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Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?



 
 
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  #101  
Old January 6th 07, 07:28 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.breeds
Lynne
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Posts: 2,609
Default Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?

on Sat, 06 Jan 2007 17:45:36 GMT, "justagurl99"
wrote:

I love Rotties, and had the oppertunity to get a Rottweiler/St
bernard.....Absolute beautiful breed. And huge.....2yrs old now and
well over 200lbs. If any breed should mix this is definatlly the one
that should, protective like a Rotty, yet gental and gigantic like a st
bernard.
people are intimidated by him...because he is so large. In actuality
he's still a dumb puppy and chooses to lick you to death. But that was
the point i suppose, I have kids and live in a rural area so we needed
something that would stop every tom dick and harry from just comming
into our yard.......He doesn't have a aggresive bone in his body, but
he looks scary .....well to some people. And the look is far better
then chewing someones leg off.


He sounds adorable!

--
Lynne

http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/

"First get your facts; then you may distort them at your leisure."
-- Mark Twain
  #102  
Old January 16th 07, 08:15 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.breeds
Sionnach
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Posts: 427
Default Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?


"Lynne" wrote:

I always think of Mastiffs when I hear the term 'gentle giant.' But I am
not intimately familiar with the breed,


Which Mastiff breed? There are several breeds with "Mastiff" as part of
the breed name - Bullmastiff, English Mastiff (which, IIRC, the AKC & UKC
call just "Mastiff"), Neopolitan Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, etc., and they
vary quite a bit in size and temperament, with some variation in looks, as
well.
IIRC, there are also breeds which are mastiffs, but which don't have the
word "mastiff" in the official breed name, such as the Cane Corso and Presa
Canario; not to mention that the UKC classifies the Great Dane & the
Doberman Pinscher as mastiffs. (The UKC has a "guardian dog" group, which is
subdivided into "flock guardians" and "mastiffs".)

And as I understand it, nearly all Mastiff breeds were originally guardian
and/or war dogs.


  #103  
Old January 16th 07, 08:29 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.breeds
Sionnach
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Posts: 427
Default Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?


wrot:e in message
ups.com...

Good grief.

With the exception of the Mastiff/Great Dane recommendation, what was
the point of most of those other replies?


The fact that this is a USENET discussion group, and your question sparked
discussion/conversation. That's just how USENET works - there's no
requirement or expectatation that every post in the thread will be nothing
but a direct answer to your question.



As for someone killing my dogs, while that is a HORRIFYING thought, my
goal is not really about trying to deter the rare and random evil
homicidal maniac.


It doesn't take a "homicidal maniac" to kill a dog unattended in your yard.
All it takes is someone who doesn't like dogs, is annoyed by your dog, is
frightened of your dog, or who wants to burglarize you, and who has access
to either a gun or poison (the latter being as easy as the local grocery
store or 7-11).
The next-door neighbor who fed our dog strychnine when I was 10 wasn't a
"homicidal maniac", just a nasty old man who didn't like dogs, and didn't
like it that she barked at him when he stood in his back door and shot
starlings out of our trees.




If they have no appointment, no invitation, no suitable business
purpose (i.e. meter reading), then they have no business in my yard.


I feel the same way, but prefer my dogs to bark from *inside* the house
unless I'm with them. It's also crucial that they do have "off switches" -
IOW, they're trained to cease and desist when I tell them to.

Neither of them is particularly "scary looking" to my way of thinking, but
they're sufficient deterrent for most people while at the same time never
putting their lives at risk (or me at risk of a lawsuit) by actually biting
people.



I just don't see any reason why it (size, appearance) shouldn't
be considered as a bonus when choosing a new pet, and since I am fond of
large and small breeds equally, why not?


I honestly think you might do better with a mid-size dog who's a serious
alarm barker (e.g. has protective territorial instincts without being a
biter) than a big dog who "looks scary".


  #104  
Old January 16th 07, 08:35 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.breeds
Sionnach
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Posts: 427
Default Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?


"Shelly" wrote:

That's a serious consideration. There are several large breeds I really
adore, but I don't think I'll ever have any of them because I couldn't
shift their dead weight. I had enough trouble getting 60-odd pound
Elliott in and out of my car when he got sick. I think the 50lb range
is about as big as I'm willing to
realistically go.



Likewise. I'm very strong, but at not quite 5' tall and around 105 lbs, I
know I'd have difficulty handling a large breed in that circumstance.
Brenin, at 23.5" and currently 55 lbs (he's dropping some muscle weight as
he ages), is going to just barely be manageable if and when he gets to the
point of needing real assistance.


  #105  
Old January 16th 07, 08:41 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.breeds
Sionnach
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 427
Default Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?


"Shelly" wrote:

I sat with
him for the rest of the night, watching the stars. When dawn
started to break, I felt kind of silly, but then it occurred to me that
sitting with the dead is a traditional thing to do. And, star watching
is *always* appropriate.


Doesn't seem silly to me, at all.




Here's that inappropriate humor at work: appliance dolly! Also, a
kids' wagon, wheel barrow, or garden cart would work well on flat
ground.


Well... all of those would work, but I suspect one of these:
http://tinyurl.com/yyomgk

would be the most useful. One of the carts would be kind of expensive for
the limited use it would get, though.


  #106  
Old January 16th 07, 10:04 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.breeds
Lynne
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Posts: 2,609
Default Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?

on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 19:15:24 GMT, "Sionnach" wrote:

"Lynne" wrote:

I always think of Mastiffs when I hear the term 'gentle giant.' But
I am not intimately familiar with the breed,


Which Mastiff breed? There are several breeds with "Mastiff" as part
of
the breed name - Bullmastiff, English Mastiff (which, IIRC, the AKC &
UKC call just "Mastiff"), Neopolitan Mastiff, Pyrenean Mastiff, etc.,
and they vary quite a bit in size and temperament, with some variation
in looks, as well.


English Mastiff

IIRC, there are also breeds which are mastiffs, but which don't have
the
word "mastiff" in the official breed name, such as the Cane Corso and
Presa Canario; not to mention that the UKC classifies the Great Dane &
the Doberman Pinscher as mastiffs. (The UKC has a "guardian dog"
group, which is subdivided into "flock guardians" and "mastiffs".)

And as I understand it, nearly all Mastiff breeds were originally
guardian and/or war dogs.


Yeah, I really don't know much at all about the breed. I've just had a
couple of friends with Mastiffs who really were gentle giants. I had no
business recommending a breed to this person, though.

--
Lynne
 




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