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SHUNYI, Beijing — One is named Obama, another goes by Son of Bush. They charge tens of thousands of dollars for sex. Convoys of luxury cars, driven by fans, greet the most expensive studs at airports. Meet the canine gigolos — the purebred Tibetan Mastiffs that have become the latest symbol of China’s growing wealth.
Pet ownership is booming in a nation where dogs and cats are featured as part of meals and animal abuse remains widespread. But none carries the cachet of the Tibetan Mastiff, one of the largest dog breeds, which can weigh 180 pounds.
Last month, a Nanjing breeder paid $234,000 for his purebred pooch, reported the Yangtze Evening Times. In September, a young woman in Xian paid $600,000 for her pet, according to the Xian Evening News. Both led airport welcomes with long convoys of pricey automobiles.
“It’s like gambling, as people think they can earn large sums from expensive dogs, but the reality is that it’s very hard to breed a top quality purebred Tibetan Mastiff,” Beijing breeder Zhao Yanjun says.
Others buy to show off their status. “Like men around the world, Chinese like to own big dogs as it shows ‘I am successful, I want to dominate more women and big dogs,’ ” Zhao says.
In the USA, $5,000 is the upper limit for a show quality puppy, says Martha Feltenstein, president of the American Tibetan Mastiff Association. In China, prices have leapt this year amid a nationwide “Tibetan Mastiff fever” that shows little sign of cooling.
From the frozen steppes and remote monasteries of Tibet to the gated communities of China’s urban rich, this guardian dog has come a long way. Movie stardom beckons, too, in two feature-length animations. Tibetan Mastiff, a Sino-Japanese adaptation of a popular novel, premieres next year. In 2011, Tibetan Rock God, based on rock star Zheng Jun’s comic book, will follow the hero, Metal, from a Tibetan temple to the Chinese capital.
The dog has changed breeder Zhao’s fortunes.
The former chicken farmer, 48, bought his first Tibetan Mastiff in 1990 and earns up to $440,000 a year at his Oriental Treasure breeding center near Beijing.
“They are beautiful, loyal, fierce and run like a lion,” he says of the breed, which has a bear-like head and shaggy mane.
Despite enticing offers, Zhao promises never to sell Son of Bush, out of loyalty to his favorite, Bush, who died last year at 11.
“I will never be a high official, but I had fun shouting ‘Bush, over here!’ ” jokes Zhao, who also named and raised Putin, Sharon and several others named for world leaders.
Obama, worth almost $300,000, was born to a dog Zhao sold to Chinese actor Wang Fei. Zhao says Wang charges up to $30,000 per breeding session with Obama.
The top dog among breeders is a celebrity himself. With his “Ma Family Army” of record-breaking female runners, track coach Ma Junren conquered the athletics world in the 1990s. As he pushed his charges through midnight marathons on the high-altitude Tibetan plateau, Ma discovered the region’s native Mastiffs.
Ma is still trying to represent his country by pushing for China’s full membership in the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the World Canine Organization. It’s a tough sell, Ma admits, as the FCI is concerned by China’s low level of vaccinations, the culling of dogs to prevent rabies and the eating of dog meat.
Those worries are well-justified, says Jeff He, China communication manager for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), an advocacy group. Culling continues in some areas, he says, even though vaccination and education are more effective. “The No. 1 threat to companion animals is the lack of animal welfare legislation in this country,” he says.
Respect for animal rights is growing, says Qin Xiaona, chairwoman of Beijing’s Capital Animal Welfare Association, but the absence of laws slows progress, she says. Last month, Qin rushed to nearby Tianjin to help rescue 800 mostly stolen cats that were locked in cages en route to diners in south China’s Guangzhou.
Qin opposes the “Tibetan Mastiff fever.”
“They are wild animals, it’s cruel to let them leave their habitat,” she says. “We should send all of them back to their habitat.”
In New York, mastiff owner Feltenstein complains that Chinese traders are importing the large breed into the USA for new owners who simply find them “too much dog,” leading to a “huge rescue problem,” she says.
“It’s unfortunate that the Han Chinese are profiting from these dogs and exploiting them, and breeding in other breeds to make them more ferocious,” Feltenstein says.
At American Tibetan Mastiff Association shows, winners parade before a large snow lion flag, a symbol of the Tibetan independence movement that is banned in China.
In response to reports that the purebred Tibetan Mastiff was under threat in its homeland, the China National Kennel Club (CNKC) has sent dozens back to Qinghai province since 2005 and encouraged local authorities to stop their annual cull, says Zhang Xiaofeng, CNKC representative in Beijing. Market forces are helping increase and improve the Mastiff population, he says.
Owner and breeder Zhang Liyan rejects any argument against domesticating the breed.
“Unlike other dogs, the Tibetan Mastiff can be like your son, not just a friend,” she says at her Big Sister Zhang breeding center near Beijing. “I can’t sell my bigger dogs as they become part of the family,” says Zhang, 50, a former restaurant owner who travels to the Tibetan plateau each year.
“When I was young, no one could afford to raise pets, or have a big enough house. But now society has developed, and people are richer.”
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Potcakes are indigenous dogs found on several Caribbean islands, namely the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. Potcake is a name derived from the food caked on the bottom of the pots that the Bahamians cooked in. Bahamians would feed these leftover cakes to the stray dogs of the islands, and eventually, the dogs came to be known as Potcakes.
Although officially considered mixed breed dogs, Potcakes are recognized as a breeded dog in The Bahamas. Though Potcakes display a wide variety of characteristics, they generally share certain physical traits due to their isolated gene pools. Each island’s gene pool is slightly different, accounting for the variations between islands. The typical Potcake has a smooth, short coat, little or no undercoat, a long snout, and floppy ears. Colors vary widely, including black, white, yellow and brown. They generally have the same temperaments: laid-back, smart, good with children, other dogs and cats. They usually reach 45-55 pounds when full grown, although some of the smaller potcakes only weigh in around 40.
Depending on what genes are available on any Bahamian island, Potcakes strongly resemble each other. Some island’s Potcakes look more like the typical “pariah dog” found in locales such as India and North Africa. Elsewhere, their lines hint at hound, mastiff, spaniel, terrier or retriever ancestors.
Some believe the original Potcakes came to the Bahamas with the Arawak Indians from Central or South America. If so, Potcakes are as close to nature’s perfect genotype dog as possible. More recently, in the days of Tall Ships, The Bahamas Islands played a major role in maritime commerce. Early terrier breeds, carried aboard ship to keep provisions safe from rats and mice, probably ended up as shore dogs in places such as Eleuthera, New Providence and Abaco. Add to this genetic soup the distinctive (and still existent) North Carolina dog, who came — primarily to Abaco — with Loyalist Tories who settled during the Revolutionary War, and you have the basic ingredients of a modern-day Potcake.
A Potcake’s general physical description calls for a dog genetically engineered to tolerate heat, long term physical stress, extreme competition for food and low protein diet; it’s a marginal existence at best. Yet, this is how Potcakes live and survive in their natural, compromised environment.
For roaming street dogs, these qualities provide necessary survival skills. In a companion animal, they comprise the “traits of the breed.” Given half a chance, Potcakes are highly intelligent, fiercely loyal and enthusiastic companions.
Because Potcakes have “roaming in their blood” they need to be safely contained within a fenced yard or on-leash. If given an opportunity, Potcakes, like border collies, have a strong tendency to wander off or run. Born with an innate drive to survive at all costs, Potcakes need to learn, through positive reinforce and gentle correction, that they are a member of your pack; otherwise they believe in the axiom: lead, follow or get out of the way!
They adapt rapidly to cold weather exercise but prefer to be house dogs. Because they have a strong sense of territory and loyalty, they are nature’s answer to the mechanical door bell; no one will ever walk across the threshold without your Potcake announcing his arrival.
Potcakes are an excellent choice for someone who wants to share their life with an extremely intelligent, quick witted and bonded companion. They are beautifully graceful runners, intuitively empathetic, and the right match for someone desiring a long-term, interactive relationship with another intelligent species.
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For the full effect watch in Fullscreen mode.
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Photo By Ali Goldstein
By Cristina Kinon For The NY Daily News
The canines competing in “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina” may be the best of the best in purebreds, but they are, after all, just dogs.
“I always like to tell the story of the day that David [Frei, expert dog analyst] and I were sitting there at the NBC booth and the Great Dane walked by and he christened the rug right in front of us,” said John O’Hurley, eight-time host of “The National Dog Show,” said. “It does happen and they are just dogs being dogs, but that was a big surprise. And I mean big.”
“The National Dog Show Presented by Purina” was filmed Nov. 14 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa., and airs tomorrow from noon to 2, following “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”
“In a world where network television scratches its head trying to shuffle its schedule around, I think this may be one of the brilliant pieces of programming in recent years,” O’Hurley said of the show’s prime slot. “It is the perfect event because it serves so many audiences on a day where so many audiences need to be served. Whether you’re 4 or 94 years old, there’s something in it for everybody. Everybody enjoys dogs.”
America’s current top-ranked show dog, a Scottish terrier named Sadie, will compete in the show, as will dogs from three breeds recently recognized by the American Kennel Club – the Irish red and white setter, the Norwegian buhund and the Pyrenean shepherd.
“It’s the first time we’ve seen them, they haven’t been at Westminster yet or any other big televised dog show,” said Frei. “It will be kind of fun. It’s amazing the response we get to new breeds every year.”
Overall, there are some 2,000 dogs in the competition. They are first judged against their own breed, then by their group (sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, nonsporting and herding). Finally, the winner from each group is brought into the ring to compete for the Best in Show title.
O’Hurley, best known for his role as Jay Peterman on “Seinfeld,” said he “really [has] no business in the world of dogs” because he isn’t an expert, but over the years, he has learned at least one thing about our four-legged friends.
“One of the things I have learned from the show is that training is essential for a dog,” said O’Hurley. “As David has pointed out to me time and time again, there aren’t any bad dogs, but there are a lot of bad owners.”
The Papillon, French for “butterfly”, is a small, friendly, elegant breed of dog of the Spaniel type, distinguished from other breeds by its large butterfly-like ears. The Papillon is one of the oldest of the toy Spaniels.
The history of the Papillon is traced through works of art. The earliest toy spaniels resembling the Papillon are found in Italy. Tiziano Vicelli painted these small dogs in many famous paintings beginning around 1500 including the Venus of Urbino (1542). Other well known artists who included them in paintings are Watteau, Gonzalez Coques, Fragonard, Paolo Veronese, and Mignard. In a painting after Largillierre in the Wallace Collection in London, a Papillon is clearly shown in a family portrait of Louis XIV. Papillons are also in paintings of royal families around Europe and paintings of merchant class families. The breed was popular in England, France, and Belgium, which are considered countries of origin.
The “Titian spaniels” and those portrayed by later artists through Mignard and his contemporaries had the drooping ears characteristic of today’s Phalène; it was not until the end of the 19th century that the erect-eared appearance became fashionable and gave the breed’s modern name, Papillon, French for “butterfly”. The Titian spaniels were also exclusively red-and-white in coloration, in contrast to the many recognized colorations of today’s Papillon.
The Papillon was first recognized by the AKC in 1935 with the formation of the Papillon Club of America. In 1999, Kirby became the first Papillon to win the prestigious “Best in Show” at the annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Kirby also won international success for the breed by taking the World Dog Show in Helsinki, Finland, and the Royal Invitational in Canada in 1998.
The Papillon has the appearance of a dainty toy breed, but many owners will claim that their dogs are “big dogs in little dog suits”. Some people find that their Papillon is very capable of handling a good five-mile walk. One aspect of the Papillon that has led many to believe the “big dog” assertion is this breed’s surprising athletic ability. In contrast to its staid and stately representation in the Old Master portraits, the Papillon is highly energetic and intelligent. The breed is far older than any other represented by the AKC and is more notable for its psychological abilities than its athletic parlor tricks; the Papillon’s true strength lies in its ability to perceive the emotional needs of its owner and to translate them into a healthy psychological environment. In other words, the animal becomes what the owner needs at the time, depending on circumstances. Papillons are built for movement, and most do not need any encouragement to apply their energy to athletic activities.
In recent years, the Papillon has become a small dog star in the sport of dog agility. This sport consists of an obstacle course with tunnels, jumps, A-frames, and narrow bridges that a dog completes at top speed aided only by verbal and body-language commands from a handler. Agility requires the dog to spring, scramble, weave, and turn on a dime. The breed is considered naturally agile, and Papillons compete at both national and international trials. Because many Papillons have intense drive and natural speed, their tiny turning radius gives them an edge over larger dogs, and some Papillons are capable of beating Border Collie speeds on some courses.
King Henry II allegedly spent upwards of 100,000 crowns on his papillons.
Marie Antoinette owned a Phalène, the drop eared variety of papillons. All papillons were drop-eared until the 20th century.
Madame de Pompadour and Henry III also had a Phalène, and possessed a very strong devotion to the breed.
Tech expert Leo Laporte owns a Papillon named Ozzy.
George Takei, Mr. Sulu from Star Trek owned a Papillon named Reine (her full name is “La Reine Blanche” — The White Queen).
Legendary screen star Lauren Bacall never travels without her own well-behaved Papillon.
Singer Christina Aguilera owns two Papillons, Chewy and Stinky.
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The Argentine Dogo is the result of a breeding program that was begun in 1925. Antonio Nores Martinez was not quite 18 years of age when he told his younger brother (by one year), Agustin, of his desire to create a new breed of hunting dog. A breed of dog that started with the Fighting Dog of Cordoba, an extraordinarily courageous breed of dog that was at that time useless for pack hunting due to its hostility towards other dogs, people, and animals. Due to the interference of man the Fighting Dog of Cordoba was destined for extinction. Antonio Nores Martinez knew he wanted to use the Fighting Dog of Cordoba’s courage as a beginning foundation. He wanted to eliminate the fighting urge and replace it with a hunting instinct that was equally strong. The two brothers spent all of their pocket money buying food for their dogs. They were able to enlist the help of their family and friends who backed the brother’s endeavor with a confidence that was remarkable. Antonio became a surgeon, and his medical knowledge helped to advance, improve and refine the breed that had become his life’s passion.
There were ten breeds of dog that were used to produce the Argentine Dogo. The foundation was the Fighting Dog of Cordoba, ten females were used to begin with. The Pointer was used to develop and sharpen the sense of smell that is required for the hunt. The Boxer added energy and gentleness to the line. The Great Dane contributed its size and height. The Bull Terrier added to the fearlessness of the progeny. The Bulldog contributed its chest build to the physiology of the new breed, and boldness of spirit and tenacity to its personality. The Irish Wolfhound was used not only for size, but for its hunting instinct as well. The powerful jaws of the Dogue de Bordeaux, as well as more strength and courage,were desired and this breed was incorporated into the breeding program. The Great Pyrenees contributed its white coat, which is weather resistant, and bulk, and the Spanish Mastiff was used to contribute even more power to an already powerful animal.
In 1956, Antonio Nores Martinez died at the hands of a robber while he was out on a hunt. He never got to see the fruitition of his life’s work. The younger brother, Agustin, worked to salvage his older brother’s dream of a new breed of dog. And he succeeded.
The Dogo Argentino was recognized in 1964 by the Cinologic Federation of Argentina. The Argentina Kennel Club, which is a member of the Federation Cynologique International (FCI), gave recognition to the breed in 1973. The Dogo Argentino Club of America was founded in 1985.
Dogos are known for being extremely loyal and affectionate with their families and crave attention from their owners. They are extremely tolerant of children due to low body sensitivity or high pain tolerance, a trait which stems from selective breeding as big game hunters. Like all dogs of any size or breed, they require obedience training and socialization; no dog should be left unattended with small children. They are protective of what they perceive as their territory and will guard it against any intruder. They get along with other dogs as long as they have been properly socialized, but will usually not tolerate another dog trying to assert dominance over them and might not coexist peacefully with another dominant breed of dog. They can develop an aggressive or dominant temperament if not socialized with other dogs at an early age, particularly with other dogs of the same sex. Dog aggression per se is absolutely not a desirable trait in the Dogo Argentino, as it is at odds with its intended purpose as a pack hunter. A single “pet” dogo without a working outlet for energy and drive may feel himself to be “king of the mountain” and carry himself accordingly, though the same dog may work perfectly cooperatively with other males while hunting.
Dogos are typically strong-tempered animals not suitable for the novice dog owner; they do best with an experienced handler. Dogos are recent comers to suburban life. Unlike many breeds classified as “working dogs”, dogos are not “historically” working dogs, but dogs currently and actively selected for working function and temperament. Pet owners interested in the Dogo Argentino would do well to remember that these are working animals with a serious need for exercise and outlet of hunting drive by way of activities such as tracking, trailing, or sport work.
Dogos Argentinos are accomplished big-game hunters, and are used today in a variety of ways from tracking, search and rescue, general police work including narcotics detection, military and family dogs. They are even occasionally used as guide dogs, or as service animals, though their primary work remains boar hunting. Due to their very great prey drive, physical capabilities and strong temperament, they are not dogs commonly suited to be suburban backyard pets, though they do make excellent companions for exceptionally capable and dedicated dog owners.
Due to pigment-related deafness, as in the dalmatian and the white bull terrier, the dogo commonly experiences an approximately 10% deafness rate overall with some dogos afflicted unilaterally (one deaf ear) and some dogs bilaterally (deaf in both ears). It is impossible to adequately diagnose deafness, particularly unilaterally-afflicted dogs, through behavioral testing. Due to the advancement of BAER technology and growing availability in the United States and around the world, veterinarians and dog breeders are now able to adequately identify congenital deafness at a very early age. This means that breeders are now are able to actively select against pigment-related congenital deafness in a way never possible before the advent of BAER technology. Studies show the incidence of deafness is drastically decreased when only breeding stock with bilaterally normal hearing is used[1][2][3]. It is important for any prospective puppy-buyer to carefully question the breeder regarding potential genetic afflictions and health-screening practices. Reputable breeders in the United States will have BAER tested all breeding stock and all puppies prior to sale, though there are areas of Argentina and Europe where BAER testing is still not widely accessible. A conscientious puppy-buyer will proceed with caution when importing a puppy from a foreign country; novices should consider contacting the national breed parent club for assistance.
As with all large dogs, hip dysplasia is potential though highly uncommon in lines actively worked. With careful feeding and prudent exercise during the growth stage, and most of all purchasing a puppy from a reputable working kennel, concerns with CHD are uncommon in this breed.
The Dogo Argentino was bred specifically to avoid the dog aggression problems inherent in the Cordoban Fighting Dog when applied to hunting, specifically its lack of ability to hunt cooperatively in a pack. The creators of the breed took great care to prevent this undesirable trait from manifesting in the Dogo Argentino, as the breed was always intended to function as a cooperative pack hunter. In particular areas of the world where dog fighting as a bloodsport remains culturally acceptable, some people have bred them for this purpose. Dogos of these lines are extremely dog-aggressive and not suited for big game hunting, unlike the original Dogo Argentino. In the United Kingdom it is illegal to own Dogos Argentinos without specific exemption from a court per the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. The Australian government has banned the importation of this dog. In neither country was there a population of dogos at the time the breed-specific laws were passed. The dog is also illegal in New Zealand[4] and Norway[5]. The breed has also been made illegal in England and several other european countrys.
Info From Malcolm Dupris and Wikipedia.
The Dandie Dinmont Terrier was bred from selected specimens of the rough native terrier of the Border hunters in the Cheviot Hills between England and Scotland and was first recorded as a distinct type of breed about 1700. He was distinguished by his preeminence in hunting the otter and the badger. A direct line of these dogs descended to the farmers in the Teviotdale Hills, where Sir Walter Scott in his travels chanced upon them and made them famous in his Guy Mannering, published in 1814. His character Dandie Dinmont, a farmer (believed to have been a Mr. James Davidson of Hindlee, near Hawick) kept the immortal six: “Auld Pepper,” “Auld Mustard,” “Young Pepper,” “Young Mustard,” “Little Pepper,” and “Little Mustard.” From the time of the popularity of Guy Mannering to the present day, the breed has been known as “Dandie Dinmont’s Terriers.”
This short legged terrier was bred from selected specimens of the rough native terrier of the Border hunters in the Cheviot Hills between England and Scotland in the 17th century as an otter and badger specialist. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is named after Dandie Dinmont, a jovial farmer who kept six of them in Sir Walter Scott’s novel Guy Mannering, published in 1814. Scott also gave the names to the breed’s colours, pepper and mustard, which were adopted from the names of Dandie Dinmont’s dogs. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is the only breed to be named after a character in fiction.
In the 1870s, exhibiting dogs became popular. The Kennel Club formed in 1873 and, just after this time, moves were made by Dandie enthusiasts to form a club. On November 17, 1875, at a meeting held at the Fleece Hotel in Selkirk on the Scottish Borders, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club was formed. It is one of the oldest pedigree breed clubs in the world.
The first task was to draw up a breed standard and Mr William Wardlaw Reed, a founder member of the DDTC. worked on this, smoothing out the many differences. The following year at the Red Lion Hotel, Carlisle, the standard was agreed and adopted.
The breed was first registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1888. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier was recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 1918.
Today the Dandie Dinmont is amongst the rarest and most endangered of all pure breeds/pedigree dogs. The UK Kennel Club list the Dandie as one of the UK’s Vulnerable Native Dog Breeds and there is a very real chance of the breed becoming extinct.
Originally bred to go to ground, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier is a long, low-stationed working terrier with a curved topline. The distinctive head with silken topknot is large but in proportion to the size of the dog. The dark eyes are large and round with a soft, wise expression. Dandie Dinmonts are between 8 and 11 inches tall at the top of the shoulders and can weigh between 18 and 24 pounds. The dogs are sturdily built with strong bone structure and ample muscular strength. The sturdy, flexible body and scimitar shaped tail are covered with a rather crisp double coat, either mustard or pepper in color. Pepper ranges from dark bluish black to a light silvery gray, the topknot is a silvery white. Mustard can range from a reddish brown to a pale fawn, with the topknot a creamy white.
This breed has little to no shedding.
The Dandie Dinmont is affectionate and fun-loving. It makes a great companion dog. Lively, plucky, determined and willful. Independent and intelligent. Bold yet dignified. Reserved with strangers and protective of family and home. Good with all well-behaved children and babies as long as they are raised with them from puppyhood. Dominance level varies greatly. Some males can be aggressive with other male dogs in the household while females can be snappy and bad tempered.
America’s most-maligned dog wants to be sweet and docile, but well-meaning humans mess it all up.
By Joan Raymond For Newsweek
A 10-acre stretch of land just outside Los Angeles is pit-bull Nirvana. It’s called Villalobos Rescue Center and it’s run by Tia Maria Torres, an unabashed pit-bull lover. Torres has found homes for thousands of pits since the rescue opened its doors 15 years ago. Some of these animals were abandoned. Some were shelter dogs slated for euthanasia. Others were confiscated in drug busts or fighting rings. And some—like Mouse, a small white pit bull—are victims of nature, the so-called Hurricane Katrina dogs of New Orleans.
It’s a 24/7 job, but Torres gets help from a posse of volunteers, her four children, and six ex-cons, who she calls her “pit bulls on legs.” Her work is chronicled in a new six-part documentary, Pit Bulls and Parolees, airing on Animal Planet, the first of which premiered on Friday night. You’d have to carry a cold heart to not feel something for what these dogs have endured.
But I have a problem with pit bulls. And it has more to do with the two-legged creatures holding their leashes (if there is a leash).
Because of their sheer numbers—estimates show that there are anywhere from 5 million to 10 million pit-bull-type dogs in the U.S. today, out of about 61 million total dogs—pits have become the dog du jour for a lot of people, not just gangbangers and wannabe thugs who use a pit as proxy for toughness. About 20 percent of dogs in ASPCA shelters are pit mixes.
I’ve seen those who adopt these dogs for all the wrong reasons. The fearful might get a pit because they want a great guard dog. (Pits make lousy guard dogs. A well-bred pit is just too human-friendly to protect your property.) Some get a pit because Rachael Ray has one and they want to rescue a dog. (Why didn’t you take up cooking instead of getting a dog that you know nothing about?) And the trendiest pet owners spend thousands of dollars for a “blue” pit because the dogs are rare. (No, they aren’t, and you just got swindled by an unethical breeder who contributed to the overpopulation problem.) But pets aren’t purses, and people who jump into pit-bull ownership without the requisite training and education can often do more harm than good. That’s why when I see a pit off-leash and I’m walking Turk, my 20-pound schnoodle, I’m scared.
Let’s face it: pit bulls are public enemy No. 1. That’s quite a comedown for a pup once considered “America’s dog.” They were owned by the likes of Helen Keller and Teddy Roosevelt, and when I was a kid, a wiry American pit-bull terrier named Sam endured the indignity of being called a “horsy” as he pulled me around in a wagon on an upstate New York farm. But in talking with pit-bull experts, it’s clear that some current owners are too easy to spook, are too ill-informed, and have unrealistic expectations of what pit bulls can do.
Torres knows all about the pit bull’s people problem. “Oh, my God, I see it all the time,” she says. “Some of these people are completely clueless. They get a pit and then they want to get rid of it if it grabs and shakes a toy and barks. They don’t understand why it loves everybody, but scraps with dogs. It’s insane. And it’s hurting the pit bull.”
Some of the so-called pit problems are directly linked to the dog’s history. Today’s pit bull can trace its roots back to bulldogs, which were used for bull baiting, a gruesome spectacle in which the dogs would try to pin a tied bull by latching on to its nose. When bull baiting was outlawed, these bulldogs were then bred with small terriers, feisty dogs known for their drive. The end result was the original pit bull, a “canine gladiator” bred specifically for dog-on-dog combat.
Though the majority of pit bulls today are no longer being purposefully bred along fighting lines, pit bulls still can be dog aggressive (as are many other types of dogs). How that plays out will vary from pit to pit, and the dogs need a smart owner to keep them in line. Dog aggression can be managed by getting a pit into a training program that offers structured, controlled socialization, says Mary Harwelik, a certified dog trainer and founder of The Real Pit Bull, a pit advocacy and education organization in New Jersey.
Pits are also among the most human-friendly canines. In tests conducted by the American Temperament Test Society, which evaluates stability, friendliness, and other traits in several hundred dog breeds, the American pit-bull terrier scored 85.3 percent, higher than a golden retriever. Their human-friendly nature remains strong even in horrific circumstances. “I thought I was going to meet a bunch of Tasmanian devils,” says Dr. Frank MacMillan, a veterinarian with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary who is working with some 20 pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels. “I was stunned at how sweet they were.”
That inherent sweetness toward people can lead well-meaning humans to be too permissive with their precious pooches. Because of its tendencies toward dog-on-dog aggression, Torres advises pit owners to keep their dogs out of mosh-pit, free-for-all dog parks. “Not a lot of pit owners want to hear that,” says Torres. “If there’s a fight, no matter what dog started it, the pit will be blamed.”
At Villalobos, Torres does an exhaustive interview with potential adopters. She wants to know what kinds of dogs they owned in the past, whether there are kids in the house, if it’s a multidog household, if they have a cat, and what they want from their pit. Once they answer those questions, Torres tries to match them up with the right pit bull. “Everybody thinks they want a Ferrari, when they really need a Yugo,” she says. “The good thing about a pit is that some of them can be high energy, others just want to watch TV. ”
Despite laws in many parts of the country that place restrictions on pit ownership, things might be looking up for the breed. “People are having a lot more empathy for the pit,” says Torres. “They understand that this is a great dog that is enduring a lot of hell.” If you want to rescue a pit bull, Torres’s advice is simple: Make sure the dog is the right one for you, and you are right for it. Get the dog spayed or neutered, obey leash laws and any local regulations, and do ongoing training. That’s smart advice for any dog owner, even if you want a yappy Shih Tzu.
Photo by Craig Koshyk
Weimaraners were first bred by the court of Weimer in Germany during the early 19th century. While the dog’s earliest origins are something of a mystery, the historical record and various theorists have tried to fill in some of the holes. Some believe the Weimaraner is the result of albinism in an old breed of German pointing dog, while others claim to see traces of the Bloodhound in the Weim, and others still believe the Weimaraner is simply an amalgamation of many German hunting breeds. A Van Dyck painting from the early 1600s portrays dogs that bear a distinct resemblance to the Weimaraner, though it is impossible to prove whether they are related.
The Weimaraner is a pointer, and was originally used for hunting, tracking, and bringing down big game. They were popular in German courts for their speed, athleticism, sense of smell, courage and stamina. Because they have webbed feet Weimaraners are fine swimmers, and as big game became scarce in Germany the dog was put to use retrieving downed waterfowl from lakes and streams.
The Weimaraner was introduced to the United States in 1929 by Howard Knight. Up until that time it was extremely difficult to obtain a Weimaraner, as they were only sold to members of the German Weimaraner Club. After becoming a member himself, Knight began breeding the dogs in America, thereby propagating the once elusive breed. The Weimaraner was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1943; since then, the dog’s popularity as a family pet and a contestant in competitive obedience shows has steadily grown.
After World War II ended, many soldiers brought home stories of this wonderful, strangely colored dog known as the Weimaraner. As people heard of these stories many wanted this new Wonder Dog. The 1950’s all but destroyed the Weimaraner breed. It is said that, “the best bred dogs were unable to live up to the hyperbole that made the breed famous, and the mass-produced stock (from puppy mills) barely qualified as good companions”.
Since that time, breeders have struggled to recover this magnificient hunting and companion dog. Almost all that breed this dog also hunt with the dog. Their attitude is the only reason to breed is with the intention of improving the breed. Within six months a Weimaraner will go from a 3 pound puppy to a 70 pound dog with a mind of its own. It is not a plaything, nor should ownership be frivalous. Without proper training and socialization, this dog can become a neurotic, problem dog and almost impossible to manage.
Over the years, the Weimaraner has been used as a rescue dog, service dog for the disabled, and as a police dog in the UK and Germany.
In the 2002 Jennifer Lopez film Maid in Manhattan, senatorial candidate Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes) owns a Weimaraner, which appears in multiple scenes.
The first president and founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, had a Weimaraner called Fox.
US President Dwight D. Eisenhower owned a Weimaraner named Heidi
The photographs of William Wegman prominently feature Weimaraners. His dogs (which included Man Ray—named after artist Man Ray—and Fay Ray—a play on Fay Wray) are the subject of his photos, dressed in human clothes. These pictures are popular both in galleries of contemporary art and as pop culture icons. These “dogs with hands” have appeared frequently on Sesame Street, and occasionally on Saturday Night Live.
A Weimaraner was also the subject of the music video for Blue Monday by the rock band New Order. This dog is the previously named Man Ray, since Wegman did the artwork for this clip
A neurotic Weimaraner named Beatrice (played by Can. Ch. Arokat’s Echobar Take Me Dancing) is featured in the movie Best in Show.
Singer Kate Bush poses with two Weimaraner on the cover of her 1985 album Hounds of Love
Actor Esai Morales (NYPD Blue) owns a Weimaraner named Frankie
Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor had a female Weimaraner named Daisy May.
Grace Kelly (later Princess Grace of Monaco) had a Weimaraner, and there are photos of her playing with him during her trip to Monaco before her marriage to Prince Rainier.
A Weimaraner also makes an appearance in the movie Fever Pitch starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore.
Larry The Cable Guy adopted a Weimaraner from the Heartland Weimaraner Rescue
Queen Latifah owns a weimaraner named Isis.
Dick Clark owned a weimaraner.
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