Tuesday, February 28, 2012

"If you can't run with the big dogs..."

This, my friend, is This is Sparta! of Salt Raker Bay, call name: Leonidas.  He is the gorgeous product of a love affair between a Dogue de Bordeaux and a Chocolate Labrador Retriever!  He is the alpha male and head honcho at SRB and he knows it!  Devon has been in love with DdB's FOREVER...and although I admire them greatly, the drool factor is SUCH a turnoff. Remember Turner and Hooch?  Yeah, I'm not for it!  Besides that, the heat here is not kind to dogs with short snouts.  Too hard for them to breathe freely.  Compromise was needed. 
Mixed breed dogs are easy to come by.  But specifically blended breeds who have complementary body types and temperaments are NOT!!  So, I searched for a year and a half until I came across, what in my opinion, is an ideal match!  Intelligent, brave, loyal and not to mention gentle as a lamb with his family, Leo is an absolute joy!  Just don't come to SRB without permission!!  He is strong as an ox...just ask the steel porch rail that we had to re-weld after he pulled it out of the cement!!  Leo is a diplomatic dog who would rather give a few warning barks than get into a confrontation.  We love Leo and he returns the love with a Lab type enthusiasm that is endearing.  We hope to enjoy him for many years to come!

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No, this is not a horse!  If anyone paid attention to The Godfather trilogy, you would notice that every mob family has the mastermind and the muscle.  Caesar is definitely the hit man of the crew!  His official title is Et Tu, Brute? at Salt Raker Bay.  When you come to the yard, you will hear Leo first, but you will see Caesar!  He is a Cane Corso and as suave as Leo may be, Caesar is that rough around the edges!  He seems to suffer from multiple personality disorder as with strangers he thinks he is top of the food chain and with us he thinks he is a lapdog!  As irritating as he can be as he tries to give you a slobbery kiss as you leave for church in your Sunday best, you cannot help but LOVE this boy!  He has an expression in his eyes that is almost human ...as if he is saying he'll die for you! 
Walking Caesar is an art form all to itself.  He prefers to go through back trails and bramble where he can practice his tracking skills on unsuspecting ducks and such!  Needless to say, Devon handles those reins and I tag along for those walks as he stalks his unsuspecting prey in the bush of Long Bay!

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A picture in motion is the best for the third member of the pack: A Word to the Wise at Salt Raker Bay.  Athena is the only girl from a litter of Rottweiler/Red Nosed Pit Bull combination.  She was left behind as all her brothers went to loving homes.  When she arrived, we socialized her immediately with the children and it became obvious that this girl was a lover.  True to the Rottie reputation, she loves to be loved and will be heartbroken at any scolding that she may receive.  Little did we know she was also an athlete!!  As Athena grew, so did her amazing speed and agility!  We first noticed this when, not to be outdone by her larger pack members, she bounded from 5 ft inside the yard to the stone wall and proceeded to trot the perimeter like a gymnast on a balance beam!  The boys just sat there like, "Whoa!...THAT JUST HAPPENED!"  The terrier in her is amazing as she will pursue any deadly mouse, lizard or cricket down the hole through which it may try to escape. "Foolish Mortals!" Take her to the beach and watch her fly!! She is my favorite dog to walk as she literally needed no training to learn to stay by your side. Pure instinct and intellect.  Proportionately she is lovely.  A nice balance between the squared, blocky Rottie and the lean, muscular Pit.  Watching her move is poetry in motion!  Sigh....We Love Dogs!

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