Mixed Dog

Question
My dog is a mix and very much resembles an aussie for a few things. He has black, with merle? (I think that's what it's called) patches, brown tinted feathering on his legs, and white toe tips. Is this color combination common on this breed? Or even possible? I think he's half, to a quarter Austrailian Shepard. Thank You.  

Answer
People like to find out more about their mixed breed pets background heritage so they can hopefully find some characteristics that may be similar and predictable. It never hurts to take a guess!

Merle is the marbled, patchwork of lighter hairs with darker patches of color found in at least 20 or more breeds including the Australian Shepherd.

The presence of this color alone would not necessarily indicate that an Australian Shepherd contributed to the family gene pool someplace. For example, Border Collies, Rough Collies, and Shetland Sheepdogs resemble Australian Shepherds in many aspects and they also come in merle coloration.

If you want your dog to be part Aussie and you think he acts and looks like an Aussie, then by all mean, he can be part Aussie. That is the beauty of owning a mixed breed dog: no boundaries!

Enjoy your new family member and if you want to learn more about the Australian Shepherd breed, please visit these websites:

http://www.asca.org
http://www.australianshepherds.org/
http://www.ashgi.org/index.htm
http://www.shalakoaussies.com/BreedStandard_Main.html