You won’t find the word, “tail,” in the Bloodhound’s AKC breed standard. It’s just not the...
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Imitating Life
Until it’s explained to the uninformed that a Poodle’s trim has its roots in the dog used as a hunting ret...
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Scottish Terrier, or Terriers from Scotland?
Today’s fanciers have nothing on the ardor of breed enthusiasts who came before when it comes to disputes and di...
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The “Sleeve, Bark, and Hem” Dog
Two thousand years ago, if a Pekingese wasn’t in the sleeve of a Chinese royal (earning the breed the nickname: &#...
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England’s First St. Bernard
One of Sir Edwin Landseer’s most famous paintings, “Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveller”...
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Yet Another Bulldog Mascot
We’d hazard a guess that the most popular canine mascot, certainly among institutions of higher learning, is the B...
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The Irish Red and White Setter. A Breed in Trouble
New registration numbers from the Kennel Club are in, and it’s not good news for several breeds that were develop...
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Kennel Names – Got One?
Great fun is made of the “high falutin” names fanciers give their showdogs, but unlike call names (the name ...
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Austria’s Only Non-Scenting Breed
Austria has only one non-scent hound breed, and it’s the Austrian Pinscher. That this is a very old breed is kno...
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Does Your Dog Have Round Bones or Flat Bones?
Whether their task is to hunt or to herd, well bred dogs are built to do their job, and that fact is bone deep. Literall...
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The Meat Dog. Happily, it’s Not What you Think
They were the Rodney Dangerfield of hunting dogs. While their carefully bred elite level cousins were used only in field...
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The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (and a Cairn Terrier)
If you’re not a cinema “color snob” (which is to say that if a movie is in black and white, you’...
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An Irish Piece of History
You might not be familiar with Charles Stewart Parnell unless you’re an Irish historian. He was a force with wh...
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Purebred v Landrace
Not every breed we mention is accepted by major registries, and sometimes there is even debate as to whether a dog we&#...
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The Xolo Marionette
The Xoloitzcuintli owes its name to the Aztecs who named the breed after their God of lightning and death, “Xolotl...
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When Did the Berner Get His Name?
It’s said that the breed’s original name was “durrbachler,” after an inn where these all-purpose...
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The Porsche of the Police Dog World
That the Belgian Malinois is an incredible police dog is well known: 75% of dogs used by the Los Angeles Police Depart...
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The Returning Soldier Initiative
A dog’s nose can do what no other resource can. They can find someone lost in the wilderness, and track down a mis...
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National Monument #53
During Korean dynastic rule, intellectuals at odds with the King were exiled to Jindo Island, a fate worse than death. O...
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