monkey

Just to keep you updated - I'm off to Italy in the new year to meet some people who are helping with research and look at some dead things and some pictures of dead things. Hurrah!

Hello all, have been away for a while as sadly my own little dog soldier is very sick and have been in France with her The paper is going well but slowly (have allocated myself 5 years - do you think that'll be enough?!) and am off to Italy in the new year to meet some contacts out there. My wonderful sister is currently draining Chichester records office for me! I can only answer the above post from my experience of modern dog soldiers. 1 - If we're talking dogs of Assyrian descent, and big dogs at that - they would have been more visual that aural and virtually impossible to stamp on by people as they stood waist high! Horses rarely trample dogs if they can help it as a dog can easily take out a ligament on its way down. http://www.gefsgp.net/guncel/kangal_fotosu.jpg Just an example. 2 - As regards dogs coping with the loss of a handler, dogs are trained for combat by more than one handler and respond to a command, not a person for that very reason. Thanks for your post though - get some sleep man! Jim, I really can't thank you enough for your continued support and am still keen to hear from anyone with info, sources or an opinion! Cheers Anna

Yes, thankyou Jim. Chuckle. They're actually sheild tags, not tags for the dogs. A hunting or guard dog would have been unlikely to wear anything that would make a sound against its collar or reflect light and startle prey which was being stalked. The search continues.....

9 December Gallery talk The Persian Empire: a model for Rome? ID S Moorhead ............................................................................................................................................................... Is coinciding with the exhibition Forgotten Empire. Looks good, just thought I'd let you know!

Good stuff, I need to get a size on that print. Good link - thanks! As an update I now have a very good mate truffling through the writings of Cassius Dio which have chucked up a couple of interesting paths to follow. Mainly about Hyenas so far. Ha ha! Am also investigating a nice little piece same wonderful mate sent me: I am still doing some grubbing, now perusing Theodor Mommsen's History of Rome - but there I can only find a reference to Roman occupying force using dogs to 'bait' the locals, hunting them down like beasts. Nice chaps, those Romans. If anyone can elaborate on this I appeal once again to your knowledge. I am off to chat with the guy who makes repro Canis pugnax war dog tags to find out why they had them if there weren't any war dogs.....

Waaaay ahead of you Jim, I'm waiting to hear back from about 18 different people - LONG! I can see where you're coming from, totally, you're right - I can't find a reliable source YET! That's the whole point of this exercise non? Just to clarify, I wasn't asking you personally to put the kibosh on it, am simply trying to gather information! Will post findings here as I.....well......find them! Anna

That's why I'm writing the paper! The use of dogs in war situations has always fascinated me and whilst it may take me some years I will find out! I agree that evidence is scant and some seems circumstantial, but this is the case with many things - hypothesising eventually leads somewhere. One cannot deny that there were dogs of some stature about in war settings (not necessarily the whole Ceasar vs Britain Mastiff thing which is most oft quoted) and there were some pretty massive dogs about in general. In the interests of this if anyone can tell me where I can find a bigger version of this I'd appreciate it: http://www.mustangmastiffs.com/webpage-graphics/moloser2.jpg thanks for all the info so far and keep it coming. As far as nay saying goes, it's all part of the forum - but if you can actually come up with any sources that say there were certainly NOT any war dogs (not modern, have enough of them ta) then I'd appreciate that too!

Cool, can I have a source on that last post please? Am writing a paper on Canis Pugnax so am really interested to hear (with sources if poss) any stories/reports you guys could come up with. As regards the Molosser Myth, I would also direct you to the excellent Col. David Hancock who has done much original research into most large breeds (just in the interest of a different point of view - I can never let one person clear something up for me, I'd rather be confused!) Many thanks for the article - it has me thinking..... I include a link to a segment of his writings here with thanks to Mr Kenny James: http://www.cane9corso.co.uk/start.php?type...nt&name=colonel

There are now 2 threads running this topic! I found this on a Corso forum and would like to share it with you, five pages of all the things an ancient Molosser would be getting up to, some great images. The sticks you will see the agitators holding are just for that - agitation - these dogs are in no way being harmed. As for the guy with the doormat on his arm.... http://www.apexcanecorso.com/Working1.htm Enjoy!

There are now 2 threads running this topic! I just found this on a Corso forum and would like to share it with you, five pages of all the things an ancient Molosser would be getting up to, some great images. The sticks you will see the agitators holding are just for that - agitation - these dogs are in no way being harmed. As for the guy with the doormat on his arm.... http://www.apexcanecorso.com/Working1.htm Enjoy!

You scored higher than 93% on social skill. Can someone tell my boss that?!

Roma also has a lovely cat sanctuary in one of its ruins doesn't it? I met a very nice cat at the Spanish steps last time i was there. I called it Dave.

Sorry to be boring, but there is a very very good reason why this idea has taken off. To show a dog it must be 'intact', should you come across a beast that is the very pinnacle of your breed in a rescue home or the newspaper but, damn, it's neutered. Add silicone nuts, show dog, win prizes, up fees (remember, some pedigrees fetch upwards of 1500 quid a pup) put a similar looking, worse quiality, non neutered dog to your bitch et voila! Very amusing indeed!

Huskys and Malamutes are probably the closest domestic (I say domestic but you can't really keep the damn things in the house) relations - the Czech wolf dog has a very vulpine face I think, we are very used to associating wolf hybrids from wider faced breeds, where as these are Alsatian which has the longer Wile E Coyote type snout. You han usually tell a breed which has a large proprtion of Wolf Genes by it's coat (long boring two tired oily explanation) and its inability to bark, only yip or howl - see Huskys, Malamutes etc. Which is another reason not to have them in the house!

We have been discussing these tags on the corso forums, they are very very beautiful.