
Image Credit: No-longer-here, Pixabay Lassie in TV and Movies The likelihood, based on these descriptions, is that the Lassie that appears in Knight’s short story and novel is a Rough Collie with the standard black, brown, and white coloration. The “deep coat” mentioned in the novel further narrows down the possibilities, as Smooth Collies have short coats, while Rough Collies have longer, thicker coats. This snout differs greatly from that of the Scotch Collie which is much more square. The standard coloration he mentions could describe any Collie variation, but the distinct mention of an “aristocratic” snout likely refers to the triangular muzzle found on a Rough or Smooth Collie. He also mentions that Lassie was of a “fine breed” with an “aristocratic” snout and a “rich, deep coat.” These clues all suggest that Lassie is a Rough Collie. The author describes Lassie as a “ tri-color collie,” referring to the standard coloration of the old fashioned Collie breed and its many variations: black, white, and brown. We do, however, have textual descriptions that we can go off of that appeared in the longer novel. As such, it’s unclear as to exactly what kind of dog the original Lassie was. The first Lassie short story, as well as the novel it was later developed into by the same name, Lassie Come Home, didn’t originally have accurate illustrations of the dog in the story. However, while Lassie was based on a Scotch Collie, the dog’s actual representation in the short story and novel suggests that she was a different breed. Knight explained that his real-life dog was an extremely loyal and loving companion that would often wait for his return from school for hours, and it was this kind of devotion and connection that inspired the character and story of Lassie, a dog who is uprooted from her home and travels hundreds of miles to be reunited with her original owner. These dogs are known to be highly intelligent and hardworking, and these qualities certainly made their way into Lassie’s original character. This variation of Collie was developed in Scotland and was bred for hunting and herding. His real-life dog - named Toots - was an old fashioned Collie, sometimes referred to as a Scotch Collie. Here’s the story:Įrik Knight explained that he developed the fictional character of Lassie based on a dog that he had when he was younger. We’ve got the answers to both questions and more, so let’s dive in! The short answer is that Lassie was a Rough Collie inspired by a Scotch Collie. Although Lassie was later portrayed in TV shows and movies, many fans wonder what kind of dog Lassie was in the original stories and what breed later portrayed her in the movies. The highly intelligent and adventurous Lassie originated as a fictional character in a short story by Erik Knight. Chances are you’ve seen or heard of Lassie, one of the most well-known dogs in media over the past few decades, if not the most famous.
