Bi Blue or Merle

[wildgraywolf]

So I recently bought a little sheltie girl. She was sold to me as a merle but is visually a bi-blue. She does not have a trace of tan on her at all. Her mom was a merle and her dad was a bi-black. So would she still be considered a merle or a bi blue? Thanks!

 

[tofu pup]

Technically, she is a blue merle (without tan markings)... commonly known as a bi-blue.

It's a quirk of Sheltie culture that the "blue merle" is used to refer more or less exclusively to dogs that are blue merle, white, and tan, even though "blue merle" accurately describes a dilute-black dog, with or without tan markings.