The Curious Compendium 2023 Tour Finale: Shih-tzu, maltese, pekingese!

I love rabbits! I have a small hoard of them in my collection The Schleich tan/black rabbit is one of my favorite childhood figures.

I don't have the Papo angora, it looks quite nice!

Lovely group of rabbits.I had the pleasure of keeping Black and tan rabbits when I was younger.They are a really lovely breed to keep.

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Thank you guys! I really am fond of the Japanese breeds and their history.

Some more rabbits! Angora, black and tans, Dutch, and lionheads!
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Angoras are generally thought to have been developed in Turkey in the 1700s but there is some evidence they may be as old as 100 BC. They produce wool that may be less allergen heavy than other animal fibers. They have been developed into roughly 11 varieties and come in lots of colors!

Black and tan rabbits hail from England and came onto the scene in the 1880s. Originally black, they now come in 4 colors with the tan markings; black, blue, lilac, and chocolate.

Dutch rabbits descend from the Petit Brabancon (a breed from Belgium); the Dutch developed in the 1830s in England. They all retain the distinctive pattern but can be other colors- black is the most common. Female rabbits if this breed do seem to have a higher risk of uterine cancers and thus breeding issues.

Lionheads came from crossing Swiss fox rabbits with Belgian dwarf rabbits- this caused a genetic mutation for the fluffy head. Their home of Belgium these dwarf sized and lion maned rabbits became very popular; they do easily become stressed so they aren't reccomended for families with young children.

Great picture and backup information as always. :)

I think the Papo Angora rabbit is on of the best Papo Farm Figures of the recent years. It is another level. :)
Also the black and tan rabbits are just charming in all ways, the schleich one was available for 10 years, and has so much nostalgia to it, thanks to it's simplicity.

Adorable rabbits

Thanks everyone!

Australian shepherds!
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The earliest evidence for these guys indicates an origin from the Basque region of Spain, later brought to Australia, and then making it to the early colonial US where the breed was made into what it is today. They are perhaps most well known for their lush coats and flashy coat colors and patterns. They often have striking eyes and may even have an eye of each color. As a herding breed they are highly intelligent and easy to train but benefit from being physically and mentally active and may be wary of strangers. They excel at police work, search and rescue, agility sports, therapy work, as service dogs, and seeing-eye dogs.

Wonderful repaints Paige!!

Thank you both!

Irish and English setters!
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Irish setters were bred to be gun dogs during the 17th century in Ireland- they originally had a red and white coat but the solid red became standard by the 19th century. The development of the breed is highly speculative but it is thought that a variety of spaniels, setters, and pointers were used. They are highly energetic but easily trained and eager to please. They suffer from seizures (called primary epilepsy) and are gluten intolerant; when fed gluten they develop an increase in immune cell presence and a decrease in intestinal absorption.

English setters are one of the oldest gun dog breeds as they date back to the 14th century in England. Believed to be descended from crossing the Spanish pointer, water spaniels, and the English springer spaniel, they make superb hunting dogs. The term "setter" refers to how they hunt game birds- by adopting a crouched position to indicate to the hunter the presence of birds. Also quite an energetic breed they too are easily trainable and make excellent family dogs as they do hunting companions.

Very beautiful Setters. I do have an English Setter in my collection but I still need an Irish Setter. I'd probably choose the CollectA model.

Thank you all! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], I dearly love that model- great choice!

Chartreux, Bengal, Somali, and Egyptian Mau!
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These cats are thought to have been brought to France from the Middle East in the 1500s and were originally bred by Carthusian monks. This small blue colored breed is friendly and docile and like to learn new things. The breed is thought to get its name from the Chartreuse liquor the monks would make.

Bengals were created in the 1960s by crossbreeding small Asian leopard cats to domestic cats; the idea is credited to Jean Sudgen Mill. These cats are incredibly intelligent and energetic; they require an active and attentive owner to satisfy their needs. This cat breed enjoys water!

The Somali is a sister breed to the Abyssinian (both named from their home country of Abyssinia and now known as Somalia!). This breed is often described as a long haired Abyssinian and was developed from a cat with this long hair gene was imported to Great Britain by Lord Robert Napier. The breed underwent true development in the 1960s; the breed is very smart but also very willful. They benefit from short and positive training sessions. They are prone to pyruvate kinase deficiency and hereditry retinal degeneration.

Egyptian maus date back as far as 3,000 years ago in Egyptian texts and pictorial art; the word "mau" is Egyptian for cat. Genetic studies of preserved cat mummies indicate they are domesticated from a subspecies of Egyptian wildcat. During and after WWII the breed suffered a decline in popularity and nearly went extinct. The exiled Russian princess Nathalie Troubetskoy is credited with reviving the breed during the 1950s.

Oh my, lovely figures all together!! Those bunnies are adorable!! The Australian Shepherds are wonderful! What brand are the puppies front left please? So cute!
Irish and English Setters are such elegant dogs, wonderful to look at!
And the cats are very nice too!

Mau in my language means bad, mean or evil. Which of these in English is synonymous to cat? I love cats, it is not our fault that Egyptians are not good choosing words.

The cats looks interesting, especially the cats looks like wild cats

Thanks my friends!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], those are the WingMau puppies- one of which was repainted into a blue merle tri color (done by myself).

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], that is interesting!

@Andreas, they are part wildcat!

Malinois, Australian Cattle Dog, Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Kelpie, and Pembroke Welsh Corgi!
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The Belgian malinois is named after the city it was developed in, Malines, Belgium. Originally they were shepherd dogs but quickly became useful for policework and the military during WWII. Another very intense breed, they are very intelligent and active and require lots of stimulation and socialization.

Australian cattle dogs were created in 1825 when Thomas Simpson Hall crossed an English drover's cur with a dingo. The breed is often called a red or blue heeler- the first part referring the roan color of the dog and the second part to how they nip at the heels of livestock to move and control them. Headstrong and energetic, they too require socialization, excercise, and mental stimulation!

The kelpie is another Australian breed developed from loosely termed "collies" brought to the region in the late 1800s. Their name indeed is linked back to the Celtic folk monster- a river water spirit. The breed is often friendlier than other herding/gaurding breeds, and is also very intelligent and energetic!

Cardigan Welsh corgis date to 1200 BC in Wales, brought there by the Celts. Used to herd, gaurd, and clear roads for moving herds they are very energetic, smart, and have surprising stamina even given their small stature. They are indeed a separate breed from-

The pembroke Welsh corgi is thought to date back to 1107 A.D. when Flemish weavers brought them to Wales. Very similar to the Cardigan in background and personality (herding/gaurding dog = smart, tenacious, energetic little things) and they love family life and bond tightly to owners. One primary difference to tell the two breeds apart is their tails; the Cardigan often will have a full tail while the Pembroke is usually docked short. Additionally, Cardigans are a bit bigger and have more coat color variety than Pembrokes.

Great collection of cat and dog breeds again.
The ancestry of the Abyssinian is a challenging one.I have a book on domestic cats by Brian Vesey Fitzgerald-its a old one now-and he did a lot of research into all the people who were involved in the bringing the Abyssinian to the UK and either they didn't exist or the were not around when the Abyssinian came to the UK.He postulates that the cat was created in the UK as ticked tabbies occur naturally but not as often as other tabbies.Now that we have DNA testing and the Abyssinian can be linked to South east Asian maybe they came from a mixture of ships cats-Britain had a huge colonial presence in India-and domestic cats in the UK.
The Egyptian Mau in the UK has a different ancestry to the original Maus that went to the USA.
With regards to the Australian Cattle dog and the Kelpie and their ancestry I recommend a great book by Guy Hull called the Dogs that built Australia.The book also has chapters on the Dingo and the German Coolie and the ban on German Shepherds in Australia.
The Malinois is a really lovely model-shame that they are not made by more companies considering they are a popular breed in the US and Europe but the GSD is still more popular in the UK.
Some historians link both the Welsh corgis via the Vikings to the Swedish Vallhund as is similar in shape and abilities.

Interesting information about all the dog breeds. How are the Kelpie dogs linked to the Kelpie spirits?

Thank you friends! 

@Taylor- as always thanks for the information and book suggestions! This last photo of breeds was unexpectedly difficult to find solid info on so truly- thank you! 

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], I believe the connection to the name for Kelpies has a few possible links according to what I read about them. The guy who first owned a "kelpie" dog (obviously not known yet she would be a founding dog), Jack Gleeson, bought the dog (Kelpie) from a man of Scottish descent living in Australia, George Robertson. He possibly named her after his own mother, or used the name given his knowledge of Celtic folklore. At any rate, we really don't know! Perhaps Taylor has more definitive info?

Burnese Mountain Dogs!
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These dogs hail from Bern, Switzerland and were used as farm dogs, to herd and guard livestock, and pull carts of dairy products. The dogs are so strong that they can pull 1,000lbs of weight! Drafting is a sport these dogs enjoy. They are built for cold weather and love family life! Unfortunately, due to breed history (they nearly went extinct in the 1800s and efforts to recover the breed led to severe inbreeding) they suffer a lot of health concerns. These include many of the "big dog" maladies such as elbow and hip dysplasia, as well as various cancers, bloat, Von Willebrand's disease, and histiocytosis as well as others.

Oh dear, time to catch up!
I really like the Papo Australian shepherd, although I'd prefer a blue merle dress.
For setters my preference is for the Papo English setter and the CollectA Irish setter, although the Bullyland is also very nice.
I love the Papo Chartreux, it's really a success, it reminds me of my cat Jazz.
I particularly like the Malinois, I don't know his make and I realise that the breed is still not represented on TAW, I'm counting on you to change that
I have a soft spot for the Bullyland Bernese mountain dog!

Ok, I have replaced a few updated groups:
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Kikimalou wrote:

Oh dear, time to catch up!
I really like the Papo Australian shepherd, although I'd prefer a blue merle dress.
For setters my preference is for the Papo English setter and the CollectA Irish setter, although the Bullyland is also very nice.
I love the Papo Chartreux, it's really a success, it reminds me of my cat Jazz.
I particularly like the Malinois, I don't know his make and I realise that the breed is still not represented on TAW, I'm counting on you to change that  
I have a soft spot for the Bullyland Bernese mountain dog!

Thank you Kiki! The Malinois is another Stargo figure. I'd be happy to submit a photo for TAW. There are a few others I need to photograph too (the huskies you mentioned a while back have been photographed- just not posted for TAW yet).

Wow, this is stunning!! What a collection!! I have to have a look out for these cute WingMau puppies!!