Come with me for my hairiest groom yet whilst I discuss breeding, showing and Rough Collies 🐾🐶
In over 8 years of grooming this by far is one of the hairiest dogs I've ever done. My mum is the top breeder of Rough Collies in the UK, yet this is what I was faced with when I agreed to groom one of her dogs today.
And what's first is that I did this groom for free because I knew that the satisfaction from taking this dog from looking like a neglected mess to a show dog was worth more than any price. Although I was open to tips.
And when I say it looked like a neglected mess, this isn't saying it's neglected. It's just saying that oh my gosh, look at the state of this coat. And the pre-warm me the Eddie was blowing her coat. So she was losing a lot of it, but I just always forget quite how much a rough collie sheds.
I wish I got my reaction when I saw this running up to me and my mum very swiftly left the salon. My mum is the top breeder of Rough Collies in the UK. She owns over 20 rough collies, so you'd think that I would learn by now to just say no.
Because as much as I absolutely love all of my rough collies, they are such hard work to groom. And I don't mean that by their behaviour because they are actually probably the most well-behaved dogs that I do groom because they're so used to it. But I just mean the sheer amount of work that goes into it.
My mum and dad go to dog shows every weekend and I never know whether they're going to be in Devon, sometimes they might be in Scotland. But what I do know is that they pretty much win everything. And if people thought that my life revolves around dogs, you should see my parents because they literally live and breathe for their rough collies.
And it really is quite a sight when you open their living room door and just have like 20 rough collies staring at you. And what I will say is that these collies are the most loved, pampered and spoiled dogs I have ever met. It has been a running joke in my family since I was a baby that these dogs are better cared for than her own children.
And as a result of how well cared for, they are, this does translate into their temperament because they are the most incredibly well-behaved and happy dogs ever. In fact, she is literally known in the showing for having the happiest, friendliest dogs.
And I know that breeding and showing is very controversial and I will no doubt get hate on this video. But I can promise you that my mum is the epitome of what a good handler and a good breeder should be. And I'm not just saying that she's the top breeder of Rough Collies in the UK, she literally has been officially named the top breeder of Rough Collies in the UK.
My mum has many, many, many champion dogs and she essentially breeds them when she wants to keep a puppy. People have been waiting for her puppies for years and she has it in her contract that if they no longer keep them, even when the dogs like five or 10 years old, my mum will have them back.
So before everyone goes on a shop thing, if everyone shop from people like my mum, there would be no dogs to adopt.
And not to mention that there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a purebred dog that has predictable characteristics, health tested and you just know what to expect.
I have 12 dogs of my own, so obviously the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, but around half of them are rescue and half of them are for rescue.
And this is why I am a firm believer in the saying adopt or shop responsibly and absolutely not a believer in the saying adopt don't shop.
Of course, buying from irresponsible or unethical breeders is a whole different thing and I would never support that.
But anyway, I have gone on such a tangent. Let's talk about Rough Collies.
Rough Collies were originally bred in the Scottish Highlands as working sheep dogs, roughly between the 1700s and the 1800s.
They descended from ancient herding dogs that used to work alongside shepherds. They were bred together, driving and protecting flocks of sheep.
And this is why they have such a long, fluffy, dense coat because they were used to the Scottish climate, which is very harsh.
Their coat may look beautiful, but it actually did serve a purpose. It was made for keeping them dry, warm and protected during all of the weather elements.
It is also said that that really impressive mane was to help them against predators. However, modern day rough collies do have fuller coats than what they would have done back then.
Rough collies are known for being very intelligent, gentle and affectionate. However, they can be a little babyish amongst certain things. For example, if there's a flooring type that they're not used to, a lot of rough collies just do not want to walk on it.
But overall, they are an amazing breed. And it's a shame that they're not more popular because they really would match a lot of people's lifestyles.
I imagine they did become more popular once the film Lassie was released, which of course features a rough collie.
Would I personally own one? No, but this is just because I'm so used to my own dogs and I've grown up with them my whole life.
Also, I've got a very busy and hectic lifestyle so I just need something that is a little bit less sensitive.
Now, if you're wondering what my mum's dog looks like after a groom, this is it. It is a mess and I can't wait to do this all over again next week because mum does bring her collies in for weekly grooms.
So let's just have a reminder of where we started.
And now we're looking more like a show dog. Actually, to be fair, this dog has never been shown, even though my mum is a very good shower. She does just have some dogs that are just pets.
But can you believe the difference in the coat colour?
What this salon looks like after a rough collie has been in it. It is a mess and I can't wait to do this all over again next week because mum does bring her collies in for weekly grooms.
