The weird and wonderful… or just weird

When I go for walkies each day, I see a wide variety of different dogs. All shapes and sizes, boys, girls, all ages. Usually they look like the kind of dogs I might like to hang out with or chase a stick with. But sometimes they are just so weird looking!

The usual kinds of dogs we see are staffies, collies, spaniels, terriers and mixed breed. But sometimes…… :O

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What IS that I hear you cry?! Why, it’s an afghan hound! It looks ridiculous I know. More hair than my mum, sister and brother combined. I know mum would feel like a right idiot walking that oddity around.

but... it....huh?!

This little darling is a xoloitzcuintli. It is hairless and um… kinda looks like a zebra. I have never seen one of these on walkies before but I would sure like to!

reminds me of dougal from the magic roundabout. not that im old enough to have seen that. but you know, i must have heard it around or something....

I don’t understand how this dog sees. I mean, it’s clearly a very cool dog with its dreads and all, but what if you are jumping for a stick? Well……

Oh! Cute!

Right… I see! Or rather, it sees! The dreads fly out of the way, enabling it to see the stick clearly. I’m not saying I want dreads, but I guess it’s not as impractical as I thought. This breed is called a puli, by the way. It’s like a flying bubble! There are also loads of other cute flying bubble pictures of puli’s if you google search… I would love to post them all but I don’t want to bore you 🙂

I have no words.

What the mother F?! It looks like a sheep! And what on earth has this dogs owner done to its ears….It’s like some kind of slipper boot with pom poms. Hm, maybe mum would like that for christmas… Oh, anyway, this is a bedlington terrier. Very odd.

Somebody get this poor dog a brush!! Stat!

This bergamasco is a very knotted dog. Its fur has completely matted itself into weird clumps. I can’t imagine stroking this dog is very soft… and it probably smells a bit too… Hmm… maybe clippers for it’s birthday?

arggggh!

Okay, this dog has CLEARLY been skipping it’s botox sessions. I think it has gone too far, definitely time for a face lift…. This neopolitan mastiff is only 7 years old…. This is just how “quirky” they actually look! Yikes!

Um... maybe it's time for a face lift/tummy tuck/foot tuck/tail tuck?!

This little shar pei seems to be suffering from the same saggy skin issue as the neopolitan mastiff. It is kind of cute though I guess.. in a really wrinkly way.

Wow…. so…. there really is a whole ton of different dogs out there. I wonder where they all are? I suddenely feel really cute, like I’m the winner of America’s Next Top Doggie or something…

Me and gizmo mulling it all over.

 

Wendy the whippet and other crazy freaks of nature

Having been researching a bit into my background, I found a very special four year old whippet named Wendy.

Wowsers! She'd eat me for breakfast

You can still see her whippet features – long legs, bat-like ears and thin face. But these are all dwarfed by her body-builder muscles. These are caused by a genetic mutation which provides a deficiency in myostatin, which is necessary to limit muscle tissue growth.

I think Wendy looks like a puma here

Wendy still has the personality traits of a whippet – she is a loving, quiet girl who enjoys cuddles and bum scratches (like me!!). However, she is twice the size of a normal whippet at 4 stone and 4 pounds so this might make lap cuddles tricky. Her heart and lungs are still the same size as a normal whippet. This means that unfortunately, Wendy might not live as long as other whippets are expected to.

And she looks like a bear here! Wendy with a normal sized whippet

For more pictures and information on Wendy, visit this website:

http://www.islandnet.com/~ihansen/index.html

Wendy’s plight fascinated me. But what amazed me further, is that she is not the only one suffering from this rare genetic mutation.

Meet the members of the belgium blue cattle –

Its tail is bigger than me!

Someone's been going overboard on the squats...

These cows have been bred especially in order to harvest more meat. Their myostatin production is so high that their meat is lean – hardly any fat whatsoever. They have been dubbed “monster cows” and some countries have attempted to elminate the breed.

But wait…there’s more. HUMANS can have myostatin deficiency too. Usually, this just results in a more muscled than average person, for example, Richard Sandrak:

Check out the pack dude!

This kid is also known as little Hercules. I dunno. Looks kind of weird to me. But, what happens when somebody with a myostatin deficiency also develops an addiction to steroids when body building……

Urgh. That g-string is hideous.

Wow. Wendy the whippet looked absurd at first, but now she looks… kind of normal and cute. Like me. Heh.

Dog breeds info

Today I thought I would fill you in with some info about the two breeds that I believe make up my existence – staff and whippet. I think I mostly look like a small staff, but my face is a lot thinner so I guess that is the whippet in me. Plus I have bat ears!! Guess my parents were involved in some weird stuff…..

Anyway, here is some info…allow your brain to digest with pleasure.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

This is what I imagine my dad looks like

Quick stats:

• Ease of training: 5/10
• Intelligence: 5/10
• Shedding: 5/10
• Watchdog: 6/10
• Guard dog: 10/10
• Popularity: 5/10
• Size: 2/10
• Agility: 7/10
• Good with kids: 10/10

More info:

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a true people-dog. He loves people, all people, especially children.The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, sometimes called “Staffy” for short, is a strong, athletic, agile, and active dog who craves your affection and attention, and if he doesn’t get it, he can suffer from separation anxiety. He absolutely hates being left alone and can become destructive if it happens. He will want to go for rides in your car, cuddle in your lap, and sleep in your bed. This is an energetic breed who needs daily exercise. They make good watchdogs, as they usually only bark for a reason. They will passionately defend their family from harm, but are not particularly protective of property. His intimidating look will deter almost any intruder, so this makes him an excellent guard dog! They do have a high prey drive and will often chase cats and other small animals. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a courageous, affectionate, trusting and trustworthy all-purpose dog. They are curious and have a good sense of humor. They want nothing more than to be your faithful best friend.

Puppy video:

Wow, so I’m not the only one who enjoys cuddles so much… I wondered where I got that from! Plus staffies never usually bark.. me either! And I definitely identify with the cat chasing 😉

Whippet

Maybe my birth mum looks like this?

Quick stats:

• Ease of training: 5/10
• Intelligence: 5/10
• Shedding: 3/10
• Watchdog: 3/10
• Guard dog: 2/10
• Popularity: 6/10
• Size: 5/10
• Agility: 10/10
• Good with kids: 10/10

More info:

This sleek and speedy sight hound makes an excellent family pet. They are gentle, affectionate, friendly, and easygoing. They love to curl up beside you on the couch and sleep with you in your bed, under the covers. They are people-dogs and want to be with their family. If you go to the store, expect an exuberant welcome home ten minutes later. Whippets need regular exercise, and they like to run. It is important to keep them safe on lead or in a fenced-in area as they are fast and impossible to catch and they can see for miles. They will chase anything that moves: cats, squirrels, plastic bags. They are trusting and unsuspicious by nature, and they may or may not bark at a burglar. In general, they are a very quiet breed. They are highly intelligent and trainable and have excelled in obedience, flyball, agility, rally, lure coursing, and straight racing — basically anything you ask him to do, he’ll do, as they are eager to please. They are lively and alert, but not high-strung. They are easy to housebreak and will usually follow you to the bathroom to make sure you’ve got it mastered too. They are funny, clever, playful, sensitive and always in love with their families. They need human companionship and do not do well if left alone. They truly want to be by your side at all times, unless of course, they are leaving you to chase a Frisbee, or a ball, or a cat.

Puppy video:

Oh wow, so whippets don’t like to bark either… guess that’s why I’m super quiet! Plus they love cuddles too. I don’t really agree with the being fast bit though… I really try when I’m chasing the stick, but my little legs won’t make me that speedy!

Also, I look NOTHING like a whippet! Can I really be related?!

Well, I hope this was informative for you. Maybe if you are thinking of getting a puppy this can be of use. However, I think you should just get a staffie whippet cross like me 😀 Or maybe you might want one of my pups soon…!

Welcome to my world!

Hi! My name is Boo and I am a black and white staffie whippet cross. I have just started a new life in my forever home (a name used by rescue shelters to describe a second/third/etc permanent home) so I decided to share all the new experiences I have.

I have a bit of a mysterious background, and a somewhat celebrity one. Originally, I was born on the farm of the original drummer from The Clash. I’m not sure of exactly what happened next because I don’t have a very good memory. What I do know is that after this, I got a new mum, and she took me around for a bit until she gave me to my second dad because she was a bit poorly. Eventually, my dad decided he couldn’t keep me anymore, so I ended up with my FOURTH owner, and definitely best, my new mum, Sarah.

Let me tell you a bit more about my life. My old dad doesn’t know exactly when I was born, but he thinks I might be 2 or 3 years old. Unfortunately, a few months ago I had a seizure and I swallowed my tongue. My old dad thinks that maybe it was epilepsy, but mum says that it might be a hereditary staffie disease. The vet still isn’t sure 😦 I hope I never have one again, it was really frightening!

Since I moved to my forever home, I have had a few obstacles to overcome. I’m used to being an only child, but now I have a brother and sister! They are these weird little creatures – mum says they are called cats – and they are HORRIBLE! They make these strange hissing noises and sometimes jab their paws at me and scratch! I certainly don’t like them at all.

Although, at least Rascal, the ragdoll cat, has something in common with me. He is a bit of a celebrity too! His twin brother, Socks, is one of the Blue Peter cats.  I would never tell Rascal this, but I think he is the looker of the pair 😉 And I suppose, it’s not all bad; my sister Gizmo is starting to grow on me a bit. Sometimes she climbs up on the bed with me and mum when we are sleeping. I guess she might be okay.

Anyway, I need to go for my walkies now to catch some squirrels (more on this later!) so I will update soon. *arf*

P.S. Please take part in my poll. I just can’t decide myself!