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Your hobby is stupid and it is counterproductive
I am often amazed at what people think they are doing with dogs. No one has demonstrated to me what is essentially an article of faith or at least a current mantra of the AKC-apologist set: That...
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Blaspheming the breed
I had an interesting conversation a few days ago: Why is that people who keep fish and exotic pets are so open to new scientific knowledge about their animals? Why is that the innovative ways of...
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Real Italian mastiff
This one was a hunting mastiff from the north of Italy. My guess is the scars come from the dog’s use as a boar catcher. I doubt that the dog is 10 or 12 years old, but it is certainly an older dog....
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Even primitive dogs can be made to suffer in the closed registry system
This a video about an appeal to for a basenji that is suffering from both Fanconi syndrome and either an ulcer or a tumor. The dog’s owner is need of funds for a endoscopic exam to determine whether...
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The double-nosed dog
This is a pachon Navarro, one of two breeds that are called “Spanish pointers.” This breed has had this trait for centuries, and yes, it’s an actual working breed. We’ve been selecting for weird...
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What is a bulldog?
I think there is no other way to describe the sudden popularity of the bulldog than as one of the greatest tragedies in modern dogs. A bulldog is an unfortunate beast that is a medley of genetic...
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Bulldogs: Enjoy the freak show!
Source. I just noticed that this sort of bulldog tends to possess really screwy loins. The loins actually point up toward the hips, which is so disgustingly freaky. At a distance the dogs appear...
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Saving a pug from a lifetime of misery
Retromops on the left. Conventional pug on the right. (Source). Pugs have a lot of problems associated with their bizarre phenotype. This is a breed that is well known for its scrunched-up muzzle and...
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What the worst of men do to the best of dogs
There might be a few things wrong this dog. This dog is gonna take on the gladiators and all the Germanic tribes at once!
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An interesting backcross using golden retrievers and wetterhouns
A few years ago, I did a blog post about a wetterhoun/golden retriever cross. A wetterhoun, as you may recall, is a water dog from the Friesland province of the Netherlands. The dog was used to hunt...
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The stunning beauty of a village dog
This is Kali, and before you go searching about what kind of dog she is, I’ll just tell you this: She is a Nepali kukur– a Nepalese dog. “Kukur” means dog in Nepali, and Kali is what we would call a...
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The bulldog was the fourth most registered breed with the AKC in 2014– not...
I have been writing about the issues around purebred dogs for quite some time now, and one of the breeds that constantly comes us is the English bulldog. I know that this is not the “official name” of...
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Rottweilers are not bulldogs
I don’t know where this idea came from, but there is profound misunderstanding about what rottweilers are. Rottweilers are sometimes referred to as Metzgerhund, which means “butcher’s dog,” and...
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Hybrid origin of the pit bull revealed in new studies
A recent study of pit bull skulls using 3-D imaging technology has revealed that they have skull measurements that are more similar to the extinct canids in the genus Borophagus. Further analysis...
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Istrian hounds and Dalmatians might be related– but may not be
Istrian smooth-coated hound. I’ve written a few blog posts in which I have argued that Dalmatians are not actually from Croatia. I’ve pointed out that a lot of the supposed depictions of Dalmatians...
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Happy Boykin Spaniel Day!
September 1 is Boykin Spaniel Day in South Carolina. It’s also the first day of dove season in South Carolina.
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Something unspoiled
I’ve been thinking about the future a lot. This blog has helped me reach a sense of closure following the deaths of two beloved dogs. I knew a working type golden retriever intimately well. She could...
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The Shepherd’s Dogge
Source Over the years, I’ve made mention of the fact that English shepherds are a very common breed in West Virginia. Indeed, I knew what an English shepherd was long before I’d ever heard the words...
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The obligatory and predictable anti-AKC post during Westminster
“This dawg is terrific! A real winner!” It’s that time of year. The United States is having its big dog show Monday and Tuesday, and it will be watched. And the laity will whine about why the Labrador...
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The collie from the 60s
I got to see these family photos for the first time today. This is a dog that featured heavily in my dad’s dog stories that he used to tell us when we were kids. This is Cam, the first AKC dog that my...
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