The Curious Compendium 2023 Tour Finale: Herding breeds!

Thanks Andreas!

Maine coons!
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They are believed to be descendants of Norwegian forest cats and Siberian cats brought to the state of Maine; the first mention of the breed hails as far back as 1861. They are a large cat, reaching lengths of up to 48 inches including the tail, and males can grow as big as 18 pounds. They have 75 different coat color and pattern combinations- there is something for everybody to enjoy! They also have thick water resistant fur which may lend to the breeds' love of water. They are generally considered gentle giants and  playful, able to learn lots of tricks and they enjoy human and other animal company. The breed also has a high liklihood of polydactylism! The breed is mostly healthy but they can be prone to obesity, urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal issues, and hip dysplasia.

Four of my cats are considered rather large, but nothing that compares to a Maine coon, this breed is truly magnificent.

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Oh, I'm sorry Christophe! My intention is not to bring additional sadness your mind. The domestic categories have been a little difficult for me to work on presenting too... I have actually learned a TON and I already thought I knew a lot about these domestic animals. But it has also been quite frustrating to learn of the deliberate disregard for some breeds' health and wellbeing.

I think the important thing in these cases is to note that with each one, there ARE people around the globe who are trying to fix these problems. There will always be people who prefer the older/unhealthier version, but modern movements are making an effort to either restore the older version to a breed, or start anew to fix the issue. THOSE are animals and breeding programs I will support.

I.e. when I bought my first "purebred" puppy, my terrier Buck, I put a TON of research into it. At the time, I needed a very specific animal because of emotional, personal, financial, etc. reasons and so instead of going for a rescue I did buy a puppy. I don't remember how I got turned on to the DRT, but I spent over a year reading, watching videos, looking at breeders, and finding any scrap of information I could before I committed to it. With actually getting Buck, things just fell into place at the right time as my childhood best friend (unfortunately a backyard breeder's "designer" dog but the best dog ever anyway) had just passed and puppy Buck would be ready to go home a month later. But one of my criteria was to have a healthy breed. DRTs are a somewhat younger breed and have not been over line bred or hyoer focused on one outcome or look. And almost 7 years into it, I am thrilled my choice and newest best friend.

My point is that its great to adopt and rescue an animal in need (my spaniel has also been one of the best thing that happened to me and he chose us not the other way around) but sometimes it is a better decision to get an actual breed if you have needs for a specific kind of dog (for whatever reason) that's important too. I.e. you would not want a pomeranian as a service animal or a medical alert dog- there's a reason labradors are the first choice in those instances.

But overall, we need to be celebrating the animals for what they are and making their wellbeing a priority.

I love sighthounds! My dream would be to get an Ibizan hound and a wolfhound or deerhound someday.

Don't be sorry, Paige, it's not your fault if, right now, the desolation of the world is particularly unbearable for me. I force myself to open the newspaper or watch the news but it's always at the cost of exerting myself.
You're right, what's important is that there are good people all over the world who don't resign themselves.
It's nice to know that when it comes to pets, you can always try to back off to save breeds.
I totally understand your choices for your pets, what pains me is people who buy a particular breed without thinking, just because it's fashionable, when they could have put aside their vanity and adopted an animal that's looking for a home.

Thank you everyone! @Christophe, I'm glad my ramblings made a bit of sense afterall...

Border collies!
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These guys are thought to be descended from Roman dogs (brought along with various conquests) crossing with local working stock dogs. Their name comes from their origin around the border of Scotland and England. They were then developed over time to be some of the best livestock herding dogs around. With high intelligence and an enjoyment of being presented with a challenge, they can learn to do just about anything. They can stubborn and wary of strangers given their gaurding and herding history; but as long as they are given plenty of excercise and a job to occupy their very active brain they can make good family pets. They do have 2 coat types; smooth coated and rough coated.

Nice dogs again

Thanks Andreas!

And now to compare another breed associated with livestock- rottweilers!
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They too descend from Roman stock dogs used for moving sheep and gaurding outposts- they get their name from Rotweil Germany. These Roman dogs were mastiff like and were referred to as "drover dogs". They share a lot of personality traits with border collies such as being great family dogs, confident, wary of strangers, and generally calm- as long as they have been properly trained and socialized. Their muscular build makes them apt for a number of jobs such as service dogs, police dogs, and gaurd dogs. They still do well in herding trials even today! Generally healthy, they do suffer from common large breed diseases like hip dysplasia and heart conditions- more notable would be Addison's disease and several cancers.

as would say Andreas Nice dogs again

Thank you to you three!

Domesticated mice, rats, and hamsters!

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Mice have been domesticated for a lot longer than many may think- the earliest evidence of such dates back to Egypt! Circa 1500 BC they were used as pets and potentially for pest control (I know I know... but think smaller pests like insects). China and Japan had developed many varieties by the 1700s and some of these were imported to Europe around that time. By 1895 the National Mouse club was founded in England for those who enjoyed their "fancy" mice.

Similar to their smaller brethren, rats have origins from Japan as early as the 16th century. Largely used as companions, they too were imported to Europe circa the 18th century where they grew in popularity. There are a few key players in the development of this hobby you can search more info on if you wish: Jack Black a ratcatcher under Queen Victoria, Mary Douglas who won Best in Show at the Aylesbury Town Show in England.

The Syrian hamster was first discovered by naturalists in the late 1700s. In 1930 Israel Aharoni caught a pair of sibling hamsters from Aleppo, Syria and brought them back to the University of Jerusalem where he successfully bred them as a captive strain. Later in the 1930s were they introduced as both laboratory subjects and for the pet trade in both Europe and the US. And today they are some of the world's most popular small animal pets!

Very nice , you know Kaiyodo hamster lunch figures?

Adorable rodents

Great collection of rodents!
The little grey hamster with the dorsal stripe is a Djugarian or Dwarf Russian hamster.

Thank you everyone! I do know of the Japanese "lunch" figures- really should track some down sometime...

And that is good to know that the gray one is a different breed! 

Sorry for missing Friday- I had to check out from the forum as my Mom had a slight health scare. I will be back to daily posts next week! In the meantime, I got some photos updated (new figures, slightly wrong groupings on my part etc.).
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Nice mice and rats, and hamsters of course. I still have to find a good wild hamster for my collection, I like very much the standing one on the left border.
For the rats, it's another matter, I would love to put my hands on one of the Bullyland brown rats models.

Beautiful collection Many of the cat models I have never seen before (Except for the Bullyland cat that joined my collection last week). I hope your Mom is ok.

Thank you everyone! @Kiki, me too on the Bully rats!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], luckily it is nothing currently life threatening. The doctors are looking into either gallbladder or pancreas related issues but its still early in the diagnosis. Sinelce she has been a little more careful with her diet it has settlwd down a bit and isn't as painful. Fingers crossed it ends up being easily treatable! Heaven knows the woman has been through enough as it is. Thank you very much for asking!

And now back to it! French Bulldogs!
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These dogs actually originate from Nottingham, England and were called the Old Bulldog. They were crossed with French terriers, and thus the name changed as well. These relatively small dogs are well known for their appearance- a stocky and compact body, erect ears, scrunched in face, and heaps of attitude and personality! They are very affectionate and playful dogs who love children. They are so popular in the US, they dethroned the 31 year running labrador's reign on America's favorite breed. One unique feature of note- it is generally accepted that they cannot swim! And thus should not be left alone near bodies of water. In fact, a champion frenchie was aboard the Titanic (named Gamin de Pycombe); his owner Robert Williams Daniel survived, but the dog did not.

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Thank you everyone! @Kiki, me too on the Bully rats!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], luckily it is nothing currently life threatening. The doctors are looking into either gallbladder or pancreas related issues but its still early in the diagnosis. Sinelce she has been a little more careful with her diet it has settlwd down a bit and isn't as painful. Fingers crossed it ends up being easily treatable! Heaven knows the woman has been through enough as it is. Thank you very much for asking!

And now back to it! French Bulldogs!
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

These dogs actually originate from Nottingham, England and were called the Old Bulldog. They were crossed with French terriers, and thus the name changed as well. These relatively small dogs are well known for their appearance- a stocky and compact body, erect ears, scrunched in face, and heaps of attitude and personality! They are very affectionate and playful dogs who love children. They are so popular in the US, they dethroned the 31 year running labrador's reign on America's favorite breed. One unique feature of note- it is generally accepted that they cannot swim! And thus should not be left alone near bodies of water. In fact, a champion frenchie was aboard the Titanic (named Gamin de Pycombe); his owner Robert Williams Daniel survived, but the dog did not.

Great picture of your French Bulldogs and great back up information as always.

I really like the brown one in the middle next to the schleich one.:)

Long time ago we had a Frenchy for dog sitting. A very cute dog, like the figures

Thank you both!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], if I am looking at the right model- the figute you like is the Newray that is a custom repaint by myself (fawn is the color name)

At last the Batman dog Of course Bullyland is the brand that immediately springs to mind when I think of this breed, but I must admit I have a soft spot for Papo.

Great selection again!They are so so popular here in the UK and many in non standard colours like blue,lilac,black/tan and merle.Sadly as they are so popular they have lots of problems like spinal,skin and eye.Sadly their temperament has also suffered with many being aggressive.
A recent study done in here in the UK has sadly revealed that the average lifespan is 4.5yrs. So very sad for such a lovely little dog that before it became popular had none of the problems!

Thank you Kiki! I have no Bully dogs besides the teenie black one- I really want to find thr black Papo but it is sooo elusive.

@Taylor, yes! This is the worst thing to happen to a breed- to become popularized. The poor things... only 4.5 years?!

English pointers!
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Used for hunting since the 1600s, Europeans traditionally used them for hare hunting but are adapted for a variety of game; they have the nickname of being "the cadillac of bird dogs". The breed was further refined by incorporating the Old Spanish Pointer circa the 18th century. Other breeds such as foxhounds, bloodhounds, greyhounds, and bull terrier were thrown in. Working as a team, they initially pointed out hares for greyhounds or hawks (as part of falconry) to run down. They were effective even before firearms were invented! The hunter could just throw a net over any game and the dog to catch it. They are very active dogs and quite intelligent; to the point where they make trouble! But since they are easy to train and love to please, they can be made to be wonderful obedience dogs. Adept at a variety of canine sports; field trials, lure coursing, agility, rally, to name only a few.