Yes! Odie really is a big baby but a lovely dog to care for. This afternoon I jogged around with him and I did not even take a leader. Although the route is mostly away from roads we do need to cross roads on the way round, Odie is good at stopping and waiting roadside before crossing upon command.
It is amazing how dogs may use their superior sense of smell/hearing to detect what's ahead . A friends collie will race off unexpectedly to greet an approaching train . The dog runs alongside the train disappearing in the opposite direction before returning.
Here in the UK we see a border collie variety with blue eyes known as a blue merle . Sadly that is not always a healthy genetic mix and such dogs are more likely to be born blind . The vet Vicki I mentioned has often taken in such dogs for special care.
I was wondering about the blue eyes and whether they are a serious defect, sad that some dogs are born blind when they have them.
Going back to the Aussie I googled Australian Shepherds and turns out they're not Australian at all, they were actually first bred in California some time in the 19th century! Might explain why I see more of them on my side of the pond.
Bless Vicki btw., sounds like she's doing some really excellent work with the dogs who have special needs.
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