Looks like Ozzy.

I found this picture whilst browsing on the internet.  The dog in the picture looks remarkably like Ozzy.  Same size, same tail, same head, same bib.  Obviously a sheepdog. Who are the man and his dog?

Ozzy and I are back!

 

 

 

 

It's been a long hot summer and today in the forest Ozzy and I witnessed the first signs of autumn.

Last but not least.

Yet another cousin.
The Entlebucher Sennenhund or Entlebucher Mountain Dog is the last in the Swiss Mountain Dog breeds.  The breed is named after a town and region in the Swiss canton of Lucerne. It is the smallest of the Swiss Mountain Dogs. While its origin is not certain, it is thought to be descended from the fighting and guarding mastiffs of the Roman legions. This breed is popular in Switzerland, but is rarely seen outside its native land.

 

A dog, not cheese.

Another distant cousin!

The Appenzeller Sennenhund finds its origins in the Appenzell region of northeast Switzerland and is probably descended from the "cattle dogs left there by the Romans".

The breed was originally kept primarily as a cattle herding dog, and a flock guardian. It was also used as a draft dog, and general farm dog. The breed also was known for its affinity to both herd and guard with such devotion that they would give their life to protect their charge. Just like Ozzy!

I only knew the delicious Appenzeller cheese.  

You could fool me!

This could be Ozzy but it isn't.  It's another one of his cousins.  Close cousin.
It's a Bernese Mountain dog ( Berner Sennenhund in German and Bouvier Bernois in French) which originated in the Swiss mountains and was named after the Canton of Bern. The breed was used as an all purpose farm dog for guarding property and to drive dairy cattle long distances from the farm to the alpine pastures. They make ideal pets.  Just like Ozzy.

Ozzy's Swiss cousin

Whilst walking in the forest, Ozzy and I encountered a most beautiful dog.  It’s an Ozzy look alike with a short haired coat.  Ozzy’s cousin.   

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (Grosser Schweizer Sennenhund ) is considered the oldest of the Swiss breeds and was instrumental in the early development of both the St. Bernard and the Rottweiler. There are several theories regarding the ancient origins of the Swiss Sennenhund breeds. The most popular theory states the dogs are descended from the Mollasian, a large Mastiff-type dog that accompanied the Roman Legions on their invasion of the Alps in the 1st century B.C.

Large, sturdy and confident, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog also referred to as "Swissy" is a draft and drover breed - robust and agile enough to perform farm work in very mountainous regions. As a working dog, Swissies like having a job to do.  Developed in the remote and isolated areas of Switzerland, they were was originally used for draft work, livestock management (herding and guarding) and as a farm sentinel.  The breed was assumed to have died out by the late 19th century, as their work was being done by other breeds or machines, but it was rediscovered in the early 1900s.

I had never come across one before. 

Ozzy needs a bath

I went to the vet the other day for Ozzy's jabs.  She told me I had to wash Ozzy because he smelled.  I told her that we had just returned from the forest.  Ozzy, I pointed out, is not a little pooch who sits on Mummy's lap.  ( Actually he does sometimes.  He is so big and so affectionate, it turns into a yoga exercice.)   He is a macho intact male and when he is in the forest he bathes in filthy pools,  rolls in horse manure, mud, a decomposing bird, decomposing leaves, that sort of thing.  No wonder he smells. 
Bathing Ozzy means wearing protective clothing. My waterproof sailing gear, actually.  It is an outside summer job.  I need to get the hosepipe out.  He hates it, detests it.   

 

Ozzy has fully recovered.  He is full of beans...........

Ozzy with his girlfriends

Koko is on the left, Vichy on the right.  The command was "sit" but Ozzy does not care too much about things like that. 

Ozzy off to the forest.

Ozzy is off to the forest with his girlfriends Vichy and Koko, two brown Australian Shepherds.  They are all good friends.

Baby, you can drive my car!

 

 

 

Is this cool Ozzy?   

 

Could be Ozzy's cousin

 

The Finnish Lapphund or Lapinkoira Suomenlapinkoira is a hardy, easy going, medium-size breed of the Spitz type. Traditionally it was used for herding reindeer. Although the snowmobile took over the dog’s job, it remains one of the most popular dog breeds in its native Finland.  It is little known outside the Nordic countries.

 

It's not Ozzy

No, it's not Ozzy.  It's a Tibetan Mastiff.



The name Tibetan mastiff is a misnomer because technically it is not a true mastiff.  A better name for the dog would be Tibetan mountain dog or Himalayan mountain dog.  These dogs are seriously huge.  An average male weighs 80 kg.  They were and are still used to guard herds and flocks, tents, monasteries and palaces.  They are mostly tied up to guard houses.  It's Tibetan name means "dog which may be tied or door guard or home guard".

No this is not Ozzy.

I saw this dog outside the supermarket the other day.  No it's not Ozzy.  It's a Bernese Mountain Dog,  an extremely versatile working dog from the farmlands of Switzerland. He was developed to herd cattle, pull carts, and be a watchdog and loyal companion. The Bernese Mountain Dog comes from the canton of Bern, hence his name. He's a large and sturdy dog breed, with a friendly and calm disposition.
He is bigger and taller than an Australian Sheepdog but just as pretty and intelligent.

Ozzy eats rabbit

Yesterday I went on my usual walk in the forest with my fried, MN, and her two Australian shepherds, Vichy and Koko. Uneventful walk. MN and I chatted about this and that. The usual meaningful and not so meaningful stuff. Then towards the end of the walk, the situation turned. Ozzy found a dead rabbit on the path leading back to the car. Koko had spotted it and MN called her dogs back to put them on the lead. I called Ozzy too but too late. Ozzy had smelled or seen the rabbit. He grabbed it in his mouth and shot off in the opposite direction from where we were standing. I called Ozzy. Gently and calmly. I rattled my little box with dry liver bits in it. No reaction from Ozzy other than he looked at me with the rabbit in his mouth. You know like these hunting scenes where you have a picture of a hunting dog with a pheasant in his mouth. Now what? I called again and against my better judgement I went after him. Of course he ran away even further. I called him again. Not so gently this time. Nothing doing. Ozzy started chewing. I saw him chewing and heard the bones crunching. I decided not to do anything and to wait. Meanwhile MN, who had started walking back to the car, came back towards where I was. By this time Ozzy had finished eating the rabbit. All of it. Teeth, bones, fur and all. MN just walked up to him, grabbed him by the collar and put his lead on. We all walked to car as if nothing had happened. Ozzy let out a huge burp. His chops were bloodstained. He jumped into the car as usual as if nothing happened.
MN and I had a discussion on the subject before we both went our merry way.
“Did you see the state of the rabbit?” she asked.
“Yes, it was fresh but it had no ears.”
“Is Ozzy vaccinated against rabbies?”
“Yes. I am not worried about that because Belgium is free of rabbies.”
“I think you should call your vet when you get back.”
“I will. I am really upset about this. I am upset Ozzy did not come back when I called him.”
“Don’t worry about it, it’s his instinct.”
With these wise words we parted and I drove home. A few more burps from the back!
We came home and Ozzy produced some bits which he obviously could not swallowed. This happened in my office under my desk. Lovely.
I called the vet and explained.
“What’s going on here? Ozzy is a shepherd dog. He should not be chasing rabbits.”
I explained the rabbit was on a path, dead and fresh. And that it had probably been picked up and dropped by a crow or an owl or a fox. I assured her the meat was fresh and nice and red and succulent. I asked her what I should do?
“Give him a tablespoon of paraffin oil and mix some boiled leeks in his food to help his stools and to give his intestines sufficient bulk. Check his poops. He might vomit. He might show signs of being unwell. He might have stomach ache. Do this and give me a call in the morning.”
“How do I know he has stomach pains? How do I know he is unwell?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll know.”
Off I went to the chemist to buy the paraffin oil and to the supermarket to buy leeks.
“Are we having leek soup?” asked Mr Eurodog.
I put the oil on a spoon and opened Ozzy mouth. The nature of oil is that is oily and slimy so as soon as the spoon was in Ozzy mouth, he spat the lot out. On himself, on me, on the floor and on the kitchen counter which I had used to lean up against.
I then adopted plan B. I mixed the oil with his dried food and the boiled leeks. I put his bowl down and he sat patiently as we do at every mealtime. This time he waited and waited and looked up at me with enquiring eyes. “Do I really have to eat this?” I put a little beef bouillon on my hands and rubbed the contents of his bowl. He ate everything. Slowly, very slowly. And went into his basket. Mr Eurodog was going to take him round the block but he was given the mission to check the content of his poop. “Perhaps you should walk him. It’s dark and you know about these things.” We walked. No poop, no vomiting.
Off to bed.
This morning Ozzy greeted me with less enthusiasm than usual but was happy when Mr Eurodog showed him his lead. Mr Eurodog was reminded of last night’s brief and off they went in the pouring rain. Mr Eurodog reported that Ozzy had produced two large normal poops. Paraffin oil, boiled leeks, dried food and beef bouillon awaited Ozzy after his walk. He sat, looked up at me and ate. Normally.
I called the vet at the appointed time and told her about the food, the poops.
She said it was all going well.
I told her Ozzy was very subdued and very quiet. In his basket and asleep.
She said he was sleeping off his Christmas dinner.

Dog portrait

Kathryn Wronski is an American artist who paints dogs.  Emma Nevada House, a B&B in Nevada city had a portrait painted of their Australian Shepherd called Winnie.  Not bad don’t you think?

 

And this is Ozzy. 

Eye contact with Ozzy

I came across an American website which interprets dreams and this particular interpretation I found quite interesting : “To see or dream that you are a dog trainer indicates that you need to keep your negative behavior in check. You need to show more restraint.”

What does this mean?  Anybody know?

Baby Ozzy?

This painting by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, RA (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) is called Doubtful Crumbs.  Landseer was an English painter, well known for his paintings of animals—particularly horses, dogs and stags. The best known of Landseer's works, however, are sculptures: the lions in Trafalgar Square. The puppy looks like a baby Ozzy.

Dog food

Look what I saw on Waitrose's tins of dog food.  It's Ozzy!

Another playmate

Ozzy playing with Joyce, a 10 month flatcoated retriever.  Proof again that Ozzy is not a dominant dog.

( Click on pictures to enlarge )