Despite the Collie’s general popularity
Blue Merle fortunes, particularly amongst
the Roughs, deteriorated sharply after
Blue Ruin annexed the Challenge Trophy
in 1888, the cause of this sad state of affairs
traceable to Mr Arkwright’s decision
to concentrate on his more famous Pointers by dissolving his Collie kennel in 1890. Fortunately the colour’s near extinction had been largely reversed by the end of this decade when once again Blue Merle Collies could be seen challenging the other colours in equal competition. The colour’s spectacular revival largely attributable to the efforts of Mr Fred Barlow YARDLEY, who, searching for the scattered remnants of Arkwright’s kennel, discovered Blue Devils, to whose name he added his own affix as a prefix. It is perhaps strange that whenever this colour is discussed reference is made to Brackenbury’s Scot, widely used by Arkwright in his initial efforts to promote the colour. Scot’s grand-son, Blue Devils, is rarely mentioned although he, virtually single handedly, re-established the blue merle as a viable entity after Barlow and a small group of associates agreed to mate every decent bitch they owned to him, regardless of colour, but keeping only the Blue Merle specimens. The colour gained a further boost after the establishment of the Rough Blue Merle Collie Club, which aimed to encourage the colour by supporting special classes confined to Blue Merle Collies or offering specials. By the end of the decade support was sufficiently strong to encourage the club to sponsor its own show, which was held in conjunction with the Birmingham Dog Show Society’s ‘National Show’ in January 1910.
