Today is National Dog Day. To get you in the mood, here is an article with stories about five dogs.
And of course, here are some photos of Baxter the Wonder Dog. In the first is a common sight at home, where I am reading the comics and he is taking a nap by my side.
And just in case that you think that all he does is sleep (he only does that 90% of the time), here he is enjoying the sunshine in the back yard.
Here is a dog giving toys to a baby after taking one away and causing the baby to cry.
Okay, Baxter is just SO CUTE. Thanks also for the links--this is a happy topic in depressing times.
Beagles are such sweet animals. Dumber than bricks, but the best dogs in the world.
My favourite.
Dukeofomnium,
I just read thar beagles and dachshunds are far less likely than other breeds to get cancer. Researchers don’t know exactly why but hope it will shed some light on the disease.
Holms,
That was a delightful clip. Thanks!
I was going to be upset if this post didn’t contain pictures of Baxter the Wonder Dog. I can’t get enough.
Mano, is it true that Cavalier King Charles spaniels are very soft, gentle dogs?
Katydid,
Yes, that is true. Baxter is an extremely gentle and good natured dog and that is true of the breed. He is also very playful. And his coat is soft, if that is what you meant.
After Baxter, I cannot imagine ever having a dog of any other breed. But most dog owners tend to be very loyal to the kind of dog they have, whatever it is, so that may not mean much.
When I was a kid, we had three dogs of different breeds: a Chihuahua, a half Jack Russel half something else, and a Cavalier. The three of them shared the back yard with a small group of chickens, who were cooped up at night but let loose to scratch up the yard during the day.
I found the attitude of the chickens towards those dogs very interesting.
The Jack Russel woule completely ignore the chickens at almost all times; he seemed to regard them as part of the furniture of the house, that had to be protected from evil pedestrians at all costs. If he paid attention to them at all, it was only because they crossed his vision while he was looking at something else. In return, they ignored him and didn’t mind his presence at all.
The Chihuahua usually ignored the chickens as well, unless she felt like entertaining herself. Every now and then, she would decide to chase the chickens a bit as a game. The chickens ran away in a squawking mess when they were being chased, but otherwise ignored the Chihuahua.
The Cavalier too much the same approach as the Chihuahua; she would usually ignore the chickens, but also chase them every now and then for fun. The difference was in the way the chickens reacted: they retreated from the tiny Chihuahua, but completely ignored the Cavalier. The Cavalier was about four times heavier than the Chihuahua, but just didn’t intimidate the chooks at all, and I found it very funny to watch a pack of bantam hens stand their ground against the larger dog (if they even noticed her trying to scare them), but flee from a 1kg morsel of a dog.
It seems, even hens regard Cavaliers as softies.
Holms,
I can well imagine that happening! I sometimes wonder what it would take to make Baxter angry and aggressive.
Cute dog and stories there. Thanks Mano Singham.
Didn’t know there was a National Dog Day there -- I hope and wish there was one here in Oz.