Seeing More Border Collie - Not liking It.

Lizmo

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#1
I don't know if anyone has noticed this or it's just my area but I've seen way more things that have pictures of BCs on them o_O

Grocery store stands have a cat and BC on them, stands in Wal-Mart, things like that.

I'm not liking it AT all. Could this do any damage to the breed?
 

bubbatd

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#2
Hope that they take over the Goldens ones !!!! They always pick the cutest dogs !
 

RD

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#3
Eh, it happens with nearly any common breed, to be honest. Border Collies are very unique in appearance (no two look exactly alike, ever). Some look quirky, some look meek, some look regal and serious, others look athletic and bold. And most of them are so expressive with their eyes and body language that they can be coaxed into nearly any pose or expression for a picture. So I think they're just easy to photograph. :)

There are a dozen things I can think of that will be more harmful to the breed than a little bit of publicity on an ad or billboard. I love Dobermans and if I see a Doberman in a picture it's "awww, pretty Dobe!", not "after viewing this ad, I'm gonna go buy a Doberman!".
 

showpug

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#4
It could be that more and more BC's are showing up in ads/billboards or it could just be that you are noticing it more now because you are so fond of the breed.

Any extra publicity for a breed can bring popularity which WILL damage the breed to some extent. Having your breed appear in a movie is the true "kiss of death." We dealt with it in "Milo and Oatis" and "Men In Black" to name a couple. After those movies, pugs started in a downward spiral. I have yet to see a pug on the street that fits the standard in the slightest. Very sad.

I could see some really bad issues cropping up if the majority of the general public decided the BC was the next best breed....
 

SizzleDog

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#5
I'm sure the BC breed took a big hit with the movie "Babe".

In previews, I think I've seen Dobermans in "The Golden Compass". Hopefully their presence will go unnoticed, lost in the sea of other animals in the movie. While I'd love to see my breed in more movies, deep down I know their lack of appearances in movies and TV shows is for the best.
 

RD

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#6
Sizzle, movies are a whole 'nother story unfortunately. :( BCs did take a big hit with "Babe". Any movie that features a purebred dog as one of the "main characters" is going to draw people to the breed.

I think the Border Collie's time will come for that major popularity surge that dogs like Dalmatians, GSDs and Pugs have gone through, and it saddens me because it'll destroy the breed almost entirely. Right now, you have a fairly good shot at getting a dog that looks and acts and (someitmes) works like a Border Collie from just about any breeder with half a brain. If everyone and their mother starts breeding these dogs, I have no idea what the breed will turn into. I'm not so much worried about appearance as temperament. I can't think of a breed less suited to the majority. And I know the goal of the BYBs will be to dim them down and make them more suitable for life as housepets.
 

Lizmo

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#7
^^ Me too, Grace. I liked when a few years ago I could tell someone I like the breed of Border Collie and they would go "Never heard of them" Now when I say that, I get a response like this "Ohh, yeah those are the crazy hyperactive dogs" :(

I do fear, also, the Border Collies becoming more popular. I guess the breed's really grown on me, lol.
 

Whisper

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#8
^ I get the same thing, Jen. When someone asks about Millie's breed and I mention that she's part Border Collie, they ask me if she's neurotic and hyperactive when she's not working, because she "seems so 'good' to be part BC."
:sigh:
 

ihartgonzo

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#9
Don't you think BCs have already hit a popularity surge? I mean... especially since they got accepted into the AKC, in 1995.

I saw maybe a few Border Collies - here and there - when I got Gonzo, 6 years ago. Now, I see tons! Just as an example, I used to know one single BC in the neighborhood. And my neighborhood is huge. Now, there are at least 10, and those are just the dogs I see that are walked regularly. There have been a few more in the past couple of years, who seem to have "disappeared" once they hit adolescence. =/

I hate that BCs are noted by the general public now for being "the smartest dogs" and "those black and white dogs", not for everything that they are - which makes up a highly demanding breed. I agree with you Grace, the average American does not have a lifestyle that could fit a BC, at all. I literally could not count the ads for under one year-old Border Collies on Craigslist alone.
 

Lizmo

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#10
Oh, I hate that they are called "the world's smartest breed". They are very smart, but it gives everyone the wrong impression that they come that way as puppies - fully trained, not going to destroy anything, love everyone and all dogs, ect. *sigh*
 

RD

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#11
AKC recognition has boosted the breed's popularity as a pet, for sure. But I don't think they've hit the kind of popularity surge that breeds like Labs, GSDs, Collies, Dals etc. went through. Glad for it, too.
 

Whisper

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#12
^ Agreed. More people who have false impressions and aren't suitable for the breed have BCs than I would like, but it's nowhere near what certain breeds are facing. I hope it stays that way for as long as possible.

O/T: Grace, I *love* your avatar.
 
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#13
It could be that more and more BC's are showing up in ads/billboards or it could just be that you are noticing it more now because you are so fond of the breed.

Any extra publicity for a breed can bring popularity which WILL damage the breed to some extent. Having your breed appear in a movie is the true "kiss of death." We dealt with it in "Milo and Oatis" and "Men In Black" to name a couple. After those movies, pugs started in a downward spiral. I have yet to see a pug on the street that fits the standard in the slightest. Very sad.

I could see some really bad issues cropping up if the majority of the general public decided the BC was the next best breed....
Yeah, poor pugs, most of the pugs I had seen in person looks more like a bulldogs body, and horrible poped out eyes :/ very badly BYB and puppy mill dogs.

Most of the time when people try to say the name of the breed, Like 70% they say "men in black" dogs.






I'm sure the BC breed took a big hit with the movie "Babe".
Yeah, that was the first time I saw BC, and since Babe I see them anywhere in TV and movies.

At least for now BC are not at level of popularuty as the dalmations or other super popular breeds.

They are still some countries where they are not popular.

For example I have NEVER have seen a BC in person or even saw in the newspaper selling BC.
 
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#14
People dont seem to understand that being intelligent isnt necessarily a good thing. These dogs need lots of exercise and mental stimulation. They are wonderful dogs in the right hands though
 

Lizmo

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#15
I've never seen a newspaper add selling a BC or BC puppies either, thank goodness. I did see my first Aussie for sale though :(

I agree, I hope this breed never has to be as popular as a Lab or Golden. It would do truck loads of damage.
 

Whisper

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#19
There are usually a few Border Collie puppy ads a day here. :(
 

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