Registered or Not?
In 1986, Mr. Robert Mock began a search for the sheep with the original blood lines that conformed to the original Southdown of the 1700s. Finding them proved to be difficult. At one point they were believed to be extinct. After a four-year search, two small flocks totaling 26 sheep were located; however, this group would not be able to provide a sustainable gene pool. After further extensive searching, a total of 350 of these miniature sheep were located. Many of them still carried their original Southdown registration papers.
To distinguish these small sheep from the larger modern-era Southdown, Mr. Mock named them “Olde English Babydoll Southdowns.” To keep this line pure, a registry was formed. Only adults two years and older were accepted so that they could be judged against the original conformation standards as verified by a veterinarian. Each sheep’s registration application was passed before a board of three members of the Breed Association. After this initial review and acceptance period, the “Foundation Flock” registry was closed in 1991. The term Foundation Flock is still used to refer to this original pool of sheep. Subsequently, the process of registering lambs from this original foundation flock began. Marquis Ranch is proud to say that all of our “Babydolls” have lineage related to these few originally located Southdowns.
Olde English Babydoll Southdown Registry http://www.oldeenglishbabydollregistry.com originally formed by Robert Mock to protect the precious breed was founded in 1991. One of the major goals of the original “Babydoll” Southdown Registry (Olde English “Babydoll” Southdown Sheep Registry) was to return the original breed to England where the little sheep had been extinct for over 50 years. This goal was accomplished in 1999. Until just recently, their numbers were so few that they remained on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust List (RBST). We are proud to say that due to the commitment from today’s breeders they are considering a thriving breed.
Subsequently the second “Babydoll” registry “North American Babydoll Southdown Sheep Association Registry” or NABSSAR, http://www.nabssar.org formed in the winter of 2001. The founders believed there was a need to fill the missing link between sole-proprietor owned associations. The association became certified as a non-profit corporation on June 10, 2003.
Whatever your choice on Registration, the goal as a breeder and of the Registries is for the preservation of the original breed type and to continue to promote and strive to protect the purity and integrity of the “Babydoll.”
At Marquis Ranch we are proud to represent both registries. All of our breeding stock meets or exceeds the registry standards and are “double registered.”
