The Kennel Club’s founder, Mr Shirley,
was also active in Rough Collies, his
Trefoil, whose short but successful show
career lasted no longer than a single show
season, is arguably the first collie to own
a recognisable pedigree, which undoubtedly
explains why he dominated future breeding
programmes. Today every Collie, whether Rough or Smooth, can trace its ancestry back to Trefoil, in tail male line, through the next link in the chain. Charlemagne, bred by Mr J. Bissell another convert to the Collie, made his first show ring appearance at Alexandra Palace, Jan 1880, to take the first in Open Dog, under Mr S. E. Shirley MP. Another to first appear in the dying year of this decade was the renowned bitch Madge I, who started her spectacular show career with a first in the Puppy Bitch class under Mr Shirley at the Kennel Club’s own show, June 1880.
Smooth Collies have always been something of the cinderella variety, but the ‘Grand National Dog Show’, Nottingham 1872 must have considered their numbers sufficient to warrant separate classes. Judged by the Rev. G. Hodgson and Messrs Headley and Fisher, prizes were awarded to Daybell’s Nett and Harrison’s Jim. Of greater importance was Mr Walker’s Waite, a more consistent winner of Smooth Collie classes; she also founded a dynasty destined to influence the early development of both Rough and Smooth Collies. However the lack of separate classification did not prevent the real enthusiasts showing their Smooth Collies, with bitches Yarrow and Fan capable of winning over the Roughs, Fan in particular proving to be an enviable ambassador for the breed, although she does not appear to have bred on.
