re: #520 pat

Roman’s bred the blood hound. Its ancestry is a bit of a mystery. There are 5 species of wild dogs in historical and present records, and many species of wolves. None evidence the drooped ears of a scent hound. The wide and elongated nose of the Blood Hound, Basset, New Newfoundland, and Labrador make breeding sense, but the drooped ears are unexplainable. The drooped ears are there to allow the hound to cut off high pitched sound. So as to allow concentration on scent.
There are very few animals on earth that can match a Blood Hounds scent. Or a Basset or Labrador. Even in the sea, few species can scent and intelligently deal with the info like a dog. No mammals. In the old days one would search with a variety of “hounds”. Sight, scent, and eyes. The Blood Hound and its descendant breeds are still a mystery to modern breeders. We now think of all hounds as smell sensors. Over time the other hounds, eyes and hearing, have been lost or not bred for purpose.
But the all around guru is the Timber Wolf.

Did i tell you i love dogs?

The Romans also bred huge Mastiffs for war. In both 2003 and 2004, I saw a descendant of those war dogs at Woodfield Mall. The dog in question was friendly, but bigger than many people and strong enough to carry his owner for moderate distances on his back.