Dog Figurines

My mom is one of those people who treat their dog like a member of the family. We are forced to celebrate the dog’s birthday, and we even buy him presents on other holidays. Although most of the people in my family find my mom’s obsession a bit odd, we all love the dog, so we play along.

While buying presents for the dog is relatively easy—give him a bone and his is smitten—purchasing gifts for my mom is a bit more difficult. Luckily with the internet, I am able to find a dog lover gift for her anytime of the year. I found that it is better to get her the dog-themed presents anyway; she seems to appreciate them more than the dog does.

Description

The Bernese Mountain Dog is a large, strong, sturdy, agile dog. The body is slightly longer than it is tall. The broad head is flat on the top with a moderate stop. The muzzle is strong and straight. The teeth meet in a scissors bite. The medium-sized, triangular ears are set high and rounded at the tip. The straight legs are strong. The bushy tail is carried low. Dewclaws are often removed. The feet are round with arched toes. The weather-resistant coat is moderately long, thick and slightly wavy or straight. The dog is tricolor with symmetrical markings of black, rust and white. The base of the dog is black. The dog has a white blaze on the chest, and white on the head, toes and tip of the tail. Rust is on the cheeks reaching to the corners of the mouth, over each eye, on each side of the chest, on all four legs and underneath the tail.

Temperament

These cheerful dogs love children. They are very intelligent, easy to train and are natural watchdogs, but not overly dominant. A friend for life. Self-confident, alert and good-natured. Socialize well as a puppy. Slow to mature, acting like a puppy longer than other breeds. Rather friendly with strangers, and are generally good with other pets and dogs. The Bernese needs to be with people and not confined to the backyard or a kennel. These dogs are sensitive and should be trained firmly, but gently. Owners will only run into issues with this dog if they are not displaying a natural leadership towards the dog, treating him more like their baby and lacking in the knowledge as to what dogs instinctually need to be stable minded. Owners who fail to convince the dog humans are alpha may find themselves with a totally different dog than what is described above. For a dog to feel secure they need to clearly know the rules so they can follow them, thriving in structure, along with a daily pack walk to satisfy their instinct to migrate. The Bernese Mountain Dog was bred for draft work and can be trained to pull a cart or wagon.

OriginThe Bernese Mountain dog originated in the Swiss mountains, Switzerland. Many 18th century paintings show dogs which looked just like the Bernese type dog. The breed was named for the Canton of Bern. They were working dogs particularly good at draft work, pulling carts to market. They also were used to drive dairy cattle, to watch over the farm and as a companion to the farmers. By the end of the 19th century many other working dogs were being imported to Switzerland, which brought the numbers of the Bernese down as workers began to use other types of dogs. An effort was made by a group of people including Professor Albert Heim and Franz Schertenleib to preserve the breed. They went around finding what remaining dogs they could in order to stabilize the Bernese. Today the breed makes a wonderful companion and they still to this day enjoy whatever draft work you can give them. The breeds talents are tracking, herding, watch, guarding, search & rescue, carting, and competitive obedience.

On December 18, 1966,38 million people tuned in to CBS-TV to witness the birth of what would become one of the most watched holiday specials in the history of American television–Dr.Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was a show that was to become a vivid part of my TV watching childhood. I was troubled by the mean ol’ Grinch who was trying to stop Christmas Day and felt sorry for his cute little dog, Max, who endured his cruelties. Yet, the Grinch taught me a valuable lesson, at an early age, that Christmas was not about the most presents I could get, but the amount of love I carry in my heart and about giving it to others.

In “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the green, grouchy Grinch starts out hating everything and everyone. But his sweet dog Max is just the opposite – cheerful, fun-loving and ready to try anything. Who wouldn’t adore this lovable mutt? He’s cute, cuddly and never seemingly bothered by the abuses heaped on him by the evil Grinch.

The special, which is considered a short film as it runs less than an hour, is one of the very few Christmas specials from the 1960′s to still be shown regularly on television. Boris Karloff narrates the film and also provides the speaking voice of The Grinch (the opening credits state, “The sounds of the Grinch are by Boris Karloff. And read by Boris Karloff, too!”).

The 26-minute short was originally telecast on CBS on December 18, 1966. CBS repeated it annually during the Christmas season until 1987. It was eventually acquired by Turner Broadcasting System, which now shows it several times between November and January. It has since been broadcast on TNT, Cartoon Network, and The WB Television Network. Most recently, it has been shown on ABC, but with some scenes trimmed down because of time constraints (the show was made at a time when commercial breaks on television were shorter than they are now). In any event, as of the present time, it is the lead-off “classic” special (i.e. the first classic special) that airs on network television each Christmas season.

Yes there was Finaly A movie Made,

Jim Carrey plays the title role in this live-action remake of the holiday classic, adding a modern twist to the rather simple animated version.

As one of the most highly anticipated movies of the Holiday 2000 season, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas features Jim Carrey as the hairy, green Christmas menace intent on destroying the Yuletide cheer for the people of Whoville. Unlike the animated version, this Grinch is somewhat of a tortured soul, and his hatred for the holiday goes beyond Santa and “roast beast”–this time the Grinch takes it personally, and it’s Cindy-Lou Who (played by Taylor Momsen) who must finally convince the heart-challenged Grinch what Christmas is really all about.

Along for the wild ride is the Grinch’s trusty dog Max, and though he objects to his master’s penchant for wreaking havoc, his loyalty never wavers. Yet Max is much more than just the Grinch’s loyal dog and unwitting accomplice, he’s also his moral compass–Max expressively reprimands the Green One for his wicked ways with those big brown eyes and a few well-meaning barks; his means of transport–that Grinch is such a sleigh-driver!; as well a provider of warmth and affection to a seemingly unlovable creature. In fact, Max may be the true hero of the story, as his humor, devotion, and likeability outshine even the Whos down in Whoville.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Description

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a long, low to the ground dog. The skull is wide and flat between the ears. The stop is moderate. The topline is level. The nose is black and the jaw meets in a scissors bite. The oval eyes are shades of brown depending on the dogs coat color. The eye rims are black. The erect ears are medium in size tapering slightly to a rounded point. The legs are very short. The feet are oval in shape. Dewclaws are usually removed. The dog is sometimes born with no tail, and is docked as short as possible when they do have a tail. Note: it is illegal to dock tails in most parts of Europe. The double coat has a short, thick, weather resistant undercoat with a longer, coarser outer coat. Coat colors include red, sable, fawn, black and tan with or without white markings. There are often white markings on the legs, chest, neck and parts of the muzzle.

The most obvious difference between the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi is that the Pembroke lacks a tail while the Cardigan has a long tail. The Pembroke usually has straighter legs as it is not quite as long- bodied as a Cardigan; the Pembroke’s head is generally more wedge-shaped; the ears are smaller and closer together than the Cardigans; also the Pembroke tends to be lighter than the Cardigan.                                           Temperament

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is highly intelligent, loyal, able and willing to please their owners. Corgis are extremely active and are good with children so long as the dog sees humans as above him in the pack order. Protective and sturdy, they make fine guards, and excellent show and obedience dogs. Wary of strangers, it should be properly socialized and trained when it is still young. They need their humans to have a determined, consistent loving approach, showing firm but calm leadership with proper human to canine communication to avoid over-protective behaviors as an adult. They sometimes try to herd people by nipping at their heels, although they can and should be trained not to do this. The Pembroke tends to bark a lot and makes a good watch dog. If you find your dog is barking at you in order to communicate you need to hush the dog and look into your leadership skills. A dog that is barking at you in that manner is showing signs of dominancy issues. The human handlers need to communicate to the dog that aggressiveness with other dogs is an unwanted behavior. Usually good with non-canine animals. Do not allow the Corgi to developed Small Dog Syndrome.

Origin

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is older than the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, with the Pembroke being bred out of the Cardigan. Both Corgi varieties may be a descendant of the Keeshond, Pomeranian, Schipperkes and the Swedish Vallhund. Some say the older Cardigan was from Cardiganshire brought there by the Celts in 1200 BC. Whereas the Pembroke’s ancestors were introduced by Flemish weavers to the Celts in the 1100s. Whatever the case may be the Cardigan and the Pembroke Welsh Corgis were interbred and considered the same breed up until 1934 when a show judge thought they were too different and separated them into two different breeds. After they were separated the Pembroke gained in popularity and is to this day more popular than the Cardigan. The name “corgi” is specific to that type of dog breed in Cymreig (Welsh). Dog in Cymreig (Welsh) is ‘Ci’ or if it is softly mutated ‘Gi’, hence Corgi. The Pembroke was actually recognized by the AKC a year before the Cardigan. The Cardigan was recognized in 1935 and the Pembroke in 1934. Corgis were used as cattle drivers, vermin hunters and farm guards. They drove cattle by barking and nipping at the cattle’s heels rather than just herding them. The dog’s low stature helped him role out of the way of kicking cows.