My adventure began with my flying out of the Charlotte, North Carolina International Airport to San Francisco, California; this was nice 6 hour flight. From California I boarded a huge United Airlines 747 for the trip to Sydney Australia which was a 14 hour night flight. While this was a very long flight it was not too uncomfortable. United did a nice job of tending to the passengers and providing drinks, snacks and meals through out the flight. There were six movies offered on this flight so entertainment was available. I was able to sleep for about 10 hours of the flight and was able to get up and move about the plane which kept me from getting too stiff. After arriving in Sydney Australia I then picked up my final flight from Sydney to Melbourne Australia. This was a nice 1 hour flight and I arrived refreshed and ready for the day. Kerrie Challenger and Ann Worboys were the kennel representatives that picked me up from the airport and whisked me off for my Australian adventure.

My time in Australia was far to short for what all the country has to offer but we did make the most of it…. I stayed in the quant country town of Echuca, which is located on the Murray River. The town of Echuca, population 10,000, began in 1853 when an ex-convict saw the need for a river ferry at the Echuca crossing and lies in Baraba country close to Ngurraiillam and Yorta country.  In 1864, when the railway from Melbourne finally reached Echuca, it became Australia’s largest inland port. Today, Echuca still feels like a step back in time. The port features horse-drawn carriages, paddle steamers and old-fashioned timber mills. The proud old red gum wharf has been restored and is still in use. Approximately 30 kilometers, 18.8 miles, upstream from Echuca is the Barmah Forest, the largest red gum forest in the world.

This Murray River supplies the water needed for survival in the harsh dry countryside. The people of this town are warm, inviting and hard working. I was lucky to have the opportunity to visit them. The landscape in the Echuca area is flat, flat like the Midwest Kansas plains flat. It is beautiful and harsh and the people who work the farms, raising cattle, sheep and grass crops; work hard for the living they produce.

Water is a valuable commodity that is never taken for granted. While there is rain in the Melbourne area, Echuca is hours away and the rains just don’t seem to come to this area as often. Fields are irrigated with a channel system that was created a hundred years ago that takes water from the Murray River and carries it across the land to the farms. These channels are then opened into the fields, paddocks and pastures where the land is flooded in water 4 to 5 inches deep. This water is then absorbed by the land and thus gives it the nutrition that it needs. It is amazing to see the fields that are irrigated and the ones that are not receiving water. Green pastures in a section and next to it could be the golden yellow fields of dry grasses. It is beautiful…..

While in Australia I had the opportunity to visit the Healesville Sanctuary where Australian wildlife can be found in their natural habitats. Between the Sanctuary and the bush I was able to see the following animals……. Kangaroo, Wallaby, Rock Wallaby, Dingo, Echidna (looks like our porcupines), Wombats,  Australian Pelicans,  Platypus,  Brushed Tailed Possum,  Cockatoo (which fly everywhere you go), Emu,  Koala,  Kookaburra (noisy bird that reminds me of monkeys chattering the jungle), Magpie, Blue Mountain Tree Frogs, Turquoise Grass Parrot, Yabbies (looks like our crawfish), Lorikeets, Spotted-Tailed Quoll, Black Swan, Galah (beautiful pink bird that’s name is considered an insult), Zebra Finch, Kingfisher, Parakeets (native and wild in Australia)  and Brolga.

In addition to these wild animals of Australia I was fortunate to also see Angus, Jersey and Friesian Cattle, miniature horses, Clydesdales, standardbreds, thoroughbreds, and Australian stockhorses. There are a great many types of sheep but the two main breeds I was able to see were the Australian Merino and the Australian Dorper (a fascinating wool-less meat sheep).

I met with several members of the Koolie Club of Australia and several breeders of the Australian Koolie while I was in the country. I visited the Koolie Club meeting location and was able to see what a wonderful site they have for outdoor canine activities.  I was able to see wonderful Australian Koolies, all the dogs that I saw were on working farms or ranches. It was here that I was able see at once the traits that these dogs have and that are also found in our dogs back in the States. It was amazing to see dogs working Jersey cows on the dairy farm; they were being firm yet respectful of the heavy udders of the cows as they guided them from pasture to paddock to milking house. It was fascinating to watch other Koolies driving a mob of Australian Dorper sheep at an export station. These sheep are wool-less and therefore would show marks and marring to the flesh if the dogs did not work accordingly. I was thrilled to see the drive and determination that these dogs have, each from different breeders and different lines but still showing what makes a Koolie a Koolie.  It was amazing.

Everywhere I went I met people who prized these dogs for their ability to work and adapt. I can now see how these animals are a vital part of the farm, ranch or station. The need for a great working dog to help with the day to day operation of these farms can be seen in the constant need to move stock from one paddock to another as the irrigation of the land takes place. The irrigation is done at regular intervals of every 10 days or so and the animals stay in paddocks that have been irrigated for only a day or two before they must be moved to insure that overgrazing does not occur. This requires that the handlers must move cattle or sheep almost daily and this is done more effectively with the help of a strong working dog.

In addition to my time spent in Echuca and the surrounding areas I had the distinct pleasure of traveling into the city of Melbourne to meet with Genetic Technologies Limited. This laboratory had taken an active interest in the Koolie DNA testing and sampling for the Koolie Club of Australia’s database. I met with two lovely blokes, George Sofrinidis and Bob Maver and they welcomed me to the laboratory. Bob Maver is the chair of the ANKC Health Committee and as an ANKC representative he is working with George Sofrinidis and Genetic Technologies Limited to create the new ANKC DNA testing program. Bob Maver has expressed his admiration and extreme interest in the Australian Koolie by working with the Koolie Club of Australia to help develop the Koolie breed and has helped with advice on genetics and breeding. This on going relationship is unique and can only help the efforts the club has been making to promote the breed.

Genetic Technologies Limited is a leading-edge Australian life science company, specializing in the fields of genetics and genomics.  In addition to substantial, ongoing licensing and research activities for a  suite of patents relating to ‘non-coding’ DNA – they have leveraged their laboratory and genetics expertise into a significant and well-regarded DNA service testing business - providing testing for humans, animals and plants. Our time spent together was both informative and educational as I begin to learn more and more about the DNA markers that are being recorded within the Koolie Breed. I thank both George and Bob for their time and attention during my visit and I am looking forward to the continued relationship that we have shared.

My time in Melbourne was short but steeped in culture and architecture. This sophisticated world city located in the south-east corner of mainland Australia inspires a deep passion in those who live there. Melbourne is a relatively modern city which is less than 200 years old and never seems to sit still. New futuristic designs add to the fascinating mix of architecture and ensure the skyline is constantly changing. Melbourne is very much about lifestyle. Melbourne is known for its notoriously changeable weather. A standing joke in Australia is that Melbourne can experience four seasons in a day. I have found this to be very true just in my short day trip in the city.  

CERF Certification                          

On June 2, 2005 both
Jack and Jill were evaluated
by Carolina Veterinary
Specialists Medical Center in
Charlotte, NC. This center is an American College Of Veterinary Ophthalmologists Diplomats. They were tested for a number of potential eye disorders including but not limited to the ones listed below.


CEA - Collie Eye Anomaly is developmental defect of the eye. The disease has been reported in rough and smooth collies, Shetland sheepdogs, Australian shepherds and border collies. It is not known for sure if Koolies are affected by this disorder. Testing for this anomaly needs to occur between 5 to 7 weeks for signs to be seen. We were unable to do this testing that young age. Our hopes are that neither Jack nor Jill are carriers of the gene, we do not have a guarantee at this point that they do not. Once our first litter arrives these puppies will be tested prior to their 7th week. The doctors that performed the exam do NOT feel that Jack or Jill are carriers of the Collie Eye Anomaly.

Retinal Dysplasia and Retinal Folds is a type of retinal malformation. Retinal dysplasia occurs when the 2 primitive layers of the retina do not form together properly. Retinal folds rarely cause vision problems for the individual dog. They represent small blind spots which are probably not even noticed by the dog. However, large areas of dysplasia (geographic dysplasia) may lead to large deficits in the visual field and dogs with retinal detachments are completely blind. Retinal folds may be seen in many breeds and still pass a CERF examination and receive a CERF number. This is due to the fact that the condition is thought either not to be hereditary in the particular breed or has never been shown to be connected to serious (blinding) forms of dysplasia. In some breeds, particularly Labrador Retrievers, Samoyeds, and English Springer Spaniels, individuals with retinal folds are NOT given a CERF number. Since retinal dysplasia is common in these breeds and dogs and bitches with retinal folds can have puppies with blindness and/or skeletal problems the gene should not be perpetuated. In all breeds, individuals with geographic and retinal detachment forms of retinal dysplasia are NOT certifiable. Neither Jack nor Jill showed any signs of geographic and retinal detachment.

Corneal Dystrophies are diseases of the cornea that are bilateral, non-inflammatory and inherited. In most breeds, corneal dystrophy appears as gray-white, crystalline or metallic opacities in the center of the cornea or close to the periphery. These opacities may affect any layer of the cornea, the epithelium (outer layer), the stroma (the thick, middle layer), or the endothelium (the inner layer). The age of onset of the disease varies within and among dog breeds and may range from 4 months in Airedale Terriers, to up to 13 years in Chihuahuas. The opacities usually progress but in some cases they remain static. Their progression may be very slow and may or may not lead to blindness (common in Cocker Spaniels, Poodles, Samoyeds, Siberian Huskies, Pointers, German Shepherds, and Bichon Frises). On the other hand, progression may be rapid and lead to blindness (more common in Airdale Terriers, Boston Terriers, Chihuahuas and Dachshunds). The mode of inheritance varies among breeds and in many breeds it is unknown. In the airedale terrier it is thought to be a sex-linked trait and in the Siberian Husky, Corneal Dystrophy has been shown to be a recessively inherited trait with variable expression. Neither Jack nor Jill showed any signs of Corneal Dystrophy.

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is the name given to a group of hereditary retinal diseases in dogs. Although there are several classifications of the disease according to the age of onset of the disease and the types of retinal pathology which occur, almost all forms of PRA eventually lead to complete blindness. In some breeds of dogs, such as the Irish Setter and Norwegian Elkhound the disease begins very early in life (as early as 6 weeks of age.) In this type of PRA, there is a problem with the initial development of the rods and cones (the light receptor cells in the retina). The puppies with this disease often show behavioral signs associated with decreased vision as early as 12 weeks of age and may become completely blind by 1 to 2 years of age. Neither Jack nor Jill showed any signs of PRA.

Information on CERF and Registration can be found at the Caine Eye Registration Foundation website http://www.vmdb.org/categories.html