Black and Tan Shepherd Farm Dogs In Use Prior to 1900

I spent an exciting Saturday night combing over the articles from the English Shepherd Club of America’s Who’s Who Breeder Manual.  In particular, I spent quite some time reading and re-reading John Blankenship’s article titled “The Blankenship’s Best Friend”.  Mr. Blankenship makes some statements in his article which shine even more light on the origins of the black and tan farm dogs I’ve come to call Old-fashioned Black and Tan English Shepherds.

One critical point that both John Blankenship’s and Tom Stodghill’s testimonies agree upon is that the rural citizens of Middle Tennessee were using black and tan shepherd farm dogs prior to the turn of the twentieth century.  Around that time, Polly Blankenship’s parents Altte Simmons Wilson and Aubrey H. Wilson were using a sturdy Shepherd to move stock in Cannon County.  John Blankenship’s father Charles B. Blankenship was using a black and tan shepherd dog to drive stock in Wilson County.  And Tom Stodghill’s grandfather George Dromgoole was packing-up his black and tan shepherds from Rutherford County and taking them with him to Texas.  The timeframe for the use of these black and tan shepherds of Middle Tennessee pre-dates O.O. Grant’s registration of the English shepherd breed with the UKC by some thirty to forty years.

I’ve updated my article titled The Old-fashioned Black and Tan English Shepherd – A brief modern history with a revised Epilogue and several footnotes citing specific, salient statements from the articles written by John Blankenship and Mrs. C.M. Bend.

Please leave this field empty

American Farm Shepherds Illustrated is the full-color newsletter published by the Old-fashioned Black and Tan English Shepherd Association. In each quarterly issue you’ll find award-winning photography, historical research, and of course feature stories about these heroic dogs! Each printed issue also includes an up-to-date breeder directory, upcoming litter listings, and letters from members of the Old-fashioned Black and Tan English Shepherd community. Subscribe Now to have American Farm Shepherds Illustrated delivered by U.S. Postal Mail directly to your mailbox each quarter.

Would you like to receive a notification when new articles are published on American Farm Shepherds Online? Fill-in your e-mail in the space below and click Notify Me!

Email Address *

Enter your email address above and click Subscribe! to receive an email notification whenever a new article is published by Farm Shepherds Illustrated.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.