Heard of a Huntaway?

Have you heard of a New Zealand Huntaway? Me neither! But mom was out (without me again!) this morning and saw a dog that she said looks JUST like me.  "Just like me?" I humphed.  "I'm an individual," I argued back.  "Yes, of course." she said.  BUT, I have to admit I was curious.  I asked my friend Google about these NZ Huntaway dogs, and wow, they DO look like my people.

Ok, here's a pic of me on top of Twin Peaks (photo credit to my Unkie Ritik...I'll tell you more about him soon!).  Please excuse the panting...it was a long walk up:

 

I couldn't find one of me looking head on (something about mom not wanting to hook up the storage drive)...but basically this is what I'd look like (with a little thinner face):

New Zealand Huntaway

Ok, let's do this again.  Me (photo credit to Unkie Ritik):

Them:

NZ Huntaway.  I wear my ear(s) like this sometimes, too.

Then mom looked up the characteristics and well, it's a bit uncanny, to be honest:

Temperament and Origin:

The New Zealand Huntaway is a very unique sheep-herding dog, in that it uses it's voice to drive the sheep.  The New Zealand Huntaway originated in the 1900's.  While most of the original British sheepdogs transported to New Zealand worked the sheep silently, an occasional dog would work them with his voice.  Some shepherds were intrigued with this, liking what they saw in the voice-driving sheepdogs.  Selective breeding of the barking sheep-herding dogs and many other breeds were crossed to get the characteristics that were desired. 

(Source)

Appearance and General Info:

Huntaways are large dogs that generally weigh in the region of 40-65 pounds (18–29.5 kg).^[1]Their coats can vary in colour; colours include black, black and tan (usually) with some white or brindle. Their coats can also come in different textures; they can be smooth, rough, or grizzly and they are generally floppy eared. A huntaway’s height is usually about 20-24 inches (51-61 cm) tall.^[1]

Huntaways generally live to around 12 to 14 years of age. They are intelligent,^[1] friendly, very energetic, active dogs that require a lot of exercise.^[1] They have been bred to muster in the hills and mountains of New Zealand where it is difficult to walk or ride, so hand signals and whistles are used to communicate commands to these dogs when they are at a distance. They are well known for being a noisy dog, especially when working.^[2]

(Source)

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Well, there you have it...I'm 48 lbs, black and tan with a smooth coat and I am most certainly floppy eared.  (Mom still thinks I have some Whippet in me, as well, since I'm not quite as stocky as these guys.) I'm loud, love to be in the hills and mountains, super high energy, and am very intelligent, if I do say so myself.

What do you guys think? Is it a match?  

XO,

Lu (the huntaway?)