Goin' to the Dogs!

digitS'

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ducks4you

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Eva is much more like the old GS, with a straighter back and not as camped out hind legs. She BOUNDS when she runs. Even though she shouldn't chase the cats, it's a joy to watch her run.
Her sire is from Romania and her bitch has two German parents.
Could have registered her, but, as spayed, rather pointless.
 

heirloomgal

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And, of course there are dog breeds that simply don't EXIST anymore, since the purposes for which they were bred disappeared so long ago there was no incentive to keep them discrete. For example, if I was a dog person instead of a cat person, I always sort of wanted a Bullenbessler (sort of like a boxer, but MUCH, MUCH bigger) or a Bearenbessler (even bigger than THAT), since I would like the idea of a dog that was bred tough enough to take down Aurochses (wild bulls) or bears. Problem is, neither has existed since around the 1600's, due to the fact that, by then there were few bears to hunt in the area of Germany, and absolutely no aurochses to hunt ANYWHERE (they went extinct around 1603). So they let them be bred smaller, and that's how we got the boxer.

Also of interest might be the tiny French "turnspit dog" which was bred to go in big, fancy kitchens and run around in pairs on a treadmill wheel to keep the spits of the large roasts turning, Again, no more need for manual roast turning, no more need for the dogs.
This is a breed I'm currently fascinated with, Cane Corso.
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You probably know about them given your historical knowledge of dogs. They descend from the Mollosers, ancient dogs of the Romans. I think for the most part they are now considered a traditional Italian breed. The elderly fellow I got my dog from was born and raised in Calabria and it was so interesting to talk to him as he grew up with these dogs on his family farm. His father fashioned wide metal sort of shields for their necks (put on only at night) so the wolves wouldn't descent on them and kill them. I had no idea they even had wolves in Italy! Huge instinct to protect.
 

baymule

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I suppose there is an armadillo down this hole and that’s what the dogs are madly barking at in the 3 AM time frame. This is in the pasture, not the night pen, or there might be armadillo snacks.

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