Category: Education

This day a year ago.

What was posted exactly one year ago?

I was working outside all day yesterday and only sat down to think about today’s post after 5pm. Plus our evening meal was going to be served at 6pm.

So as I have previously done in these situations I decided to repost what was published here on Learning from Dogs one year ago to the day.

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Part One of a stunningly interesting essay from Professor Marc Bekoff.

As a newbie yet-to-be published author I am technically at the stage of having a completed draft that Jeannie and a close friend are proof-reading. Then after corrections, it is going to be released to some ‘beta’ readers who will give me some early feedback. (Too scary to even think of just now!)

OK, with that admission out of the way, let me move on to my ‘draft’ chapter on play; in Part Four of the book. In researching what is known about the way that dogs play and what lessons there are for us humans, I came across an essay by Marc Bekoff, Ph.D. Marc is Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. His essay had been published in May on the website of Psychology Today. It was incredibly interesting and full of material for the book!

Within a few minutes of me sending Professor Bekoff an email requesting permission to include quotations in my ‘draft’ chapter, he had responded in the affirmative. I had also sought his permission to publish the essay here on Learning from Dogs. Again, a very quick, positive reply.

Thus with Marc Bekoff’s generous permission, here is his essay in full. (I’ve taken the decision to split this long essay into two parts.)

Finally, Professor Bekoff includes numerous ‘html’ links within his essay to other materials. I’ve cheated by saving quite some time adding those links but have underlined the linked phrase in question, apart from the very early chapters that do have ‘html’ links. Please go to the site of the original essay to explore further those links.

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Butts and Noses: Secrets and Lessons from Dog Parks (Part One)

Dog parks are gold mines of information about the behavior of dogs and humans

Post published by Marc Bekoff Ph.D. on May 16, 2015 in Animal Emotions

I love going to dog parks. So, too, do dogs and their people. Dog parks are a fascinating recent and growing cultural phenomenon. Indeed, I go rather often to what I call my field sites, for that’s what they are, to study play behavior and other aspects of dog behavior including urination and marking patterns, greeting patterns, social interactions including how and why dogs enter, become part of, and leave short-term and long-term groups, and social relationships. I also study human-dog interactions and when I study how humans and dogs interact I also learn a lot about the humans. For example, I often hear how happy people are that their dogs are free to run here and there or free to be dogs when they’re at the dog park. Often, they say this while they’re constantly calling them back to them even when the dog is simply sniffing here or there or looking for a friend. They also call them to break up play when they think it’s gotten out of hand. You call this free?

Two works to which I often go when thinking about social dynamics at dog parks are Matthew Gilbert’s book titled Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Park and Sonoma State University’s Patrick Jackson‘s essay called “Situated Activities in a Dog Park: Identity and Conflict in Human-Animal Space.” Linda Case writes about Dr. Jackson’s study and she is not a fan of dog parks because she feels they’re not safe and because “Dog park people frequently behave badly by not being responsible dog owners and by being inconsiderate and uncaring towards other people and their dogs.” We really need empirical studies on the safety issue. After having spent countless hours at dog parks I’ve never entertained drawing this conclusion, but there aren’t any detailed data on this topic of which I’m aware. However, on occasion, but hardly regularly, I’ve marveled at just how inconsiderate a very few people can be. But, as part of the gossip network among the other people, I often hear that a given person behaves like this even in non-dog park situations. On a few ocassions I’ve had a rather inconsiderate person ask me why their dog has bad manners and rather than get involved I call attention to some interesting dog-dog interactions.

Most people realize that “dogs are in” and countless scientific and popular essays (see also New Directions in Canine Behavior, Julie Hecht’s “Dog Spies,” and essays written for Psychology Today by writers including Mark Derr, Stanley Coren, Jessica Pierce, and yours truly) and books have been published in the past decade or so about these fascinating mammals. The bottom line is that a plethora of detailed data — and the database is rapidly increasing — clearly show that dogs are thinking, clever, and feeling sentient beings, and viewing them as sort of robotic machines is incredibly misleading and academically corrupt (please see this essay). This does not mean that they are “doggy Einsteins,” however, ample data from numerous different research groups around the world clearly show that dogs are rather complex and incredibly interesting mammals who deserve a good deal of further study. Perhaps even René Descartes would consider changing his views on nonhuman animals (animals) as unfeeling machines given the enormous amount of empirical evidence on sentience in animals.

Why do dogs do this and that? Canine confidential

“Why do dogs do this and that?” The purpose of this short essay, that can be conceived as a field guide to the extremely interesting and largely unknown world of the fascinating dogs with whom we share our lives, is to provide some lessons in dog behavior from observations and questions arising from visits to various dog parks, especially around Boulder, Colorado where I live. I see myself as “a naturalist in a dog park” and aim to show here, via a series of questions, what we know and don’t know about many different aspects of dog behavior. Dogs are often called social catalysts – icebreakers or lubricants — for social interactions with other dogs and they often open the door for pretty frank and wide-ranging conversations among familiar and unfamiliar humans. It always amazes me how dogs free up humans to talk about things they might be more reluctant to share in other venues including what they really think about their human “BFF’s — best friends forever” — and the infamous “3 p’s,” namely, pee, poop, and puke. Often when I get home and look at my notes I view them as “canine confidential.” So, what follows is a sampler of many “why” questions, including why dogs hump, why they sniff butts, genitals, and ears, why they play, and why they organize themselves the ways they do. There are also many “what” questions such as “What do they know?”, “What are they thinking?”, and “What are they feeling?” in different contexts. The list of questions is endless and I’m sure those that follow can easily mutate in many, many more.

People who are lucky enough to share their world with a dog often think they know it all. And, while they do know a good deal about what their canine buddy is thinking and feeling and what they want and need, there really are large gaps in the scientific database. As I mentioned above, there are numerous anecdotes about why dogs do this or that, and, taken together, they form their own pool of data. However, while the claim that “the plural of anecdote is data” applies in some cases, many mysteries still loom in what we actually know about the world of dogs.

Furthermore, often there is no single “right” answer to a question — even some of the most commonly asked queries — and that’s just fine. Dogs compose a highly variable group of mammals — I often say “the dog” doesn’t really exist — so it’s not surprising that just when we think we have a solid handle on what they’re thinking and feeling and why they do what they’re doing an exception or three arises. Surely, the early experience of individual dogs influences their later behavior. So, while we know a lot, people are often amazed by how little we know and that hard and fast answers can’t be given to some common questions.

Visiting dog parks can be wonderful educational experiences. Visits, some lasting hours on end each and every day, can be myth breakers and icebreakers, and also provide information about why dogs are doing this or that. People are always asking questions about why their dog is doing something and really want to know what we know. They also freely offer advice to other people about why their dog is doing something and how they can treat various problems such as shyness, aggressiveness, and why dogs ignore what their human is asking them to do. And, as I wrote above, dogs also are icebreakers – “social catalysts” the academics call them — and get people to talk with one another and to talk about things.

The questions below range from interests about basic dog behavior such as why do dogs stick their noses where they do, and why they play, bark, pee, eat turds, and roll on their back, to more lofty questions about whether dogs have a theory of mind and whether they know what they look like and if they know who they are. A good number of questions deal with dogs’ butts and noses, hence the title of this brief essay (motivated, of course, by the famous rock group, Guns N’ Roses). Butts and noses — including other “private parts” – figure into a number of the questions below. We all know dogs put their noses in places where we couldn’t imagine there would be anything of interest, and also place their active snouts, often on their first introduction, to other dogs and humans, in places that make us rather uneasy. We don’t greet friends or strangers by immediately licking their mouth or with a genital sniff or slurp. There also are many general questions that don’t center on anatomical features that figure largely in the world of the dog. I’ll answer each question briefly with what we know from various types of research, with some stories where they’re available, and note where we really need more information. It’s entirely possible that I have missed a given study (or studies) and I apologize for the oversights and look forward to hearing from readers.

While we know a lot about dogs, there are holes in the database, so the future is chock full of exciting research. Readers will discover that what we often take to be the gospel about dog behavior frequently isn’t all that well supported by published empirical research or even detailed observations. While good stories are interesting and can serve to stimulate more “controlled” research, in and of themselves they don’t constitute “data” as do detailed and more focused studies (I’ll suggest below that studies in dog parks may be more “ecologically relevant” than studies in laboratories and help to settle on-going debates among different research groups). In some ways, then, this essay is sort of a myth-buster and a fun way not only to learn about dogs but also to stimulate further research about dogs and dogs and humans. So, here we go.

(See the concluding part tomorrow.)

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Clearly in this last year the book was published!

For readers who haven’t read Mark Bekoff’s essay before I will repost the concluding part tomorrow.

Playlists of our lives.

If you had to make a playlist of your life, what would be on it?

That intriguing sub-title comes from a video that Jean and I watched a couple of weeks ago.

But first I want to return to the matter of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) that was written about in a post dated the 24th February Personal Journeys. I wrote, in part,

Sue, and everyone else, we returned from seeing Dr. Lee, the neurologist, a little under two hours ago. Dr. Lee’s prognosis is that Jean is showing the very early signs of Parkinson’s disease, and Jean is comfortable with me mentioning this.

Everyone’s love and affection has meant more than you can imagine. I will write more about this next week once we have given the situation a few ‘coatings of thought’.

Jean sends her love to you all!

In recent weeks Jean has been experiencing increasing feelings of apathy, lack of motivation, lack of energy, all of which she summed up as a feeling of isolation. Plus the tremor in her hand has been slowly worsening.

Last week we decided that rather than waiting until August for the next planned appointment with Dr. Eric Lee, the neurologist, we should appraise Dr. Lee of the decline in Jean’s overall mood. That has now been done and Dr. Lee’s response is that Jean should start a trial course of the drug Sinamet® that a quick web search (see link on trade name) explains is:

SINEMET® (carbidopa-levodopa) is a combination of carbidopa and levodopa for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and syndrome.

As before, Jean is happy for me to share this with you.

So back to the theme of playlists of our lives.

The Australian Broadcast Commission, ABC, have a YouTube channel ABCTVCatalyst that is full of great science programmes. As that website explains:

At Catalyst we know that science is a dynamic force for change. Each week Catalyst brings you stories from Australia and around the world. Our passion to meet scientists at the forefront of discovery is matched by our fascination with science breakthroughs however big or small. Science changes all our lives. For better or worse, we are committed to showing you what our future holds.

That is how Jean and I came across the following incredibly interesting talk about the role of music in our past lives assisting those with fading cognitive skills, as in my case, and including those with PD. It is just twenty-nine minutes long and something we should all watch, irrespective of our present age.

Published on Mar 8, 2016
If you had to make a playlist of your life, what would be on it? And if, toward the end of your life, your mind and memories were fading away, would this soundtrack help bring them back?

My final observation is that as a direct result of watching this programme I blew the dust off my iPod that I hadn’t used in many months. It was remarkable that despite me struggling at times to recall something I did just a few hours ago, I can hum along with tunes that are on my iPod that go back ten or twenty years.

The playlists of our lives!

Protecting our cats

There are some foods that are potentially very dangerous for cats.

Over two years ago I published an article that had been written by a guest. His name is Rohit Agarwal and the article that he wrote for Learning from Dogs was called Dogs and Fences. As it is likely that some readers may not have recalled Rohit’s piece and my introduction, let me repeat a part of what I said in that introduction:

I had no foreknowledge of Rohit, who described himself thus:

Author Bio: Rohit is a dog lover and pet enthusiast; he owns two adorable and wonderful dogs that include a German shepherd and a Labrador retriever. As work keeps him away from home, concerns arise about the safety and comfort of his pet friends, which made him try out various products that facilitate the same. Recently he was worried about leaving his dogs in the yard of his house and tried the underground fence for dogs, which worked great.

Rohit also made clear that he is a contributor to Petstek.com, the company behind the link in the last sentence of his bio.

Rohit’s article was well received so when he recently offered a further guest piece I had no hesitation in saying yes. Here it is.

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Six Foods Cats Should Never, Ever Eat!

cat-eating-icecream

We all are guilty of sneaking our animal family members some human food. In the case of our felines, they often sneak their own tasty treats. It is all fun and most food is generally safe for cats to eat. Unfortunately, not all of our food is considered safe for cats to consume. Here are a few foods to avoid.

Image Credits ThePixelman, CC0 1.0

Raisins

Raisins seem like a totally safe option for an animal, but unfortunately they are quite dangerous for felines. Scientists haven’t figured out the toxin, but consuming raisins can lead to sudden kidney failure in cats. This also means that grapes are off limits. If you notice that your cat has consumed either grapes or raisins, watch them closely for signs of toxicity. These signs include diarrhea, lack of appetite, lethargy, and abdominal pain. Usually, to cause death, large amounts have to be consumed, but even small amounts can lead to sickness.

Onions

Onions can potentially destroy a cat’s red blood cells which can cause a number of blood problems, such as anemia. This holds true for onions in any form, such as powdered, raw, and cooked. Onion powder can be in a multitude of food so be sure to read labels if you think you might give your feline friend a taste of dinner. Garlic is in the same family as onions, so therefore, all of this holds true for garlic in all forms. Garlic is less toxic.

Raw eggs

Humans are supposed to avoid eating raw eggs, so it make sense that our felines should avoid it as well. Eating a raw egg contains a risk of a bacterial infection which is called food poisoning. Your cat could potentially get salmonella or E.coli. Both of these infections could easily lead to death in such a small animal.

Alcohol

Now, this one might seem obvious, but cats are known for being sneaky and taking a lap of their owner’s drink. Consuming even small amounts of alcohol can lead to intoxication and alcohol poisoning. Because of their size, it can take as little as two teaspoons to do damage to their system or cause the cat to enter into a coma. More than two teaspoons can quickly lead to death.

Caffeine

Just like in canines, caffeine is not recommended for any breed of cats. In large quantities, caffeine is capable of being fatal. It is a diuretic that can lead to dehydration. Caffeine also overstimulates the heart and nervous system. If your cat consumes any, watch for signs of caffeine poisoning which includes restlessness, rapid breathing, heart palpitations, and tremors. Remember, caffeine isn’t just in coffee and soda; it is also found in tea, cold medicines and chocolate of all forms.

Chocolate is also lethal to cats, just as it is extremely dangerous for dogs. The agent in chocolate that leads to death is called theobromine. It can be found in all forms of chocolate, but it is especially dangerous in unsweetened baking chocolate. Eating chocolate can lead to tremors, an abnormal heart rhythm, seizures, and death.

Fat Trimmings and Bones

This one doesn’t seem so obvious; felines eat meat so one would assume fat trimmings would be safe. Consuming fat can lead to intestinal issues such as vomiting and diarrhea. It can also cause pancreatitis. Signs of pancreatitis include lethargy, dehydration, and loss of appetite. Sometimes, a cat can also run a fever. Avoiding bones does make more sense. Small bones can easily splinter which could cause lacerations in the stomach or choking.

If you believe that your cat has eaten any of these foods, you should watch them closely for any signs of illness. Contact your veterinarian if concerned. Prevention is key to keeping your feline friend safe.

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Let’s keep all our lovely animals safe!

Hazel – Further Update

Only time will provide the definite answer.

(This update would have been brought to you much earlier this week had it not been for our internet problems.)

You will recall that it was a week ago that we took Hazel to see a specialist and I posted Hazel’s Probable Disease. That evening our vet friend, Jim, brought over a supply of Prednisone tablets with the instructions to stop the Fluconazole treatment and switch to Prednisone. We started at a dosage of one 20mg tablet every 12 hours.

Hazel enjoying the cool floor of our bathroom. — Hazel enjoying the cool floor of our bathroom yesterday afternoon.

Within twenty-four hours the Prednisone had stimulated a return of Hazel’s appetite and for the last seven days she has been eating very well. Plus she has regained an interest in the world around her and now comes out for walks with the other dogs.

Jim and I went for a short hike yesterday afternoon and we were discussing Hazel. Jim reminded me that while the lung pictures and the other evidence were pointing to it being cancer the actual tumour still hadn’t been found.

If there is no noticeable decline in, say, three or four weeks then it may not be cancer. Certainly, Jim said, if it is cancer then Hazel will not live out another three months.

Time will give us the answer.

Death is part of life.

Slowly picking up the pieces from our internet outage.

The fact that I was sitting in front of my PC at 4:30am yesterday morning writing this says a lot about the inconvenience of losing our internet connection last Friday evening. We love living in this rural part of Southern Oregon surrounded by such dramatic scenery but it does have a couple of downsides, one of which is that we are very limited as to internet service providers.

Anyway, on with the show!

One of the posts that I had in mind for earlier this week was this rather poignant piece from Chris Snuggs. Chris and I go back many years to the time when he was Head of Studies at ISUGA; a French college based in Quimper. I was a visiting teacher at ISUGA covering entrepreneurial topics.

Enough of me, here is that story from Chris. It was sent to me on the 10th May.

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My sister’s dog died last night. Margaret woke me at 03.00 in the morning saying she needed my help. I found her at the front door, where Jasper was lying motionless, having crawled there in his last moments.

“I think he’s gone,” she said, sobbing quietly.

I knelt down and felt his side; indeed, there was no sign of breathing, though his body was still warm. Jasper had died. He had been ill for a few days, been down to the vet and got some medicine, but it had been to no avail. Maggie said he had been unusually quiet and motionless that last evening, making strange noises as his lungs failed him. At 12 years old, one cannot say it was a surprise, but until the last few days he had been right as rain, barking senselessly at nothing in particular when let out into the garden, getting under my feet as I did jobs around the house.

But death of any companion – or indeed of any living creature – is moving, shocking. He was not my dog, nor do I see him often or for long, but the one thing about dogs is that once they make friends with you – as Jasper had with me – you are a friend for life.

No matter how depressed you are, no matter how low an opinion you have of yourself, no matter how sheit your day was, whenever you walk through that front door, a dog will greet you with his tail wagging. They have infinite love, devotion and optimism; they take you as you are and love you whatever you are.

And so Jasper will be missed by me, but of course more so by my sister, who had him from a puppy. As anyone who has lost a companion knows, the house seems empty afterwards. There will be no more greetings with the wagging tail, no more forbidden jumping up onto the sofa to be patted, no more barking at the seagulls in the garden.

Death is a part of life, but hard to accept even so.

Chris Snuggs

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Chris also forwarded some photographs of dear Jasper that are offered in memory of the little chap.

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Embracing the reality of death: One of the most important lessons that we learn from our dogs.

Hazel’s probable disease.

And the last thing we wanted to hear.

Dear people, again I must say this:
CAUTION: The following is offered by way of information reaching out to other loving dog owners. Please do not assume I have any specialist veterinarian knowledge and please do not take the following as a replacement for seeing your own vet.

Back on the 4th May I posted the results of Hazel being scanned ultrasonically in a post Hazel’s Sonogram. Here’s a tiny extract:

Dr. Parker, who is a board-certified veterinarian doctor, came to the conclusion that the most likely cause of Hazel’s illness was the fungal lung infection, as Dr. Codd and the radiologist supposed.

But still Hazel showed too many signs that there was no improvement. Her eating was pitiful and the application of the Fluconazole (anti-fungal) medicine was not helping, bearing in mind that she was first seen by Dr. Codd over a month ago.

Dr. Codd’s advice was that we seek specialist help and yesterday morning Hazel was seen by Dr. Kimberly Winters, DVM, of Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center (SOVSC) who, in addition, has a further qualification (Diplomate AVCIM) in Internal Medicine.

Based in Medford, about a 40-minute drive South from home.

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Jean and I were impressed by the way we were received and noted that the clinic, Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center, offered a 24-hour emergency service. Here’s a piece from their home page:

At Southern Oregon Veterinary Specialty Center, we understand the special bond between a pet and their human family. Our team of highly trained doctors, certified technicians and support staff partner with your family veterinarian to provide specialized diagnostics, surgery and emergency care for your pet upon a referral or emergency basis. Our clinic is staffed 24 hours-a-day, 7 days a week, to receive emergency cases and to monitor our critical care patients. The clinic’s board-certified veterinary specialists and staff are committed to providing exceptional compassionate care utilizing state-of-the-art technology and treatments.

Then we were called in and first seen by one of the technicians to record all the details.

Then a short while later in came Dr. Winters.

Dr. Winters listening to Hazel's rather laboured breathing. — Dr. Winters listening to Hazel’s rather laboured breathing.

Dr. Winters recommended a further xray of Hazel’s lungs and some blood work.

An hour later we had her analysis.

Dr. Winters said that while the condition of Hazel’s lungs could be an indication of a fungal infection she had her doubts. Or, in the words of her subsequent report:

There are several things that are not consistent with fungal infection – no high globulin level, no elevation in white blood cell count, no fever, negative titers, progression despite fluconazole treatment.

But the most important indicator of it being something other than a fungal infection was that the xray showed Hazel’s lungs to be worse.

My photograph of the clinic's screen display. — My photograph of the clinic’s screen display.

This can be more readily seen if I publish the xray image of yesterday and the image taken on the 15th April; see below.

Xray image as of the morning of May 12th, 2016.

One of the radiographs taken of Hazel. — One of the radiographs taken of Hazel 15th April, 2016.

Despite not truly understanding these images both Jean and I quickly thought the top one, taken yesterday, showed a decline in Hazel’s lungs compared to the lower one, taken on the 15th April.

It was then time to seek Dr. Winters’ opinion.

Essentially, she said that she doubted the diagnosis of it being a fungal infection especially as lung fungal infections were very rare in Oregon. When I queried the fact that it might have been dormant for some time Dr. Winters thought that doubtful because the lungs, even a month ago, were displaying advanced disease.

Dr. Winters couldn’t be sure without a physical examination of the lung tissue but on the balance of probability she believed Hazel was at an advanced stage of cancer with the tumor somewhere in the body and that her lungs were showing that the cancer had metastasized!

A later discussion with Dr. Russ Codd and Jim Goodbrod confirmed this analysis with Russ thinking that the primary tumor might be in Hazel’s arteries. To a very great extent, it has become academic as Russ believes that Hazel will not have that much longer to go and that our main focus should be on keeping her quality of life as high as we can, for as long as we can.

Jean and I are devastated as you can imagine and later on when writing this post my thoughts were on some of the words added to the post Embracing Those Senior Years just last Wednesday. These words:

First from Barb of the blog Passionate about Pets:

Hariod, your comments to Paul about your GSD really touched me because I myself am in that same space now with my almost 17 year old shih-tzu. We have always had a special connection but in the last year, as her age has progressed with it’s usual complications, our relationship has moved to another level – becoming even deeper than anything I have ever experienced; so powerfully in tune with each other, it’s incredible.
As I write this, every day she is with us is a precious bonus.

Then followed by these words from Petspeopleandlife:

Our aging pets can be very troubling. I ‘ve been there and done that many times in about 60 years and even in my years before I left the farm to attend school. It doesn’t get easy and I always hate watching my pets age. It is devastating to lose them.

Then my words:

There are no favorites in our ten dogs but there are some that are more open in expressing and returning affection. It seems those dogs in particular tear us apart when they die.

For Hazel is one of those dogs.

History of the Pyrenean Mastiff

The breed background history of our Brandy.

In yesterday’s post I wrote about how we determined that our Brandy was a Pyrenean Mastiff (Spanish Mastin del Pirineo). In that search, into both the breeder and the history of the breed, we came across the website of De La Tierra Kennels located in Quartz Hill, California who are Pyrenean Mastiff breeders. As they state on their website:

Tierra Alta were the first kennel to introduce the Mastin del Pirineo to the U.S.A. Our kennels have produced excellent show potential pups bred from the finest imported and now domestic stock available – Tajadera del Tio Roy, Castillo de Ali, Do Limoeiro, De Domus, El Bellotero, Rocaforte, Larresalkoak, Del Paso del Oso, Moralet, Wela Brillante, Springstrand, Iirismaan, Bondadoso and Farma Stekot, Murtoi’s, Del Mostin and Can Cabot. Our foundation mostines are imports directly from Spain, Italy, Finland and the Czech Republic. Our kennels have also exported to Canada, Europe and Mexico. Our kennel has the broadest bloodlines for the PM in the U.S.A. and the largest number of Pyrenean Mastiffs in the country.

and two paragraphs later:

A Moment In History!

Breeder of Pyrenean Mastiffs since 1996: Tierra Alta kennels were proud to announce the arrival of the first Pyrenean Mastiff litter born in the U.S.A. October 1st, 1997

It was then quickly discovered that there is a breed association for Pyrenean Mastiffs and almost as quickly revealed that the breed association shares the same telephone number as the breeders. Nonetheless, I’m going to republish the history of the breed as it is presented on the website of the PMCA Pyrenean Mastiff Club of America.

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Mastin de los Pirineos – Pyrenean Mastif

Statue of the Molossus Belonging to Olympias, daughter of the Molossian King Pyrrhus

Edited By Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald – “The Book Of The Dog“

THE SPANISH MASTIFF & THE PYRENEAN MASTIFF THE HISTORY OF SPAIN

In the Middle Ages, the Christians in the north and the Moslems in the south of the Iberian peninsula were fighting against each other for the control of the land that would one day become known as Espana. In the Christian kingdoms, the business of wool and lambs was the livelihood of the people. At that time existed two hegemonic kingdoms in the yet unborn Spain, Castilla and Aragon. In these kingdoms, each having a very different way of life, were born two breeds of dogs.

In the wide and flat Castilla, the Mastin Espanol (Spanish Mastiff); in the heterogeneous and abrupt Aragon, the Mastin del Pirineo (Pyrenean Mastiff). The system of “trashumancia” in Castilla was completely homogeneous. The big herds had a lot of very detailed rules imposed by the “Honrado Concejo de la Mesta”. These rules included the way to treat the dogs, which was important, since these dogs defended the flocks from many risky situations across many thousands of miles. These big and valiant dogs are the breed we know today as the Spanish Mastiff.

In the kingdom of Aragon, the “Honrado Concejo de la Mesta” had no authority, and the herding rules differed from one valley to the next. The Pyreneans were home to many wolves and bears, and here another magnificent protector, the Pyrenean Mastiff or “Mostin”(from the old aragonish language) was employed.

As the centuries passed these systems continued. The river Ebro remained the border between these two excellent molosser breeds up until our day.

The Spanish Mastiff and Pyrenean Mastiff are both molossoid breeds. The Spanish Mastiff has a shorter coat, slightly bigger head and a little more skin on the throat. The Pyrenean Mastiff has a longer coat and his color is always white with an obligatory mask around the eyes and on the ears. In both cases, the texture of the coat is hard, not soft or wooly. In both breeds the head is important, the structure powerful, a wide chest and round ribs. The expression of the Spanish Mastiff is much “sweeter” than that of the expressive face of the Pyrenean Mastiff.

These two magnificent canine giants have conquered the hearts of many. They are both breeds of excellent temperament and indescribable charm. These Mastiff dogs do not require extensive care. They are healthy breeds that require to spend their days with someone who will be more of a friend and companion than just an “owner’. They are proud, strong and sure of themselves and a great piece of the history of Spain.

ASPECTS OF THE PYRENEAN MASTIFF

The dog we know as the Pyrenean Mastiff belongs to the breed of very big molosus dogs. These dogs were the guardians of the Aragonien sheep herds protecting them from predators such as the wolf and bear. The Mastiff from Navarra and Cataluna are included in the Pyrenean Mastiff of today. They were also used to protect houses, farms and castles.

In their work of protecting the herd they were assisted by the shepherd dog today known as Gos d’Atura Catala. In order to protect themselves while working the Pyrenean Mastiff used to wear a special collar called a “carlanca” generally made of iron with sharp protruding spikes. The collar was an extraordinary help in case of an attack from wolves or bears.

The time eventually came when the herds worst predators disappeared from the Pyreneas. This was around 1930 to 1940. The question of what to do with such a big dog with a large appetite was pondered by the farmers. Due to the lack of interest in this big dog it gradually began to disappear. This could have been disastrous for the breed had it not have been for a few big dog lovers who adopted the task of the breeds survival.

It was hard to feed such a big dog during the period just after the Spanish Civil War but it was obviously one that was accomplished. The great-great-grandchildren of these dogs are the seeds that have been used to revive the breed today. The Pyrenean Mastiff is part of the common origin of the molosus or molususlupoides to guard the livestock. It was distributed within different breeds in the southern part of Europe from Turkey to Portugal and from Caucaso to Sierra Morena.

In the Spanish breed the molosus factor dominates the lupoide one and its structure with a big skull, strong bones and round ribs makes it difficult to rest. The Pyrenean Mastiff is a rectangular dog, thick, big head and wide breast. The ears should be implanted over the eyes line and not too big. The eyes should be intelligent and dark. Overall the Pyrenean Mastiff shall show his power and his strength. The base color of the coat should always be white. The eyes and ears should always be colored. The hair should be long and thick. The Pyrenean Mastiff character is noble, tame with the children and with the people who get along well with the dog, but implacable with those who dare to challenge him.

Often people who are unfamiliar with the breed may say that these dogs are very big and very stupid. Those who refer to the breed in this context are usually more familiar with the barking-attacking anyone or anything without any reason type of dog. The Pyrenean Mastiff is and was a very calm dog possibly due to the fact that his function depended on that. It is a very self reliant dog and barks very little. However if necessary it can be extremely aggressive although it only comes to this point if there really is no other way out. The Pyrenean Mastiff is quiet, good and equilibrated in practically all circumstances. The Pyrenean Mastiff is a dog happy to put on a collar and walk patiently by the side of his owner.

“To each his own” as the saying is known. However in the case of the Pyrenean Mastiff there are some helpful points to look for in the breed: More importance should be placed on the massivity than the size, and to the head rather than the tail. A deeper breast than the elbows rather than shorter and poor. Preferably a too aggressive dog to a too timid one. A deep face profile to a “wolf- thin” profile. A dog with open toes, but extremely strong bones rather than one with perfect toes and too light in the bones or too flat of a breast and ribs. It is more important to seek maybe some incorrect teeth in a powerful and big head rather than some perfect teeth in a “wolfie” head. The ultimate dog is strong, rustic, powerful and full of typicity rather than an “elegant” or “harmonic” or “changed” one.

As previously noted ten to twelve years after the Spanish Civil War the breed was less abundant. With the onset of the seventies, lover of the Spanish dog breeds began to research dogs in the mountains and in the rest of Aragon for the dog that perhaps could belong to the beloved Spanish breed, the old and great molossus from Aragon. The Club del Mastin del Pirineo de Espana (Spanish Pyrenean Mastiff Club) was founded in 1977. It is an association where all breeders, owners and lovers of the breed united to become the most important club dedicated to a Spanish breed. Some years after their beginning the only *monographic book about the Pyrenean Mastiff was written by the club. The international history of the Pyrenean Mastiff is only beginning. Today there are about 4000 Pyrenean Mastiffs in their homeland of Spain.

ORIGIN

Origin: Spain.

The Pyrenean mastiff is a native of the southern slopes of the Pyrenees mountains. The mastiff was developed in the region of the Pyrenean Mountains that stretches from Aragon to Navarra. The breed was once known as the Navarra mastiff. The breed was at one time almost extinct but has gained new interest in recent years. It is still rare despite this. It is also known as the Mastiff of Navarre and the Mastin d’Aragon.

The Pyrenean mastiff should not be confused with its French counterpart, the Great Pyrenees.

The Phoenecian traders acquired mastiffs in Assyria and Sumeria. These dogs were sold in Spain where they were to be bred as working dogs and their heritage can be traced back to the great Asiatic mastiffs.

Description: It is a strong, powerful and tall dog of elegant beauty. Ideal height at the withers for males is 32 inches/81 cm and 29 1/2 inches/75 cm for females. Life expectancy is about 12 -14 years.

The Pyrenean mastiff has such a light step that it hardly leaves any footprints. It posesses a large, long and strong head and long muzzle with a black nose. The skull is slightly rounded, broad and convex, prominent occiput and a wide, deep muzzle. The head should be massive and broad. The neck is powerful and surrounded by loose skin and hanging double dewlaps. The face is symmetrical and the eyes are small and dark with the lower eye lid showing. The ears are pointed and pendant. Although the ears can be cropped and the tail docked, this is not recommended. The tail is carried low and has a fringe and should have a curl at the tip and although it stands up when active, is never carried over the back. The body should be rectangular, well muscled and with strong bone. The back is level, slightly hollow and more inclined toward the withers.

The Pyrenean mastiff has a thick, abundant and coarse coat that is medium long on the body but is slightly longer on the throat and neck. Coat colors most frequently seen are white with markings either golden, any shade of grey, black or badger, sand, red or marbling markings on the sides of the head and ears and the beginning of the neck. Markings may also be found on the posterior. Least prized dogs are those to have black and white markings. No matter what the markings the main body color is always white. A few large patches on the body are permissible but not in all white or tricolored dogs. The fore and hindquarters are strong with plenty of bone and muscle. The forefeet are not very large with toes that are closed and well arched. Double dewclaws on the hindlegs are typical but NOT obligatory in this breed.

TEMPERAMENT

Silent, friendly and intelligent

Uses: The Pyrenean mastiff is a flock guardian, hunter of wild game, personal guardian and working dog. It is an excellent sheep protector, resistant to cold weather and capable of fighting off predators such as wolves.

Every Spring, for many centuries, the shepherds of the Pyrenees would move their large flocks from the lower mountain plains to grazing areas in the high, mountain valleys. The Pyrenean mastiff aided in moving and protecting these flocks during the trip. Four or five dogs would take charge of up to a thousand sheep. The mastiff was equipped with a heavy spiked collar known as a “carlanca” in order to protect the neck during a wolf attack. The mastiff was regognized as a distinct breed in the latter part of the last century. It is a reliable, obedient and protective companion.

All along the southern third part of Europe, from Caucase to Sierra Morena and from Lisboa to Stambul, exist, and have existed during centuries past, molosoid and lupo – molosoid large breeds of dogs. These dogs are dedicated traditionally to guard the ewe herds, and have adapted both their physical and mental abilities to the different circumstances, countries, climates, etc., where their jobs have taken them.

We have known guarding breeds such as the Anatolian Karabash, the Komondor, the Ovtcharka, the Kuvasz, the Polish Tatra, the Maremma – Abruzzese, the Pyrenean Mountain Dog, the Mastin Espanol, the Rafeiro de Alentejo, the Estrela Mountain Dog and others. Among them, one of the more fascinating breeds is the Pyrenean Mastiff (Mastin de los Pirineos). This breed is one of the most primitive breeds of flock guardian dogs.

The Pyrenean Mastiff, like the Mastin Espanol (Spanish Mastiff) breed, was influenced in the past from the blood of molosser dogs coming probably to Spain through the South (Cadiz or “Gadir”) proceeding from Asia in the Phoenecian boats. This influence produced two different types of large and powerful dogs perfectly adapted for the job that would be required to do for so many centuries, protecting the lambs against the wolf and the bear.

There were two molossoid Spanish breeds, the Mastin del Pirineo and the Mastin Espanol. The first of these two lived in the north – east part of Spain and the latter in the center, in the area of Castilla and Leon. In the middle age times when both breeds became established, the lands of Aragon and Cataluna were independent and this was where the Pyrenean Mastiff was living. The Mastin del Pirineo can compare his history to that of the Pyrenean Mountain Dog because they have many breed similarities.

Imagine that the Pyreneans valleys direction was north-south and both sides belonged to the Navarra-Aragon-Cataluna crown or in essence to Spain. This situation changed in 1659, when Mazarino, the Regent of France and Philippe IV, King of Spain signed a decree through which France acquired the Northern side of the Pyreneans. From that time on, the French raised their dogs in their own direction and style, hence leading to a characteristic type that later became known as Chien de Montagne des Pyrenees (Pyrenean Mountain Dog/Great Pyrenees). In the Southern Pyrenees, the Spanish chose to remain with the traditional type dogs, working dogs that were more primitive and wide, less refined and homogeneous. During the international expansion that the official cynology has experienced in our twentieth century, both breeds have had opposite appeal.

The Pyrenean Mountain Dog (Great Pyrenees) has enjoyed great recognition due to the excellent selection efforts of the French breeders and those of other countries also. The Spanish Pyrenean Mastiff was barely surviving as a breed, still working in his traditional role as guardian of the lambs, until the middle of this century when the last wolf was killed off in the Spanish Pyreneans. In the forties and fifties Spain was in poor shape, still trying to recuperate from the effects of a civil war. A large breed such as this, that eats a lot and with no useful job to perform in its homeland became a heavier burden on the people during such hard times and with each passing year their numbers began to diminish as a pure breed. In the seventies, a new passion grew among many people who had an interest in the Spanish breed. Gradually the Pyrenean Mastiff began to make a comeback, although far from the wolves and lambs, but closer to a bigger friend, man.

Today people are beginning to once again take an interest in the Pyrenean Mastiff. If luck is on the side of this large and wonderful Spanish breed, it will this time enjoy the recognition that it rightfully deserves.

Information provided by Rafael Malo

Story translated and edited by Karin S.Graefe

ooOOoo

I closed yesterday’s post with these words:

Further research on this breed has turned up some very interesting information. Come back tomorrow to read that and what we discovered when we spoke to the breeder.

Well you have had the interesting information and later I had a wonderful conversation with Karin Graefe of that breeder; De La Tierra Alta Kennels in Oakdale, California. (See footnote.)

In a web search for other PM breeders I came across Pyrenean Mastiffs de Monte Sano based in Alabama. Here’s what you read on their website home page:

Pyrenean Mastiffs de Monte Sano owner, Victoria Betterton, is an active member of the Pyrenean Mastiff Club of Spain (Club Del Mastín Del Pirineo De España (C.M.P.E)) and is the US representative for the club.

Located in Huntsville Alabama, we have done a lot of research into the Pyrenean Mastiff breed and have worked hard to bring wonderful specimens to the USA. Our dogs are the result of the vision of breeders that are among the best in Italy and Spain. These breeders have become good friends as these dogs are now a loving part of our family.

The Pyrenean Mastiff has recently been added to the American Kennel Club’s (AKC’s) Foundation Stock Service (FSS). Our breeding dogs are registered with FSS as well as with both the Federación Canófila de Puerto Rico (FCPR) for Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) approved registry purposes, and the United Kennel Club (UKC) for show purposes. All our dogs and their offspring can also be registered with all of the smaller clubs that accept FCI approved or UKC registrations such as the American Rare Breed Association (ARBA).

I called them and it was Victoria who took the call. I explained the circumstances of Brandy coming into our lives and then sent her an email with some photographs of Brandy. This was her reply:

Hi Paul,

It could be that Brandy has Pyrenean Mastiff in him, but I doubt he is purebred. The jowls, and especially the coloring is not characteristic. He doesn’t have near the droop in the lip of typical PMs, and he is missing way too much white, especially on the nose. While there are PMs with darker muzzles, they always have some white or they are not considered correct for the breed. I’d say he is definitely a mix of something and PM or GP. If you could trace the owner by microchip, you may be able to find out.

He is a beautiful dog. I wonder why they clipped him. I never clip mine. The hair protects from cold and heat both.

Best Regards, Vicki Betterton

Clearly more to find out!

Footnote:

Later in the afternoon I had a most delightful conversation with Karin Graefe of De la Tierra Alta Kennels in California who came up with another possible explanation of Brandy’s roots. More of that another day. But can’t resist telling you that in my call with Karin it was very quickly established that she joins me and Jean in being another Londoner as she was born in Kensington. Small world at times!

Our Pyrenean Mastiff

Now we understand who our Brandy is!

Back on the 11th April, I published a post A loving welcome to Brandy. I explained, with regard to a garage sale that Jean and friends had gone to that Saturday morning:

It turned out to be a couple and their daughter that were selling off stuff in advance of having to move to a much smaller house including needing to re-home their dog.

There in the garage was the dog, a beautiful tan coloured Great Pyrenees, as they are known in North America.

At that time, when Jean had been speaking to the mother of the house, Jean thought she heard the dog being described as: “He’s a Pyrenean with some Mastiff in him.” In other words, a Great Pyrenees crossed with a Mastiff.

Having never before come across either a Great Pyranees or a Pyrenean Mastiff, when I first laid eyes on Brandy a couple of hours later it never occured to me to query his breed. To the extent that just last Thursday I published a post where the sub-title explained: Looking into the history of the Great Pyrenees dog.

Then, quite by chance, we came across some photographs of other Great Pyrenees.

Such as this one:

and this one:

Then the penny dropped! Our Brandy didn’t even come close to looking like these dogs so he can’t be a Great Pyrenees (Pyrenean Mountain Dog in UK ‘speak’.).

It then didn’t take us long to realise that most likely the woman had described Brandy as a Pyrenean Mastiff but hadn’t spoken sufficiently clearly for Jean to hear that.

So here are some pictures of the Pyrenean Mastiff from the web.

oooo

The resemblance of our Brandy with these ‘web’ pictures is spot on: our Brandy is a Pyrenean Mastiff. Plus there is only one breeder in the USA located in Southern California. We will be speaking with them today (Monday).

Further research on this breed has turned up some very interesting information. Come back tomorrow to read that and what we discovered when we spoke to the breeder.

Hazel’s sonogram.

Nothing life-threatening found!

I’m writing this post at 5pm yesterday (Tuesday) shortly after we returned home from collecting Hazel from Lincoln Road Vet Clinic following her earlier examination by Dr. Parker using his mobile sonogram.

Hazel at the clinic shortly before she was taken in by the staff.

The good news is that Dr. Parker did not find any sign of trauma or life-threatening illnesses in Hazel’s body especially focusing on her abdomen.

Dr. Parker to the left being assisted by clinic staff as he examines Hazel ultra-sonically.

(I should be quick to say that I left my camera with one of the technicians and wasn’t present. Indeed, Jean and I did not get to meet Dr. Parker.)

Dr. Parker, who is a board-certified veterinarian doctor, came to the conclusion that the most likely cause of Hazel’s illness was the fungal lung infection, as Dr. Codd and the radiologist supposed.

To try and narrow down the exact fungal infection a further blood sample was taken and the lab results should be known in three or four days time.

Dr. Codd, in his briefing to Jean and me when we collected Hazel late afternoon, said that his recommendation based on the lack of any notable findings from the scan could be summarised as follows:

Regard treating the fungal infection as the number one priority,
Hold off from treating the tick fever in the interim,
Dose Hazel with 100mg of Fluconazole twice a day even if she is eating hardly anything,
The measure is whether Hazel, with a very small food intake, can take that dosage without vomiting,
Add a B12 tonic to her diet with immediate effect,
Give Hazel appetite stimulant medicine,
Consider the hemp oil (as queried by me) if the proper dosage can be determined.

(Petspeopleandlife: Hazel’s current weight is 53 lbs (24 kg). Any advice?)

Back home again albeit still feeling a little drowsy!

Thus while we have not yet got to the bottom of what precisely is the nature of Hazel’s infection at least we know there isn’t anything else silently killing her.

Thank you so much, dear readers, for taking so much interest in Hazel and for sending your love and caring wishes – it’s working! 🙂

Hazel – Change of tack

Still a long way from getting to the bottom of what is ailing Hazel.

In my last post about Hazel I opened by saying:

In the last post on Hazel’s condition, back last Thursday, I passed on Dr. Codd’s observation, “… that by not having Hazel on her meds we were, of course, letting the fungal infection continue its damage.”

Dr. Codd also recommended reducing the dosage of the Fluconazole to lower its side effect of suppressing appetite.

So since then, with outstanding care and patience, Jean has been coaxing Hazel to eat just sufficient food for Hazel to be able to take the Fluconazole, for her fungal infection in her lungs, and Doxycycline, for her tick infection. (Mind you, Hazel is still a long way from eating reliably.)

That was a week ago and while, at best, Hazel is just eating sufficient to take her meds she is far from improving to any noticeable degree. But she is not eating enough food to stabilise her weight and yesterday morning Jean was worried we might lose her if we didn’t rethink what was going on.

Jean is attempting to get Hazel to eat many times each day.

A Sunday morning call to Dr. Jim Goodbrod brought us the advice to re-think the evidence.

The titre results were negative but because there are so many variants of fungal infection that was discounted.
The film of Hazel’s lungs show what the radiologist described as a clear case of fungal infection.
However, if that infection had been in the past, before Hazel was taken in by us down in Mexico, and that infection had ceased, that film could be showing scarring in the lungs.
The positive result for Tick Fever showed evidence of antibodies not antigens. That might be interpreted as a previous incident.

Jim liaised with Dr. Codd and it was agreed that further examinations needed to be conducted to obtain a clear, unambiguous diagnosis and that in the interim we stop giving Hazel any medications and offer her body systems a bit of a rest.

One option being discussed is to call in a mobile sonogram or ultra-sonic scanner. There is a very expert doctor in the area who uses such a mobile device and scans can be taken of Hazel’s abdomen and lungs here at home.

Because we will do everything to try and return Hazel to good health.

More information will be passed to you just as soon as it is to hand.

Butts and Noses: Secrets and Lessons from Dog Parks (Part One)

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