Rewriting the Story

Holly’s first day at home, February 2015

I didn’t save Holly’s photo from Petfinder, but now that you’ve seen her as a six-month old baby, it stands to reason that you can see why I fell so madly in love with her right away. She was the second dog I’d fallen in love with online, but the first I had the chance to meet, largely because of the heartbreak that was missing out on the first dog. (Whoever adopted that three year-old mottled heeler I would have named Stormy, thank you for finding her before I did!)

The rescue told us she was half Australian shepherd, half Australian cattle dog. When I looked at her, I saw the heeler in her facial features - the perky ears and the alert eyes. I saw the Aussie in her soft, long coat and her flowing tail.

We’ve been introducing her now as “half heeler, half Aussie shepherd” for almost six years. Everyone we meet who knows one breed or the other, always remarks how much she looks like one they have known before. She’s met several other Aussies and heelers in her time, too, and she always seemed more inclined toward them than other dogs. Her attitude toward other dogs has largely softened to indifference, but she used to be the sort to bark a time or two when encountering new dogs…unless they were other herders. She was enamored with a blue heeler boy named Silver, who used to live in the neighborhood and walk the same park we frequent (with his girl behind on a skateboard). Holly followed Silver, sniffed the air to get more of his scent, and pranced a little extra pretty when he approached.

She also met an Aussie named Ivy, whose sister named Holly had passed away the year prior. Ivy missed her sister, and she and my Holly played a few rounds of fetch together before the light faded and it was time to head home.

I originally identified as an "Aussie mom” more than a “heeler mom,” if I’m being honest. It was easier to find dog breed merchandise with Aussies that resembled Holly’s fluffy coat and luxurious tail. And one of the great joys of first-time mom life is finding a little humorous merch to reflect your new identity, right?

Eventually, we found our way into the cattle dog community on Instagram, and I realized just how cattle dog much of Holly’s personality truly is. She’s smart, sassy, and she’s stubborn as hell. She is prey driven, energetic, and loyal to her person.

The only thing that didn’t fit was her adoration of other people, especially children. Cattle dogs are known for being nippy with small children, and wary of strangers in general. Holly has only met one person she didn’t like, and that was a random landscaper we encountered on a walk. Clearly, he must have been a serial killer. I jest, but I also moved away immediately. I don’t trust anyone Holly doesn’t trust.

Of all the times I’ve looked at her and wondered what her true story was, I never could see anything in her but the story we were told when we rescued her. I saw her cattle dog traits, and I saw her Aussie traits. Not that plenty of other breeds don’t exhibit a prey drive, stubbornness, or extreme loyalty, but I always framed them in terms of that story. I’d debated having her DNA testing done with Embark before, but if I’m being honest I just never wanted to find out that I was wrong about my girl.

To be clear, there is nothing on this Earth that would change the fact that I love her, and I will love her until my dying breath. But, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little in love with the story of who she is, too. In the years since she made me a mom, her story has become deeply interwoven with mine. She is my heeler, and my Aussie girl. She is my princess, my heart and my soul. She is my sunshine, my joy, and the truest expression of love.

Adopting Smokey gave me the reason I needed to get over the fear: I suspected he was a purebred cattle dog, even though we’d found him at a shelter in Utah. I had to know whether my instinct was right. So, despite my nerves, we tested Holly, too.

And here’s what makes Her Hollyness:

She isn’t an Australian shepherd at all.

But she is part Rottweiler, boxer and cocker spaniel…none of which I would ever have guessed. And other than some moments of boxer-like confidence, or Rottweiler assertiveness, I don’t know that I see those things in her at all.

So the story I’ve been telling all these years is, in fact, not true. Holly’s AKC Canine Partner registration isn’t even correct. (Side note: I did email them right away to request a correction, pleading my case that I just didn’t know any better.)

I’ve been looking a little more closely at border collies, for the first time since I was in the market for Holly. I suspect this is truly where her fluffy coat and her majestic tail truly come from. And since those are some of my favorite things about her, I want to embrace that with my whole heart.

To keep it simple, I’m sticking with calling her an Australian cattle dog mix for the time being…but you just might see me edit that in time.