There are a few well-known breeds of dogs associated with guard dog training and their respective breeding tends to support these cultural assumptions.  Dobermans, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and Pit Bull mixes are often capable of inspiring the most fear and/or apprehension in the minds of would-be burglars.  These dogs are known for their aggressive nature and athletic stature, making them highly capable of protecting the home.  But breed alone isn’t enough to make a guard dog.  You’ll have to work with any dog thoroughly so it knows and understands its position and duties.  Any breed can be trained to sound an alarm when an intruder approaches the premises and small yapper dogs enjoy the barking, though they certainly aren’t as intimidating when it comes to deterring burglary.

The HMV record label needs no introduction to music lovers. But where did the initials originate? From a dog called Nipper, actually, shown on the original labels, listening to his master’s voice coming out of the old gramophone. Nipper was a real live VIP, and the royalties he brought in to his master would have bought him one of the very best dog beds of its day.

Strange names some people give their dogs.

Hands up who knew that Marie Antoinette’s spaniel was called Thisbe?

It’s a name that featured in Ovid’s Metamorphosis and in the story of Pyramus and Thisbe in Roman mythology.

What happened to Thisbe and his dog bed when his mistress went off to be beheaded on the Guillotine? Who knows…

For almost small children, any opportunity to play with a puppy or kitten is a great treat. For some lucky kids out there, this treat is a year round experience if their parents happen to have taken on dog breeding or rearing as a career. When I was growing up my mother, fresh from writing a book about beagle puppy care, decided to take on a new career as a beagle breeder. While I came to learn that for her this was indeed hard and back breaking work, for us kids everyday was a dream. We would often be awaken by little beagle puppies licking our faces and we often fall asleep at night cuddling up next to this dog or that. When the weather is nice, we would spend hours outside running around the yard with quite literally 30 to 50 dogs at a time. The only hard thing was parting with the pups that we would grow so close to as so many of our dogs moved on to private homes and new families.