Shetland Essays, An Exploration

Last night, my bestie Jon and I were texting. I wanted him to come over and watch Singin' in the Rain with me (I have to for my Cinema Studies class, though it's kind of unnecessary considering I've seen the movie a million times over the course of my life and basically know the entire thing by heart). He had to decline because "I have six Shetland essays to write."

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While I was mid-way through compiling a text to ask just what the hell a Shetland Essay is, Jon texted me back saying he meant "six short essays." He somehow typed the wrong letter or something and his iphone autocorrected to say "Shetland." This was quite humorous, as you can imagine. However, this is not to discount the fact that a Shetland essay could be quite entertaining. After googling and wikipedia-ing (sigh, wikipedia-ing just doesn't roll off the tongue quite like googling does. It amazes me that google has turned into a verb in everyday vernacular. But that's a topic better left for another day of exploration) and it turns out there are Shetland ponies and Shetland sheepdogs. And as I am a lover of all things fluffy, small, and cute, these two animals fall into my category of adorableness.

Shetland ponies can be anywhere between 28 inches and 42 inches at the withers (withers are the ridge in between the front shoulder blades for those of you, like me, who dreamed of and loved horses but have never actually owned one). This puts Shetland ponies at about the same size as Great Danes or Mastiffs. These ponies are considered quite intelligent and are mainly used for riding, driving, and packing purposes (which begs the question, what else can you do with a horse or a pony? Isn't riding, driving, and packing standard procedure for horse & pony duties?).

Shetland ponies originated on the Shetland Isles, just northeast of mainland Scotland. They were first used to pull carts, carrying coal, peat (which is, apparently, an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. Nope, I don't know what that means either. Go here to read more)  and for plowing farmland. During the Industrial Revolution, they were exported to mainland Britain where they were used as "pit ponies." They were used in coal mines to cart out coal. They were perfect for the job since they're so small. Today they are mostly used for harness driving, children's cart pulling, and, in some cases, guide ponies. They can serve the same capacity as guide dogs, except they're ponies. For its size, Shetland ponies are the strongest of all horse and pony breeds. They were bred to withstand the harsh conditions of the Shetland Isles so they have heavy coats. They can live up to 30 years or more.

The Shetland Sheepdog, often referred to as a "Sheltie" or a "Shetland Collie" are in the herding dog group and originated on the Shetland Isles as well. They were bred primarily for herding and protecting sheep. They are extremely loyal, energetic, and willing to please & work hard. They have what is called a double coat, the first is the outer coat that is thick and water repellant, the second is an inner coat that is soft. They are lively, intelligent, and are very loving and affectionate to their families, though can often be aloof to strangers. They are also excellent watch dogs.

They look a lot like those Lassie dogs, but they are, in fact, not the same breed. Lassie is/was a Rough Collie, not a Shetland Sheepdog. This confusion led to Shetland Sheepdogs to be called Shetland Sheepdogs instead of Shetland Collies. The herding instinct is really strong within Shetland Sheepdogs. They love to chase and herd anything they can find, including children and squirrels. They are ranked the sixth most intelligent dog out of 132 breeds (The top ten most intelligent dogs are: 1. Border Collie 2. Poodle 3. German Shepard 4. Golden Retriever 5. Doberman Pinscher 6. Shetland Sheepdog 7. Labrador Retriever 8. Papilon 9. Rottweiler & 10. Australian Cattle Dog. This ranking is based on the standard of understanding new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions and obeying first command 95% of the time or better. Also, the "dumbest" dog is an Afghan Hound, apparently. Read more about this system here. It's quite fascinating). 

So there you have it, folks. Though it may not have been structured like an essay per se, writing Shetland essays can be a fascinating and interesting task. And, hey, you learned something today. That's always a good thing in my book.

Love you.

Mean it.