Why don't more people have sheepies?
Why don't people have Sheepies? I have never seen as good natured or as loyal a breed, not to mention completely adorable. |
|
|
I suppose it is the fact they are a high maintenance breed, a large dog and seems to be peoples lifstyles are changing a lot and busier, so not as popular as they once were. I just love them as trustworthy family dogs, their nature and family bonding, they just fitted into my family lifestyle so great, my children have grown up with them from babies, and my OES took to guarding, herding and keeping my kids under control when they were young. If my 2 boys had a playfight one of my OES would break it up, they are smart, gentle, just a wonderful all over breed for families.  |
I absolutely agree with Lisa.  We had our first sheepie before our first child was born, so both of my kids also grew up with sheepies. Buford (first sheepie) always knew where the kids were, he was so devoted to them. And Drezzie - well, there are just no words for how wonderful a dog she is! I also am amazed that there aren't more sheepies around, but you know what? I kinda like it that way! We're not the "norm" - we're the exception!
Chris |
I'm glad they aren't more popular, maybe the need for rescue will disappear  |
| I think one reason they aren't as prevalent is because the labs and golden retrievers, etc ARE so prevalent--everywhere you look you see one and the kids go, I want one, and they are easy to locate. I think with sheepies, it might be sort of a case of out of sight, out of mind--if the typical person doesn't see a sheepie, it doesn't occur to them to think of a sheepie.
And, even though I'd never heard it before coming to this site, it seems that sheepies have a bad reputation as aggressive or mean dogs...I've always had them since a kid and it never crossed my mind that they have a mean bone in their body, but I've heard so many stories on here about vets and groomers saying how mean sheepdogs are. So people might have heard those stories and shyed away from them because of that... |
| I'm glad they aren't more popular too. Hopefully this has reduced some of the inbreeding and overpopulation of them. Also, it's fun to be different and have people fawn over the rare sheepie! I personally don't find sheepies high maintenance, but I've always either had one or another breed that needs to be groomed. I think taking them to the groomer & once a week combing beats the daily vacuuming of hair that I hear other dog owners complain about. To me, that's high maintenance. I guess it's all how you look at it. There's no other breed out there for me! |
| I grew up with 2 golden retrievers and let me tell you, those dogs were high maintence.....brushing and vacuuming every day....Panda doesnt shed nearly as much....but brushing does take longer.... |
| It amazes me still when we take Sasha for a walk and people flock to her with a squeal of delight. I think I have seen less than a handfull of sheepies in the city over the last few years. I wonder if people hesitate at the price of a sheepie when they can look in the local paper and get a mix breed for $50-$100?? I kinda feel lucky to be one of the few who has a sheepie....I can see what your saying because like every sheepie owner I wonder why more people wouldn't want a perfect dog like Sasha?
SHHHHHH....if we keep quiet enough,word won't get around and we can keep all the sheepies to ourselves. 
~Twyla |
| When this movie is released (March 10), sheepdogs might become really popular.
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/sha ... index.html It's a remake of the Shaggy D.A. I'm no breed expert but I believe the dog in this movie is a bearded collie not an OES like in the original movie. Most people won't know the difference. Director probably couldn't get an OES to sit still and behave on the movie set. |
| Check that... it's actually a remake of a 1959 movie called The Shaggy Dog. Guess I should have read some other posts. |
| I just watched the trailer, it's definitely a Bearded Collie in that movie. I doubt there will be a huge run on them after this movie comes out - they're not an easily available breed like a boxer or a poodle. |
| Oh, the millers will take care of making a supply of them available.
And hey, if they are that hard to get a higher price in the pet store will surely compensate thier greedy pockets...  |
| I hope they don't make the dog do stupid stuff--like in the picture on the website (with the fake eyes). For some reason that sort of thing makes the movie less enjoyable. Like with Garfield the movie--if they had used a real cat--the movie would have been a million times better... |
| The problem I am running into is that so many people aren't aware of what an OES is that I am worried I am not going to get the right care (grooming, vet info )
For example, my breeder told me to feed Merlin adult food for sensitive stomachs since sheepies have sensitive stomachs and are prone to hip displecia (sp). She said that the puppy food has too much protien and will cause him to get too big too fast. When I told the vet this he said puppy food is better... When the vet explained why the puppy was better it made sense, but the breeder has been doing this for over 15 years. So then I wonder if he really does know what he is talking about because how many Old English Sheepdogs has he really worked with? This is why I am so glad I found this site!!! It is just full of all the best info!!! One other thing...Merlin has tearing ...any good suggestions on this? The vet said all dogs do this and just because Merlin has white fur it is more noticible. Now when I look at all the other pictures of white oes heads I do not see tearing. Unless every oes owner knows of a particular trick? |
| I love sheepies, and I love all the praise we get from people when we take Lennon and Sofa to the park. They love to be petted by kids and people just love thir goofy attitude.
People always ask us if we are going to breed them (God Forbid!) and where can they get one of them. I always go all the way to discourage people from having a sheepdog... Thye eat a lot, they are too big, taking care of them is a pain, they bark too much, the are extremely annoying.... hahahaha The reason I do that is because it takes a very special kind of upright to be owned by a sheepie, they are not your everyday person dog. With their need for bonding and their playful nature, they can tire someone of them very much. I'm glad that the breed is not popular because that way there will be less sheepies to rescue... But they are great dogs! If you have what it takes to have a sheepie in your life, by all means get one!!!! |
| As for the tearing, there is a condition where the eyelashes start growing inward toward the eye. It causes irritation to the cornea and a lot of tearing. I think it's called entropion. It is one of the things that the optometrist checks for when doing CERFs and your vet shouldn't have too much trouble diagnosing that, it's pretty obvious when you know what you are looking for.
Otherwise, mine don't really tear like a maltese where they get that big eye staining but they do get "eye boogies". Sorry, don't have a technical name for that! We just clean their eyes at least once a day and watch for dirt and gunk that might get in there. I do the same thing when people ask about getting a sheepdog. It's like an inquisition. Have you read about them? Actually done the research? Ever even petted one? Lot's of people at shows who ask about them just think about getting one because they are cute and fluffy. I actually had a family walk up and ooh and ah and then go, "Let's get one of these!". Their next questions was, "What kind of dog is this?". I may have passed out for a moment, I'm not really sure. It doesn't usually take much to turn people off to OES and if you are that easily dissuaded, this breed is not for you! I met an extremely nice lady at the Philly show who thought she could never have an OES even though she had always wanted one. She looked to be in her 70s. After I chatted with her for a while, she seemed to be the perfect candidate for rescuing a senior sheepdog! When I told her about the 10 and 12 year old OES that need help, the look on her face was absolutely priceless because she never even thought of going that route and really didn't even know it was possible. That is one person that I hope got a sheepdog! |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|