The first settlers in the early colonization of Australia set out to create a breed of dog to aid in the herding and moving of livestock. In 1830, a man named Timmins crossed Smithfield with an Australian native dog named Dingo.
The result was a short-tailed red dog named Timmins Biters. In 1840, Thomas Hall imported two blue merle smooth-coated Scotch Collies that proved to be reasonable herding dogs but had some undesirable traits. Hall then crossed the Scotch Collie with the Dingo and these later became Halls Heelers. Dingoes have the characteristic of silently approaching their prey and biting, Heeler pups followed this style of behavior. They were welcomed for their ability to handle cattle, their stamina to travel great distances over all types of terrain, and their endurance in extreme temperatures.
In 1873, George Elliot of Queensland wrote that his two-month-old Dingo worked so quietly with cattle that he named it “Munya”, which in the Aboriginal people means silent.
Around this time, Alex Davis displayed the skill of a pair of Hall’s Heelers in the Sydney stockyards. Two brothers who bought puppies from Davis dedicated themselves to improving the breed. They attempted to cross Hall’s Heeler with a Dalmatian. This changed the blackbird to red or blue flecks, and the pups were born pure white and gradually developed their color from three weeks of age, as in Dalmatian puppies. The purpose of this breeding was to breed in the love of horses and the protection of both owner and property. Unfortunately, this caused a loss of part of the working capacity.
After seeing the black and tan Kelpie, the brothers crossed the Kelpie with the spotted dogs. The result was an extremely intelligent and controllable working dog, built like a
Goofy but with strange markings not seen on any other dog. Through selective breeding, the ancestors of today’s Australian Cattle Dog emerged.
In 1893, Robert Kaleski became interested in the breed. He dedicated himself to developing and stabilizing it, thus elaborating a standard. The standard was then endorsed by the Cattle and Sheepdog Club of Australia and then the Kennel Club of New South Wales in 1903. The Australian National Kennel Council approved and adopted the standard that included the very essence of the breed in 1963. The name of the breed became officially known as the Australian Cattle Dog. Other names include Blue Heeler, Australian Heeler, and even Queensland Blue. From humble beginnings, this breed has become one of the most popular dog breeds in all of Australia.
