Why Another Blog - Just About Dogs?

This is Buddy, our Lhasa Apso, who - as you see - does not have any confidence problems!

I have learned from writing my blog, Yonge Street Texan, that the topic of dogs is very popular! Generally more people read my blog on the days when the content is about dogs. If that is what people like to read, I am happy to tackle this new blog!

This year, the Canadian Kennel Club has made me a Life Member and that makes me feel very proud because I have been studying dogs for a long time! I have written about dogs for magazines - dog and general publications - and I edited the bulletin for the Canadian Shih Tzu Club for several years. Additionally, I did PR and Promo for dogs and dog shows in the Toronto area.

I have owned, bred and/or shown Boxer, Scottish Terrier, Lhasa Apso and Shih Tzu.

I had to learn about as many breeds as possible when I married International All-Breed Dog Show Judge, John Devlin in 1977. (John died in 1995.)

Whenever I was at a dinner or a dog show, I would find myself seated next to someone with yet another breed. As I am a naturally outgoing person, I wanted to know about as many breeds as possible, so I could "talk dogs" with anyone.

You don't have to be involved in the Dog Fancy to enjoy dogs and almost everyone likes dogs. Dogs are great companions! They bond with their "owners" and generally fit well into the home environment.

There are currently more than 160 breeds of purebred dogs recognized by the American Kennel Club. For each dog, there is a written standard which sets out what we are looking for in a individual dog. In this blog, I will go over some of the more popular breeds and help you understand some of the breeds a little better. Families with young children should be looking for a different type of dog than say, seniors like Hubby Keith and me. Buddy, the Lhasa is right for us, but he would not be my preferred choice for a typical family of four with two young children.

At a Dog Show, at the first (breed) level, each individual dog is being judged to the standard set out for that breed. Then, later at the Group level, the judge is also looking at each dog - for example, the Lhasa - to see if it is closer to the Lhasa Apso Standard than, say, the Standard Poodle compares to the its standard.

Why is this new blog called Fifi and Fido? Well, when I would be writing about dogs in general, I fiame up with those as sort of typical names designating a feminine, dainty sort of dog and a big boy dog. Simple!

I hope you will enjoy reading this new blog and I know I will enjoy writing it!