Red Merle Australian Shepherds
In the ASCA standard, red merle is one of the four recognized, equally accepted colors — blue merle, black tri, red merle, and red tri — all with or without white markings and/or tan (copper) points with no order of preference, described as a marbling of red ranging from light cinnamon to dark liver with silver or buff. The standard calls for all colors to be strong, clear and rich, with red merles and reds having liver (brown) pigmentation on the nose, lips and eye-rims, eyes that may be brown, blue, amber or any variation or combination thereof, and coat with or without white and copper trim. It’s a striking, highly variable pattern that really shines when well-marked, as it was in two of my most beautiful Australian Shepherd females, CMA Ruby Tiara and Middle Forks Have Faith.
Black Tri Australian Sheperds
Under the ASCA breed standard, the black tri is one of the classic, fully recognized colors — described as solid black with or without white markings and/or tan (copper) points, with no order of preference. The standard calls for all colors to be strong, clear and rich, with black-based dogs having black pigmentation on nose, lips and eye-rims, the areas surrounding the ears and eyes dominated by color other than white, and the hairline of a white collar not exceeding the point at the withers, while white body splashes are a disqualification. It’s a timeless, striking combination, and one that has always been close to our hearts here at CMA Aussies — our second Australian Shepherd, a wonderful boy named CMA Shy Shot the Sheriff, was a beautiful black tri who perfectly exemplified that balance of correct color, expression, and working character.
Blue Merle Australian Shepherds
Under the ASCA breed standard, a blue merle is a black dog with the merle pattern, giving that classic marbled mix of black, gray and white with strong, clear and rich color, black pigmentation on nose, lips and eye-rims, and, like all Aussies, the areas surrounding the ears and eyes dominated by color other than white. Any eye color — brown, blue, amber, flecks and marbling — is acceptable with all coat colors, which is part of what makes blue merles so expressive. It was a blue merle who started it all for us — our first Australian Shepherd was a gorgeous female named Middle Forks Blue Oreo Special, and she set the standard for the beautiful, intelligent, versatile Aussies we’ve been proud to breed at CMA Aussies since 2001.
Red Tri Australian Shepherds
Under the ASCA breed standard, the Red Tri is defined as Red, White and Copper — a rich red base ranging from light cinnamon to deep liver with copper points on the eyebrows, cheeks, chest and legs, and crisp white markings on the chest, collar, face and legs, with the red required to be strong, clear and rich.
One of my best males, Heartfire’s Who Your Daddy aka Toby, was a gorgeous correct Red Tri and I was thrilled to announce Toby had received his CHIC number! CHIC, the Canine Health Information Center, is a centralized canine health database sponsored by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) that, working with parent clubs like ASCA, provides a resource for breeders and owners to research breed health by establishing a recommended protocol for breed-specific health screening and recognizing dogs tested in accordance with that protocol.
