Wow, is Steeler beautiful or what?  Ok, so maybe I'm a bit partial because he looks like my dog Mali and he's in the herding group -- my personal favorite.

 

Steeler was surrendered to us because he family had a second baby and couldn't keep him.  It was probably for the best since he was living outside.  Dogs are supposed to be indoors with the family, not banished to the outside.

 

He's a bit underweight, but Judy will fatten him right up.  We are feeding him double so that he can gain some weight. 

 

He is ready for a wonderful family to give him his forever home, but you better hurry -- I might have to adopt him myself.

 

Update: Steeler is good with dogs but we feel he would do best to be the only dog in the home as he becomes very dominate and protective. He plays very well with the dogs at the shelter but with some experence in a foster home we have found out the after 8 years as being the only dog he should continue to be the only baby!

 

Foster Update 12/22:  I feel he is a very sweet dog, but probably at this time, needs to be in a home with no other dogs.  He definitely wants to take over.  His moto on life would be "whats mine is mine and whats yours is mine".  He is very, very energetic for an 8-year old dog.   If I didn't know better, I would suspect he was much younger!  He loves to play with toys and pace and run through the house, even during the night. His manners are not very good, he jumps on counters and trys to take things out of your hands if he wants them. He does nip and bite when he doesn't get his way, but that is not that often.  I have taken him on four walks since he has been here and he did great on walk number one but the rest of the walks he actually trys to grab the leash out of my hand and hold it himself!  He is a very smart dog.  He obviously was never trained properly as a puppy, and then had a bad situation later on, so it is not at all his fault.  I think once he trusts his owners it may be different, but again that would probably have to be in a home where he was the only dog.  

 

According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, the Australian Cattle Dog was developed by pioneer settlers in the 19th century to herd cattle on large ranches. Dogs the settlers brought with them from Europe, called Smithfield and the Old Smooth Collie (not the smooth collie known today),  were not able to handle the long distances and inhospitable climate of the new continent. So ranchers began experimenting with new crosses. The Australian Cattle Dog primarily derived from a mix of smooth, blue speckledCollie imports from Scotland and wild Australian Dingoes. Australian Kelpie, Dalmatian, and Bull Terrier were also added. The result was an excellent herding dog, with few equals, who worked the stock quietly yet forcefully, willing and able to drive cattle across vast distances under harsh, hot dusty conditions. With superior stamina, it was well suited to Queensland. Both its guarding and herding instincts are very strong and may extend to people and other animals. Robert Kaleski drew up a standard for the breed in 1893, which was finally approved in Australia in 1903. The Australian Cattle Dog was fully recognized by the AKC in 1980. The Australian Cattle Dog has also been known as the Australian Heeler, Hall's Heeler, Queensland Heeler or Blue Heeler. "Heeler" refers to its herding skill of snapping and biting cattle's heels. Its talents are retrieving, herding, guarding, agility, competitive obedience, and performing tricks.

A working, herding breed, the Australian Cattle Dog is not suited to life alone in the backyard. One of the most intelligent breeds, it can become easily bored, leading to serious behavior problems. These dogs need to be part of the action! They are loyal, protective and alert. An excellent guard dog. Brave and trustworthy. Very good in the obedience ring and in herding and agility. Can be obedience trained to a very high level. Firm training from the start and a lot of daily leadership, along with daily mental and physical exercise will produce a fine and happy pet. It is absolutely loyal and obedient to its master, but it is something of a one-person dog. They are sometimes suspicious of people and dogs they don't know. It can be very dog aggressive, for its dominance level is high. Teach your Australian Cattle Dog that you are the leader and you will not tolerate him fighting with other dogs. Best with children in the family it has known since puppyhood. Some tend to nip at people's heels in an attempt to herd them. If you are buying a pet, avoid strictly working lines, as these dogs may be too active and intense for home life. Australian Cattle Dogs are very easy to train. Puppies are born white (inherited from the early Dalmatian crosses), but the adult color can be seen in the paw pads. can and WILL arise with meek owners, and or owners who do not provide the proper amount and type of exercise. This breed does best with a job to do. If you do not have time to extensively work with and exercise your dog, or do not fully understand canine instincts and their need to have leadership, this is not the breed for you.