Another clue to the Mystery of Lee

When you have a true mutt, you always are thinking "I wonder what she is" and looking for clues.  Perhaps this is because the answer to "What kind of dog do you have?"  is "mutt" and that doesn't sound so nice! Zaphod is clearly not 100% Shepherd, but is enough that I can say Shepherd mix, so I don't think about it as much as Hailey. Hailey is truly a mystery mutt.

I think every breed of dog has been suggested for her over the 2.5 years she has lived with us. Most people who meet her want to try and figure her out.  While we have considered DNA testing, we have decided against it because of the cost and the fact that only 75-100 breeds DNA is tested, which could still leave us wondering. Besides, we like having a little mystery in our lives!

We got another clue a few weeks ago thanks to our friend Loki the Dober Dog. He too is a mystery mutt and his Lady is trying to solve this mystery. In her search she came across the Australian Kelpie. This dog looks so much like Loki, but a couple of pictures made me think of Hailey.

Then I saw this one and I thought - That is my Lee. Similar colours, body shape etc.

Google Picture of a Kelpie. Lee has the same white patch on her chest.

Hailey the Kelpie??????

My brief reading about this bread shows they can be a huge variety of colours, including black like Hailey. She is about the right size. She has the right type of coat. She is definitely a herding dog and has LOTS of energy. She has amazing eye sight and does like to nip ankles when playing. The physical evidence does suggest she may be part Kelpie.

However, one mystery remains - how did my herding dog get webbed feet? Kelpies do not have this trait. Or at least it was not listed in the things I read.

My guess is now she is a Kelpie (or another type of cattle dog) with some sort of dog with webbed feet (like a lab or shepherd. Given that she is drawn so much to shepherds I wonder if that is it).

The mystery will continue!