Some of my fondest childhood memories include dogs. Growing up, I was surrounded by animals and I loved every second of it. I knew that I wanted to get a dog, but was waiting for the right time in my life to adopt. Everything sort of fell into place at exactly the right time.Once my husband and I bought a house I knew that we would soon be ready for a new addition to the family. We wanted to wait until we were settled in before hand. Turns out, we wouldn’t need to wait long. A friend of mine in …

The Asiatic Wolf is the most commonly accepted ancestor of modern sight hounds, including the Greyhound. Large parts of the Sahara were once well-watered lands, which provided the Greyhound's early ancestor with both wide open land and plenty of prey to give chase to. Sight hounds, as their name implies, hunt by sight and overtake their prey with great speed. The body of a Greyhound is a perfect example of such a hound, as its lean body and powerful legs give it both speed and endurance.Greyhoun …

The Welsh Terrier is an old breed seen in old paintings and prints. Originally called the Black and Tan Wire Haired Terrier, Old English Terrier and, at one point, the Old Reddish-Black Wirehaired Terrier, the Welshie was developed in Wales and was bred for its hunting abilities, particularly with badger, fox and otter. Commonly taken out with packs of hounds, the dogs would go down into dens to drive out prey for the hunter.Two strains of these terriers existed, the Ynysfor and the Old English …

The history of the Airedale is similar to many other Britain based terriers in that its ancestor is believed to be the now extinct Black and Tan terrier. Originating in the area of the Aire valley, the Airedale was known variously as the Working, Waterside and Bingley Terrier, as it began its metamorphosis into the dog we know today. Various types of Airedales were bred to further develop the hunting abilities depending on what quarry the owner was seeking whether it be fox, badger, bird, weasel …

The Japanese Chin’s main purpose was (and still is today) to serve as a companion to men and women. They were used to warm the laps of Asian aristocracy and kept the ladies company in the Imperial Palace. They were only kept by nobility and only given as gifts to foreigners who had performed exceptional service to Japan. Despite the name the Japanese Chin, it is actually believed that the breed’s true origin is China. Three different scenarios exist as to how the Japanese Chin made its way …