Boston Terrier, today's featured dog...

The Boston Terrier is a breed of dog originating in the United States of America. Boston Terriers are typically small, compactly built, well proportioned dogs with erect ears, short tails, and a short muzzle that should be free of wrinkles. They usually have a square sort of face. According to international breed standard, the dog should weigh no less than 10 pounds and no more than 25 pounds. Boston Terriers usually stand 15-17 inches at the withers.
The Boston Terrier is characteristically marked with white in proportion to either black, brindle, seal, or a combination of the three. Seal is a color specifically used to describe Boston Terriers and is defined as a black color with red highlights when viewed in the sun or bright light. If all other qualities are identical, brindle is the preferred color according to most breed standards.

Male Boston Terrier with typical black and white coat
Ideally, white should cover its chest, muzzle, band around the neck, half way up the forelegs, up to the hocks on the rear legs, and a white blaze between but not touching the eyes. In show dogs, symmetrical markings are preferred. Due to the Boston Terrier's markings resembling formal wear, in addition to its refined and pleasant personality, the breed is commonly referred to as the "American Gentleman." The breed is known for its gentle, alert, and intelligent expression.
Frequently, variations on the standard are seen depending on the ancestry of the individual dog. At various times, the Bulldog, American Pit Bull Terrier, English Mastiff, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and French Bulldog—among other breeds—have been crossbred with Boston Terrier lines to minimize inbreeding in what is necessarily a small gene pool.

Mini Bull Terrier, todays featured dog...

The Bull Terrier (Miniature) is a breed of dog developed using selective breeding to miniaturize the Bull Terrier. Miniature Bull Terriers were accepted by the American Kennel Club in 1992.
Like the Standard Bull Terrier, Minis are loving and, like many terrier breeds, can be stubborn at times; but despite this they make great dogs for people with limited space.

Miniature Bull Terriers have short, fine, and glossy coats that are very close to the skin, like the Standards. They are accepted in the ring to be white, white with another color, or fully colored. However, like the Standards, any blue or liver colored coats are undesirable. These dogs require very minimal grooming.
In the early 1900s, the difference between the breeds was determined by the dog's weight. However, this led to Miniature Bull Terriers becoming so small and fine that they looked more like a Chihuahua than a Bull Terrier. So, in the 1970s, the weight limit was replaced with a height limit of under fourteen inches. They are usually no smaller than ten inches. According to the AKC, miniature bull terriers weight must be proportionate to its height. However, they tend to range anywhere from 20 - 35 lbs.
The Miniature Bull Terriers have a very strong build. They have very muscular shoulders and a full body.
Miniature Bull Terriers, like the Standards, have a head described as "egg-shaped." It is flat on top with a Roman muzzle. The eyes are triangular and closely set.
The ears are carried erect and are not cropped or otherwise altered.
The tail is carried horizontally rather than vertically.
Miniature Bull Terriers usually live to their upper teens.

Famous Dogues de Bordeaux

• Beasley, who played the title role in Turner & Hooch.


• Mac, owned by Dutch footballer Andy van der Meyde, famously stolen and found in 2006.


• Kalusha de el Siscar, a female, appeared with Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City.


• England Football player Frank Lampard owns several Dogues de Bordeaux and has offered several puppies of the same breed to Chelsea FC fans.


• english TV presenter Paul Ross has a Dogues de Bordeaux which appeared in Your dog magazine.


• "Geezer", a loveable Multi-Champion from Devils-Den in Canada.

Dogue de Bordeaux, todays featured dogs

Dogue de Bordeaux is a breed of dog that is strong, powerful, and imposing, as it was originally bred for dog fighting and guarding. The Dogue has an even temperament and is extremely loyal and devoted to his master and family. However, it is wary of strangers and can display marked dominance towards other dogs if not well socialized. The Dogue must be socialized from an early age and owners must be conscious of the great strength and tenacity of this very large and athletic breed. The Dogue de Bordeaux is the French Mastiff.

Appearance

The height at the withers is typically 24 to 30 inches for show dogs and the weight of the male Dogues is in excess of 100 pounds. Dogs standing 30 inches tall at the withers and weighing up to 160 pounds (67 kg) are not uncommon. This breed, as with most mastiffs, reaches its full size at 2 years of age, while reaching its height once it's 1 year old.

History

The Dogue de Bordeaux was known in France as early as the fourteenth century. Dog fighting was popular in the nineteenth century, particularly in southern France in the region around Bordeaux. Hence, the city lent its name to these large fighting dogs.
A uniform breed type of the Bordeaux Dog did not exist before about 1920. The French placed emphasis on keeping the old breeding line pure. Black masks were considered an indication of the crossing in of the Mastiff. As an important indication of purity of the breed, attention was paid to the leather-coloured nose, light eyes, and red mask. Originally bred with huge anatomically incorrect heads; a pioneer for the breed in Germany, Werner Preugschat once wrote:
"What am I supposed to do with a dog that has a monstrous skull and is at most able to carry it from the food dish to its bed."
The Dogue de Bordeaux comes in two varieties, Dogues and Doguins, the former being a considerably larger dog than the latter. Breeding of the Doguins has been seriously neglected in recent years and the variety has dwindled to near nonexistence.
New initiatives will soon be required if the Bordeaux Dog can hope to flourish again both inside and outside of France. It is hoped that the few remaining survivors of this interesting old breed will be sufficient for its recovery.