2024 Scottish Collie Puppies
In collaboration with Sundance Scottish Colley’s we are excited to announce a special pairing with
Hycottage Farm’s Lincoln (Watson) - OTSC/SCPS
and
Ivybarr Titus' Lil Bitsey SCPS
Watson and Bitsey are a dynamic pair of Collies that complement each other in both temperament and conformation. They are both registered with the Scottish Collie Preservation Society and Watson is also registered with OTSC. Both dogs have been health tested for a variety of Collie genetic diseases, as well as hip and elbow tested. You can find their test results below.
Bitsey belongs to Cathy McAtee, and as a team they have accomplished a long list of titles at the International All Breed Canine Associaton and International Dog show (International Title, National Title, Honors Title AKC (Canine Good Citizen, Urban Canine Good Citizen, Basic Trick Dog, Intermediate Trick Dog, Farm Dog) and other Therapy Dog work. Bitsey has been trained in Agility, Barn Hunt, and Fast Cat. This will be Watson’s 4th litter and Bitsey’s first litter.
Watson and Bitsey each have excellent temperaments in a wide variety of environments and have accomplished impressive skills in the area of scent work.
Watson’s temperament can best be described as a desire to please. From the time I began working with him on scent detection for low glucose levels at 6 weeks old he has displayed a strong desire to work together and accomplish a task. He was accomplishing static alerts by 8 weeks old. He loves problem solving and is eager to gain our attention and approval. He is goofy and loves to play games. Watson is very athletic and has a body built for speed and work. He enjoys exploring and has a great off-switch when the activities are over. Cuddling is one of his favorite pastimes. He is very gentle with children and small animals. When a visitor (animal or human) arrives he will announce their presence with a bark and then wiggle and beg for attention. We love his playful personality and he is a favorite with guests.
You can see video of Watson’s early low glucose scent training on this page. He was still being called by the litter name of Lincoln at the time. You can find his health information here, and his puppy pages here listed with his litter name of Lincoln.
Bitsey is a hard working dog and focuses diligently on the task at hand. She is curious about her surroundings and very in tune with Cathy. Bitsey and Cathy presented at the Wyoming Psychologist Workshop on Therapy Dogs in the classroom. Bitsey is loyal, intelligent, and focused. You can find more information about Bitsey at Sundance Scottish Colleys on Facebook.
Please note: Hycottage Farm is not whelping or raising this litter. For an adoption application and more information about a puppy please contact Sundance Scottish Colley’s at the contact information below.
Cathy is considering select homes for the puppies from this litter. please contact Cathy McAtee at catherinemcatee307@gmail.com or on Facebook at Sundance Scottish Colleys Facebook .
If you are considering adding a puppy to your family, be sure to check out the
Ivybarr Titus' Lil Bitsey: nternational All Breed Canine Associaton and Internation Dog show (International Title, National Title, Honors Title, AKC (Canine Good Citizen, Urban Canine Good Citizen, Basic Trick Dog, Intermediate Trick Dog, Farm Dog) SCPS Versitility i&ii, Alliance Therapy Dog 2nd year
Health Information for Bitsey
Ivybarr Titus' Lil Bitsey: born August 1,2021 Coat: Sable Merle/White
See Bitsey’s pedigree here. SCPS: SCPS-2022-0927-BCF
Height: 23 inches Weight: 42 pounds
Health Documents Available upon request.
MDR1 - Normal/Carrier (non-affected)
Cyclic Neutropenia (Normal/Clear)
Degenerative Myelopathy (Normal/Clear)
Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Rod-Cone Disease 2 (Normal/Clear)
Von Willebrand Disease II (Normal/Clear)
Bitsey is a carrier (which means non-affected) for CEA.
CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly (Normal/Carrier)
Hips & Elbows:
OFA Elbows: Normal/ Negative for elbow dysplasia
OFA Hips Prelim: Good/Fair
Other health issues: None
Hycottage Farm’s Lincoln - Watson : Farm Guardian and companion dog
HEALTH INFORMATION FOR WATSON
Hycottage Farm's Lincoln (Watson): born February 7, 2019 Coat: Tri-factored Sable
Height: 24 inches Weight: 65 pounds
Watson is Normal/Clear for ALL of the following mutations:
MDR1 - Normal/Normal
Cyclic Neutropenia (Normal/Clear)
Degenerative Myelopathy (Normal/Clear)
Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Rod-Cone Disease 2 (Normal/Clear)
Von Willebrand Disease II (Normal/Clear)
CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly (Normal/Clear)
Hips & Elbows:
OFA Elbows: Good / Negative for elbow dysplasia
OFA Hips: Good
PennHIP: Distraction Index R/DI .48 L/DI .45
No radiographic evidence for Osteoarthritis of either hip. No cavitation present.
Why is Better Bred’s genetic panel important for the future of the Scottish Collie gene pool?
In modern breeding populations, humans make most of the decisions regarding mating pairs and over time this focused selection can cause a loss of genetic material. Due to humans’ selection of breeding dogs for phenotype, temperament, and working abilities, the population of breeding dogs in the OTSC and SCPS is focused on a smaller number of dogs than the larger population of all rough Collie types. When you have a smaller group of dogs you are working with a limited combination of alleles, a limited gene pool. If, over time, various alleles are eliminated simply because they did not get passed on to the next generation that gene pool could face increased health issues and undesirable mutation issues. This is why biodiversity is so important to the future of any breed. For a more in-depth look at the importance of preserving rare genes in a breed, check out this article about Biodiversity at Better Bred.
You can find Watson Better Bred results on the Scottish Collie Page of Better Bred here. If you click on the tab in the middle of the page that says most Recent Dogs you will find Watson (Hycottage Farm’s Lincoln) listed near the top. If you click on the tab that says Public Dog’s and scroll down you can find Watson (Hycottage Farm’s Lincoln) Or read them with a brief description below.
Outlier Index : Watson .58 OI (breed average .27-OI) Watson has above average OI. That is a good thing.)
Outlier Index, or OI, is a measure developed in consultation with conservation geneticists and based on thorough review of current scientific research as well as extended pedigrees, and by testing different metrics. The Outlier Index is a calculation that tells you how important a dog’s overall genetics are to preserve in the population. Those with a low Outlier Index carry genes that are very well represented in a population and not at risk of being lost – therefore one may judge them with very strict criteria for structure and temperament when selecting which ones to breed. A dog with a higher than breed average Outlier Index is more likely to have under-represented overall genetics in the breed and should be more carefully considered for the preservation of biodiversity of the breed. - Better Bred.com
Average Genetic Relatedness: Watson -.18 AGR (breed average -.01 AGR)
AGR is another measurement that is meant to identify dogs whose genetics may be under-represented in a population. It is inversely related (with statistic significance) to OI. This helps support both measurements’ validity as well as show how they might complement each other when breeding for the preservation of a breed and its biodiversity. To breed to preserve biodiversity, select for a lower than breed average AGR. - Better Bred.com
Internal Relatedness: Watson -.05 IR (breed average -.01 IR) Watson’s numbers show he is more outbred than the breed average.
UC Davis estimates the inbreeding value of a dog using a measurement called Internal Relatedness or IR. This estimates how inbred a dog is using the frequencies of the breed in a somewhat complex calculation. The higher this number (more positive), the more inbred. The lower this number (more negative) the more outbred. According to Dr. Niels Pedersen, DVM PhD, an inbreeding value of .15 or above would be considered high within a breed. - Better Bred.com
DLA Haplotypes: Watson Haplotype 1 [1045/2039] Haplotype2 [1045/2039]
DLA HAPLOTYPES - Dog Leukocyte Antigen (the region of the genome that controls the immune system of the dog) Loss of biodiversity or allelic richness in a breed due to genetic bottlenecks seems to be linked to increase in immune dysfunction, which in turn speeds up further loss of diversity and increase in homozygosity breed-wide.
The DLA is found on a single canine chromosome, Chromosome 12. So, while breeding for identified DLA haplotypes is not the main factor to consider, we do still want to maintain diverse genetics in this region. We can do this by selecting for heterozygous haplotypes when possible, and for less common ones, too, as long as the dogs who have them are healthy. Breeders therefore should be aware of the DLA haplotypes that are not well represented in their breeds, so that they do not lose more biodiversity through genetic drift. What does genetic drift mean? Essentially it means a random loss of variation in genes in a breed. This happens when some of genes become less and less common due to chance – rather than because they are “bad” genes. Better Bred.com
Sundance Scottish Colley’s is considering select homes for the puppies from this litter. If you are an established SCPS or OTSC breeder and are interested in a potential breeding dog from this pairing please contact Cathy McAtee at catherinemcatee307@gmail.com or on Facebook at Sundance Scottish Colleys Facebook .
If you are considering adding a puppy to your family, be sure to check out the
A few photos of Watson’s First litter
