A quarterly journal of the Border Collie & his ancestors,

devoted to sheepdog culture & lore, historic & contemporary...featuring the shepherd's dog through the eyes of contemporary artists and old masters; cartoons; short stories; poems; and articles on the variety of roles and the many jobs that the shepherd's dog has been called upon to do, from herding Angora goats to serving as ambulance dog in battle, from support of special needs to bringing the flock safely down from the hills.

The Shepherd's Dogge...either at the hearing of his master's voyce,or at the wagging and whistling in his fist, or at his shrill and hoarse hissing, bringeth the wandering weathers and straying sheepe into the self same place where his master's will and wishe is to have them.

--Dr. Johannes Caius, physician to Queen Elizabeth I,
from his Treatise on Englishe Dogges, 1576

EDITOR'S NOTES: THAT'LL DO!

March 24, 2005

Dear Friends,

With the Winter 2002 issue, the Shepherd's Dogge ceased publication after 15 years.

When I began the Shepherd's Dogge, there seemed to me to be a need for this kind of publication for our breed. There were a couple of general stock dog magazines, there was a Border Collie magazine that had little else but trial results, and there were regional herding organizations' newsletters. The only magazine devoted entirely to Border Collies that did justice to the history and culture of the breed was Working Sheepdog News from Britain. But in the 15 years I published, a number of breed-specific Border Collie magazines began in the USA.

When I started in Border Collies almost 25 years ago, no one in this country but farmers knew what a Border Collie was. People would come up to me and ask "What kind of dog is that?" When I said "Border Collie", they would look puzzled and say they never heard of it. When our neighborhood farmer brought over a load of gravel for us, he was amazed to see we had a Border Collie. He had two (and I was equally amazed to find out that there were two others in the neighborhood) and began to tell us stories about them. They were working farm dogs. One day, as I crossed the street coming home from a walk with Willy, a pickup truck turning the corner came to a screeching halt. In the passenger's seat was a Border Collie! It turned out the driver was dog sitting for a friend. We stood in the middle of the street and talked. In those days people with Border Collies needed desperately to talk to other people with Border Collies, we were that unusual. But that made us love the breed even more, because we weren't like owners of Labs or Goldens, we wanted a breed that everyone else didn't have. Now the breed has become so popular that there have to be regional Border Collie rescue organizations all over the country, and many are turning dogs away, they are so full, and most are hurting for foster homes.

My involvement in Border Collie rescue, and the increase in number of dogs coming into rescue, began to give me less and less time for publishing and editing. Border Collie rescue had become a full time job, and I no longer had time for other things I loved. So with much sadness, I made the decision to shut down the Shepherd's Dogge.

I was happy I was able to give back to this wonderful breed and I continue to do so through the Border Collie Museum and The Shepherd's Dog Bookstore. I hope you will come bye and say hello!

Carole Presberg,
Publisher/Editor,
the Shepherd's Dogge

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