Send Us Your #FormFollowsFunction Photos!

All dog breeds were bred to perform a specific purpose. We want to see our readers’ dogs doing the work they were bred to do to be shared on The Canine Chronicle!

Thank you Bree Elizabeth for sharing this Form Follows Function photo of your Border Collie, “Hope” (Neecabe Designed With Hope SPRD HT), doing what she was bred to do. She is pictured herding the lure in FastCAT. According to the American Kennel Club, “Borders are athletic, medium-sized herders standing 18 to 22 inches at the shoulder. The overall look is that of a muscular but nimble worker unspoiled by passing fads. The almond eyes are the focus of an intelligent expression, an intense gaze, the Border’s famous ‘herding eye’, is a breed hallmark. On the move, Borders are among the canine kingdom’s most agile, balanced, and durable citizens.

The Roman occupation of Britain had a great influence on virtually every aspect of British life. This included dog breeding. The occupying legions brought along their own food source, livestock. And where livestock goes, herding dogs are sure to follow. The large, heavy-boned herding dogs imported by the Romans remained a fixture on the British landscape for more than three centuries. During the long, slow dissolution of the Roman Empire, fierce Viking raiders took their turn invading Britain. They, too, brought along their dogs. These were smaller, quicker, spitz-type herders, progenitors of such contemporary breeds as the Icelandic Sheepdog. Crosses between the old Roman dogs and the Viking spitzes produced compact and agile herders, well equipped to work stock in the hilly, rocky highlands of Scotland and Wales. Thus began the history of the Border Collie. Borders have been called the world’s greatest herders, and anyone who’s seen them work with their sweeping outruns, their stealthy crouching and creeping, and their explosive bursts of focused energy would have to agree. When shepherds dream of the perfect dog, you can bet it’s a Border. Borders also rule the championship levels of the fast-paced sport of agility, and they routinely top lists of world’s smartest dog breeds.”

Was your dog bred to hunt? Bred to herd cattle? Was he bred to rescue or guard? Was he bred to hunt rats? Please share your best Form Follows Function photos with us! We want to see them! Email Gia at Gia.Garofalo@caninechronicle.com with your photos!

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Posted by Gia on Jun 4 2025. Filed under Current Articles, Featured, The Buzz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.