As some of you may know, I’m partial to the “skinny” dogs. I adopted a retired racing greyhound while I was still in vet school and last year added a whippet to my fur-family. I’ll try not to be too biased in this week’s spotlight on Greyhounds. 
Sighthounds are one of the oldest types of dogs we know of. Carvings of greyhound-type dogs have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs dating back to 2000 BC. These thin, short coated dogs spread throughout Europe as a valuable hunting dog – known for their keen eyesight and speed.
Lure coursing competition began with these sighthounds in the 16th Century in Britain and the dogs were brought to North America with incoming settlers. Greyhound racing as we know it today became popular in the 1920s in the U.S., England, and Ireland. A greyhound in peak physical shape can reach sprinting speeds of up to 70km/hr!!
Huskies are among one of the most common breeds of dogs around. The current breed is a descendant of sled dogs that originated in North-Eastern Siberia 1000’s of years ago. The sled dog was bred to be very athletic and survive the harsh winters.
Kenidi loves winter – making snow angels is his favourite
“It’s so FLUFFY!!” – First words out of almost anyone’s mouth when they meet a Pomeranian for the first time. Pomeranians (or “Poms”) are toy breed dogs (4-7.5 lbs full grown) that descend from the Spitz breeds – double coated dogs originating from northern Europe. Poms in particular, started in Northern Germany, and gained in popularity after Queen Victoria took a liking to them. They have small ears that stand straight up, and a (relatively) long tail that curls around on top of their hindquarters. They come in a variety of colours from all white, to sable (a sandy, blonde colour), black and tan, solid black and almost everything in between.
Did you know that the Labrador Retriever is Canadian? The breed started in Newfoundland as a working dog that was good in the water helping with fishing nets and used for sport retrieving water fowl during hunting trips. Read more …
Welcome to the first post of our new Breed Feature.
Every few weeks we will make a post dedicated to a specific dog or cat breed. We will go over some of their physical traits and personalities and tell you what is unique about them. We will also cover common health concerns and things you can do to help prevent or manage them.
Meet the Belgian Shepherd; a herding breed that originated in Belgium in the late 1800’s. Read more …
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