by Amanda Forester
I confess
today's' blog was inspired by Robin Kaye's blog two days ago, which introduced
me to the utterly adorable breed of dog - the "puggle". Sooooo cute. Apparently, the puggle is a cross
between a pug, a beagle, and the soft fuzzy center of ultimate cuteness.
In the historical I am currently writing, my heroine needs a companion. Ok, sure eventually she'd get the guy, but until then maybe I should give her a dog. Breeds of dogs have definitely changed over the years so I needed to do some research into what animals were actually present in the 14th century. Medieval folks enjoyed hunting dogs (release the hounds!) and had other working breeds, and even companion animals. Unfortunately, the puggle was not yet created.
Since we
are discussing dogs, here is my dog, "Tibi". She is cute too, though admittedly not on the
same level as the puggle (even the name is cute!). The natural first
question people generally ask
is, "What kind of dog is she?"
Good question. When we got her as a puppy she was described as a German Sheppard/ Labrador mix. Since Tibi is only
about as tall as my kneecap, I'm not seeing much of either breed in her. In fact, her legs are remarkably short
considering her body.
Knowing
the breed of your dog is one of those basic bit of information every dog owner
should have. You'd think after 11 years I'd be able to come up with some approximation as to her breed, but apparently I am more clueless than most. When people ask me to name
her breed, I usually answer, "fuzzy", which is an acceptable answer
only for a toddler. I must do better
than that!
So here is my question for all you dog-loving smart folks. What kind of a dog is Tibi? She is clearly a mix, but of what? Get creative and give me some ideas! Since she is no doubt a mix of mixes any answer is probably right!
I confess
today's' blog was inspired by Robin Kaye's blog two days ago, which introduced
me to the utterly adorable breed of dog - the "puggle". Sooooo cute. Apparently, the puggle is a cross
between a pug, a beagle, and the soft fuzzy center of ultimate cuteness. In the historical I am currently writing, my heroine needs a companion. Ok, sure eventually she'd get the guy, but until then maybe I should give her a dog. Breeds of dogs have definitely changed over the years so I needed to do some research into what animals were actually present in the 14th century. Medieval folks enjoyed hunting dogs (release the hounds!) and had other working breeds, and even companion animals. Unfortunately, the puggle was not yet created.
Since we
are discussing dogs, here is my dog, "Tibi". She is cute too, though admittedly not on the
same level as the puggle (even the name is cute!). The natural first
question people generally ask
is, "What kind of dog is she?"
Good question. When we got her as a puppy she was described as a German Sheppard/ Labrador mix. Since Tibi is only
about as tall as my kneecap, I'm not seeing much of either breed in her. In fact, her legs are remarkably short
considering her body. 
Knowing
the breed of your dog is one of those basic bit of information every dog owner
should have. You'd think after 11 years I'd be able to come up with some approximation as to her breed, but apparently I am more clueless than most. When people ask me to name
her breed, I usually answer, "fuzzy", which is an acceptable answer
only for a toddler. I must do better
than that!So here is my question for all you dog-loving smart folks. What kind of a dog is Tibi? She is clearly a mix, but of what? Get creative and give me some ideas! Since she is no doubt a mix of mixes any answer is probably right!
I think there should be a breed of dog called "cute," Amanda. That's all that matters! :) She's adorable!
ReplyDeleteI definitely see long-haired german shepherd there. (Yes, there really are long-haired German Shepherds.) But I'd want to see a standing profile to confirm a guess on a second breed. It's possible that there's beagle in there, but there are some short legged working dog breeds. The hind legs collect differently on the hounds then they do on the working dogs. Hounds tend to be distance runners rather than the agility runners like the working dogs.
ReplyDeleteEven so, that adorable face definitely has some of the beagle boxiness.
Don't depend on size to pick breeding. I met a basset-lab one time. Think basset body with a stock lab head, all glossy black, and that classic basset drawling bay.
She's a "wunderhund" --a wonder hound, of course. We wonder what she is!
ReplyDeleteShe's so adorable! I see a trace of shepherd and a whole lotta cute!
ReplyDeleteHmm. I don't have a dog, but i used to work at the SPCA. She looks like part collie, part German shepherd. Are you going to post the answer for us later?
ReplyDeleteAwww.. She's so cute! My guess is Shepard and Sheltie.
ReplyDeleteShe's definitely a rare breed known as a Lovalot...in France they pronouce that as Low-Va(long A)-Low (the t is silent)and like most things French, she's more lover than fighter unless you mess with her family. In Redneck Country we just pronounce it Love-A-Lot. Hope that helps.
ReplyDeleteTerry - "cute" works for me! Tibi would probably appreciate it too!
ReplyDeleteVirginia - long haired Shepard? I had not thought of that. I tried very hard to get a picture of her standing, but she couldn't figure out what I was doing and got nervous so she kept rolling over on her back. Clearly my fuzzy mut is no show dog!
She is really cute, Amanda, and looks like she's a great dog. We're having the same dilemma with the dog we adopted. He looks like a pit bull from the back and like a lab from the front. Put it all together and you have a cute little black dog that gets into trouble a lot!
ReplyDeleteMia - wonder hound! Perfect! I've been wondering what she is for 11 years!
ReplyDeleteVictoria - that's two votes for Shepard. Maybe there's something to it. I do think she's cute, whatever she is!
I like Carolyn's answer! But I agree that there's a lot of long-haired shepherd there. And maybe Border Collie?
ReplyDeleteThey now have doggie DNA tests that will tell you the breeds that make up your dog. I've been thinking of getting it done for my big guy, who is a total mystery mutt.
Shana - I've thought maybe she had some collie too, considering her overall fuzziness and size. I wish I could give you the right answer, but I don't know myself!
ReplyDeleteChrisS - shepardand sheltie could be totally plausible. I hadn't thought of sheltie before, but I think it's a good guess!
Carolyn - you've not only described her breed but her personality (caninality?) as well! That's my dog, the lovalot!
ReplyDeleteC. H. - sounds like you have a cute little bundle on your hands!
Joanne - doggie DNA? I didn't know such a thing existed! How cool! I'm going to have to look into that. I'd be totally curious to see what kind of mix she is. She is definitely a mystery mutt to me!
I think she is a cute breed of dog. Tell that to the curious!
ReplyDeleteAmelia
Amelia - ah yes, the super rare and prestigious "cute" breed of dog. I'm thrilled to own one! Actually, Tibi was a rescue pup. Our neighbors dogs had puppies and they were about to haul baby Tibi off to the pound. We took her instead!
ReplyDeleteMy friend's dog Mable looks just like her! Shephard / Chow mix. It explains the shortness, and Mable has some of the Chow purple marks on her tongue.
ReplyDeleteDecember - wow, Tibi has a few purple spots on her tongue! I think you might be onto something there!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking Long haired shepherd and chow too. Whatever she is, she's perfect!
ReplyDeleteShe's a mutt. The rest doesn't matter. My daughter is studying to become a vet tech, and told me there's something called "Black Dog Syndrome." Black dogs are the last to be adopted, as are old dogs, and big dogs.
ReplyDeleteSo I went to the pound and adopted the biggest, oldest, black dog they had, and Sarge is the best darned dog you ever shared a home with.
Robin - I think you might be right! She is probably so mixed that everyone can claim a piece of the truth, but I definitely think chow and Shepard are pieces of the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteGrace - good for you! The classic mutt can be the best pets. Whatever she is, she is a loving companion, and really that's all that matters!
I agree with Shana....Shepherd/Collie (and if she is short maybe something like Cocker Spaniel). Black on the tongue doesn't necessarily mean Chow...and beware of the DNA tests, they are not always accurate! She's beautiful (and reminds me of my first dog as well). Thanks for sharing her pictures.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking maybe she had some Corgi in her, since her legs are so short and she looks pretty fluffy. I'd say she's a Heinz 57 dog and call it a day. :D
ReplyDeleteShetland sheep dog and a pug
ReplyDelete