Lassie (Hunts)

Short family life but important.

This line is only eight generations and therefor too short for this article. But the line is very important for the formation of the breed and so I have included it.

Another of the early bitches was a blue merle called Lassie but because of so many of this name at that time I have to call her “Hunts” Lassie. She was born in 1874 and was well known as an excellent worker. Her sire was dog called Jack owned by a Mr Bailey, he was a tricolour and also a good worker. Her dam was again called Lassie who must have been a blue merle as well. “Hunts” Lassie was mated to a dog called Druce who was by Duncan out of Mr Wheeler’s Old Bess. As Duncan was a grandson of Old Cockie I have to assume he was a sable and white. This mating produced a bitch called Bonnie Greta who, from the following story, must have been a blue merle. She was mated to a full brother of Druce called Bonnie Laddie. Evidently most of this litter were put down at birth as they were blue merles which at that time was not a popular colour for showing. One bitch puppy, a sable survived, and she was called Catrine. She was mated to a dog called Loafer and it was this mating that produced Minnie the dam of Ch Metchley Wonder the most widely used stud dog of his time.

There is quite a story about this mating as well. Minnie was owned by Mr Wheeler, but as often happened at that time she was loaned out to a farmer called Mr Godfree. Mr Wheeler had intended to mate Minnie to Ch Charlemagne, but Minnie came in to season at seven months of age and was caught by Sefton who was owned by Mr Godfree. Evidently Mr Godfree did not tell Mr Wheeler what had happened, and indeed registered Metchley Wonder in his own name. Much to the obvious annoyance of Mr Wheeler, especially when he found out that this dog was to be truly famous both as a show dog and more importantly as a stud dog.

From my research every Rough Collie born after 1899 had this dog in its pedigree. Evidently the one photograph we have of this dog does not due him justice He is said to have been much better than this image of him. But we do have another much earlier photo of him that has just been unearthed as it was in a French Book about dogs published in about 1896. This photo has been overwritten as the owner of the book did not want the photos published. However, this photo was not severely spoilt and is easily copied for future use. This photo shows Metchley Wonder in his prime and from it we can see why this dog was so successful as a stud. He really was a very good and typical Rough Collie. Also, I think that he must have been the most written about Rough Collies ever.

“Hunts” Lassie does not feature in any of the dam lines after Minnie, but her importance in the history of the breed is immense.

What is also very important about this bitch line is that Aughton Bessie was the dam of the great Ch Ormskirk Emerald who many said was the greatest Rough Collie of all time.

This also makes two male lines going back to Hunt’s Lassie although these lines do merge as Ch Metchley Wonder is the Paternal Great Grandsire of Emerald. Wonder is also three times his great, great, grandsire. Line breeding at its best.

Ch Metchley Wonder

The photo on the left was the only photograph known of Ch Metchley Wonder. The photo on the right was shown to me a few months ago. It was from a French book on dogs published in 1896. Those who knew the dog complained that the image on the left did not do him justice. The photo on the left is the dog at an advanced age while the right hand one is of a much younger dog in the prime of his life.

If the right hand photo is correct then I can recognise why the dog was used so much at stud as he looks like a very good dog. He certainly resembles his son Ch Christopher. Unfortunately, there are no images of his sire and dam. This dog was white factored and is behind all of the American white Collies. A colour that is banned over here. I have to think that he got this white factoring trait from his grand dam Catrine whose dam was a blue merle.

Probably of more importance is that Ch Metchley Wonder is the sire of three bitches that are in different lines that carried on for many years including two that are active today. These are his daughters that are in these three lines. Firstly is Bridesmaid in Family B. Eva 11 in family F and Curzon Jess in Family A. This dog did have an amazing influence on the early formation of the breed making him one of the most important sires the breed has ever had. I have to conclude that he was probably the most important dog the breed has ever had. This book is not supposed to be about any of the dogs, However during my research I have to put these details about him because he was very important especially when we know that all Collies throughout the World have a direct line to him on the sire side and also on at least three bitch lines. A reverse pedigree of this dog is extraordinary as almost all the Champions in that era are descended from him within eight generations.