Now you've got me going as well......... But at least I've be able to pay the ferryman for my three dogs, and more cats, to make that final voyage as smooth and comfortable as possible.

Although I suspect they would probably have sniffed Ceberus's bum

Spooky;

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/06/24/dog-bridge-600-hounds-plummet-death-haunted-scottish-bridge_n_7652030.html

Oddball takes control:

Dogs protect Penguins

This year is the 125th anniversary of Crufts Dog Show:



(Yes, I know it says the seventh show on the poster, but 1891 was the first year it was open to all dog breeds, and so is counted as the beginning)

History of Crufts

Sable Mite, a Pomeranian, was awarded Best Champion in 1905, the first award of this category.



Best in Show was first awarded in 1928. Won by a Greyhound, Primley Sceptre

Serious doubts about the winner of the best German Shepherd;

Deformed GSD

Dog found alive five weeks after falling off fishing boat;


Dog survivor

27 July 1880, the Battle of Maiwand and Bobbie, regimental mascot of the 66th is in the thick of the action:



Bobbie survived the battle, and returned home to be presented to Queen Victoria, but was later run over and killed by a Hansom cab in Gosport.

The stuffed remains are on display in the Regimental Museum in Reading:

Napier University introduce new interviewers:

Doggy Decisions

Or to put it another way ...

Mind you my Dogglet doesn't seem particularly happy with his perfectly tasteful Christmas hat either ... though I can't see why,

I don't dislike pugs - they can be "cute"

Bosworth has declined to comment, but he is surprised that Dogglet has not removed - and eaten - the unfortunate piece of headgear.

That "unfortunate piece of headgear" is actually my own best casual winter hat, I'll have you know ... it's got earflaps and bobbled strings to tie under the chin, which are both very practical when the winter Tramontane blows. Although I'll admit I too am not particularly enamoured with the annoying wobbly bobbles on the top.

Oh, er, I didn't mean...


It's a very practical hat - very warm-looking -  MM - just not for a dog! 


I've got a pink bobble hat too which makes me look utterly ridiculous. Priscilla has seen a photo of me in it and can confirm it is not the most stylish of headgear!

I've accumulated 3 or 4 of this type of thermal hat over the years. Really good at keeping the lugs warm and the head dry.

The weather so far this winter has been so mild they've been unnecessary



Sorry, that had nothing whatever to do with dogs.

I thought earlier that I had linked a video about some cute pugs but seemingly not.  By co-incidene I came across something recently on the internet that said that pompoms on hats were to stop sailors bashing their heads on the low cabin ceilings.  I don't know if it's true because I've also heard pompom hats can be traced to Scandinavia.  I knitted myself a "pilot" type hat once (I think that's what it was called) - covered the ears but it was much too large and I ended up looking like John McCririck, so it ended up going to a charity shop.  About pompoms:- https://steemit.com/til/@hansolo/why-do-hats-have-pom-poms (sorry that has little to do with dogs either).  So here hopefully are some cute pugs 

Triceratops wrote:

I've accumulated 3 or 4 of this type of thermal hat over the years. Really good at keeping the lugs warm and the head dry.

The weather so far this winter has been so mild they've been unnecessary



Sorry, that had nothing whatever to do with dogs.

Some Russian crew from a fisher's boat selling in the Ostend fish auction, I think in the Seventies, sold us such ones for nearly nothing, some 12 Eurocent (0.12 Euro), I have still one in my garage...I suppose it was from Russian state property...and when a contingent was sold they returned to their boat and were there again with a new load in some minutes...

Regards, Paul.

I came across something recently referring to the effects of popular culture (in this context "popular culture" was largely relating to TV and films) on life in the real world.  Apparently in Game of Thrones where one of the noble houses had a direwolf as the emblem for their house [and then later find some direwolf pups].  In the first season of the show husky type dogs were used to depict the (as then not fully grown) direwolves.  A number of people apparently bought husky type puppies and then later on dog rescue shelters reported an increase in abandonments of that type of dog.  Similarly (and if Priscilla reads this I know it doesn't refer to dogs) the popularity of the Harry Potter franchise led to children wanting pet owls.  Bird sanctuaries subsequently had a sharp increase in owls given to them after that.  Has doing things on a whim increased over the last few years?  Though (in the UK at least) the campaign that "a dog is for life not just for Christmas" has possibly made some impression.

LadyinRetirement wrote:

... "a dog is not just for Christmas" ... 

Indeed, with a big enough dog there should always be enough left over for a pie or some cold cuts on Boxing Day.

Oh MM, you are a so-and-so.  Still I left myself open to that one....

I came across a short film from 1905 Rescued by Rover where the family dog rescues the baby from a kidnapper.  I thought how devoid of vehicles the street looked compared to 2019.  Also I was trying to work out if the kidnapper was a man in drag.  

I mentioned on another thread sometimes getting requests by email to sign petitions.  I received one (and signed it) about making dog stealing a specific crime.  Going back about 30 years a neighbour of mine moved.  He had a couple of dogs and once or twice they got out from the new place and I had people knocking on my door saying "We've got your neighbour's dog".  I then had to explain the neighbour in question had moved and would have to look up his name in the telephone directory to tell the person with the dog the new address.  They were lovely dogs.  One was a golden retriever like MM's Doggy-Dog and the other was a red setter.  I had a bit of word finding difficulty for a moment - I was thinking to myself "What are those chestnut coloured dogs" and then I remembered.

Still reeling from the glum news about Paul but inspired by LiR's thoughtful idea of a musical tribute, I thought I'd try to cheer us a little with this picture of a cheeky-looking Flanders Bouvier.  

Yes, "reeling" is the right word, Vizzer.

I like LiR's idea of a musical tribute for Paul, too - and your Belgian doggy picture. But can't have the Doggy Thread above the Moggy Thread - that won't do at all: a moggy message must head the thread list, although I suspect none of us is in the mood for much silliness just at the moment. That said, I'm sure Paul would want us to continue posting as we always have done, silliness and all. I like the splendid Belgian canine's curly coat - and he looks as though he has spent ages getting his ears just right for the photo! Didn't know there was such a breed. I wonder if such dogs were originally bred for hunting?

The bouvier des Flandres breed was originally used for herding and guarding livestock: the French name means "cow herder" (from Old French, buvier, in turn from Late Latin bovarius "cow herder", ultimately from the Latin, bos, a cow). However I'm sure Paul would prefer the Flemish name, Vlaamse koehond (Flemish cow dog) or the affectionate Flemish slang name, vuilbaard (dirty beard).

In Belgium during the 19th and early 20th centuries dogs were often employed to pull small carts or delivery vans and Flemish bouvier dogs were particularly used in this role because of their strength, stamina, temperament and intelligence. Accordingly during WW1 many Flemish bouviers - along with some other breeds but particularly also Belgian mastifs and Belgian bergers - were recruited into the Belgian army (and then into other allied forces) to pull stretchers, machine-gun carriages, ammunition wagons and supply carts, and to work as messanger, rescue and guard dogs. Several bouvier dogs subsequently received medals for their loyal wartime service.

     

Belgian Shepherd Dogs:



1) Groenendael:Long Haired, Black.

2) Tervuren: Long Haired, Fawn

3) Malinois: Short Haired, Fawn

4) Laekenois: Rough Haired, Fawn

Santa Paws Day 2021 at Dogs Trust, Ireland:

Norway has banned the breeding of Bulldogs and King Charles Cavalier Spaniels due to inherent genetic defects:

Norwegian breeding ban

Meles, if your rat problem does get out of hand then a lurcher or a terrier would make a practical solution to that and not to mention an energetic (and therefore ideal) companion for your lounge hound.

Ukrainian soldiers adopt a puppy:

This is the stuff of nightmares. The Chinese have got robot dogs roaming the streets of Shanghai barking out orders about the current Covid lockdown in that unfortunate place. No use offering this metal monster a Bonio biscuit:

Council and Stormont Elections today, which means  "dogsatpollingstations"

Anything you can do, we can do better:

Everyone's entitled to a vote:

Sled Dog, Svalbard, Norway photo by Jonathan Nackstrand:

This husky is a comfort assistant dog, who helps other dogs feel comfortable when they are undergoing treatment:

With all the excitement around Bastille Day I almost missed the fact that the 14th July also marks the first anniversay of the death of my beloved and greatly missed Doggy-Dog. However I could never really forget the exact date, not the least because of all the loyal doggos that are always honoured in the grand Bastille Day parade down the Champs-Elysées on the same day.

This year it was mostly the turn of the 132^e Régiment d'Infantrie Cynotechnique, which whilst designated an infantry regiment recognises that it's the dogs that are the main players and that their human companions are almost secondary. As they marched down the Champs-Elysées I noticed that most of the dogs had multiple service medals on their chest collars - although I wonder if they are eligible for exactly the same service medals (Iraq, Afghanistan etc) as their human companions: I certainly hope so. Furthermore it was reported that quite a few of the doggies in the parade had actually gained the much-coveted parachute wings insignia, thereby signifying that they had passed training to be deployed by parachute ... presumably alongside their handler, but you never know.

I didn't realise it was already a year since the loss of Doggy-Dog, MM.  You have all my sympathy as I had a close call with my cat when she was under anaesthetic.  The video of the dogs on the Champs-Elysees is interesting.  My new(ish) neighbours have a dalmatian dog.  They tell me he's not a cat chaser.

The presence of the doggies marching in the Bastille Day Parade - and those weren't the only ones, there were dogs accompanying the Paris Fire Brigade (uniquely they are a military unit and can be armed: it's a long complicated history going back to the Revolution) as well as with some other units too - has certainly raised interest in the French media. Here's another short Fench news item about the 132e régiment cynotechnique and their use of dogs, but this time in rather more aggressive situations.



The dogs' loyalty, courage, skill and effectiveness, and their evident satisfaction in "doing a good job", is never in doubt, however the dogs themselves do not have any choice in the matter. But throughout history it was ever thus, neh?

18 September marks Chile's 1810 independence from Spain and is celebrated annually by a military parade. As with France's Défile du 14 Juillet this year's parade promintly featured military doggos (some wearing very kool shades) but it was the canine new recruits, some barely more than fluffy pups, that stole the show as they 'marched' past in their handlers' backpacks.



LiR - you can understand sign language - is the signing to accompany the reporting in Spanish the same as might be used to interpret a report in English, ie. is sign language an international language independent of spoken languages?

I couldn't recognise any signs, MM.  However I have just started attending BSL classes again post-pandemic ad I'm very rusty.  I'd only got as far as the Open College Level 2 qualification whereas the flagship BSL qualification used by professional BSL interpreters is Signature (assuming this hasn't changed since the pandemic).

I tried searching the internet for information as to whether British Sign Language and Chilean Sign Language had any similarities but had no luck. I can't categorically say they are not alike at all Wikimedia (or Wikimisleadya as I've seen it described) said that Chilean Sign Language does not resemble the sign languages of its contiguous countries.  American Sign Language to my understanding has more in common with French Sign Language than British Sign Language though a few ASL signs have sneaked in - much to the chagrin of the lady teaching the class I attend.