"Chestnut" Shelties (GB)

Photos and details of individual "Chestnut" dogs can be seen in the database "Sheltie Pedigrees (verif.)".

Mr. G.B. Caird, Scotland

"At approximately the same time that Mr. Pierce started his strain, Mr. Caird of the old Chestnut Kennels, made his famous Chestnut Sweet Lady cross of a tri-colour bitch tracing to the Mountshannon blue-bred Collies, to Chestnut Rainbow, a small tricolour son of a mating of Chestnut Lassie, one of the best-typed bitches of her time to her brother, both tracing to the old-timers behind the Farburn and Helensdale strains. This mating gave a new impetus to the breed in many directions and before long immediate descendants of it were doing all the winning. The litter originally contained eight members, Chestnut Bud which helped the Helensdale, Chestnut Blossom, Redbraes Rollo, Ch. Redbraes Magda, and Chestnut Garland all of which came to Clerwood, Chestnut Peach which was retained by her breeder and taken to Canada by him, and Nut of Houghton Hill, the smallest of the litter which became Mrs Bakers. ..." *1 page 89

"The Beginning of the Breed
...
Certainly the first Shelties were a far cry from the show Collies, even in that day. ... A few of the best showed unmistakable Collie characteristics. Among these were Zesta, ...; and later, Chestnut Lassie, who was sound, with plenty of bone and a well-built body. ..." *2 page 17

British Kennels
...
"... we are obliged to go back again to the beginning of the breed to a little tricolor dog called Chestnut Rainbow, product of a brother-sister mating on Chestnut Lassie (an upstanding, stylish little Sheltie with good bone and body, perfect ears, well-balanced head, and winner of a challange certificate) to Irvine Ronnie, both being by Berryden Prince, ... Their dam, Chestnust Queenie, was by Elswick Beauty x Lily.
Rainbow's mate was the first full sized Collie cross made since the Mountfort small Collie Teena was introduced into the breed. Chestnut Sweet Lady, by name, she was listed as inbred on Chestnut Queenie. But actually, she was a tricolor Collie from the famous Mountshannon blue merle Collies, who were the best of their color at the time. She must have been fully marked, judging from the large amount of white appearing on her progeny, and must also have had quality, because the entire litter of puppies possessed it. Their were eight in the litter - all of whom served as foundation stock for several kennels. Their breeder saved for himself Chestnut Bud and Chestnut Peach, both of whom he took to Canada, but the others were the building blocks of many strains.
Besides Chestnut Peach and Chestnut Bud, the Chestnut litter included Chestnut Blossom, Chestnut Lucky Boy, Chestnut Garland, Redbraes Rollo, Ch. Redbraes Magda, and Nut of Houghton Hill. Before his departure for Canada, Chestnut Bud sired Mr. Saunder's lovely little Ch. Helensdale Laddie, who went to Mr. W. W. Gallagher and the Page's Hill Kennels in America. ...
Three of the Chestnut litter became the property of Dr. Margaret C. Tod and founded her famous Clerwood Kennels in Scotland. These included Chestnut Lucky Boy, Chestnut Blossom, and Chestnut Garland. (Two others, registered as Redbraes Rollo and Ch. Redbraes Magda, came into Clerwood ownership and their threads were woven into many a strain.) First, Dr. Tod mated Chestnut Blossom to Chestnut Lucky Boy, inbreeding the Collie cross. This resulted in Ch. Blaeberry of Clerwood, whose influence on the breed has been immense. ...
... The Houghton Hill Kennel was begun with the wee one of that litter named Nut of Houghton Hill. By inbreeding to him, Mrs. Baker brought forth Ch. Uam Var of Houghton Hill, a tricolour dog with little white but lots of quality, and who sired many champions for the Houghton Hill Kennel. ..." *2 page 106, 107, 109

"The Chestnut Cross I:
The Helensdale And Sheltieland Thistle

...
Mr. G. B. Caird began breeding Shetland Sheepdogs at least as early as 1916, when Chestnut Queenie was whelped. Originally registered 'Queenie,' along with her 1921 daughter Chestnut Lassie, in December 1921. 'Lassie's' full older brother Irvine Ronnie, also bred by Mr. Caird, was not registered until 1923, in the same issue as his daughter ex 'Lassie,' Kilravock Lassie. Kilravock Lassie's full brother, the tricolor Chestnut Rainbow, was never registered at all. Mr. Caird bred him to an unregistered tricolor bitch, Chestnut Sweet Lady, and the result was a litter, whelped February 20, 1924, which has dominated Sheltie breeding over 60 years.
The Kennel Club was evidently given more information on both Chestnut Rainbow and Chestnut Sweet Lady - not all of it correct - than appears in any of its publications, as the import pedigrees on the descendants of the cross who came to America give Chestnut Rainbow's pedigree as Irvine Ronnie ex Chestnut Lassie. It is now pretty generally acknowledged, on both sides of the Atlantic, that Chestnut Sweet Lady was a tricolor Collie. I have seen nothing in print to suggest that Chestnut Rainbow was not pure Sheltie, with his pedigree correctly given on the import pedigrees; but so many unregistered dogs have turned out to be Collies that I must admit to a lingering suspicion as to the accuracy of Chestnut Rainbow's pedigree.
The litter of seven tricolors was not registered all at once. Chestnut Blossom (f) and Chestnut Bud (m) were registered by their breeder in January 1925 followed by Chestnut Magnet (whose name was changed to Redbraes Magda when she was purchased by a partnership of Dr. Tod and Mrs. D. MacGregor) in June 1925. Redbraes Rollo (m) was registered by Dr. Tod and Mrs. MacGregor in July, followed by Nut of Houghton Hill (m) by Mrs. Baker in August, Chestnut Lucky Boy (m) by Mr. Caird in September, and finally Chestnut Garlant (f) in July 1926, well past her second birthday. The quality of the litter must have been outstanding. Both Chestnut Bud and Rebraes Magda are in the 1926 Stud Book as having won CCs, and Chestnut Lucky Boy also won his way into the Stud Book that year. ... The only dog ticket that did not go to Eng. Ch. Eltham Park Eureka went to a youngster from the mating of Chestnut Lucky Boy and Chestnut Blossom, Blaeberry Of Clerwood. ... Two others of the seven dogs who made the Stud Book that year were sired by members of the Chestnut litter: Ashbank Veester Prince by Redbraes Rollo and Helensdale Laddie by Chestnut Bud. ...
Every one of the puppies in the Chestnut litter appears in the English Genealogy Charts, and three of the four males have lines active today on one or the other side of the Atlantic. Chestnut Lucky Boy was the paternal grandsire of Ch. Wee Laird O'Downfield, who is the tail-male ancestor of most modern United States champions. Redbraes Rollo is carrying on in the United States through Ch. Peabody Pan. Nut Of Houghton Hill is the major source of the CHE line in England. In addition, the BB line comes entirely through two dogs who are actually more closely related to the Chestnut litter than to the Teena crosses: Blinx Of Clerwood was out of Chestnut Blossom, and Eng. Ch. Max Of Clerwood was out of Melite Of Clerwood, who was inbred on the Chestnut litter. Chestnut Bud, the only male of the litter to win a CC (and also the only male of the litter not to have a surviving sire line), sired the two imported Shelties we'll be discussing this month: Helensdale Lassie and Eng./Am. Ch. Helensdale Laddie. ..." *3 page 18

"Chestnut" Kennel ad:
"..., but so fas as the 'Chestnut' kennels are concerned there is but one type, and one type only - and that is the real type all connoisseurs are striving to reach, viz., the modern show Collie in miniature, to comply with the standard of points of the different specialist clubs. But Mr. Caird has by no means attained this perfection-type position in the variety with lightning-like rapidity, for, be it known, he is looked upon and recognised as one of the oldest breeders and fanciers of the Sheltie, who ploughed his own furrow until he reached his ambitions. That leader and authority of the variety in England, Miss Thynne, fully realises the worth of the Chestnut dogs, for she has made raid after raid upon these kennels in search of grown and maturing stock, and borne off in triumph many rare specimens. Again, many Shelties of Mr. Caird's production are standing monuments in Scotland, England, and America, owing to his thought and care in breeding. He was the breeder of Kilravock Lassie, recently sold to America. But Mr. Caird is no stranger in he land of 'Stars and Stripes,' having spent some eight years in business in New York City. Mr. Caird's is no haphazard kennel of luck; it is a kennel built up from a knowledge of the breed, striving and mating to attain a fixed-type point.
With the present inmates Mr. Caird is outstandingly strong, both in bitches and dogs; but it is undoubledly the bitches who have built the present reputation and forceful Chestnut stud.
CHESTNUT QUEENIE, the mother of many wonderful winning Shelties, is a rich profuse-coated sable-and-white, standing about 12in. high, an absolutely perfect miniature Collie, with the sweet-built head of leanness and lenght and true Collie expression. But we come now to her daughter, CHESTNUT LASSIE - the bitch I have heard so much talk about. This bitch is, my opinion, the best bitch of her breed to-day, and I consider myself lucky to have the honour of overhauling her; she is worth a journey of many miles to see. A glorious dark-sable-and-white, with any amount of coat of the right texture, her head is moulded to satisfy the most finical, being long and sweet, with a skull and ample muzzle to give the true Collie expression, a rare-placed and expressioned eye, with a topping pair of ears, whilst her tail carriage is perfection; standing 13in., she is a pillar in the breed. Not much exhibited, she has to her credid a challenge certificate, five 1sts, the Kilravock cup, the Clifford cup, gold medal and silver spoon, at Birmingham; and a 1st, five 2nd, and seven specials, at Aberdeen. But in addition to her outstanding qualities as a show bitch, she has in breeding reproduced Shelties of her own type, many of whom are ornaments to the breed in America. Large offers have been made for mother and daughter, but Mr. Caird knows they are indispensable if the standard of the kennel is to be maintained. CHESTNUT RAINBOW is a son of C. Lassie, a tricolour dog, moulded in the shape of a miniature Collie, excelling in quality, long head, and neat ears, a wealth of coat, and a dog to give a great lift up by stud work. CHESTNUT LADY is a daughter of C. Lassie, a lovely tricolor, alluringly marked; she inherits her mother's classical head and ears, whist she is rarely made in body and egs, CHESTNUT BLAZER, also out of C. Lassie, a taking light sable-and-white dog, with an exceptionally long clean head, grand put together in body, with firm lengs and feet and an enormous coat. CHESTNUT CADET is a golden-sable-and-white dog, his ears are a perfect study, grand placed and shaped eye; he carries a very heavy coat, he is proving himself to be an outstanding sire of first-flight youngsters. All the stud dogs are at the service of breeders at very moderate fees, and in this connection Mr. Caird has first-class accommodation for visiting bitches.
In addition to those I have mentioned, there is a grand crop of very promising young stock - tricolours and sable-and-whites - coming forward. Ere this article is in print the Chestnut kennels will have been enriched by litters from C. Queenie and C. Lady, and if these bitches produce up to their past reputation, then Mr. Caird will be entrenched with Shelties of type to keep him in the enviable and premier position in the Sheltie sport he now occupies. He is a great believer in outdoor rearing of his stock, most of the youngsters being brought up in the country.
F.G." *4 page 132

"THEY HELPED TP MAKE THE BREED
PART I - THE COLLIE CROSSES

...
CHESTNUT SWEET LADY
In a letter to Catherine Moore, Dr. Tod of Clerwood described Chestnut Sweet Lady as a tricolour Collie bitch with a crooked blaze, tracing to the Mountshannon Collies. Her breeding was falsely given as Berryden Prince ex Chestnut Queenie. This Collie bitch, used in an undeclared cross, was bred in 1924 to the tricolour Sheltie Chestnut Rainbow, the dog for whom the male line CHE is named. Listing of the undeclared crosses in print becomes a ticklish business, as can be noted in Miss Osborne's book where she gives Sweet Lady's breeing after her full sister, Chestnut Lassie, and in the next paragraph says that Sweet Lady (no mention here of Lassie) carried a great deal of the blood of the Mountshannon Collies. One is required to read 'between the lines'!
The first cross of Sweet Lady to Rainbow was common knowledge and as the breeder (Mr. G. B. Caird) then moved permanently to Canada, it was not as suppressed as might have been had he remained in Scotland. The four males and three females in the litter, all tricolors, went to Sheltie breeders and all seven appear in our pedigrees. They were: Chestnut Blossom (F), Chestnut Garland (F), Redbraes Rollo (M), Ch. Redbraes Magda (F), Chestnut Bud (M), Chestnut Lucky Boy (M) and Nut of Houghton Hill (M).
Chestnut Sweet Lady then went to J. Scott Souter, who outfitted her with a name of his own prefix and the following pedigree:

He then repeated the breeding of Chestnut Sweet Lady (or Rubislaw Lady Fayre, as she was now named) to Chestnut Rainbow and the product of this union was none other than the great Eng. Ch. Tilford Tontine! The latter held the producing bitch record for many years in England of four Champions (also one American Champion), a record which although now tied has never been surpassed in that country.
Chestnut Sweet Lady appears heavily in the pedigrees of those dogs imported to this country. Ch. Wee Laird O' Downfield, who is behind so many of our dogs, was sired by Eng. Ch. Blaeberry of Clerwood, a dog that was produced by the breeding of full brother to full sister - Chestnut Lucky Boy and Chestnut Blossom." *5 page 47-48 and page 10-11

Above excerpts/quotes from the following books/articles/adverts:

*1 The SHETLAND SHEEPDOG, Catherine E. Coleman, Copyrighted and Published by W. W. Gallagher - J. N. Levine - A. R. Miller, 1943 (USA)

*2 The Complete SHETLAND SHEEPDOG, Catherine Coleman Moore, Denlinger's, 1960 (CDN)

*3 Sheltie Pacesetter, May/June 1989 (USA)

*4 THE "Chestnut" Kennel of Shetland Sheepdogs owned by Mr. G. Burnett Caird., Supplement to "Our Dogs." December 14, 1923 (GB)

*5 ASSA HANDBOOK VOL. II 1971-1973 and The Shetland Sheepdog in America, Charlotte Clem McGowan, Best Friends, Ltd., 1999 (USA)