her share of attention when were out walking, my Bouvier Des Flanders, Shaggy is the star when we go out most people ask what his breed is, and most people have never heard of the breed. I don't know of any Bouviers in my neck of the woods. Remy is his girlfriend, and she is the boss. I love my big hairy monster dogs. :lol:

Ashley wrote:

Yes, I remember Bee Bee too :oops:

The dog in Serpico is related to some of my dogs, his name was Tarawood's Top Brass born May 5,1965.

Charlie gets stopped by passers by every time we leave the house here in Munich/Germany.

I was told once that this kind of breed you dont see them very often, cause they are not "in" if you know what I mean ...

people seems to choose dogs not for there character but more if they are "in" and an uptodate dog ... (stupid)

there is one old english here nearby but everyone thinks Charlie is the other ladys sheepdog even if he is shaved ...

if we go to town and i brush her nicely the traffic stops and all the kids and parents too. i'm often asked if they are allowed to take pictures, even when we visited the zoo. Charlie was more interesting than the lion etc. lol

We have not seen any othe sheepies on our walks for a long time here in Denver but I've been told of several, who knows. I do like the way people just driving by look over at her and smile. I do get a bit tired of "How can they see?"

We live in South East Ireland. There are a few OES around but not that common. Archie gets great comments about being the Dulux dog i.e. the dog used in advertisements for Dulux paint this side of the atlantic.

IrishOES wrote:

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