Shetland Sheepdog - Shelties
Shetland Sheepdog
As the name implies, the Shetland Sheepdog ("Sheltie") is indigenous to the Shetland Islands, which lie in the wild seas between Scotland and Norway. A land of brooding, barren beauty, Shetland and its elusive natives have long figured prominently in European mythology. This probably explains the more fanciful notions about the Sheltie's origins: nineteenth-century Scots called them "peerie" (fairy) dogs, and a more recent writer has attempted to link them with the prehistoric Picts.
In fact, the incessant storms that sweep the North Atlantic, rather than pixies or fairies, account for Shetland's other- worldly aura, as well as the centuries of austerity endured by its inhabitants. With topsoil and vegetation constantly threatened by erosion, Shetlanders of necessity practiced economy in all things. The ponies, cattle and sheep so essential to the local livelihood were turned out to forage, while the few crops cultivated were sheltered in walled gardens on the tiny "toons" (from the Norwegian tun, for "farm"). However, the two means of subsistence often came into conflict when the nimble Shetland animals jumped the stone walls to feast on the tender sprouts growing within.
Shetland Sheepdog
As the name implies, the Shetland Sheepdog ("Sheltie") is indigenous to the Shetland Islands, which lie in the wild seas between Scotland and Norway. A land of brooding, barren beauty, Shetland and its elusive natives have long figured prominently in European mythology. This probably explains the more fanciful notions about the Sheltie's origins: nineteenth-century Scots called them "peerie" (fairy) dogs, and a more recent writer has attempted to link them with the prehistoric Picts.
In fact, the incessant storms that sweep the North Atlantic, rather than pixies or fairies, account for Shetland's other- worldly aura, as well as the centuries of austerity endured by its inhabitants. With topsoil and vegetation constantly threatened by erosion, Shetlanders of necessity practiced economy in all things. The ponies, cattle and sheep so essential to the local livelihood were turned out to forage, while the few crops cultivated were sheltered in walled gardens on the tiny "toons" (from the Norwegian tun, for "farm"). However, the two means of subsistence often came into conflict when the nimble Shetland animals jumped the stone walls to feast on the tender sprouts growing within.
Shetland Sheepdog
As the name implies, the Shetland Sheepdog ("Sheltie") is indigenous to the Shetland Islands, which lie in the wild seas between Scotland and Norway. A land of brooding, barren beauty, Shetland and its elusive natives have long figured prominently in European mythology. This probably explains the more fanciful notions about the Sheltie's origins: nineteenth-century Scots called them "peerie" (fairy) dogs, and a more recent writer has attempted to link them with the prehistoric Picts.
In fact, the incessant storms that sweep the North Atlantic, rather than pixies or fairies, account for Shetland's other- worldly aura, as well as the centuries of austerity endured by its inhabitants. With topsoil and vegetation constantly threatened by erosion, Shetlanders of necessity practiced economy in all things. The ponies, cattle and sheep so essential to the local livelihood were turned out to forage, while the few crops cultivated were sheltered in walled gardens on the tiny "toons" (from the Norwegian tun, for "farm"). However, the two means of subsistence often came into conflict when the nimble Shetland animals jumped the stone walls to feast on the tender sprouts growing within.