Basque shepherds (Pyrenees Mountains in France and Spain) from Great Britain, Scotland and Spain as well as Australia and Latin America moved to North America during the Gold Rush with their Australian Kelpie cross dogs.
Bliss Bit! The Australian Shepherd is one of the original American dog breeds (yes, the AUSTRALIAN Shepherd).
They hoped to strike it rich in the gold fields, but as you may have guessed, many did not become millionaires, or even thousand-aires, and were glad they brought some sheep and their trusty sheepdogs as Plan B. The Scotch Collie, Border Collie and English Shepherd are also thought to be in the genetic make-up of the Aussie. This blend of DNA resulted in smart, good-looking, hard-working dogs that are high on every farmer's list as best friend and co-worker.