Long blond hair and beautiful blue eyes; what's her breed(s)?

April 21, 2008 7:23 AM

Doggy folk, your best guess about this breed/mix, please? Photos: 1, 2, 3. She is two years old, weighs around 27 pounds, and is about 17 inches tall. I don't know much more than that. I haven't met the young lady yet, so I can't tell you much about temperament, etc., except she's supposed to be very sweet, loves the loving, not barky.

This is a rescue dog, so there's no info on the mother or father. Those arresting blue eyes make me naturally suspect Siberian Husky, perhaps, somewhere in there... but I have no idea.

posted by taz to pets & animals (28 comments total)

My guess is : Lhasa Apso, sheepdog, and/or Afghan.
posted by arcadia at 7:30 AM on April 21

Old English Sheepdogs and the Blue Merle collie can have those blue eyes. And yes, if she needs a home, I'm here and available :-)
posted by ceri richard at 7:32 AM on April 21

Good luck figuring this out! The overall impression to me is rather like an uncorded puli. Picture number 2 makes me wonder if the blue eyes might be from a border collie rather than a husky - I don't see much sibe in there.
posted by Wolfdog at 7:37 AM on April 21 [1 favorite]

Jessica Simpson's dog Daisy is a maltese-poodle mix, and Daisy's hair looks like your dog's hair, which makes me think there's some poodle in there somewhere.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:40 AM on April 21

The coat looks a (very little) bit like a wheaten terrier, but it doesn't look like she has the typical terrier-sort-of-outline. I'll throw it in there anyway, since the height/weight seem about right. Whatever else she is, she's a good looking dog.
posted by jquinby at 7:43 AM on April 21

You may get a hint if you ever have to give her a shave/summer cut. I know a dog that, upon meeting him, is quite obviously a Chow-mix, but until he gets his summer-do and you can see his distinctively shaped skull, the Bull-Terrier in him is all but blind to the naked eye.
posted by Ufez Jones at 7:46 AM on April 21

Looks like three dogs in its lineage. My guess is Lhasa Apso, a terrier (either Wheaten or West Highland White) and Australian sheepdog, which has contributed the blue eyes.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:11 AM on April 21

Aussiedoodle?
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:15 AM on April 21

Bearded collie.
posted by essexjan at 8:24 AM on April 21

Except for the blue eyes, she looks like a small Goldendoodle. Aussiedoodle looks really likely.

But pure-bred mutt crossed with Heinz 57 also works pretty well.

Note: I like mutts.
posted by dilettante at 8:41 AM on April 21

Seconding the Old English Sheepdog suggestion! She's definitely mixed with something else, maybe some kind of terrier, just by the shape of her nose.
posted by saturnine at 8:42 AM on April 21

Looks like Benji, who was apparently a Maltese Silky Terrier hybrid.
posted by goatdog at 9:21 AM on April 21

She looks like the Wheaten-Mutt I had as a child, except with blue eyes.

Lovely girl. Does she need a home? Send a Mefi Mail, if so!
posted by jeanmari at 9:32 AM on April 21

Bichon frise is what it looks like to me, taz. Our neighbor had one for like 18 years, named Sam, and when (old) Sam died, she actually got a new one, and called him Sam also! The one pictured on the Wiki page is a lot whiter than the Sams, both old and new, they're more the color of what you posted. What's different is those light blue eyes, that reminds me of huskies.
posted by Lynsey at 9:37 AM on April 21

Wheaten Terrier was my first guess. The blue eyes indicate husky or something like that.
posted by radioamy at 9:38 AM on April 21

She's gorgeous! Does the hair shed? I'm guessing a cross with a non-shedding breed like poodle, bichon, puli, or portie. And then, yeah, something like an Aussie for the blue eyes.
posted by emyd at 10:13 AM on April 21

She definately looks like a shaggy Wheaten terrier who hasn't been getting many haircuts. She's got a lot of Wheaten characteristics, and my Wheaten would have the same coat when we didn't cut him for a long time. Clearly she's a mixed breed with those eyes, but she looks mostly Wheaten to me.

As far as temperament, my Wheaten was very quiet and rarely barked, and had a very sweet, friendly and decidedly non-alpha disposition.
posted by Jupiter Jones at 11:36 AM on April 21

Bearded Collie cross
posted by Lanark at 11:50 AM on April 21

This is young Sam.
posted by Lynsey at 12:13 PM on April 21

maybe a polish lowland sheepdog? they are a more petite breed than the english breed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Lowland_Sheepdog

i had never heard of this breed until my parents adopted one recently.
posted by dityfleur at 12:38 PM on April 21

Tibetan Terrier
posted by carmicha at 6:46 PM on April 21

Tibetan Terrier photo link here. These photos show their many coat colors, whereas the Wikipedia page focuses on the more common darker dogs. The blonde ones I've known look alot like your new buddy, but I can't think offhand if their eyes were ever blue... so maybe a spash of something else too.
posted by carmicha at 6:52 PM on April 21

Looks a lot like a Wheaton Terrier to me - in need of a trim and good brushing! The tibetan terrier photos look similar as well. Sweet dog.
posted by belau at 7:12 PM on April 21

Some kind of terrier in there, I think. What else, I don't know!

I hope you're going to be adopting her, though--she looks like a real sweetheart! I want to reach through the monitor and cuddle her. Sometimes breed(s) really, truly don't matter, and you'll never quite figure it out. If she's a mutt, she just has a nice healthy mix of genes. I'm sorry this isn't a real answer, but... Gee, she's appealing. Scritches.
posted by Savannah at 7:44 PM on April 21

"Cute."
posted by bettafish at 10:12 PM on April 21

Thanks for the input, guys! I think the Australian Shepherd bit is very, very likely... Been looking at photos of, especially, miniature Aussies, and the eyes are just like, and I see a lot of muzzle/nose similarity. The rest is up in the air, but many good possibilities offered here.

I would like to convince my husband that we NEED to adopt her. NEED. It definitely doesn't matter at all to me about breed mix, except to the degree that this info could offer insight toward possible behavior and temperament, activity level, etc.

Since we live in an apartment, some common behaviors in some breeds just wouldn't work here: too much guarding behavior since we have neighbors in the same building, those neighbors have guests, etc.; chasing small animals, since neighbors have cats; and the need for a large space like a yard. Our set-up is perfect for a dog who is okay with other animals in the vicinity, not too protective, doesn't bark a lot, and doesn't need a whole lot of space. We can offer tons of companionship and attention, we are close to parks, and doggy would be going on long and short walks all the time, accompanying us on all kinds of errands, visiting outdoor cafes with us, - lots of big funtime for some dogs! But the outside access here is a small terrace and a small courtyard; not nearly enough for a dog who needs a lot of leg room. So, basically, I just don't want to get a dog that needs something we can't offer... But sorry, Ceri and Jeanmarie - we're in Greece, and so is she!

I will update if we get her, and if I find any further info. If we do adopt her, the vet might have some thoughts.
posted by taz at 11:05 PM on April 21

Soft-coated wheaton terrier (because of the coat)/Aussie shephard (because of the eyes) mix.

My dog Belle is a wheaton. She looked very similar to yours before we got her hair cut. (Kind of like a Muppet, down to googly eyes.)

Wheatons are goofy and not the typical aloof terrier. They like to run around in circles really fast. I have seen this not only with my dog but with other wheatons at the dog park. Belle also likes to bark (another terrier trait).

When she plays with other dogs, does she nip at their heels? That would indicate a shepard.

What a pretty girl! Good luck!
posted by FergieBelle at 3:19 PM on April 22

Taz--I have to tell you that the Wheaten-Mix mutt that I had as a child was, hands down, the best dog our family has ever owned. Ever. That dog was a saint. I have a good feeling about this lovely mutt just from her photo and description. Best of luck.
posted by jeanmari at 6:47 PM on April 22