Posts tagged "breed"

Name: Korat

Appearance: Similar in appearance to the Russian blue, the blue British shorthair, and the Chartreux, the Korat is a distinct type of cat that shares its coloring with those breeds, according to Russian Blues. Korats have strong-built, stocky bodies, with hind legs slightly longer than their front legs, and oval-shaped paws. The breed features a heart-shaped head with large, high-set ears, and large, luminous green eyes.

History: According to Korat World, Korats were first written about in 1350. They are one of the oldest breeds of cats and are indigenous to Thailand. However, they no longer exist in Thailand due to interbreeding with American cats during the Vietnam War. Thankfully, Korats came to America in 1950 and have since then been kept alive by a few select breeders.

Personality/Health: The senses of Korats are finely-tuned and are particularly reactive to sounds. For this reason, they often need to be "sound-trained" by playing radios for them when they are kittens, according to the Cat Fanciers Association. They are very affectionate cats and like to cuddle. They get along well with other cats, although they prefer to be dominant because of their intelligent nature.

What Korat Owners Say: Diane GoBell, a friend of Paw Nation on Facebook, had this to say about owning a Korat: "Korats are lucky cats. I had one when i was little, and even though he passed years ago, he is still with me. He was my faithful kitty. He would tolerate anything. He was extremely loving and gentle and never a difficulty. I'm not sure why we were a perfect match. But he chose me as much as i chose him. I would love to get another Korat some day."

Name: Devon Rex

Appearance: The Devon rex is a strange looking cat that, like all rexes, has a genetic mutation affecting its hair. The result is a cat with short, soft, curly hair that rests in waves across its body. According to the Rex Cat Club, the breed's whiskers are curled as well, and can often be so short and curled that they seem to not be there at all. In fact, because of the diversity among Devons in terms of coat length, some Devons actually don't have whiskers, and others are almost completely bald. The Devon has large ears, large eyes, a tiny, wedge-shaped skull, and an upturned nose. They have long, slender legs that stand high at the hip, and in general are lanky, medium-sized cats, weighing six to nine pounds,

History: According Rex-N-FX, the first Devon rex, Kirlee, was born in 1959 in Devon, England after a genetic mutation. The mother was non-pedigree, and the father is supposed to be a curly-haired stray cat that lived in the town. After the owner wrote about Kirlee to a newspaper, he was suddenly the center of attention. At first it was thought that Kirlee's strange mutation was the same as the mutation for the Cornish rex, which had appeared about nine years before, but after Kirlee was bred to a Cornish rex and fathered only normal, non-rex cats, it became clear the mutation was different. However, because of the lack of other Devon rex cats, the breed had to be grown from some of the curlier-haired offspring of Kirlee's unions with Cornish rexes, and so the modern Devon rex is very closely related to the Cornish rex.

The Havana brown is a cat that, like its name says, is a deep, chocolate brown, similar in appearance to a sable Burmese, but with a deeper, more mahogany coat. Like many breeds, Havana browns are of average size, height, and musculature. They should have green eyes, apple shaped heads, and large ears. Of course, their coat is their biggest distinguishing characteristic, and although there are other brown cats, none have the rich, homogenous luster of the Havana brown.

According to Wikipedia, the origins of the Havana brown are hard to pin down, but it seems to have first shown up as a man-made breed in late nineteenth century England. Most likely, it was born from a cross between a Siamese and another cat, perhaps one with a solid coat. They didn't have a name or a real breed until the 1950s, when a group of English women bred a chocolate-point Siamese with a black shorthair, and since then, they have existed as a breed and are recognized by all major cat fancier organizations.

Havana browns are curious and intelligent cats. We spoke to Carolyn Huddy, a Havana brown breeder who was present when the first Havana browns came to America, about what it's like to live with one of these mahogany beauties:

"The Havana brown is a gentle, loving breed. They are quiet cats, but will let you know when they are hungry. They love attention and give love back ten-fold. They like to adorn your lap, are intelligent, loyal, purr incessantly and have an affinity for nuzzling in your hair. This seems to be an inborn trait as every Havana brown I have known of mine and others has this same quality."

If you are interested in adopting a sphynx, it is best to do plenty of research (as always). Talk to owners, and go to a reputable adoption organization, such as Purebred Cat Rescue.

Bombays come in two types: British and American. British Bombays are black Burmese cats and nothing more. However, the American Bombay is a typical example of modern, forced hybridization. Rather than spontaneous mutation, American Bombays (which will from here on out be referred to just as Bombays) were bred when Nikki Horner of Louisville, Ky. decided she wanted to make a breed of consistently black cats to give a black-panther-like appearance. She started by breeding a black American shorthair with a black Burmese.

Bombays are muscular cats with round, wide heads and short muzzles, but not a flattened look. Their eyes are usually brown or green and should be similar to those of a Burmese. They have very short coats and require little to no grooming. Bombays are responsive to training and many will play fetch with you.

First came puggles and labradoodles. Then, inexplicably, the goldendoodles. (Can anyone explain how that second 'd' in 'goldendoodle' makes sense?)

But if you were afraid that the world had exhausted its ability to deliver new, ridiculous names for mixed-breed dogs, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Buggs have arrived on the scene.

Buggs, in case you aren't yet up to speed, are Boston-terrier/pug mixes. While buggs (along with puggles and the like) are just fancy names for crossbreed mutts, we can't deny that they're really freakin' adorable.

Some buggs have an undeniably pug-like pucker, while others have obvious terrier tendencies. None of them, thankfully, look like insects.

If your dog stares at the end of your outstretched finger rather than directing her focus on where you're pointing, her breed may be to blame.

A Hungarian scientist found that dogs bred to work in visual contact with humans, such as pointers, retrievers and sheep dogs, were quick to understand the meaning of a human's pointing finger, reports Science Daily. Hunting hounds, livestock guard dogs, pups used for underground hunting, and sled dogs weren't so hot at the finger-pointing test.

Why is this? Dogs were domesticated more than 10,000 years ago, and have been living and working with people ever since. During that time we've selected dogs with certain characteristics, both physical and practical. Not surprisingly, the dog varieties that excelled in understanding a pointing finger were those bred to work in close visual contact with people.

While most breeds were designed for particular jobs, many tend to work without direct supervision from their human bosses. For instance, hunting dogs -- like whippets and coonhounds -- are pros at trailing game by their sight and scent, respectively, but they're the independent workers of the dog world, doing their thing without us micromanaging.

Of course these days, a dog's day at work is more likely to include napping and ball chewing rather than herding or sled hauling. But it's nice to know they still have skills. Test out your dog's pointing perception and you may learn something about your mutt's genetic origin!

Source

With just 250 or so in the United States, and around 1500 in the whole world, the Lundehund is possibly the rarest breed of dog in existence. But this dog doesn't just have a name that's fun to say (try it -- Lundehund rolls right off the tongue); according to the Norwegian Lundehund Association of America, Inc., it has lots of other unique characteristics as well.

Lundehunds are originally from the remote islands of arctic Norway, and the name means "puffin dog." Fitting, as the breed was used specifically for hunting puffins. To aid in the hunt, the dog is polydactyl, meaning it has six working toes on each foot. American Kennel Club Spokesperson Lisa Peterson tells Paw Nation, "Each toe has muscle and skeletal structure, which was used for climbing rock crevices."

Additionally, these dogs are freakishly flexible, able to turn their heads a 180 degrees, bend their face backwards to touch their spine, lie totally flat with all four legs out to the sides, and rotate their legs over their heads. Plus, they can clamp their ears completely shut for protection from the elements. Sounds like these pooches could find jobs in the circus!

Source