#there are so many redundant dog breeds

[darkwood-sleddog]

always funny to me when people post purpose bred mixed breed dogs in conformation critique groups and all the purebred people are like "it looks like any other dog and doesn't serve a different purpose than what we already have" as if they don't have THIS in the AKC:

4 (separate!) belgian shepherds with no distinct differences other than their coat type and color

6!! types of dashunds that vary only in size and coat type

2 different bull terriers, 2 beagles, 3 poodles, where the only difference is quite literally!! size. that's it

Norwich and Norfolk terriers whose only separation is if their ears are up or down!

Australian Shepherds and Miniature American Shepherds. Same thing but size.

a gazillion terriers and hounds that look and function almost the same!

2!! different fox terriers, but one has smooth coat and one has wirecoat! weeeeeee

please explain how one of the akc's newest breeds, the biewer terrier, is any different than the yorkshire terrier other than coat pattern.

like 'uww SORRY dog people you aren't allowed to create new breeds anymore because we've thought of all the possible dog breeds and combinations known to god and man.' is not a legitimate critique.

[copperbadge]

A newsletter has a regular feature going down the list of Notable Sandwiches on Wikipedia. This week's is the hot dog. The writer emailed 30 professors. I commend everyone for the well-thought-out answers, especially the grad student who produced graphs. buttondown(.)email/theswordandthesandwich/archive/notable-sandwiches-89-hot-dog/

What a fun feature overall! I haven't reviewed the entirety of the Hot Dog Document yet, but I feel like now I want to do a bunch of back reading, too. I like reading about sandwiches, even if I'm fairly picky when it comes to them myself.

I will say, and perhaps this is populist of me or perhaps it's even more ivory tower than the academics, but as we all know I have a longstanding solution to all of this "is a hot dog a sandwich" nonsense, which is this:

"Sandwich" is not a noun. It is an adjective.

I don't mean that literally, like I haven't found some weird archaic dictionary that tells us so, but "sandwich" as a word is not used as a noun but rather as a descriptor of a thing, ergo, adjective. An object is a sandwich if you must apply "sandwich" to the end of the noun in order to properly identify it. It's like how many different kinds of dogs can be "brindle" but that is not a breed of dog and doesn't stand on its own as a classification.

Now, I have no objection to anyone saying "a hot dog sandwich" because that's simply a redundancy and if they wish to, that's their prerogative; it sounds fun and old timey, like saying "a hamburger steak". But we need not classify a hot dog as a sandwich simply because you don't need to say "hot dog sandwich" for the person you're speaking with in order to make yourself understood. Much as you would not generally say "Italian beef sandwich" even when speaking to someone who might not know what an italian beef is. You say "an italian beef" and then elucidate.

There is a possible exception to the rule, which is the Grilled Cheese Sandwich, commonly referred to as simply a Grilled Cheese despite taking a very sandwich-like form, but there are three arguments one can make regarding this:

It SHOULD be called a Grilled Cheese Sandwich to distinguish it from Halloumi

It is technically a "melt" which like a hamburger is distinct from a sandwich (ie, a Tuna Melt or Patty Melt) in the classification of "sandwich-like objects that need not be called a sandwich"

The grilled cheese is the exception that proves the rule and this is right and just, because grilled cheese sandwiches are the best and should be considered special.

Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk; I will not be taking questions at this time.

[theinsanecrayonbox]

Nightcrawlers #2 / SoS part 5

Again this thing repeats. Did the book not account for the recap/cast page? Because right after there’s a fancy recap text crawl again. This redundant stuff is annoying.

Anywho, Nightkin talk about how they’ve been stealing magic stuff for the past 90 years for Ms Hearts magic stuff.

Wait is that tentacle spider thing part Sabretooth? Uh well, Asgard falls now, mentions of Xander, the Shi’ar, and Otherworld faking too over the past 90 years…

Ok…how are you all still alive and unaged? You don’t have access to respawns here. You mentioned loosing fighters, so why are there still so many Nightkin left? We see Auntie Fortune (Domino) has aged, so seems like some of you do age…then why are there younger ones?

Ghost Banshee comes for a visit and chats up with Wagnerine (who is allowed to stay young and hot due to healing factor), and she brings up this

Sinister made it so the clones couldn’t breed. Ok, makes sense. Wagnerine could though because her healing factor fixed it. That probably shouldn’t be the case since her default was sterile and the healing factor sets you back to factory, but sure we can roll with that. HOWEVER the sire of her child was also Nightkin…why wasn’t he sterile? He was a Cyclops, so no healing factor for him, so why could he breed? The baby seemed to blow up once born, which makes sense for Summers energy powers, but also…the baby isn’t blue. It technically has a double grandparent in Nightcrawler, so why doesn’t it look it? Also no one finds it weird apparently that the Nightkin are shacking up despite being genetically related…

Anyways, Wagnerine looses her boyfriend who goes on death bamf to Sinister’s lab ball, so she’s starting to doubt Ms Heart’s intentions. They convince Ghost Banshee to convince her to let them go bamf to earth to go get something to help them clone more Nightkin, because apparently it was only AFTER 90 years did Sinister think that Kurt’s genetic morality was too troublesome to continue using I guess.

Oh and earth sucks and is abandoned now, that was a memo. So They get Dr Nemesis who oils like he brings in The Last of Us. But they also bring back OG monster Kurt to try to overthrow Ms Heart, but she beats him down to death, and Wagnerine escapes. She says there’s doubt in the Nightkin now since they know Heart isn’t as cool as she said she is. She also apparently stole the baby that blew up, so Wagnerine is swearing vengeance.

I’ve two minds here, one deals for the actual story and the other is about my fanon.

Story wise, this suffers hugely from the time skip. There’s too much telling us a the stuff that’s happened, then showing far too little of everything else. The pathos is kind of a long boring monologue that’s just “we been doing bad stuff, think boss day is bad, and hey look I was right, should probably try to fix that”.

My fanon side…so it took 90 years to give up on the Nightcrawler genes huh? Welp, I suppose Kimi was an early attempt at a replacement OR as the bird dog to hunt them down (thus the Warpath tracking skills), and that didn’t pan out either, so that makes sense. But also…feral momma hunting for their stolen baby…

Anyways, idk. I think the time skip story compression is what’s really going to hurt this event overall. The first 10 year jump was fine, but now it’s at 100; a lot of logic is going to be thrown out. Again, they don’t have respawns, yet are still young 100 years later. That’s not adding up.

[finn-sword]

not everyone's computer is going to be able to handle loading chunks upon chunks at the speed the penguin is suggesting. i just got a new laptop, but i'm not confident how it would even handle a normal ice highway. maybe i just don't keep worlds long enough to warrent that much long distance travel, and i'm picky about my seeds in the first place, so i don't see it as a big priority.

(although now that i intend to keep my current world for years if i can, maybe that will change.)

i just. don't see the penguin as very useful and whenever i see anyone rooting for it i guess i just don't understand the appeal over the crab and armadillo, whom i am going back and forth over who will get my vote.

i've found myself wanting a longer reach in quite a few situations, and while i want the dog armor, i'm salty that that's not something they would just make craftable, (yanno, ALONG WITH HORSE ARMOR....)

but just bc that's a thing i think makes sense and is reasonable doesn't mean the devs would actually do it. quite the opposite, actually, usually.

basically i'm torn between the usefulness of the crab and the utility i can see the rest of the community also sees in it - and the love of minecraft dogs that so many of us share. i always keep a pair at my base to breed, so i can take a third out with me to have my back in the caves and i deliberately try NOT to get attached to it. i don't name it, i only dye its collar white to tell it apart.... and then i get attached anyway and it dies djsjjdjsjs i want to be able to have a buddy i can feel like i can get attached to bc he'll live through more than a few run-ins with a creeper! i want to feel like i can use a nametag on my "take out, adventuring" dog without thinking "this is gonna be a waste of a nametag"

i guess my heart's with the armadillo but i feel like i shouldn't get my hopes up bc most of the community is going to settle with the logical, most useful thing in their opinions, and the crab's gonna win. "having a mob that exists just to accessorize another mob is kinda redundant and unnessecary" and yes i agree with that sentiment too.... but i'm so tired of either not using my dogs or watching them die over and over again. if we could have a chance for that to happen less i would really appreciate it djsjjdjsjs

end rant about the mob vote nobody asked for, wants, or will probably see at all LMAO i just had to get it out of my system....

[myfeeds]

Scientists discover a rare neurological disease involving cellular recycling

ATG4D aids in the cellular housekeeping process called autophagy, which cells use to break down and recycle damaged proteins and other defective pieces of the cell to stay healthy. Autophagy is a fundamental process used by cells throughout the body, but neurons are particularly dependent on autophagy for survival. However, little is known about how ATG4D contributes to healthy neurons. The first inclination of ATG4D‘s effects on brain health came from a 2015 study in which researchers identified a genetic neurological disease among Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, an Italian breed known for their fluffy coats and truffle-hunting abilities. The affected dogs had abnormal behavior, atrophy of the cerebellum, issues with motor coordination and eye movement and ATG4D mutations. While this 2015 study invigorated research interest in ATG4D‘s role in the brain, scientists had yet to connect ATG4D to any neurological disease in humans. “Among genetic diseases, we’ve solved many of the lower hanging fruits,” said May Christine Malicdan, M.D., Ph.D., NHGRI staff scientist and senior author of the study. “Now, we’re reaching for the higher fruits — genes like ATG4D that are more difficult to analyze — and we have the genomic and cellular tools to do so.” Computational analyses predicted that the three children’s ATG4D mutations would produce dysfunctional proteins. However, three other genes in the human genome serve very similar roles to ATG4D, and in some cells, these other genes may compensate for a loss of ATG4D. While all cells in the body share the same genome, some genes are more important for certain cells. When the researchers studied the children’s ATG4D mutations in skin cells, the variants did not affect the cells’ recycling process, but this may not be true in the brain. “The brain is so complex, and neurons have very specialized functions. To fit those functions, different neurons use different genes, so changes in redundant genes can have major impacts in the brain,” said Malicdan. To simulate cells that rely more heavily on ATG4D, the researchers deleted the similar genes in cells grown in the laboratory and then inserted the children’s ATG4D mutations. The researchers determined the cells with the children’s ATG4D mutations could not carry out the necessary steps for autophagy, indicating that the children’s symptoms are likely caused by insufficient cellular recycling. Still, much about ATG4D remains unknown. “We have only a bird’s eye view of many important cellular processes like autophagy,” said Malicdan. A rare disease that involves changes in one gene can help tease apart how that gene acts in a broadly important cellular process. Other components of autophagy are involved in common neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Knowledge of this rare neurological disorder could lead to new avenues of research about ATG4D‘s involvement in more common conditions. “That’s the million-dollar question in rare disease research,” said Malicdan. “Rare diseases can help us understand biological pathways, so we can better understand how those pathways contribute to other rare and common conditions.” NIH researchers and clinicians continue to work with the children in this study, and the researchers are aiming to identify more patients. Treatments are many steps away, but by learning more about ATG4D and autophagy, researchers may be able to develop new treatments for this condition and others involving autophagy pathways.

[animala2z]

Labsky: Height, Lifespan, Care, Grooming Special Information

The Labsky is a mixed breed dog a cross between the Labrador Retriever and Siberian Husky canine types. Active, intelligent, and pious, these pups inherited some of the stylish rates from both of their parents.

Labskies also go by the name Huskador. Despite their high-end image, you may find these mixed strain tykes in harbors and deliverances, so flashback to always borrow! Don’t shop!

These lovable doggies make for super pious and devoted family faves, and they’re generally veritably easy to train and quick to learn new commands. But a heads up Labskies are tykes who like to remain active, so be prepared for many redundant long walks. frequently seen as smarter than the average canine, Labskies also profit from interactive canine toys.

Origin: United States of America (also bred independently by breeders in other places)

Height: 20 to 28 inches

Weight: 40 to 60 pounds

Lifespan: 12 Years

Color: White, Black, Cream, Brown, or Gray

Breed Characteristics

As would be anticipated given who their parents are, Labskys are generally lively, athletic, and full of fun. They’re loving and tender, occasionally fawningly so. A roisterous strain that requires lots of attention, this canine would clearly not be suited to a first-time proprietor or someone who spends a lot of time down from the home.

They crave mortal fellowship and need to constantly have commodities to do. In fact, a Labsky that’s left alone for too long will frequently develop nuisance behaviors and may indeed begin to suffer from separation anxiety. Incessant barking can be a real challenge for some individuals.

generally tolerant of children, given their size and strength it’s still important to supervise youthful children when in the presence of a Lansky. They can make awful playmates for the youthful people of the ménage and tend to come relatively defensive over them.

History Of Labsky

The Labsky is a result of an intercross between a Siberian Husky and a Labrador Retriever. The Husky Lab blend began during the 1990s.

But the history of their parents isn’t mysterious. Both Siberian Huskies and Labrador Retrievers are ménage names for pet suckers. The Labrador Retriever has outgunned the most popular pet list for further than 25 times.

The Siberian Husky strain is nearly 3000 times old and began in the Arctic. Humans brought Huskies to Canada and Alaska. originally, they pulled sleds to hunt, and since they were great companions, they started getting popular.

Labrador retrievers began during the 19th century in Newfoundland. The strain came popular in the United States because of its disposition. Labrador Retrievers were used as gundogs, and they worked on both water and land. The strain is known for being friendly and good with kiddies. It has come a favorite family canine.

[bitter-sweet-coffee]

y'know this might be a weird thing to randomly post about on my sonic the hedgehog tumblr blog but fuck it, i gotta say some stuff about animals (mainly dogs because i have too many thoughts for one redundant post i should narrow in on a species)

i don't see this behaviour online but can people irl stop being gross about pet genitalia, especially dogs and stuff? like, do you think vets are pervs for touching your dog's genitals? no? okay so you can also touch them if it's for good reasons (not something sexual)

do you know how many weird looks i've gotten from people when i say i do all of george's grooming maintenance besides his full appointments? yeah, that includes touching gross stuff like his scabs, fecal residue, urine residue, paws, mouth, etc... because "wait you touch his butt? you touch where his balls used to be? that's kinda sus" DUDE HE'S MY DOG I GOTTA CLEAN HIM WTF??? like i'm not having a good time either trust me, he hates baths, but i'm going to ensure he's clean and healthy by checking his whole body for oddities especially as he gets older. this isn't weird, maybe i'm a bit extra because most people barely think about this stuff, but vet training and my love for animals means i'm gonna be extra (also he sleeps on my bed and frequently lays on my face or licks it when i'm unconscious: i can't prevent it these days but at least i can brush his teeth so i'm not THAT grossed out)

also, some animals (like aggressive large dog breeds) need desensitization training as they grow up. a black russian terrier i puppysat needed this treatment where you'd have to just touch him everywhere and if he's snappy with something like his paw or tail or genitals just desensitize him. no, not abuse and purposely torment an animal don't try to twist this into something negative, i mean condition these types of dogs when they're small so when they're 200+ pounds and have extremely dangerous biting power, they won't bite a kid's face off if they poke his butt or something. it doesn't matter if the kid's parents were neglectful or if the kid was in the wrong because if this turns into a legal battle, we all know the dog is gonna lose. sometimes this shit is a necessary precaution and when done correctly it can be so important for a dog's welfare

boots on dogs aren't just to be quirky. george wears rubber ballon-like boots not only to prevent matting/contamination when it's wet or snowy/icy outside but also for temperature reasons and salt especially. it's a fucking lifesaver, not animal abuse. same with his jackets because it's hard enough to walk him during a snowstorm: he won't shit if he's uncomfortable and that's not something either of us want to deal with. yes he has a few sweaters and a pajama but they're for short term special occasion use (and he really likes them lmao)

i think people should give their dogs vegetables more. safe ones, but it's good for them. george has allergies which means he's on a raw food diet (he gets raw duck twice a day) and in addition to his meals he likes snacks! yogurt treats, sliced veggies, some blueberries, etc etc and his dietary issues literally vanished. all those stupid kibble commercials about how "dogs crave real meat, give them that with these processed nuggets" piss me off like ITS CHEAPER (for where i live) TO JUST GET FROZEN PACKS OF MEAT??? i don't expect every dog (or cat) owner to invest time in this kind of diet for their pet but maybe they'd bite their paws and lick themselves less if they had some real food lol just sayin' and it can even limit your food waste to share some of this stuff with your pet! just make sure it's safe first

also, i sorta mentioned this before but check your damn pets. maybe not 500 times a day like i do (george has skin tags that burst sometimes it's not just my obsessive tendencies) but like how do you not see something is wrong??? if you see a lump or a cut or a bite or a bug or an irritated area or a knot DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT??? AT LEAST KEEP AN EYE ON IT??? idk it just seems weird to me when people are oblivious to their pet's health issues until it's serious

LAST THING BECAUSE I GOT BORED HALFWAY THROUGH WRITING THIS SINCE MY MEDS WORE OFF: brush your dog's fucking teeth. I DONT CARE IF THEY HATE IT BECAUSE IT'S GONNA PREVENT SO MANY POTENTIAL HEALTH THREATS AND ALSO SMALL DOGS LOSE THEIR TEETH FAST BUT IF YOU BRUSH YOU CAN DELAY THAT!!! george is 11 and has every single tooth because i brush them every week (i'd do it every day but look i don't want to die) and it does wonders. also his breath doesn't make me want to kill myself but this is also probably thanks to the cucumbers

ok that's all rant over sorry this wasn't organized i just kept saying shit lmao

[aalt-ctrl-del]

yknow the Russian invasion of Ukraine is absolute proof that Russia released the virus.

It’s a pretty heavy accusation, but it’s one that the government has explored to some depth. However, dealing with Russia is a tad precarious, and even if our government had definitive proof that Russia released a bioweapon, what are we gonna do? Start a war? Demand justice? Make Putin say he’s sorry? Shun the Russia country?

But maga people are so brainwashed by this mantra that the covid is “kung-flu” or whatever uncreative drool secretion accumulates in the corner of their jowl. magas tend to overlook that Russia has been super fucking quiet for all this time. Russias sort of like, “Hello comrade nations. The virus is very pandemic, is it?” You don’t hear a lot from Russia about their handling of the pandemic, treatments or anything. They’re just over there, being very quiet, not drawing attention to themselves....

and now they wanna sort of invade their neighbors.

HMMMMMMMMMM..... 

It wasn’t a big fucking coverup that bad shit was going on in china. Back in september 2019, we started hearing about it. Back in november 2019, I went out and stockpiled R-95 masks, because supplies were being shipped to china to help their shortages in supplies, due to the virus that was out of control. We had experience with a SARS disease of this nature, and then our country devised a pandemic response team thus we would not let an outbreak or this magnitude, a epidemic of this nature, get far out of hand.

And then we have Russias bitch dog trump, disband the whole thing a few months before SARS took hold of China.

HMMMMMMMMMMM.....

This sounds kind heckin like sabotage to me. I dunno, when you neuter a dog, its not gonna have many puppies. Thats good and fine if you dont want puppies, but that dog was a rare and endangered breed, and the genetics were such good stock.

The point is, Russia has and always has done weird bullshit experiments. And the original SARS infection, if you read about that history, you’ll learn that this particular strain of the virus ‘disappeared’. Which means either the people who contracted it did not do well and fucking died, or alternatively, those who contracted the original SARS virus, were able to build viable antibodies, and when the virus was posed with no alternative reservoir - such as animals - it ate itself into redundancy. Or, through convergent evolution, the original SARS became a benign virus which was no different to an rhino infection, thus it lives on, but cannot become anything more dangerous.

The point is, we don’t know where the original SARS virus went.

Covid 19 on the other hand, is a prime example of a viral pathogen which has been given the opportunity and freedom to grow. And its capacity to jump species is VERY CONCERNING, and a particular note to keep an eye on.

So countries are in disarray from dealing with the spread of this virus. And the US has become a very dangerous state, because we do breed fresh variants. It isn’t a shock that Russia has chosen this time to movie on Ukraine, there is a strategic advantage to elect this year of the pandemic, and upon the movement of the Omicron variant - which they still say is concerning, but not as destructive as delta or the original 19 strain.

But this is sort of the anniversary of the pandemics landfall in the US. Isn’t it, give or take?

[the--sad--hatter]

FAQ

I'm answering the most frequently asked questions I get, and offering an explanation to some issues that have arisen.

Here you’ll find answer for a range of questions, from what my stance is on Fic Requests, to what the COA is, to why I’m so flaky. 

If you have a question that isn’t answered here, send it in. 

Q: When will Fics be updated?

A: I don't know. I write whatever, whenever. Could be its updated every day, could be its not updated for months. I'm doing this in my free time, so I don't have to follow a schedule. I do not answer asks about this anymore, as I've answered it so many times, and it says it in my bio.

Q: Can I be on your taglist?

A: I have several Taglists, for different characters/stories, as well as an Everything taglist. You can absolutely be on it, provided that it's not closed.

Q: I sent you a message, but you never replied, why not?

A: Chances are I either never got it, or I haven't got to it yet. If I haven't answered it after a while then you likely either asked a question about Fic updates, or being on Taglists that are closed. I don't answer those.

Q: Why don't you reply to all your comments on your fics?

A: Between private messages, Ao3, and Tumblr comments, I don't have the emotional capability to answer everything anymore. I have pretty bad anxiety, and social interaction confuses me. I have to focus a lot of energy into replying, and it has started taking several hours a day for me to do. I can't keep that up anymore. I read all the comments, and some get screenshotted and kept for rainy days, I deeply appreciate all of them.

Q: I have a personal problem that has nothing to do with fandom or Tumblr, would it be OK to talk to you about it?

A: Absolutely. You can inbox or direct message me and I'll do whatever I can to help, be that giving advice or just lending an ear. I know how important a friendly shoulder can be, and I'll always be there for anyone who needs that from me.

Q: I saw you reblog a post from a known Peadophile/Racist/ Terf/Homophobix/sexist/ user. Did you mean to do that?

A: Absolutely not. If you ever see my reblog or interact with anyone like that, please tell me so I can remove it and block them.

Q: Do you take writing Commissions?

A: I do not. I have a Ko-fi to raise funds for my pupper brothers surgery, but that's not an obligation. I toyed with the idea of offering commissions to those who donated, but since I take requests anyway, it seemed redundant.

And I'm not a skilled enough writer to do commisons for non-fanfic stuff.

Q: I see you post stuff about something called the COA, what's that?

A: The COA is The Council of Authors, another blog I run with @whatcouldgowrong-ohthat & @buckyreaderrecs It's to help other writers get feedback, reblogs and comments on their fics, by all working together as a community.

Q: You don't reblog a lot of other writers stuff, isn't that a bit hypocritical?

A: I do, but I don't read a lot of fanfiction anymore. I find more and more, that I am very easily triggered, by often mundane things. I also don't read OC stuff, due to my problem with names. But I want to support other writers, so um trying to get over my anxiety, and that's why I created the COA.

Q: You talk about your mental health all the time. What's actually wrong with you?

A: I get this question a lot, usually worded a lot less politely.

Borderline Personality Disorder, ADHD, Insomnia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic DISORDER and PTSD. In the past I suffered from Paranoid delusions and dissociative amnesia.

I've been receiving mental health support for these since I was 5 years old, from medication and therapy, to hospitalisation. Currently, I live in supported housing, so I can maintain some kind of independence.

Q: I wrote a Fic and I want you to beta read it for me, will you do that?

A: I'm sorry, but no. I don't feel comfortable doing that. It's a minefield for me, between triggers, anxiety, and not being that confident in my own skills. I can offer general writing tips from my own experience, but I don't specifically read for people unless I'm already close with them and feel comfortable enough to tell them how I feel.

Q: I've tried to start a conversation with you, but you just blanked me?

A: Not on purpose! I'm so sorry. I'm really really bad at remembering to respond, and it's not personal, I swear. Sometimes I spend forever trying to word my response in my head and then forget to actually send it. Sometimes I'll look away from my screen for two seconds and my attention span will go somewhere else like the rude hoe it is, and I think I've responded to you. If you have to nudge me, you can totally do that. If you can't be bothered trying to keep me in line, I totally don't blame you 😂

Q: Can I be your friend?

A: I don't know why you would want to be, but yes! I love making new friends, and my personal blog is @just-Kara-no-hats

Q: Do you take requests?

A: I do, though it may take me a while to get them done. I don't do them in any particular order, just as inspiration strikes. I'll write for most MCU character except Peter Parker (Romantic/sexual, I'll write him platonically), Dr Strange (I just don't like him), Carol Danvers (I have zero emotional connection with her, makes her impossible for me to write for).

Q: Will you write Smut?

A: Yip. M/F, M/M, F/F. All are fine. I won't write it for underage characters though. 

Q: Do you write Dark Fics?

A: Some of my fics have a lot of violence and past child abuse. I don't write non/dub con stuff though. I have nothing against, and follow some amazing authors who do write them, but I don't write it myself.

Q: What will you not write?

A: Anything with kids. I've done pregnant readers in the past, but that's as far as I went, and even that was too much for me. So no parental readers, no pregnancy, no breeding.

I don't feel comfortable with writing age-play, daddy/little's, Brat kinks, bodily fluid kinks.

Other than that, you're best just asking me.

Q: Who is the dog you're always posting pictures of?

A: My little brother, Seren. My dad lives 5 doors down from me, with Seren. He's the apple of my eye.

[loulougoingsolo]

“There goes our Peter Pan sponsorship”

A few days ago, there was this tweet:

Yesterday, Matt retweeted this same tweet with the addition of tomorrow - which is today. Boy, did he deliver. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. They made Rhett and Link read their own fanfiction - and it wasn’t the fluffy kind. So, let’s talk about that - and the fact that I am simultaniously exhilarated, embarrased...and a little bit awkward.

This is, for what I can remember, the first time ever that GMM has needed a warning about being NSFW or unsuitable for kids, but despite all those warnings, I assumed they’d found some fairly innocent fics for this episode. I love how before getting into reading, Rhett and Link point out that the thing that makes reading these fics out loud difficult for them is simply because it’s about themselves - not that it’s fanfiction - or that it’s about real people. They are not opposed to people writing fanfiction, even about themselves, they just prefer not to read it - for obvious reasons - but I think this episode, even with all the cringe, emphasizes the fact that they are ok with Rhink. And we also got proof that the crew does read fanfics, and we may actually have a mole in our midst.

Instead of just reading the fics, Rhett and Link do it in GMM style, by turning it into a game. They take turns reading a part of the story on a card, and for every card they successfully manage to read, gives them a point. If one of them taps out, the other has a chance to steal the points by finishing the card - and if they both fail, it’s up to Stevie to finish. Either way, we are getting to hear the whole thing.

I’ll link all the fics in this post, so you can check them out - and also, so you can read them in their entirety. The crew apparently decided to only have portions of the full fics on the show, and I think that was a good thing, since this supposedly was the first time R&L are acquainted with fanfiction, and even with these snippets, there might have been some permanent damage. (Oh, in case you’re wondering, I linked the AO3 texts instead of the tumblrs on all the fics, mainly to keep things simple.)

The first fic for the guys to read is “Puppy” by Mythical-Ross. Sounds all cute and fluffy, yes, but Stevie gives a subtle warning before Link gets to reading. No actual dogs were harmed in the story, but as the story goes on, it becomes apparent that this story is about a different kind of puppy. I can’t believe this was the first fic they chose to read, after celebrating Puppy love on Valentine’s Day.

I completely lost it when Link started reading his lines with a special voice: “Who’s a good boy?”, and commented on how only one finger was licked so far. Rhett, on the other hand, is struggling to read his part. (Which is understandable, given his role in this story.) Link looks a lot like how I felt when I first stumbled upon rhink fics, both a little guilty for reading smut, but also kinda curious about what’s to come. He seems to be taking this experience surprisingly well. 

Link is in a small lead after the first round, as we move on from puppy play to Mpreg with “Positive” by dip_the_pip. Why do I feel like we are going through all of Link’s kinks today. We know he loves puppies and talks about pregnancy a lot. But this probably isn’t like living a dream for him...And, just in case we’re getting reality and fiction confused, Link feels the need to point out that he’s never kissed Rhett’s knuckles. This comment feels slightly redundant after the previous story, but okay. And then he’s upset about doing the dishes on both stories (because THAT is the thing that’s upsetting about these stories), and then he warns the (fictional?) Rhett not to nipple on his lips - because of herpes. Rhett seems to still know what’s going on, saying the herpes is the least of their worries at this point. They ARE having a baby together, after all. Link finally gets to experience pregnancy first hand.

Considering all the jokes these guys have made on GMM about eating balls, turns out, reading about their own is a step too far. I have to say, checking the original unabridged version, a lot of the text was cut off for this episode - and personally I think reading a shortened version might give a wrong idea about fanfic. Anyway, Rhett fails to read his part, Link chooses not to steal his points, and Stevie has to read the line about her bosses doing it against the wall.

The last, but by no means, the least, fic for the guys to read, is a story from the college days of Rhink, “Breaking the Seal” by LinksLipsSinkShips. By this time, Rhett appears to be emotionally defeated, while Link almost seems to be having fun.

I really hope this episode didn’t ruin Link’s love for peanut butter. At least, he finally won something, and now we’ll get to see Rhett posting a line from a crew selected fic on his personal Twitter account (rhettmc) without explanations. Based on the choice of fics today, I expect the crew to be ruthless.

I have to say, this episode went much better than I expected. I admit that I’m still blushing, and thankful that nothing from my own archives was brought to daylight - although I fully stand behind my own work, even the cringier ones. I hope reading these stories didn’t change the guys’ openminded approach to dealing with us, the shipping kind.

I have to admit, after the main episode, I was releaved by the wholesome puppy videos in GMMore, probably as much as everyone else. I think it’s absolutely amazing, how dog-friendly Mythical is. So many adorable puppies, everywhere!

I happen to be the proud big-sister of a small dog, and I agree with Link in saying that a dog that has humans pet her, carry her treats, and fill the pool for her are pretty smart - they have complete control over their humans, and that is pretty clever. (I know that they’ve made IQ tests on dogs, and these tests rank many smaller breeds at the bottom, but that’s different kind of intelligence.)

Link has either completely forgotten about reading a fic about puppy play by the time they get to watch Sherby? the corgy play dead - after reading a story like that it doesn’t really help his cause to say he’d want to have a corgy as a pillow - or that Miles the husky is hot. And then he goes on to compliment Stevie’s dog Ringo’s gluteus.

Ok, after Link brings up swirls, I’m starting to think he’s intentionally messing with Rhett by bringing up these words that remind them about the fics. When he asks if Chase’s dog is swirling, and then goes on to talk in a puppy voice, I know he’s doing it on purpose. It seems the guys survived their ordeal mostly unaffected (and maybe with some new perpectives to life), and now we can all life happily ever after. Except maybe Rhett, who still has some tweeting to do...

[herenortherenearnorfar]

The Development of Farming in Middle-Earth

An agricultural revolution is driven by multiple factors. Time is one of them, as is location, as is necessity. Therefore I would argue that Valinor lacked a farming culture and that large swathes of farming technology were innovated later, in the First Age and beyond.

First let’s establish that the Calaquendi were not farmers. Tolkien’s own anti-tech sensibilities, the emphasis within the text on farming and forests, and the presence of powerful nature spirits who would make the need for fields and crops redundant all suggest a more garden/foraging based society. Since Yavanna, Ulmo, Oromë can create food (plants, animals) they could eliminate the pressures (overhunting, hunger) that led to the advent of grain agriculture in the real world. They would also have motive to stick with a more hunter-gather society, since mono-crop farming and animal rearing would contradict Yavanna’s pro-tree agenda and Oromë’s interest in preserving the wild. And although elves have a bread-culture this doesn’t necessarily mean that they cultivated wheat-- wild grains like millet and barley were used by hunter-gathers to create flatbreads. Lothlorien, which is mostly forested, and wild Doriath also created bread, meaning that the presence of bread isn’t a sure indicator of big farming. 

This doesn’t mean Valinorean elves wouldn’t understand animal domestication and plant cultivation; just that they wouldn’t need to engage in these activities on a wide scale. We know from the text that elves keep dogs and horses, but we don’t get a lot of insight into their cattle raising, for example (there are extant elvish words for bull, but most other cow related words are from Gnomish or other early language iterations). The presence of weaving suggests that they may have bred woolly sheep (there is a Quenya word for sheep) but shepherding and sheep flocks aren’t mentioned until descriptions of the early Hadorians. For people with the ability to learn animal-speech keeping free range sheep would be much more feasible than for humans, allowing for a more flexible “hands off until shearing time” sheep relationship. Out of respect for Oromë, hunting seems to have taken over animal husbandry as a major source of protein. 

(This also ties into a theory of mine that elves are largely lactose intolerant past childhood. Without herding it’s hard to develop those enzymes.)

The same is true of plants. Valinorean elves probably experimented with plant hybridization and modification, kept private gardens or orchards, and prided themselves on growing new varietals, but may not have kept large scale fields. What would be the need, when you can just throw some seed down on the grassland (at all times of the year no less- thanks lembas essay) and trust Yavanna to make it all work? When the woods are full of infinite food and you have the gods of sea creatures and land dwelling beasts on your side there isn’t the same food pressure that faced early humans in real life. Food is everywhere, all you need to do is nurture and collect it. 

Of course not all elves were in Valinor. Middle-Earth elves would have developed certain technologies much faster than their more sheltered peers. At the same time, the Green-Elves of Ossiriand are noted to resent “hewers of trees and hunters of beasts” so they definitely weren’t clearing fields left and right. In fact, let’s split the Moriquendi up into groups based on location, to get a better sense of their respective farming styles. 

In Doriath was Melian, who has the potential to fulfill a Yavanna-like role as a forest nurturer. Again, you have to put less effort in when there’s a goddess on your side. The elves of Doriath were noted woodmen and hunters, and their descendants in the Greenwood and Lothlorien seem to have favored similarly naturalist approaches. Forest gardening isn’t out of the question. However two facts stand out. One: Menegroth was underground. This means that they had the potential to develop fungiculture (possibly developed with the help of dwarves). Two: prior to Morgoth’s awakening the elves of Doriath were less isolationist and wandered far. This means that they may have done some light plant propagation, moving seeds around and planting trees in more advantageous places. Your basic early Neolithic revolution behavior. 

In Ossiriand were the Nandor, who again, valued their trees a lot. This means that they’re going to be less willing to clear land or practice field farming. They may have still engaged in forest gardening, like the people of Doriath, encouraging food plants to grow and cultivating oak trees, fruit orchards, edible vines and shrubs, mushrooms, wild herbs, and other forest friendly food. 

Near lake Mithrim were Sindar elves who first met the Noldor. These are the most likely candidates for early field farming tech, since they had both deforested flatland and access to water sources. They’re also the most likely to have begun growing wild grains like wheat, barley, and millet.

The Falathrim is where things get interesting. We know that they kept “pools” in addition to their beaches and that they were dear to Ossë, an ocean Maia. This suggest a seafood based diet and the potential for pesciculture. Ancient forms of fish farming often worked in tandem with the sea and spawning habits of fish. Trenches would would be dug meeting the ocean, roe would be captured, and juvenile fish raised in fresh water. The Falathrim may have kept artifical tidal pools as well as raised fry. They may have also engaged in seaweed farming. The same goes for the Teleri across the sea, though again living in Valinor means that there’s much less need to stress over food. On Tol Eressea, seaweed farming and sea fishing will have proliferated, giving way to city gardens as the island population grew. 

The Avari are the most open for interpretation. We don’t know what these mystery suitors were doing on the other side of the continent. The Avari are said to have been more primitive than the Noldor but let’s look at the source here-- we can’t trust a Noldor account to be honest. Context clues can help us make guesses, however. For example, humans showed up in the middle of the First Age with domestic sheep, horses, donkeys, and goats (thanks random detail about the Hadorians from HoME). That isn’t something you figure out in a few hundred years. Given that we know early humans interacted with the Avari it’s entirely possible that they learned animal husbandry from them as well. So the Avari may have kept these animals! At the same time it’s mentioned that the Beorians “had no beasts of burden” so whatever animal technology later humans picked up from the Avari it took them a while to master it. 

Other technologies the Avari may have possessed include fungiculture (for they were long without the sun and preferred dark places), forest farming, and maybe some floodplain farming since many stayed near the lake where they originated. 

Now once the Noldor Exiles hit Beleriand they would have had to shift their food production methods drastically. No longer surrounded by greater and lesser spirits they faced much a much more serious potential for famine. Furthermore, encounters with the Mithrim and Falathrim, and later the elves of Doriath and Ossiriand, will have introduced new principles of agriculture. The combination of Noldor GMO technology (nurtured in an open sandbox of innovation) plus more necessity based Beleriand techniques, likely paved the way for a new flourishing of agriculture. The regions many of Fingolfin and Feanor’s kin moved into-- flat lands and mountainous regions with less forest to worry about-- will have also helped develop a more robust farming culture. 

They’re still elves so they’re going to be more hesitant to mess with nature but with the rise of the Noldor we’re more likely to see irrigation, fertilizer, and professional farming. Wild grains will have slowly become more domesticated. It’s mentioned in HoME that corn (grains) originated in Aman, were brought to Middle-Earth, but didn’t do well and was mostly kept by adherents of Yavanna (including some in Doriath, who grew grains in limited amounts in sunlit glades). There’s a sense that the elves have a lot of plants but are still figuring out what to do with them. Things they can grow: wild grasses, grapes (they have wine!), sturdy fruits and veggies willing to resist Morgoth. 

Dwarves are hard to judge because we don’t get a ton of insight into their material culture. Sure they love mountains but where does their food come from? They like it but how? Where? Nevertheless, we can attribute to dwarves mountain terraces, fungiculture, and indoor agriculture using reflected sunlight. In fact, dwarves might have invented greenhouses, which would give them a foot over their peers in early post-Sunrise Middle Earth. The petty-dwarves cultivated some sort of root-vegetable so other dwarves likely did as well. They also probably made big strides in pony-breeding, goat rearing, and some other types of animal husbandry.

Finally, the humans arrive. Now the agricultural innovations of non-Beleriand humans are really hard to judge. We know that they were big farmers within a few thousand years though, which again suggests some Avari help. In the east irrigation and complex water retention would have developed most quickly. They probably also further developed grain farming (important for a fast reproducing population) and your basic river valley techniques (flood control, fertilizer, plant breeding) within a fairly short time frame. Again, the Avar and non-Atani humans really don’t get the credit they deserve for speed running civilization without divine interference. 

Onto the Beleriand humans who we do know about. The Haladin had independent homesteads by Haleth’s time, a practice that’s pretty hard to maintain (early agricultural was communal for a reason). The Hadorians had animal husbandry. The Beorians were quick to take to farming and willing to learn from elves. All of this suggests an adaptable, innovative farming culture which might be a little more garden focused than medieval Europe but was still plenty productive. 

After the fall of Beleriand we meet even more humans. In Numenor sheep were kept, for example, in addition to various crops. Corn of Aman origin were favored and the Numenoreans spread these more developed grains across the world, leading to better farming for all men.  Widespread field agriculture developed in Arnor and Gondor. Milk was drunk among herding cultures and farming cultures (both Rohan and Gondor were probably full of milk drinkers), making animal farming more profitable. Cows are widespread by the period of LoTR, as are chickens, goats, cheese, and plants like tomatoes and potatoes. Beekeeping is also present in the Shire, suggesting that beekeeping has developed over the past few millenia.

The Woses, a more woodland based group, favored forest farming and cave living. Other human groups followed their lead, remaining more forest based until Numenor came and ripped their forests up. Numenorean imperialism in general can be seen as a force for field based farming, destroying earlier forest models. And exception would be in the far East, where again, humans seem to have figured things out on their own. 

Later elven groups include Silvan and Sindar communities (more likely to favour forest living) and Noldor communities (more likely to have cities, gardens, and some fields though not on a human scale.) Very late elf enclaves like Rivendell may have combined rooftop gardening with forest cultivation. 

All this probably sounds like a load of nonsense so I’ve summed up the development of Middle Earth farming in a few easy notes. 

Who Invented What?

Planting seeds and then harvesting them was recognized by all elf groups, roughly simultaneously

Gardens were invented by the Amanyar, Teleri (all groups), and Avari, later spread everywhere

Food forests were invented by the Nandor and Sindar, later practiced by the Woses and other human groups as well as Silvan/Sindar elves

Grain farming was invented by the Mithrim and Amanyar then later perfected by the Easterlings and Numenoreans

Organic Fertilizer was invented by the Nandor and later preferred in human settlements

Mass fertilization and nitrogen fertilizer was invented by the Noldor exiles and sometimes used in Numenor 

Chemical fertilizers and pollution were invented by The Forces of Darkness

Greenhouses were invented by the dwarves and Exile Noldor, later used in parts of Arnor and Gondor

Irrigation was developed by the Mithrim then further developed by the Noldor and friends. It was also practiced by the Avari and Easterlings

Fungiculture was invented by the dwarves and Avari, then later shared with the Sindar

Pesciculture was invented by the Teleri (all groups)

Seaweed farming was invented by the Falathrim and elves of Tol Eressea

Terrace farming was invented by the dwarves and later practiced by elves and humans

Horse riding is just about universal

General animal husbandry was invented by the Amanyar and Avari, later embraced by all humans

Raising animals for meat was developed by the Avari and later passed on to humans

Raising animals for milk is entirely on humans

GMO plants were invented by the Amanyar, improved on by combined elves of Beleriand, and dabbled in by Numenoreans. Also the Avari and Easterlings probably had them to some extent but who knows because we don’t have enough info on them.

[imaginethebeautifulworld]

I read in one of your posts that Feliciano was more of the manipulative type. Can you elaborate more on that? And maybe more Italy (any of them or all of them) hcs?

I’m not quite sure if I hot the nail on the head for you luv, but…

Some Theories:

Veneziano:

Out of all three brothers, Feliciano is the strongest diplomat. He’s very adept at reading others’ intentions, and he has made an art of adjusting his personality to fit whatever needs he may need to meet. Feli will play any role necessary for his motives- usually protection for himself and his brothers. He’s the one who seems most approachable, and he uses this confidence to his advantage. Never a nefarious bone in his body, but the scars on his legs remind him that it’s good to have powerful people in your pocket, and to never show your hand too early.

Romano:

Lovino is the passionate idealist, though these days there are so many battles that he doesn’t have one specific thing to fight for. He’s the most cynical of the siblings, all too familiar with how the Others have used the boys to their own ends. He never could full support Feli’s act of naivety, at least not until he had a chance to see the sanguine and docile expression fade in a meeting once, the charade falling away and the true power of Venezia echoing in the younger’s words; Lovino never doubted his brother’s political prowess again. As it stands, Lovino is the one who reads over every treaty, every contract. He helped Nonno with his work in Byzantium, and Toni’s privateering taught him the power of loopholes. All decisions come back to him, everything critically analyzed with that pessimism that has kept him alive for nearly two millenia.

Seborga:

Marcello, while technically on his own now, still is wholeheartedly invested with his big brothers. He’s centuries younger than both of them however, so there sometimes can be a strong disconnect. But that disconnect gave him the chance to get to know the people better, learn what the citizens fear, desire, dread, hope. Lovino and Feli will go to their meetings, play their roles of frustrated detachment and oblivious detachment respectively, and Marcello spends the day wandering the city where the meeting is being held. Donning another name, with reference to some popular blog or other, he gathers the true thoughts of the people being affected by the talks inside. He finds experts, locals, travelers, activists, elders. All he gathers makes its way back to the designated room, details he can share with his brothers, comparing notes, concerns, and hopes, all before they decide on their next course of action.

General Headcanons:

They literally do not stop talking when in a room together.

They usually have five conversations happening at the same time. Last night’s alternated between exorcising whatever a Momo is, how much work it would take to build a series of tunnels between each of their houses, which dog breeds are better, the redundancy of Enochian, and the exact shade of green in Arthur’s eyes.

Seriously, they are so loud and barely stop to breathe. You either sink or learn how to swim along.

Feli designed the cover art for Marcello’s first album.

Despite their age, Lovino and Marcello love playing Manhunt, and they are terrifyingly good at it. Marcello will climb, crawl, bend into any hiding spot, and Lovino is absolutely silent whilst on the hunt. 

Lovino and Feliciano mastered their own dialect back in 1602. They love to tease Marcello because he doesn’t know most of the words.

These three are an undisputed team, and everyone has learned that if you cause undo harm to one Vargas, you summon the wrath of the others. And one ferocious Spaniard. And one semi-retired Prussian.

Lovino taunts Ludwig just for the hell of it these days. Feli has tried dozens of times to get him to stop. But, even when Marcello helped him successfully establish what was seemingly the perfect blackmail, it did nothing.

Interestingly enough, Marcello and Freidrich adopted each other on site. They alternate between over-mothering each other to half-flaying on each other while reading and meme-swapping.

Lovino has thus declared he is the only sane one left for not forming a close bond with any of the Germanics. This was met with a pointed look as Gil lifted the corner of his shirt, revealing the tip of a matching tattoo, a slow smirk, and earning the taunting: “Remember the Camaro.” Lovino proceeded to reinstate his quest to find brain bleach.

They disappear a few times each year on fishing trips; they’d all live on the water if they could get away with it.

Their main house is in Rome. Lovino has his own place in Napoli, Feli in Venezia, and Marcello a small farm just outside Seborga city limits. They really hate being apart for too long though, so even when in their own homes, they still find ways to never really stop talking.

They are all scared of one day being seperated from each other once again. Each has a different recollection of the Hell they faced for reunification, but they’ll be damned if they ever put themselves into such a vulenerable position ever again.

[forthedingoes]

I have a link to the source of this photo, but I’m hesitant to put it up, because of the people who have her.. I’d rather not have any contact with them.    This girl is one of the most beautiful dingoes I’ve ever seen, she’s wild born, and a rescue. She’s the type the majority of people would call a dingo cross, or a wild dog. Thankfully she is in a safe-ish place, with a rescue who prioritize DNA testing because they breed and sell dingo pups to people as ‘pets’. I do not support this. On so many levels. The point is, this dingoes result was 100% genetic ‘purity’. I’m uncomfortable with genetic purity when it comes to what is and isn’t a dingo, for a number of reasons. There are genetically ‘pure’ dingo with known (and human caused) hybrid ancestry who have been bred in captivity for generations. These dingoes are bred to live with people and other dingoes (and dogs), and wouldn’t last a week in the wild. They are bred with the appeal to save the species, used to conduct behavioural research and are theoretically going to be re-wilded in the future when wild dingoes are obsolete. You can have a litter of hybrid pups, with a wide range of dingo DNA percentages, that may be crossed with dingoes to result in “pure” dingoes within a few generations, which is a bit of an indicator of the redundancy of testing. I’m personally more inclined to use the low/ mid/ high content terms for known hybrids, as used with US wolfdogs, though there aren’t often cases when this is even necessary. If an animal fits the phenotype and morphology, if it eats, breeds, behaves, and has the combination of dingo traits (despite characteristic variation), it’s a dingo. This is what causes so much confusion and problems in a number of areas of dingo management, conservation and research. What does a dingo look like? You can get so many answers from so many people, and often the context will reflect what they are familiar with geographically, and the era that they were educated. The science of “What is a Dingo?” has changed dramatically over the past 5 years, let alone a decade ago. Regardless of this, it doesn’t mean everyone has been motivated to move on with the times, and data and definition is often out of date. You need to actively be looking through current research to be aware of those changes. I have spoken with a number of farmers and shooters who have shown me animals they have killed, when I ask what they believe is a Wild Dog vs a Dingo. Some will say they are one and the same, but many say it wasn’t a dingo - it was a wild dog, a domestic dog living feral. A kelpie cross, a shepherd cross, greyhound cross - all based on a very superficial characteristic of coat colour. The animal in the photo has almost always been a dingo, and they are surprised when I tell them so, and show them evidence of the diversity of what dingoes can look like, based on preserved specimens from the 19th Century - before dogs had a chance to interbreed with them. Many of them believe dingoes to be extinct on the mainland, saying all dingoes are bred out by dogs. This is where the misinformation in this country leads to, unlike wolf and wolfdog problems in America. This misinformation is initiated by the ambiguity and categorisation of dingoes/ hybrids/ dogs to serve the agendas of interest groups, not individual ego. Dingoes are one of the most controversial animals here, whether it is from the standpoint of agricultural interest, conservation, captive management, ecological integrity and purely cultural interests.

Well, this dingo is a dingo, by the test tube - for those who trust in that. She was born in the wild, on the mainland, and she isn’t ginger, black or white. She contradicts much of the council and government definition of what a dingo looks like, she even contradicts what pro-dingo breeders and activists will say they look like. But here she is, and I think she is a good example of why there needs to be more awareness of what a dingo can be.

[petnews2day]

Rottweiler Trivia 2022: Here are 10 great and fascinating dog facts about the adorable Rottweiler breed 🐶

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/pet-news/dog-news/rottweiler-trivia-2022-here-are-10-great-and-fascinating-dog-facts-about-the-adorable-rottweiler-breed-%f0%9f%90%b6/

Rottweiler Trivia 2022: Here are 10 great and fascinating dog facts about the adorable Rottweiler breed 🐶

The last two years have seen many of us welcome a new four-legged friend into our homes, as the Kennel Club saw dog ownership soar over the pandemic.

But with 221 different breeds of pedigree dog to choose from, there’s plenty of thinking to do before you select your perfect pup.

There’s even academic guidance to seek out, with Psychologist Stanley Coren’s book ‘The Intelligence of Dogs’ ranking breeds by instincts, obedience, and the ability to adapt.

One dog that often appears at the top of people’s canine wishlists is the Rottweiler – it’s a breed often mistakenly thought to be aggressive but they have a range of positive attributes that make them a great family pet.

Here are 10 fun and interesting facts about the breed.

1. An ancient breed

The Rottweiler is thought to be one of the oldest breeds of dog in the world, dating back to Ancient Rome. Rottweilers marched over the Alps with invading Roman legions, protecting both the soldiers and their livestock.

Photo: Canva/Getty Images

2. A bad reputation

The American Kennel Club’s describes the Rottweiler as being “a calm, confident and courageous dog”. Despite this, many people have a negative image of the Rottweiler being aggressive. It’s thought this misunderstanding comes from inaccurate portrayals in films and television – most notably in The Omen, where a Rottweiler was shown violently protecting the son of Satan – the original ‘devil dog’.

Photo: Canva/Getty Images

3. Stars of screen

Other films and television programmes have sought to picture Rottweilers in a fairer and most lovable form – including buddy cop comedy Lethal Weapon 3 hit US show Entourage.

Photo: Canva/Getty Images

4. A lucky escape

In the 19th century the Rottweiler almost became extinct, due to its traditional role as cattle herders being made redundant by roads and the railway. Luckily in the early 1900s it was found that they also made very good police and military dogs – so the breed thrived once more.

Photo: Canva/Getty Images

[tech-bardisposables]

Vaping VS Smoking

When I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, everyone smoked cigarettes. 

Everyone. 

Your mum, your dad, your grandparents, builders, sports stars, doctors, lawyers, your dog, your cat and almost every celebrity.

Peel your way through the sticky pages of any old photo album at home and I wager that you will find a grainy, fading polaroid of Uncle Ned or Auntie Tracy with an obligatory fag sticking jauntily out of their mouths. 

In those days, smokers could puff away in cinemas, buses, trains, planes, restaurants, pubs and even hospitals.

But somewhere back in the mists of time, someone worked out that tobacco isn’t very good for you. 

Fast-forward a few decades and the smoking of cigarettes is regarded as a very bad thing, indeed. 

It’s about as popular as crucifixion, Piers Morgan or Alligator wrestling.

Times have certainly changed. 

These days less people are smoking, due to public health campaigns and an innovation called ‘vaping’. 

For over 10 years now, the popularity of vaping or electronic cigarettes has skyrocketed as more folks get their nicotine via flavoured water vapour, rather than inhaling burning tobacco and other toxic chemicals.

And now there’s ‘Disposable Vaping’, where you can dispose of your finished vape just as you would a paper cup, a razor or a James Blunt CD.

Unfortunately, one drawback is that many disposables have issues with longevity. 

That is, after Puff #500, your average 600 Puff Disposable Vape will have lost its promised strawberry flavour and be replaced by lukewarm mud.

No thank you.

Then there’s the flavours.

Many disposable vapes make grandiose promises of flavours that will rival those of Willy Wonka yet in reality are blander than your shoe.

And don’t get me started on issues of piracy. 

Not the ‘Yo Ho Ho’ kind, but scurrilous vagabonds creating poor imitations of vapes that are already poorly designed!

It seems disposable vapes have a few challenges.

However, just like Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, one brand has reinvigorated the industry with a new breed of e-cigarette that makes the previous generation redundant. 

This UK company is making some bold claims that are enough to make any vaper (or clever footfall-seeking retailer) sit up and take notice.

Tech-Bar has got some top-secret technology behind it that makes it the Viagra-Volkswagen of disposable vapes: its reliable and just keeps on going. 

It’s a 600 Puff disposable vape that promises the 600th puff to be as strong as the first.

Not only that, Tech-Bar offers punters 25 full and rich flavours that stay full and rich from the first hit to the last.

Too good to be true?

Well, wait…it gets better. 

Because its cheap to buy and profitable to sell. 

A retailer could sell a Tech-Bar disposable vape for £5.95 and make a decent profit. 

And as for piracy, each Tech-Bar comes with its own individual QR Scan code so a user can immediately scan it with their phone and check if its kosher.

The revolution and evolution of nicotine will continue. 

It’ll be fascinating to watch.

As Bob Dylan once said, ‘The times they are a changing’’ and I daresay that digital photo albums in the 2040’s will be filled with images from the 2020’s of healthy-looking people sucking on a vape.

Vape on!