No, although I do love Danes too. That's the head of a dogo argentino or Argentine Mastiff. I had one for eight and a half years and he was the best dog I'd ever seen.Smart, tough, loyal... Pete and I worked security together in many nasty places and we always came out of it breathing- sometimes not much better than that, but I'd hate to think about what would have happened had we not been there for each other!Def
They were bred for hunting wild boar and mountain lions- basically the meanest animals on the planet. As I understand it, the traditional method of hunting is to send dogs out that catch and hold these dangerous creatures until the hunter arrives and slits the prey animal's throat with a knife.Now, do the math: 80-100 pound dog vs 400-500 pounds of very upset bacon. Factor in the prolonged exposure since the hunter is likely somewhat behind the dog, not being able to run as fast, and you either have an immeasurably tough dog or you go home minus one dog.The interesting thing is that while the dogs (from what I saw with Pete) have an amazing prey drive (one of Pete's favorite toys was a laser pointer- he'd chase it for hours!) they have little or no killer instinct. Pete chased cats, birds, balls, frisbees etc but never harmed any of them. Ok, he ate a frisbee or two, but he never intentionally hurt anything that was alive. He just loved to chase things.There are some videos on YouTube of these dogs hunting, but I'd suggest you only check them out if you aren't squeamish. They are pretty graphic at times.Def
They are somewhat smaller than wolfhounds. He was smaller than my husky, but with more raw power than a Detroit diesel. When camping once I tied him and Chinook to the bumper of my old GMC Tracker while I set up camp. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the truck moving and when I turned, concerned about the wellbeing of the dogs tied to it, I noticed they were pulling it. They almost walked away with my truck! Having been on the opposite end of those leashes many times myself (twice a day for 8 years) I can say that the majority of the pulling power was coming from Pete!Def
That is perhaps the finest breed I have ever encountered and I would happily get another one. They are pretty rare in Canada though, but luckily I have a few friends in Argentina now. I don't know what is involved in importing a puppy, but it's a step in the right direction!Of course, if I ever manage to realize my dream of opening a kennel for the rehabilitation of "problem" dogs then I'll probably end up with a number of breeds that weren't of my choosing. I don't have a problem with that either. I guess it will all depend on opportunity.Def
Come now, he was only about 75 pounds! Def
The worst part was when he'd stretch out in the middle of the night and dig his toenails in your armpits!Or the time he got sprayed by a skunk...Def
Tell me about it- it was about 1am and no stores were open so I had to go to bed with him smelling like that and head out first thing in the morning to buy tomato juice. Of course, since he is white, bathing him in tomato juice just dyed him pink! He didn't seem so intimidating then! Def
That was long ago and I've no pictures of it... was funny as all heck though!One of these days when I meet you face to face I'll tell you some of the other funny stories about that dog, including the time he broke his "man part." I think that one will have to be told over a pitcher or two as I cringe just thinking about it! Def
Like I said, I'll tell you when there's at least one pitcher in easy reach... Def
Quote from: Defender on December 24, 2007, 11:18:43 PMLike I said, I'll tell you when there's at least one pitcher in easy reach... DefWell you'd best drink yours first, I'm a complete light weight were booze is concerned Seriously 2 pints of stella and I used to be pissed as a newt
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