Olde English 'Babydoll' Southdown sheep Olde English 'Babydoll' Southdown sheep The Olde English 'Babydoll' Southdown is a breed of sheep developed in the United States to reflect the original type of Southdown brought over to North America. To meet consumer demand in the early 19th century, farmers in the US and UK began breeding Southdowns that could produce larger cuts of meat. This led to a separate line of sheep that were bigger and leggier, and while flocks of the original type remained, their numbers decreased throughout the 1900s. In 1986, Robert Mock set about searching the United States for sheep that fit this original
Breed registry stud book is a stud book or breed registry that does not accept any outside blood. The registered animals and all subsequent offspring trace back to the foundation stock. This ensures that the animal is a purebred member of the breed. In horses, an example of a closed stud book is that of the Thoroughbred, with a stud book tracing to 1791. The American Kennel Club is an example of a kennel club with primarily closed books for dogs; it allows new breeds to develop under its Foundation Stock Service, but such dogs are not eligible for competition in AKC