Breed Profile: Old English Sheepdog

Once upon a time, when there were wolves in England, shepherds needed a sturdy steadfast dog to defend the flocks.  The Old English Sheepdog was developed from the Bearded Collie and/or the Russian Owtcharka.  By around the mid nineteenth century, the Sheepdog's main job was to drive sheep and cattle to market.

According to legend, the sheepdog earned the nickname Bobtail because of a Tail Tax.  Working dogs had their tails docked.  If a dog had a tail he was considered a luxury item and was subject to taxation.  Some Old English Sheepdogs are born without a tail, some with a tail.  Today, even though Tail Taxes are no longer in effect, many modern Old English Sheepdogs born with a tail have it docked before they have a chance to miss it.


Some Old English Sheepdog Facts
- height:  22-26 inches
- weight:  60-90 pounds
- length is roughly equal to height
- life span:  10-12 years
- eyes are brown or blue
- some folks spin the hair into yarn for clothing (it's nice and soft)
 


Old English Sheepdogs get along well with children, other dogs and other pets.

Old English Sheepdogs are bright and learn quickly.  Very loyal to their people and animal family, they are not likely to roam.  This is a dog with lots of power and stamina, so it is important that they get daily exercise.  Over the years, the OES have gotten an undeserved reputation for bad behavior and meanness.  Most likely these dogs had pent up energy that their owners failed to give them appropriate opportunity to defuse.  You know the old saying, a tired dog is a good dog.

The Bobtail has a long thick coat usually described as profuse.  The coat color is white with gray.  Shades of gray range from dark gray to blue to silver.  As a puppy, the gray areas are black.

All that hair requires attention.  Those who are unwilling to do a great deal of brushing sometimes choose to trim the hair.

Old English Sheepdog Manifesto

- I am not silly.  I am jolly

- my herding and droving instincts are intact.  Prepare to be rounded up and driven

-  my bark is sometimes characterised as "pot-casse".  I prefer to call it distinctive and beautiful

Next Breed Profile:  Greyhound!

Fluffy/dog wisper, part 2

Fluffy/dog wisper, part 1

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Mallard Ducks

The Mallard Duck is probably the most well known wild duck.  The word mallard originated in the early 14th century.  Mallard means wild drake or duck.  In the old days, mallard likely meant any wild duck. 

The range of the Mallard includes North American, Europe, Asia, Central American and the Caribbean. They migrate north to breed and winter in the southern part of their range.  Preferred habitats include marshes, ponds, small lakes, bays, tidal flats, mountain lakes and streams.

Mallards are omnivores.  They eat water plants, insects, fish, amphibians, land plants, grains, worms, spiders and tiny creatures they obtain by filtering water through the serrations located along the inside edge of their bills. They have a sort of nail at the tip of their beaks which is used to skewer prey.

Mallard males, or drakes, have a distinctive green head trimmed with a white band at the neck.  The chest is reddish brown, the sides gray, the back brown and the rump is black.  The speculum (a specially colored lustrous area on the bird's wings) is violet-blue bordered by black and white.  The drake's bill is yellow to yellowish green in color, and his feet are coral to red.

When he speaks, it is a rather nasal sound something like, "kreep".

The female, or hen, is mottled brown with violet speculum bordered by black and white.  She has a black stripe on the side of the head running on either side of the eye.  Her feet are orange, her bill is orange with brown splotches. 

When she speaks it sounds like the classic, "quack quack".



During the winter, the drake chases a female, impressing her with assorted manley displays.  Once he wins her, he stays close by.  This keeps other males from making moves on her.  Typically, in early spring, they build a nest on a riverbank.  The hen incubates the eggs.  They hatch in 23-29 days.  At this point, the male leaves the scene, his role in the relationship is concluded.

Within 24 hours of hatching the youngsters are led to water to swim and eat insects.  The young stay with mom for protection.  By the time they are 50-60 days old, the ducklings are independent.  Even though they could survive on their own, they don't necessarily leave their mother and siblings.  Most Mallards tend to hang out in flocks unless it is breeding season.


Assorted Mallard Facts

- lifespan 5-10 years
- most domesticated ducks are descended from the Mallard
- length (from beak to tail):  20-26 inches
- weight:  2-3 pounds
- wingspan:  32-39 inches
- clutch:  6-14 eggs, cream to greenish in color
- during summer molt the ducks cannot fly, the feathers grow back in time for fall migration

Cut the Old Dog Some Slack

Lester as a youngster.  Back then, his greatest crime was a bad attitude about getting his nails done.  A couple of nail sessions wearing a muzzle cured that.


Nowadays Lester is just a little slower to react, even to the offer of a cookie.  Habits that were once tidy, have become lax.  He misses crumbs in the bottom of his bowl.  He whines if he isn't promptly released from his crate after a meal.  Around my house, dog elimination is called "dirt".  All good dogs do dirt outside.  Dirt in house is NO.  

Dirt in house.  Not only did Lester do dirt in house, something he hasn't done in over thirteen years, but after doing so he laid down next to it!  He was all of six inches away from dirt in house.  He even fell asleep!  My first thought was oh no!  Lester has lost his mind! He must be senile.  Poor Lester!

We were scheduled to see the vet a few days later, springtime means heart worm check.  While there, I mentioned Lester's transgression.  Let's rule out a physical cause, suggested Dr. W.  She slipped on a rubber glove and had at it.  Results:  good anal integrity. 

So, there is no apparent physical reason for this crime. 

Alright then.  Lester's butt is fit.  Good, we won't have to buy diapers.  Could he be senile?  There are other symptoms besides bathroom mishaps to qualify for senility, such as getting lost in familiar places, not recognizing loved ones and staring into space.  Lester has displayed none of these behaviors.  I know this for sure because for the next few weeks I watched Lester closely.  I watched him as though he was a scientific experiment requiring constant monitoring.  Several times, he stared at me, pointedly, as if to say, "what is your deal lately?"

I observed that Lester sleeps deeper than he used to, he sleeps more than he used to, he has to go potty more often than he used to.  And he still has the clarity of mind to notice when his darling owner is being a ridiculous worrying lunatic. 

OK Lester.  You are an old dog who had an accident.  That's all.  One day you did dirt in house and bizarrely plopped down beside it and took a nap.  It was an isolated incident.  An anomaly.

We'll just put it behind us. 




("Dirt is an inherited term. My grandmother was very proper, some words were just not used.  See: 
http://petsandothercritters.blogspot.com/2011/05/victorian-charm-part-2.html)

Matching Style, Interspecies Version

Last week one of my facebook friends shared an article on matching jewelry for you and your dog.  There was an invitation to Enter and Win a Beautiful Necklace/Collar Set containing Real Gems!

The accompanying photo showed a garish wide grayish colored collar sprinkled with blueish colored stones, alongside a thick silver necklace laced with similar blueish colored stones. My first reaction to this was not as positive as the comments that followed the article.  Here are some highlights to give a general idea of the enthusiasm contained in those comments.

"It's soooo beautiful!"

"Me and my sweet Poopsie DESERVE to win this!"

"Everybody should want to wear this unbelievably fantastic jewelry and show the world how glamorous a girl and her dog can be!"

"I can't believe they are giving this away!  I want it so bad!  My dog wants it so bad!"

"Where can I buy a set of matching jewelry for me and my Precious?!"





By now, someone has won this Matching Set of Gal Pal, Human/Canine Edition Fashion Nirvana.  Even if I wanted to decorate myself and my dog thus, it is doubtful that I have enough money in my trinket budget to purchase any such ornamentation.

Guess I'll stick to my old ways.

Matching Rubber Bands

Fluffy and His Majesty

(If you click it, it will get bigger)

Shining Light on the Firefly

Fireflies are bugs with a glowing, or luminescent, quality.  This light is generated from an organ in the insect's abdomen surrounded by nerves, fatty material and air tubes.  Oxygen combines with a substance called lucifern to produce light without heat.  How the bugs turn the light on and off is not known.  All in all, the Firefly has a cool light meant for the heat of love.  (Best explained in that delightful old song, Glow Worm).

Fireflies are beetles.  The adult Firefly has wings covered by a wing cover.  In many species only the male has wings.  The female sometimes looks much like a larva, which is to say, she resembles a heavily segmented worm. 

The average Lightening Bug tastes bad.  The glowing may serve to warn predators to avoid eating them.  In some species, not only are adult Fireflies luminescent, the eggs and larvae shine too.

Romance is believed to be the main reason for the Firefly's luminescence. Different species have different patterns to their light flashes.  After all that enlightenment, the male and female find each other.  They mate (sometimes the female eats the male in the afterglow).  Within two days, the female lays eggs in the ground.  In a month or so, the eggs hatch into larvae.  The larvae live in the dirt eating slugs, snails and worms.  Over the winter, the larvae hibernate.  In spring, they emerge in a pupa stage.  By summer, they are adults ready to mate. 

Illuminating Firefly Facts

- approximatley 200 species
- they appear on every continent except Antarctica
- average life span larva: 1 year
- average life span adult:  2 months
- size:   1/4-1 inch long




picture shared by http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/firefly/