Australian Shepherds, or Aussies, are a U.S. favorite dog breed beloved for their gorgeous coats, striking eye color, and playful nature, among other characteristics. One popular fact about Aussies is that they commonly have two different colored eyes, aka heterochromia. For example, one of an Australian Shepherd's eyes might be brown and the other blue. In some cases, Aussies are even seen with more than one color in the same eye. Heterochromia, which is often hereditary, is more common in merle Australian Shepherds.
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Source: Instagram
Luckily, the condition is usually benign and does not cause any harm to dogs. Aussies with different-colored eyes can have normal lives just like any other dog. It is a unique characteristic that contributes to the breed's beauty. That said, below are some adorable photos of different-colored eyes Aussies that will melt your heart!
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As you can see, the Aussie on the left has one blue and one brown eye. The Aussie on the right is a red merle whereas the one with heterochromia is a blue merle. Merle Aussies often appear in dog shows because of their gorgeous look. Combine a merle Aussie's striking eyes with its gorgeous multicolored coat and you have yourself a strikingly gorgeous pup!
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As I mentioned earlier, Heterochromia is more common in merle Aussies. The puppy in this picture is a blue merle. Generally speaking, dogs with heterochromia have multicolored coats. Their coats, for example, might have mixtures of grey, white, black, and tan or red. As pointed out by Inverse, the genes for coat and eye color are closely connected.
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For what it is worth, Australian Shepherd puppies are insanely cute, though they are cute as adults, too. It is no secret that they often appear on lists of the world's cutest dog breeds.
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This is a red merle Australian Shepherd with two different eye colors. As you may have noticed, the dog also has a butterfly nose, which is common in merle Aussies. A butterfly nose is a nose with pink spots on it. Under the CKC and ASCA breed standards, a butterfly nose on an Aussie over one year of age is a fault. The AKC breed standard, on the other hand, allows for merle Aussies over one year of age to have small pink spots, not exceeding 25 percent of the nose.
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In a nutshell, the Australian Shepherd is one of the best-looking dogs in the world today, though every dog is beautiful in their own way.
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