An international consortium of scientists, led by Jeff Kidd, Ph.D. of University of Michigan, Jennifer R. S. Meadows of Uppsala University in Sweden, and Elaine A. Ostrander, Ph.D. of the NIH National Human Genome Research Institute, is using an unprecedentedly large database of canine DNA to take an unbiased look at how our furry friends evolved into the various breeds we know and love. Read more...
This is something that I have often thought about and lately I I'm inspired by the user @CuzOfTheDog to start this topic.
Here is the premise .. how have you modified your life because of the dog(s)?
Your house
Your routines
Your vehicles
Your spending and budget.
Eating and home habits
Look forward to hearing a few stories.
The Lagotto Romagnolo is an Italian breed of dog. It originated in the marshlands of the Delta del Po in the eastern part of the Romagna sub-region of Italy. The name derives from Romagnol can lagòt, meaning "water dog". Its traditional function was as a gun dog, specifically a water retriever; since the drainage of large areas of wetland habitat in its area of origin, it is now more often used to hunt for truffles.
The Lagotto originated in the lowlands of Comacchio and marshlands of Ravenna in the Delta del Po, in the eastern part of the Romagna sub-region of Italy. The name derives from Romagnol can lagòt, meaning "water dog". It is reputed to be the worlds first water retriever. Its traditional function was as 
a gun dog, specifically a water retriever; since the drainage of large areas of wetland habitat in its area of origin, it is now more often used to hunt for truffles. It has been known since the sixteenth century, but did not become widespread until the nineteenth.
The Lagotto is of small to medium size, rarely over 50 cm (19 Inches) at the withers, powerfully built and of rustic appearance. The weight of males is betwen 13-16 Kg (28-35 lbs) and females is 11-14 kg (24-30 lbs(. It is roughly square in outline, the body length more or less equal to the height. The coat is thick, wool-like and tightly curled into ringlets. It may be completely off-white, or off-white with orange or brown patches or roaning, or solid orange or brown either with or without white markings.
A Lagotto usually lives for about fifteen years. Neurological disorders that have been identified in the breed include cerebellar abiotrophy and idiopathic epilepsy.
It was provisionally accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1995 and received full acceptance in 2005.
Source - modified from Wikipedia
There were about 6 pups hiding under an SUV and some chewing on a carcass. This one came up to me but after seeing what they were eating I was not about to touch him.
In this photo the pups had just pulled a carcass of a black animal - looks like a cat - out of the white box and was munching on it. Around here people just throw out their dead animals in any patch of dirt.
Chien-gris - Gris de Saint-Louis (Grey Saint Louis Hound), dun hound (extinct)
The Chien-gris a.k.a. Gris de Saint-Louis (Grey Saint Louis Hound) is an extinct breed of dog which originated in Medieval times. Like the Chien de Saint-Hubert, it was a scent hound, and formed part of the royal packs of France, which were composed, from about 1250 till 1470, exclusively of hounds of this type. According to King Charles IX,(1550–1574) they were introduced to France through Saint Louis (i.e. King Louis IX, 1226–1270), who had encountered these hounds while a prisoner during the Crusades, and subsequently received some as a gift. Old writers on hunting liked to ascribe an ancient and remote origin to their hounds, and these were claimed to be originally from Tartary. They were large, and even though they did not have such good noses, were preferred by the Kings to the St Huberts, which were said to be only of medium size.
Jacques du Fouilloux, in the 16th century, says they were common, and describes them as 'gris' (grey) on the back with forequarters and legs tan or red, some having near black hair on the back. They were rough haired, and were ancestors of the modern French rough-coated Griffon breeds. However, the rough coats were not mentioned by Charles IX or du Fouilloux, and it has been suggested they were acquired later through interbreeding with indigenous French hounds. They were headstrong, wide-casting hounds, inclined to change or overshoot, but determined in their pursuit of a quarry to the death. However, by the nineteenth century, like the St Hubert, they had become virtually impossible to find, because of mixed breeding and the effect of the Revolution on French hunting.
George Turberville translated du Fouilloux' book on hunting into English, and used the term 'Dun hound' to translate 'Chien-gris'. It is presumed he did not translate it literally as 'grey-hound' to avoid confusion. One finds the term 'dun hound' in some subsequent writing in English, suggesting that the kind also existed in Britain, and it has been supposed that these 'dun hounds' went into the makeup of the Bloodhound, accounting for the 'badgering' of the hair in the saddles of some bloodhounds. However, Turberville did not make it clear that his book was a translation, and it is highly possible that people mistakenly believed his work was about English hunting.
Early references to the dun hound may simply come from people relying, like Nicolas Cox, on Turberville, and it is quite possible that the dun hound was never a significant animal in British hunting.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia