“Author Archive”
Stories written by AnthonyA
The Great Pyrenees was named for the Pyrenees mountain range, which forms a natural border between France and Spain, where they have been used as flock guardians for millennia. In Europe, the breed is called Pyrenean Mountain Dog. Their ancestors were likely the primarily white mountain flock guardian dogs from thousands of years ago in Asia Minor. They are renowned for their devotion to their flocks and their shepherds and their families. Many people recognize some breeds as dual dogs, succeeding in their original function as well as the show ring. The same can be said for flock guardian dogs. Many of these breeds we see in the show ring also work to protect livestock and other animals.
June 24th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
The virus came in deadly silence. One by one, it stalked its victims. There was no immunity against it. Clinics and hospitals around the U.S., and the world, soon were overwhelmed with patients; fatality rates soared. Sound familiar? It should: the canine parvovirus outbreak in the late 1970s did to dogs what the 2020 coronavirus (covid-19) outbreak is doing to humans.
June 22nd, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
There are numerous stories of heroic canine rescues and dogs that either have been trained or have learned to detect seizures, low blood sugar and some forms of cancer among other health issues. We all know that dogs are sensitive to our emotions. If there is tension and stress in the house or happiness, dogs respond. If you are having a good time, the dog always gets in on the fun. If you are feeling down or having a bad day, they seem to know and will put their head on your lap or a paw on your knee. If you are angry, they know to stay out of your way. But what about all those occasions when dogs do something intuitively, in many cases, things for which they have never been trained or taught? There are times when dogs display a “sixth sense” that is downright spooky.
June 20th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
This issue of The Canine Chronicle celebrates the Sporting Group, an impressive collection of breeds developed to do a specific job over a specific terrain. Looking at the array of sporting breeds today, we can’t help but be amazed by the courage, perseverance, and creative eye of the breed’s founders.
June 20th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
We live in challenging times. Our best efforts are needed to rise to this challenge, navigate our way through the maze, and successfully find the way out. Judges face these dilemmas in ways as individual as they are themselves. Read these thoughtful responses. Try to walk in their shoes. Could you?
June 18th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Let’s start with this premise: breeding is an educated crapshoot.
June 16th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Working breeds come into this deal facing very long odds. Really, the bar is set impossibly high before they lift a paw. Here’s a perfect example, “The Saint Bernard shares with the Newfoundland the honor of being the only two breeds of dogs whose special mission and characteristics are the saving of life, in contradiction to all other breeds which more or less, lie in the direction of destruction.” What!! In other words, if you enter life in this category don’t even think about loafing around the house doing dog stuff. That belief was so totally ingrained in purebred lore that even a hard bitten veteran of the sport like Theo Marples couldn’t resist the ideological claptrap pervading the histories of these breeds.
June 14th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
While we are all patiently and not-so-patiently waiting for dog shows to return, it’s no surprise that ideas for virtual dog shows are the talk of the town. To some, virtual shows are an anathema. To others, they offer short-term relief from the stoppage of in-person dog shows. There is, however, another way to look at virtual shows: with a long-term approach that could energize the sport and make in-person dog shows better than ever.
June 12th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Are you wondering why a written piece with the title “Ecumenicists, Evangelists, and Everybody Else” appears in a publication about canines? The answer is a bit complicated. Let me start at the beginning. As a child growing up on the North Shore of Long Island, our neighborhood was compiled of families whose children either went to Catechism after school on Wednesdays at the local Catholic Church or hurried to Hebrew School at the Jewish Community Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays. No questions were asked. None were needed. It just was.
June 10th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Perhaps you have noticed. I have a head full of tasty morsels which pop into my brain at both the most opportune and inopportune times. Historical facts, old addresses, names of childhood friends, lyrics from poems, quotes from famous people, songs, songs, and, frequently, lots of songs come to the forefront at the most unexpected moments. I can be ringside, sitting next to a favorite judge friend of mine while the groups are being judged. Out of nowhere, a random thought spurs the words from a Broadway tune. I start singing. Without missing a beat, he joins in with his robust baritone, full of delight. One song leads to another. It would be rare for one of us to miss a word.
June 1st, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
