Re: [PyrNet-L] Giant Breed? (long)

["Barb Bowes" <bamb@monmouth.com>]

My Bo is 28.5" and weighs 94 lbs. At his top weight
when he was showing I believe he got up to 107 lbs.
He does not have a lot of body, but his body and bone
are balanced. Bo is on the thin side, but he has
always been so. He turned 9 years young this past
Friday. He celebrated his birthday by playing with
Chelsea in the backyard and easily clearing the
picnic table in one leap. He jumped it lengthwise.
His daughter, Chelsea, is a couple of inches smaller.
(can't give accurate height as she has never been
wicketed) She weighs 88.8 lbs. Has a wider chest and
more body than Bo, also more muscle tone. She can
leap on the grooming table from a standstill
effortlessly. All my dogs are very agile except for
Molly, who is 11.5 years (almost) and probably 15
lbs. heavier than I would like to see her at this
age. At her age we don't expect agile to be in her!
LOL What one must remember when looking at heights
and weights is that condition and muscle tone are an
important part of this. Muscle weighs quite a bit
more than fat. Molly is only 10 lbs. heavier than Bo
but looks 4 times as wide! <vbg> She is also quite a
bit smaller than he and is also a bit smaller than
Chelsea. I also had a 25" bitch that weighed in at
about 90 lbs. All muscle, no fat. She appeared to be
a much larger dog just by the way she carried herself
and by her presence. When people were told of her
actual size, they were amazed that she was so small!
(she had been wicketed) She was, however a lovely
mover with great reach and drive. Probably the best
mover of my bunch (don't tell Bo I said that!) I've
seen 31" dogs, and believe me, you notice them!
Having said all of this I can honestly say that all
my dogs could certainly do the job they were bred to
do. Even Old Molly would give it her best! But my
smallest at 25" would probably have made the best
working dog of the bunch! Any predator who would have
gone up against her would certainly have gotten the
"short end of the stick"!

Barb Bowes
Bo, Molly, Chelsea (Pyrs) & Flopsy (Pyr Shep)
The more people I meet, the more I like my dog!
bamb@monmouth.com