Some Different Breeds

We saw the cutest Brussels Griffon at the park on Saturday.  She was very well behaved, very friendly, and she had the longest legs I've ever seen on the breed.  In fact, she was one of the largest Brussels Griffons I have seen!

According to the American Kennel Club, the Brussels Griffon should not exceed 12 pounds.  But as you can see, she is very close in size to my 24 pound Lexi.  

They are said to have almost human facial expressions, which certainly held true for this little dog.  You'll also notice that her tail is cropped.  I read somewhere that dogs with cropped tails often have trouble communicating with other dogs, because tail action is part of the language of dogs.  Wagging tails, tails held straight up in the air, tucked under tails, drooping tails; all are an integral part of dog-to-dog communication.  This dog didn't seem particularly affected, but in general I don't care to see a dog with it's tail cut off in order to meet some strange human concept of attractiveness or usefulness.


We also saw an absolutely gorgeous Long Haired German Shepard.   As far as I know, the long hair was once thought to be a fault for a German Shepard, one that would disqualify him from being shown or from being bred. Now, however, there are many breeders who specialize in the long haired variety of German Shepard.  I can see why.  At the same time they manage to look fiercer and larger than their short haired cousins, yet somehow they remind me of a big, cuddly stuffed toy!  

Here the two varieties of German Shepard are circling around each other to check each other out. Clearly nothing was amiss, because they peacefully parted ways and went off in different directions.