I have spoken to the lady who took this photo http://sloughi.tripod.com/sloughiworld/croppedtunisianvillagedog.jpg Here’s some of the information I have received. This type of mastiff/shepherd dog is not rare in Tunisia. A very strong, sturdy working dog around the same size and bulk of a Labrador. They are currently used as flock guardians and occasionally hunting dogs. Some dogs that she encountered seemed ok up close with people, others seemed quite aggressive (snarling and barking) to anyone coming close to its herd. This is great news for me, as I feared these dogs would be very rare. I can’t wait to see them in the flesh!