Our Philosophy

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” – Sir Isaac Newton

Omegan Border Collies is founded on some of the most well planned breeding programs I have ever seen, along with just a bit of luck on our part.

When we bought Faith from Diane Whetsel, we didn’t know enough about Border Collie lines to know how wonderful her pedigree really is. Diane lived in the same small New Mexico town as we did, and I met her through a 4-H activity where we watched her demonstrate her Border Collie Rip’s Search and Rescue abilities. At the end of the demonstration she brought out her new 10 week old puppy, Sage, just off the plane from England. Shadow was about a month older than Sage, and at the time I thought that this little bitch looked homely, skinny, coatless, and well you get the point…my puppy was much prettier. As Shadow and Sage grew up, this opinion quickly changed as Sage matured into the epitome of a lovely Border Collie, and Shadow matured into a wanna-be Australian Shepherd. From this meeting, a friendship grew, and when Diane told us that she was planning on breeding Sage to Rip, we knew we had to have a puppy. Diane gave us an appreciation for the English lines, a gift that I will always cherish. Both Sage and Rip were imported from the incredible Lydeardlea line, started by the late Bill Welsh and his wife Prue (Griffiths) Welsh, which is thankfully being continued by Prue . This line primarily goes back to ISDS dogs, and the orignal show lines from England, with just a touch of New Zealand’s show lines. The heavy emphasis on ISDS dogs, paired with careful linebreeding, means that our dogs have a strong concentration of these lines in their backgrounds.

Then, we hit another stroke of luck when we found out about Judy Boles’ incredible imported dog, The Fireman. With a pedigree primarily made up of ISDS dogs, with a touch of the same early English show lines that appear in Faith’s pedigree, breeding him to Faith again solidified the background of great ISDS dogs in our pedigrees. We are extremely thankful to Judy for importing this lovely dog, and also her continued friendship.

At about this time we started to recognize that there were a select group of breeders here in America that truly appreciated the English show lines, and had been importing British dogs for over 20 years. Among this group was Joyce Heire who owned another fantastic Lydeardlea dog, Joey, littermate to Sage, enabling us to do a perfect formula breeding (to learn more about formula breeding, read this article by Carmen Battaglia – Brackett’s Formula), which brought out the best traits from the Lydeardlea line.

As we look forward into the future, I am extremely thankful to Doreen Kropf, who has been importing Border Collies from England since the 1970′s. I had the pleasure of having tea with Doreen while looking at a beautiful litter of puppies (one of which was the beautiful Ch. Westernese-Gladwyn Showoff).

I am also very thankful to Lori Davidson, and Pat Charlton for their continued dedication to preserving British lines here in America. Lori and Doreen have imported a few males of exceptional quality from Deansgrove Border Collies in Scotland, and you can be sure to look for future breedings with them at Omegan Border Collies. I am proud to call all these women friends.

Here at Omegan Border Collies, we believe…

that Border Collies should not be bred for any one purpose, and we strive for versatility in every litter we breed.
in the working ability of Border Collies, and also the beauty of the breed.
that it is not AKC that is responsible for the split between working and show Border Collies, but breeders.
that a breeding program should never be continued at the expense of an individual dog, meaning that a breeder should only own the number of dogs that he/she can care for, train, and provide enriched lives for.
that every generation should be better than the one before it.
in extensive pedigree research, taking into account the health, temperament, and abilities of each of the dogs we breed, and their ancestors.
that linebreeding is an effective way to concentrate desirable traits, but it should always be done carefully, because it is just as easy to concentrate undesireable traits.
in genetics – meaning that we do not artificially alter our dogs in any way, knowing that they can only pass on what they really have.
in health testing, including x-rays for OFA, CERF testing, and DNA testing for CEA, CL, and TNS.
in removing undesirable traits from the gene pool through careful selective breeding.
in good temperaments, but do not believe that the true Border Collie temperament should be changed to meet the requirements to be an average family pet.
that nurture enhances what nature endows, and that puppies must be given every chance to be great, genetically and environmentally.
that puppies are best selected by the breeder to meet the needs of the puppy buyer, because we have been with the puppies since birth, and are more attuned to their temperaments and personalities.
in being active with dogs, and teaching them new skills.
in the science of learning theory, and that positive reinforcement and negative punishment are the best way to teach dogs.
that it is unacceptable to impose fear or pain to a dog in the name of training.
in premium dog foods.
in education, and that no one is ever done learning.
that puppy buyers should be able to do what they want with their dogs, and we encourage them to explore new activities, but do not require participation in any competition.