Dog of the Day: Mastiff Mix

I didn’t have much idea what this guy was, so I went to the expert. Autumn says he’s some kind of mastiff mix, but she’s not sure what it’s mixed with. Mastiff is good enough for him to get in my good graces, though.

Also, dogs with bandanas? An exception to the ‘clothes on dogs are bad’ rule. I don’t know why, but a bandana can make just about any dog just a tiny little bit more awesome.

Three more pictures after the break. (Oh, and in case you’re wondering about the hovertext: Baroodhism is our word for Buddhism for dogs, who have always seemed to us to have the buddha nature in many ways. As you can see below, though, they do seem to have a little difficulty with the whole ‘forsaking desires’ part of the package.)

I'd never seen a brindled dog that wasn't part pit bull, but Autumn says pit bulls' brindling came from mastiffs originally.

I'd never seen a brindled dog that wasn't part pit bull, but Autumn says pit bulls' brindling came from mastiffs originally.

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Dog of the Day: Dubious Dachshund

In honor of Gary Coleman, I post this dachshund. No, the breed has nothing to do with it… I just feel like this is totally a ‘whatchoo talkin’ about Willis’ kind of expression.

Also, please tell me that that is a varsity jacket. Because a wiener dog in a varsity jacket is awesome.

Also, please tell me that that is a varsity jacket. Because a wiener dog in a varsity jacket is awesome.

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Dog of the Day: Half-Corgi, Half-Lab

Half lab, half corgi? (Not sure which kind of corgi.) Oh, man, that’s got to be one awesome dog.

Second picture after the break.

This guy just would not stay in one place for long enough for me to photograph him. Only now do I realize that we were standing directly outside of a deli.

This guy just would not stay in one place for long enough for me to photograph him. Only now do I realize that we were standing directly outside of a deli.

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Dog of the Day: Ellie the Silver Labrador Retriever

I had a lot of trouble identifying this gal. Fortunately, her guardian was accommodating enough to tell me her name (Ellie) and breed: Labrador retriever. I never thought I’d have trouble identifying one of those, but she’s a special case: a ‘silver’ lab.

Now, I’d heard of them, but I’d heard they were just chocolate labs with some slight variation in color. That may be, but that minor variation makes them look REALLY different. Partly it’s because it’s a very distinctive color, and partly it’s the fact that the dog has very different shades in different places. Most pure labs are very uniform in color, but this gal had very different shades on her muzzle and other places. Funky! Pretty, too.

One more picture, complete with soft pretty lab-ear, after the break.

Funny, she looks all shy and nervous in this picture. She was hardly that, though.

Funny, she looks all shy and nervous in this picture. She was hardly that, though.

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Dog of the Day: Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Ah, corgis, you make my day a little brighter, just by existing.

Three more pictures after the break.

What is that approaching? It's too short to be a dog, and has too many legs to be a sausage.

What is that approaching? It's too short to be a dog, and has too many legs to be a sausage.

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Dog of the Day: Sparticus Minimus, the Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound mix

I ran into this guy in a park the other day: Sparticus Minimus, aka ‘Spartie’. He struck me as a great dog: a mix of two typically nervous and barky breeds (Chihuahua and Italian greyhound), he was gregarious and playful, and seemed very comfortable with his place in ‘the pack’. That is to say, he didn’t go around irritating big dogs who could eat him in one bite, he didn’t bug people unless they seemed to want to be bugged, and if he found a human that was receptive, he was more than happy to collect some attention from them.

All of this is to say that what follows is completely unfair. My pictures came out goofier than intended, and this combined with a certain video I saw last night to firmly lodge in my mind the idea of Sparticus as having the voice of Jerry Lewis. And yes, I know that this says a lot more about me than it does about Sparticus.

Several more pictures after the break. If you look there, you may well see what I mean.

Hm-da-dum... lovely day for sitting in the park and... eh? What's up with the dark all of a sudden?

Hm-da-dum... lovely day for sitting in the park and... eh? What's up with the dark all of a sudden?

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Dog of the Day: Pomeranian

Due to the muzzle shape, I would have said that this was a Pomeranian mix; however, the woman on the other end of the leash was quite adamant that it was a full Pom. Well, fair enough, she probably had the papers to prove it.

One more pic after the break.

The fluff is just amazing. If this dog were 4' tall you could hide children in her fur.

The fluff is just amazing. If this dog were 4' tall you could hide children in her fur.

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Dog of the Day: Australian Shepherd

Another sheepy-pup from down undah! They’re a very popular breed in San Francisco, since they act more like a big dog and weigh more like a medium-small dog.

They’re a dangerous breed, though. Not because they bite or anything, but because they’re very, very smart, and if you don’t give them plenty of things to keep their minds busy, they’ll find their own entertainment. This can be very bad for a large variety of home furnishings, home electronics, houseplants, and so on.

Another picture after the break.

I hear Aussies are low-maintenance, even with that coat. I bet that's not true if they ever get into burrs, though.

I hear Aussies are low-maintenance, even with that coat. I bet that's not true if they ever get into burrs, though.

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Dog of the Day: Very Patient Rottweiler

I know I just posted a Rottweiler recently, but I’ve seen this guy a few times and never got a good picture of him before, so I just had to post him now that I’ve gotten a few. His owner must like coffee a lot, because I see him out in front of the Starbucks on King Street near the train station an awful lot, waiting super-patiently out there in his little collapsable crate.

Sometimes it rains. When it rains, he just pulls his head inside and stays nice and warm and dry. It’s like a portable doghouse! How awesome is that? I mean, it’s maybe not so awesome that he spends that much time sitting outside a Starbucks, but if he’s going to, he sure is well-equipped for it.

Two more crate-tacular pictures, after the break.

When suddenly, emerging from the darkness, we see the shape of... is that... could it be... eyebrows?

When suddenly, emerging from the darkness, we see the shape of... is that... could it be... eyebrows?

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Dog of the Day: Boston Terrier

Another – how shall I put this? – goofy-looking guy. The woman walking him was so proud of him, I didn’t want to laugh. Or make jokes. It would have been so mean.

Another two goofy pictures, after the break.

He's looking both ways, all right. Not shown: him sticking his nose up my pant leg and being generally super-friendly.

He's looking both ways, all right. Not shown: him sticking his nose up my pant leg and being generally super-friendly.

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