The dog that left a paw print on history

Seattle Times ^ | 8/10/03 | Joseph B. Frazier

[FreeLibertarian]

That's amazing!

I don't know why I haven't bought a back hoe to fill in all of the holes they've dug. Some people chop wood for exercise, I fill in holes. Twenty years ago one of my males decided we needed a moat around the house. Eventually I lost the battle and he finished the job. Except for the walkways at the doors we had a 3 to 4 foot deep moat completely surrounding the house.

Most of my Newfies have lived to around 12. The Pyr's tend to live longer with the oldest making 17. I think he stuck around until my latest Pyr arrived. About 6 months after she joined the family he laid down and went to sleep.

The male that lived to be 17 was an artist with doors, any kind. If it wasn't locked with a key lock he would open it. This included house doors, garage doors (with and without openers) and car doors.

A couple of my females have tended to "vocalize" a lot. One had a vocabulary of about 50 words. Have you seen any of the same in your dogs?

[mamelukesabre]

I've been told that a tibetan mastif is still every bit as hearty as it was 200 years ago. I don't recall ever actually seeing one in the flesh though, only in pictures. So maybe this is just talk.

[Mr. Mojo]

I've seen a few Tibetan Mastiffs, and they do indeed seem to be free of many of the ailments that plague other large breeds. Anatolian Shepherds are another. Most of the hearty/healthy large breeds are UKC registered (rather than AKC).

[Mr. Mojo]

Nope, neither of my Newfs were vocalizers, but then again neither of them were females.

[kstewskis]

What a beautiful boy!

I really miss my sister's two (former) Newfies, Chinook and Moby. Even with all the fur and slobber, Newfies are definitely one of the most lovable and loyal breeds around.

[SkyPilot]

Laz---you're one of a kind!