Blue Merle Collies

A collie is a distinctive type of herding dog, ultimately originating in Britain. It is a medium-sized, lightly-built dog weighing 22 to 55 lbs with a pointed snout, and many types with a white pattern over the shoulders. They are always alert and are active and agile. Merle is a color combination in dog's hair with a solid base color that is usually red/brown or black or lighter blue/gray or reddish patches that gives an uneven speckled effect. Merle can also alter other colors and patterns besides the usual red or black. The merle gene modifies the dark pigment in the eyes, occasionally changing dark eyes to blue, or part of the eye to be colored blue.