[5] Some sources, without any obvious evidence, suggest it was crossbred with similar dogs seen in North Africa.
[6] It was a large but rangy dog, up to approximately 25 in (64 cm) in height, and described as "fast and fearless", with an appearance not unlike a lighter-built German Shepherd.
The coat was usually of a light fawn, sandy or red-gold[7][4] colour with a black saddle, a white chest, white on the legs and the tip of the tail and a blaze on the face.
C. L. B. Hubbard, writing in 1948, described it as "almost extinct" and "scarcely ever seen working today".
[5] The last known Welsh Hillman, "Jess", was purchased in 1974 from a hill farm near Hay-on-Wye by the author and broadcaster Jeanine McMullen, and was spayed before her owner realised her rarity.