Coloring books starring a real border collie
Archie is a border collie from the Colorado Rockies. He rides ski lifts, digs snow tunnels and naps in blanket burritos. We turn his real adventures into coloring books for kids and for grown-ups.
Drag to color me in!
From photo to page
Each drawing begins with a photo from one of Archie's days out. The finished page keeps him true to life: his white blaze, upright ears and red collar.
A real moment from Archie's week, straight from the camera roll.
Redrawn as a clean coloring page, one picture per sheet.
Stay true to life or give Archie a purple snow day. It's your page.
Snow Day. Archie has a short coat, so on the coldest days he wears his orange jacket in the snow.
The books
The same adventures, drawn two ways: big bold outlines for small hands, and detailed scenes for a quiet evening with your pens.
For kids 4–8
A coloring book for kids starring a real border collie.
Paperback · 8.5 × 11 in · 64 pages
Inside the book
For grown-ups
An adult coloring book of Archie the border collie.
Paperback · 8.5 × 11 in · 58 pages
Inside the book
Color online
Tap any space to fill it with color, or switch to the brush. Works on phones, tablets and computers.
More from the Rockies
Wildlife, trains and trail scenes from Colorado's mountains, each one drawn from a real photo.
For kids 4–8
Bears, moose, foxes, raccoons and trains from the Rocky Mountains.
Paperback · 8.5 × 11 in · 72 pages
Inside the book
For grown-ups
An adult coloring book of Rocky Mountain wildlife and landscapes.
Paperback · 8.5 × 11 in · 72 pages
Inside the book
Choosing a book
There are four books, two for kids and two for grown-ups. Here's how they compare.
| Book | Best for | Pictures | Pages | What the pictures are like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archie's Big Adventures | Kids 4 to 8 | 29 | 64 | Big, bold outlines of Archie, with a fun fact on each page |
| A Dog's Life in the Rockies | Grown-ups | 27 | 58 | Detailed scenes of Archie, with a caption facing each one |
| Colorado Critters & Adventures: Kids Edition | Kids 4 to 8 | 33 | 72 | Bears, moose, foxes, raccoons and trains, with a fun fact on each page |
| Colorado Critters & Adventures: Adult Edition | Grown-ups | 34 | 72 | Detailed wildlife and landscapes, with a Colorado fact facing each one |
All four are paperbacks, 8.5 × 11 inches.
Questions
Both kids' books are made for ages 4 to 8. The outlines are big and bold so small hands can stay inside them, and each picture comes with a short fun fact you can read together before you start coloring.
Pick A Dog's Life in the Rockies if you want Archie in every scene. Pick the adult Colorado Critters book if you'd rather color elk, moose, bears and foxes. Both are detailed, with a short caption or Colorado fact facing each drawing.
Every picture sits on its own sheet and the pages are single-sided, so markers and pens won't spoil the next drawing. If you press hard or use very wet markers, a scrap sheet underneath is still a good habit.
Yes. You can color Up the Ski Lift or The Snow Tunnel free in your browser. Tap a space to fill it with color or switch to the brush. It works on a phone, a tablet or a computer.
Yes, every one. The Archie books come from photos of Archie, a border collie in the Colorado Rockies. The Colorado Critters books come from photos taken around Colorado, most of them just a few miles from Archie's house.
He is. Archie is a border collie with a short, smooth coat. He's mostly black with a white chest, white paws, a thin white blaze down his face, upright ears and a red collar. He lives in the Colorado Rockies.
The two Colorado Critters books are on Amazon now, and the buttons above go straight to them. The two Archie books are coming soon. All four are paperbacks, 8.5 × 11 inches.
The real Archie, on the lookout
Meet Archie
Archie climbs the biggest rock on every trail and keeps an eye on everything below. He can tell you it's time for a walk without making a sound, and he always carries his own stick.
The books on this site are made by Archie Dawg. Every drawing starts as a real photo taken in the Colorado Rockies and becomes a coloring page in a paperback, with one picture on each sheet so markers and pens don't bleed through. There are four books so far: two starring Archie, and two about the wildlife he shares the mountains with.
