Border Collies are easy to recognize with their intense gaze and intelligent face, not to mention their handsome good looks. When people see one of these dogs, they usually remember them.
Here are some famous Border Collies who have captured the public’s attention:
Fly. Fly was Babe’s friend in the movie Babe. Fly adopted piglet Babe and taught her (quite successfully) to herd sheep. Fly’s friend Rex should also be remembered.
Bandit. Bandit was the stray Border Collie on Little House on the Prairie. Bandit was Laura Ingalls’ second dog in the series, after losing her first dog, Jack. At first, she was afraid to make friends with Bandit but soon gave him her heart. Bandit appeared in the second season and remained a steady presence for the next three seasons.
Striker. Striker holds the Guinness World Record for Fastest Car Window Opened By A Dog – 11.34 seconds.
Chaser. Border Collie who learned 1022 words and was able to recognize objects by the groups they belonged to. Chaser was considered the world’s smartest dog and had the largest vocabulary of any non-human. Chaser has a book and he may have written it himself.
Rico. Before Chaser there was Rico. Rico appeared on TV on German game shows and was celebrated for knowing over 200 objects (mostly toys) by name.
Betsy. Not to be outdone by Rico, Betsy the Border Collie had a vocabulary of over 300 words. Are all dogs geniuses, or is it just Border Collies?
Jean, the Vitagraph Dog. Doesn’t ring a bell? Jean, a female Border Collie, was a dog actor who performed in early silent films. Before Rin Tin Tin, Strongheart and the German Shepherds, there was Jean the Border Collie.
Devon. Devon the Border Collie is the problem dog at the center of A Dog Year, with Jeff Bridges (2009), based on a book by author Jon Katz. Devon is central to the movie and his acting is first rate as a very active, abused dog.
