Lassie is a fictional female dog of what breed?

Lassie is a fictional female dog of the Rough Collie breed.

Author Eric Knight introduced Lassie in a 1938 short story, then expanded the idea into the 1940 novel Lassie Come-Home. The character is portrayed as an exceptionally intelligent and devoted collie who undertakes a long journey to return to her young owner after being sold.

The character’s fame grew through films, radio, television and books. The 1943 film Lassie Come Home helped establish Lassie as one of the most recognizable animal characters in popular culture. The television series Lassie, which began in 1954, further cemented the image of the heroic collie.

A common mix-up concerns Lassie’s sex: the character is female, but many of the dogs who played her were male. The best-known screen Lassie was Pal, a male Rough Collie trained by Rudd Weatherwax. Rough Collies are the long-coated variety of the Collie, distinct from the shorter-coated Smooth Collie and from the smaller Shetland Sheepdog.