Pampered Dog Blog

A large dog rustic dog seen speedily weaving in and out between the cattle to bring a runaway back to the herd would be an impressive sight. Obviously, the dog has the courage of an outstanding herding dog. The dog’s muscular square shaped body is smoothly covered with short grey, fawn or brindled fur. Although the dog is larger in size than other herding dogs, the size does not make it less agile. In fact its elegant and efficient herding ability is seldom seen in other herding dogs. The Azores Cattle Dog, an extremely rare breed that is rarely seen outside Portugal, its country of origin.

The Azores Cattle Dog has always been viewed as an important aide in herding unmanageable herds of cattle. Back in the 15th century, Sao Miguel Island, the biggest island in the Azores is densely covered with vegetation. The sailors of Prince Henry have decided to take advantage of the rich plant life by bringing cattle to the island. Fourteen years later, large herds of unruly cattle practically covered the island. To take the issue in hand, it was decided that a breed with excellent herding qualities must be developed.

The Azores Cattle Dog, otherwise known as Cao Fila de Sao Miguel was developed from a breed called Fila de Terceira. The Fila de Terceira was crossed with molosser and resulted to the creation of the outstanding herding breed, the Azores Cattle Dog. The breeds existence was documented since the 1800s.

The herding ability is innate in this breed thus it would need very little training to perform is herding duties efficiently. An Azores Cattle Dog has the aggressive temperament that is considered as an asset of a good guard dog. The dog is first and foremost a herder. The aggressive personality is vital in the performance of its duties thus very little effort was made to refine its ferocious temperament.

An Azores Cattle Dog is an efficient cattle herder?a dependable guard dog – but it is not for everyone especially for a first time dog owner. Only a dog wise and a dog experienced dominant owner that has what it takes to handle a breed known for its tough personality is qualified to have this breed. This is a working breed. Obviously, the dog would not thrive in an apartment being kept mainly as a home companion. This dog would be happiest if allowed to do the jobs it was specifically developed for – to guard its masters and to manage the cattle.

The call of modern warfare as the Gulf war demonstrated in 1991, exemplified our use of the most sophisticated, technology advanced equipment that the US could procure to bring swift and decisive victory for a just cause. To this end, the US had in the past, expended every available resource to meet the ultimate goal. But although the face of war changed, some fundamental tools and weapons used have not. As a matter of fact, the US followed certain paths laid out by the ancient peoples of Persia and Assyria with their use of four-legged technology in warfare.

Canines or ?wardogs? were used in warfare throughout history supporting combat operations. Long before the invention of gunpowder, dogs were gathered in columns, many of them clad in mail armor and spiked collars by the military forces of the Roman Empire. The English were known to have equipped their dogs with long spikes placed over their heads and had them charge forward to attack the enemy?s Calvary. Britain also employed the use of Mastiffs in 55 BC to fight Caesar?s invading armies. Napoleon was probably the first one to make use of the dog?s superior senses by chaining them to the walls of Alexandria,using them to warn of an impending attack. The borders of Dalmatian, a Croatian seaside province, used a Dalmatian dog breed (home of the Dalmatian) to warn of approaching Turks from Croatia.

The United States did not make extensive use of dogs prior to 1942. Up until that point, Germany was the dominant user of dogs. The Germans trained them for scout duty with infantry patrols. However, their primary job was to use their superior senses to give warning of an enemy?s approach. The dogs were also used to ferry messages between front line fighters and headquarters to the rear of the fighting.2

The Belgians and Russians followed closely behind Germany in their use of military dogs. The French used dogs for transportation purposes mainly with light carts carrying food and supplies. France had one canine training center, the Army Kennel for casualty dogs, at Fontainebleau. It was rumored that the French government encouraged the experimental use of dogs in areas other than rescue.

In all, many European countries continued with use of dogs in one form or another up until the start of World War I. Germany had, by far, the most experience with training dogs for war. However, France and Great Britain made greater use of them as messengers during WWI than Germany. The advantages of using the four-legged messengers were too plentiful to ignore. The animals were less likely to get captured than a human messenger, and less likely to get shot. Furthermore, sets of dogs were trained to run along the front lines and others to run to the back of the fighting to deliver messages.

At the start of World War I, America had no program for training dogs, or for that matter, using dogs in any capacity. But by By July 1943, over 11,000 dogs had been procured, with most of them coming from the Dogs for Defense. The first War Dog reception and training center was established at Front Royal, Virginia in August of 1942. The completion of this center allowed for the training of 200 men and 500 dogs. But the enormous influx of dogs pushed these numbers up to 400 men and 900 dogs by June of 1943. Other reception and training centers included Fort Robinson, Camp Rimini, San Carlos, Beltsville and Cat Island.

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 So you love the city, from the easy availability of pizza at 2 am to the fantastic entertainment and access to shopping. But sometimes it can be hard to be a dog lover in the city, where living space is often cramped and exercise isn’t as easy as going to the backyard. But don’t fret, you can still be a dog owner in the city, it’s just important to consider what kind of dog would do well in that environment. To help you in your search for your urban canine companion, here are some suggestions.

The Chihuahua

            This spunky little dog is a firecracker in a tiny package. The Chihuahua is a breed of Mexican descent whose tiny stature (around 3-10 pounds usually) makes it a great dog for small spaces. The Chihuahua does like to play though, and has a lot of energy. Fortunately though, it is so small that a good walk around the block and some fetch will suffice. The Chihuahua is very loyal and usually devotes itself entirely to one person.

Boston Terrier

            The Boston Terrier is a smart little dog who likes to play fetch and cuddle equally. They are best kept indoors because they get cold and overheat easily, which makes them an ideal apartment dog. Boston Terriers also get along well with older children, and make great play companions.

The Pug

            If you are looking for a funny fellow to join your life, try a pug. These dogs, with their scrunched up faces, love to please whether it be playing a game of fetch or watching TV with you. Pugs are a bit bigger than the previous two breeds (14 to 18 pounds) but this makes them better dogs for families with young children. Pugs do best indoors because they get overheated easily.

The Japanese Chin

            The Japanese Chin is an excellent dog for those who love a constant companion. The Chin is devoted to his family and gets along well with others pets. He only needs a moderate amount of exercise, and does best indoors, making him the perfect apartment dog. Chins live to please and are fairly easy to train, though it is important they are properly socialized as puppies in order to make them sociable around strangers.

            Of course, everyone has a breed preference, but these dogs are very well suited to living in a city. It’s important to find a dog that will be happy to live in a smaller environment and get less exercise, because an unhappy dog can be a destructive dog. Good luck finding the urban pooch of your dreams!