If it helps any, you can tell Mr. Ujest that it was Mr. Athena’s idea to get pugs, and he’s a weight lifter, ex-wrestler, ex-bicycle racer, who rides a Harley. So far, there has been no testicle shrinkage.
You’ve got the wrong Edith. She’s named after Edith Wharton. Think turn-of-the-century New York aristocrat, not Mrs. Bunker. But you were right on with the hobbit thing. Frodo looks just like a hobbit dog although lately we’ve been calling him the veal pug.
Oh yeah, forgot to comment on the show.
I picked the German Shorthair out of the Best of Show lineup right away. He just looked champion to me. To tell the truth, I wasn’t ecstatic about any of the top picks - they were all a bunch of ho-hum dogs, IMO. But I"m really happy that the Terrier or the beetle… I mean, Pekinese, didn’t win. The Terrier, especially. That would be just too Christopher Guest Best in Show. “God loves a terrier!”
I almost thought the Border Collie would get it. That was one beautiful dog, and I don’t even like Border Collies.
I had the German Shorthair Pointer picked, too. That dog shined! I loved the Great Pyrenees and the Border Collie and the Bloodhound, too, but the German Shorthair just owned the ring. I wouldn’t’ve been upset by any wins except the Peke. I’m prejudiced against Pekes.
StG
My favorite moment of the show was when they brought out the Newfy that won last year. It’s it wonderful that he spends his time helping sick children? 
As for this year I’m just glad there were no Poodles in the final seven. They’re very nice dogs IRL but the silly haircut should go.
I almost thought the Border Collie would get it. That was one beautiful dog, and I don’t even like Border Collies." >>>Athena
Actually, that wasn’t a Border Collie. Real “champion” Border Collies actually work for a living.
Disclaimer: The following post really isn’t sour grapes or anything (even though AKC did unethically recognized the Border Collie when the majority of Border Collie folks were vehemently against it.)
The dog that won the herding breed tonight at Westminister- while indeed a very beautiful (if you like fluffy) and black and white dog- was not actually representing the true Border Collies. In fact, the majority of Border Collies in the US are not registered by AKC (in many circles, registering an intact Border Collie with AKC is considered unethical) but instead are registered by working registries that do not allow physical “standards” to be adopted. The actual Border Collie is defined only by the work it can accomplish- not by its color, size, ear set, level of fluffiness (many are actually smooth coated) or any other physical characteristic. Instead, it was developed and bred exclusively to work livestock in a very specific and unique way that has made it what it is. There are no comparisons to other herding breeds (many of which do have useful working individuals) that can be made- the Border Collie remains in a class of its own when it comes to sheer desire and ability to effectively move livestock. It is one of the few breeds of any type that remains true to its original purpose and indeed, is still an economically useful tool for the shepherd, rancher or farmer today. There is nothing that the breed ring can do to contribute to the character or function of the breed- the only purpose it fulfills is to hold up a false, cosmetic ideal for the purpose of human vanity. For other breeds, where their function has been lost or outdated- perhaps there is a benefit in preserving as much of the original breed type as they can- but for the Border Collie (and also for the Australian Shepherd, ACD and a few other herding breeds), it is still very much a part of that same working world that developed it and can continue to improve along the lines it was meant to.
Sorry… I guess it is sour grapes- I hate to see anything that should be unique and beautiful trivialized the way the show ring does for the Border Collie. I have lived with and worked (on sheep and cattle) several Border Collies over the past 10 years. Their work ethic, intelligence, courage, and incredible abilities have shown me what beauty really is- even if its sometimes covered in mud and sheep poop :).
Not an AKC recognized breed, but please to let me extoll the virtues of my American Mastiff. All the benefits of a Mastiff, with NO DROOL. Ours is Gracie, a three-year old brindle we’ve had since she was seven weeks old. As Gaspode said, pretty much a self-propelled rug (my daughter refers to Gracie as the “interactive carpet.”) She is gentle, sweet, lazy and positively dreamy-eyed over my husband. I have never had a dog as easy as this one. Although, our old Giant Schnauzer was a genius, and he wasn’t real prone to barking.
Shirley - Gracie consumes about five cups of dry food a day. Not really so much, huh? I will not argue the “size-of-poop” issue, though.
I’m not watching the dog shows, but not for any particular reason. I’ve just been doing other stuff. I love the doggies!
Oh, I forgot to mention. Gracie has two bestest buds. One is Fiona, a rescued shepherd/husky mix who was recently adopted by friends of ours. Fiona is kind of little, and she’s fast. She discovered that she could get the better of Gracie by diving UNDER her and nipping at her knees from the inside (knees, elbows, whatever - you know the part I mean, right?) This bugged Gracie, but she likes Fiona, so she put up with it for a bit. Then she finally figured out how to cure her of the habit: every time Fiona runs under her, Gracie goes completely limp and flattens Fiona to the ground.
Her other best friend is Wyatt, a Bichon Frise who weighs maybe eight pounds and looks like a marshmallow. Wyatt is semi-deaf and a little blind, but he can SEE Gracie (you could hardly miss her) and he comes a-running whenever he does. He likes to do complicated figure eights around her legs and bite her ankles. Now, this is why I say Gracie is a smart doggie. She KNOWS she can’t flop down on top of Wyatt the way she can on Fiona. So she picks Wyatt up with her nose under his belly and flips him onto his back. Wyatt reacts much like a turtle - he just lays there helpless until someone flips him back.
I went to bed after the Herding Group and before Best in Show. I could not get excited about any of the dogs (although the Tibetan Terrier was pretty darn cute). I figured either the Peke or Terrier (Norfolk?) would win and I didn’t want to go to bed being annoyed. So I’m glad a real dog won, although I would have preferred the Irish Setter to have won the Sporting group instead of being second. Thank Og no yapper got BIS.
I know a guy who has an American Mastiff. There is some Anatolian in it, correct?
The American mastiff we know is very sweet, tall but lanky, not quite as stocky.
His head isn’t quite the same as an English, but the photos in your site, LifeonWry, do look mastiffy. It doesn’t sound like they test for genetic defects but at least they guarantee hips for 25 months.
I was told that drool is not a matter of overactive salivary glands, it has to do with the jowls. This has proven true for us because our female is less jowly and hardly drools at all, but the big male we had did, and our little guy (140 lbs.,he turns a year this week) already has more ‘slime’ than our female. I am a preschool teacher so various bodily fluids do not effect me as much as it might others. Spit happens
Our female eats 6 cups a day and when our pup is done growing he’ll probably be the same. And yeah, what goes in comes out.
Yes, Anatolian Shepherd was the cross breed. Gracie’s lankier than stocky, too. We call her the Midget Mastiff - she’s only about 98 pounds (her daddy, George, is fetured on the site I linked and is the single largest dog I have ever seen - the breeder said he was about 200 pounds.) Average female is about 120, average male about 140 - but I have a feeling many of those “average” dogs are overfed. Just a WAG, but people DO seem to take a lot of pride in the weight of their dogs. :dubious:
After Gracie’s had a drink of water or a meal, she is a little slobbery, but nothing like an English - I’ve seen Mastiffs get slobber on the CEILING!
Why the long face Bellagio?
Ok. I really like the american mastiff that LoW linked.
When the pointer won, my husband was happy. " It is as it should be. A german winning." I made cracks about how the dog goose-stepped down the runway.
Still, she is a beautiful dog and far more likeable than that scary troll dog.
I completely agree about people taking pride in (and perhaps exaggerating) the weight of their dogs. My own husband does it. :rolleyes:
Our English mastiff pup is on the small side, and the American Mastiff we know is a big guy; he has got to be at least 150 now and at age 14 months I don’t think he is done growing. I know he will be taller if not heavier than our stocky little pup.
I am not sure we’ve ever had slobber on the ceiling, but it does fly around here.