Nice specimen Alex http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/belgiangroenendael.htm BUT where is yr Maremmano-Abruzzese ???? :) http://www.pastoreabruzzese.net/idoppionome.htm Stick with it there hopefully are some more interesting breeds people have. Blake is yrs a Boston terrier? or have I got the wrong one. Liz
Alex, I once had the privilege of meeting a Belgian Groenendael at the Ohio State Fair. He was sitting with his owner in the shade of a large tree. Oh, such a lovely dog! Yours is his equal in beauty---so regal, so intelligent. Just gorgeous. I am not a 'dog person', but this dog goes straight to my heart. Wow. H.L., Henry is one lucky bird! He has the Cote d'Azur in his own living room! (Could be a re-enactment of a scene from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.) And what a photogenic fella he is, to be sure. ---I am assuming that his floating friends are plastic ones! (!)
whoa hollyberry!!! I was so confused!!!! Butter my biscuit but I was wondering why that green bird was lying in the water like that. It wasn't until later that I realized that they were plastic.....I'm blushing right now. I'm not quite following Liz and Alex postings right now but thats alright. I appreciate all the pictures anyway. I'm going to post a few more. Not of my doxies (although they are my babies).
I am this doggie's mommy also. She lives with her daddy though. Mommy and daddy are friends though so I get to see her often. She loves the doxies. She grew up with them. They love to play together. The last picture of her is when she was just 5 weeks old! She was the same size as Mr. Ruby--taller of course! I didn't have Scooter at that time. She's 4 years old now. Her name is Pepper. She's an American Staffordshire Terrior. We call her a Pitt Bull though because no one around here knows what an American Staffordshire Terrior is. LOL. She responds to German commands. At the time I thought that was a great idea, although now I wonder.
Yes Alex I have 4 Maremma and 1 Pyrenean :) Just thought you being in Italy should have one. Doxi the Maremma is Italy's dog. Re the pit bull label. Interesting they are banned here for various reasons including wrong people getting them and the dogs attacking. We have had another recent death. I suspect like mine in the wrong hands and they are a problem. In the right hands they are a great dog. Liz
Wow, I've never heard of a certain breed being out-lawed. Though I can understand the reasoning. But there are still good people out there that just love the dog for the dog that it is. Pepper has never shown any aggression. EXCEPT for the occassional sappling that stands in her way. Then she must rip it from the ground and shake it---somehow it eventually turns to a bunch of toothpicks. Hehehehehehe!!!!!
well, i have no idea what to say. i had no idea that pitts were outlawed anywhere--even in states here--currently trying to outlaw them in my state. i realize that there are attacks but....i think thats a little above and beyond. There are millions of things against the law, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. This is clearly not the place to preach so I'll take my preaching elsewhere. I just had no idea. Pepper is just not that way.
Here in Columbus there are laws governing the ownership of 'dangerous dogs', among them 'pit bulls', a designation that seems to encompass everything from bull terriers to Staffordshires to boxers and any and all mixtures thereof. Any animal, in fact, that LOOKS like it might be a pit bull. Owners have to have special insurance, keep them securely restrained, etc. Case just a week or so ago where a postal carrier was severely bitten by dogs who escaped through a rickety fence. Guess neighbors had earlier notified authorities but nothing was done. Yeah, OK, there are 2 sides to this issue. On the one hand yes, there should be responsibility taken by dog owners: if they won't do it themselves then it must be forced upon them legally. BUT: 'vicious dog'...? How can whole breeds be classified this way? I have known some little dogs who would fit this description, but they are free of regulation. My son had a friend whose dad had 2 'pit bulls'. When I found this out I was horrified---but upon investigation I discovered that these were father and son dogs...the older was nearly blind and very deaf, and desired nothing more than to sit in the sun on the back steps. Son was amiable if not too bright and was content with laying his head upon visitors and drooling thereon. Vicious? Not so's you'd notice. Another dog story in the news here about the same time as the mail-carrier biting: a family in Whitehall (east of Col's proper) has had a 'pit bull' for many years. Seen on TV, the dog is portly, graying, and friendly. The family has just been informed by the city that the dog is 'dangerous' and will have to be put down. There may be recourse if they purchase prohibitively expensive insurance, but I got the impression that bureaucrats are gonna be #$%^&*!s about this. All this treats symptoms, not causes. The CAUSE of 'vicious dog' attacks is poor breeding and no training. Until and unless laws can be enacted that regulate unchecked and irresponsible breeding of these animals, and mandatory classes for their owners, the innocent dogs will continue to pay the price of human ignorance.
Ignorance is bliss I guess. I'm 25 years old--pretty ignorant. In History classes I learned about prohibition. When alcohol was outlawed. Then loads of people made their own. Because it wasn't regulated there was all kinds of crap in it--including deadly amounts of alcohol. Loads of people died. Since it was "underground" (including dirty cops) they had a hard time dealing with it. Finally, they just ended up making alcohol legal again. Of course there are still Moonshiners today--but nothing like it was then. What does this mean now? Think about it....
Then, as now, the symptoms are treated whilst the cause goes unexamined. Folks get drunk! Let's ban alcohol! No thought given to WHY folks sought the escape, the reality buffer, the anaesthetic of alcohol...like maybe joblessness and its concomitant miseries, for just one example. If the problem itself goes unidentified and untreated, it will remain.
Re the banned dog issue, The laws did not prohibit people keeping the dogs they have till they die but breeding more or importing is a NO. I suspect some of this breed is being used in hunting dogs to catch wild boer (sp) and kangaroos. Then they loose them or dump them and they become part of the wild dog population. These dogs are real killing machines in the cross bred. We also have stupid owners who use them as guard dogs and have no idea how to handle them. One death was of an older woman who's neighbour had 4 Many dogs have the mollasar in their background mine included. By the way Livestock guards were originaly used to keep bear and wolves away from the flock. They are used extensivly in US and Canada to do just that as well as Bobcat and coyote and anythig else that may go their flock included 2 legged ones. However their prey drive is low and their motivation is protection rather than kill (they will if needed). So potentially my dogs even tho very careing with their charges can be a real menace with an incorrect owner. These dogs are partners and do not respond to being dominated. They often work on their own with a short daily interaction with owners. So good handling is vital. Liz
Many dog breeds are not where they should be. People who choose a border collie as a pet because it is 'cute'---then keep it in a tiny apartment---should be slapped, at the very least. You are so right, Liz. Good handling is essential! Prospective dog owners need to be educated BEFORE they acquire an animal---they have gotta know what breed will be happy with their lifestyle, what the animal's personality is, what its needs and instincts are, and how to provide it a structure of behavior. In short, people gotta have a few brain cells operating! Just like with plants, dogs must be in the right environment to thrive. A saguaro cactus in a tropical rain forest or a Maremma in a suburban backyard: bad news. And if you want a lap dog, get one! A German shepherd is neither a toy nor a fashion accessory!
Well said. There are however companion livestock dogs Maremma included. The family or human + any auxillery animals become the flock. Then the owner needs to socialise the dogs VERY well to all sorts of noises or situations other wise the dog is in constant alert mode instead of usual couch potato stance. The trick is to guide their tendancies to your advantage. I feel totaly safe here on my own during the day. They alert to all sorts of things one too often but when the old girls bark I check. Two lots of companions one a UK dog called Brogan and the others from US. All Pyrenean in this case. By the way to keep this on gardening they are very good in the garden. Their careful movements that they use around the animals is a bonus in a garden. The boarder collie is a sad situation and definatly not a good suburban choice. There are some Maremma Collie mixes I have met. Pretty animals but definatly not suitable as livestock dogs because of the herding (high prey) and livestock (low prey) being mixed. Never sure what you wil get comingto the fore.
LOVE that ghost dog picture!!!!! Spotted the doxies stealing cherry tomotoes yesterday evening....theiving scoundrals.... :-p
Liz when you refered to "Brogan" were you refering to a type of dog or the name .. my jack russel's name is Brogan .. :) Marion
No this fellows name is Brogan something or other. He is a champion Pyrenean Mountain dog. He is about a year old there I think. I have always loved that photo I put it on my front screen every so often. Have just been reading a great blog of a farmer in Kentucky who uses the russian live stock dogs. He was teaching a young one how to scout and come back to him with out him having to act as the caller. Apparently he wants to do fencing on area for his cattle but there is also a risk of a wild cat using the rocks and caves. You might enjoy his writings. Can be very funny at times. Refers to the russina dogs as the "Soviet Guard " He uses his land in an organic way. Was ploughing, mowing with Percheron horses till recently. Works with wild mustangs, has wild donkeys and generally is a fun place to visit. Home page http://www.denstarfarm.us/Index.htm http://www.denstarfarm.us/Denstar Web/Trash/LGD/Atia_13.html Liz
I really like that photo of him .. so cute ... and that one of the pups in the ghost outfit .. seen that all over the net ...lol.. so funny .. When i was looking for a name for my puppy .. i wanted something different .. didnt want the usual Jack Russell name ..lol.. so i found Brogan .. it means "lil terror" and so on .. and also means "ankle high boot" well my lil JR has the short legs so he is almost ankel high...lol Marion