Living with Dogs

The Pinarbasi Dog

The world’s oldest dog remains have recently been identified at an ancient hunter-gatherer site in a cave at Pinarbasi, which is an area in Turkey near the Black Sea.  Archaeologist Douglas Baird from the University […]

Living with Dogs

The Old English Sheep Dog

Famous for the Looney Tunes cartoons in 1953 to 1964, ‘Sam Sheepdog’ would diligently punch in a time clock for work and was always outwitting ‘Ralf Woolf’.  Sam’s eyes were obscured by long fur and […]

Living with Dogs

Evolving Dogs

Scientific research is revealing that dogs are entering a new phase of evolution.  Modern day dogs are adapting rapidly to human-centric environments.  Some breeds, particularly those bred for companionship are evolving faster due to their […]

Portuguese Podengo
Living with Dogs

Podengo, the Portuguese national dog

This smart looking dog has been the Portuguese national dog for about 2000 years.  They are a Mediterranean-type hound, brought to the Iberian Peninsula by Phoenicians and Romans in ancient times.  A versatile hunter that […]

Living with Dogs

Smelling bottoms

Dogs putting their nose close to another dog’s rear end may seem gross to us, but for dogs it is natural and even important.  A human’s first impression relates to sight, for dogs their first […]

Living with Dogs

“Good Boy” 

‘GOOD BOY’ the movie is coming to Australian cinemas on the April 30, 2026.  The star is a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever dog called Indy, who won the prize for best performance in a […]

Living with Dogs

Assistance Dogs

THERE are four types of assistance dogs: those for physical disabilities, those for autism and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), those for psychiatric assistance, and assistance dogs in child education.  There is a high demand for […]

Living with Dogs

The Italian Lagotto Romagnolo Dog

The Lagotto Romanolo’s traditional function was as a gun dog, specifically a water retriever.  Lago means lake in Italian and this breed would retrieve water birds that had been shot and in water back to […]

Living with Dogs

Only bad owners, not bad dogs?

There is no simple answer as to why dogs attack people, particularly their owner or a family member. BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) has not eliminated or reduced attacks, in fact they are increasing.  Yet dogs […]