OMGzzz! what a handsome little man!! He is definitely a full Australian Cattle Dog, and a really cute Blue one at that. I reeeaaally want an ACD, they're wonderful pups. However, they can be quite stubborn and reserved ~ but he looks like a total sweetie. He actually doesn't look big at all to me... more like 30-40 lbs at the most.

I'm very happy that you're considering adopting him now... it might've been destiny that you weren't able to return him to the shelter ~_^! Please, please do think this over lots though. You'll have this dog for atleast 10-12 years, through thick and thin. He will need at least 8 weeks of Obedience, that is the bare minimum though. I suggest you go through Beginning and then Advanced classes with a good OB school right away, it'll help you and your hubby bond better with him and it will teach you a LOT about him and how to control/train him. aww, that sucks that he isnt a ball-dog.. it makes exercising much easier when they'll just chase a ball back and fourth for hours. To make him ball-addicted, dont leave them around the house and only give him access to a ball during play-time. Act like its the best thing in the world and tease him with it for a while... maybe he'll end up being a ball-addict once he realizes how fun they are !

Cattledog.com has a lot of info/resources about ACD's, as does the ACD Club of American website =0)