Australian Shepherd 17

Although this breed is called an Australian Shepherd and can trace ancestors back to Australia and Europe, one of the facts about Australian Shepherds is that they originated in the United States. The Australian Shepherd's ancestors can be traced back to the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain.

This is the region occupied by the Basques who were known as world-class shepherds for centuries. The Pyrenean Shepherd was their preferred herding dog and is the ancestor of the modern Australian Shepherd. In the early 1800s, many Basques headed to Australia with their dogs to find rich pastures for cattle and wide-open space for sheep.

Along the way, the Basque shepherds further refined their dogs by crossing Pyrenean Shepherds with Collies, Border Collies, and other British imports. After shepherding and building herds in Australia, some Basques took their dogs and headed to California.

California ranchers were impressed with these new herding dogs and, assuming they were a breed from Australia, the dogs were called Australian Shepherds. It is from these dogs the modern Australian Shepherd was created in the United States. These dogs were popular on rodeo circuits and in cowboy culture.

The American Kennel Club recognized the Australian Shepherd as a member of the Herding Group in 1993. Aussies can still be found working as herding dogs in the American West and are even sometimes still rodeo performers. In addition to being beloved family companions and one of the most popular dog breeds, they also work as service dogs, therapy dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, drug detection dogs, and more.