# Lenny the Lion



## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

This is the largest dog in the world.....isn't he glorious.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Wow! He must have been fed the same as Donna's Osgood.. Well grown but on a different scale


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## emjon123 (Apr 9, 2013)

Would not like his food bill! He is adorable though.


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## sugerlump (Oct 6, 2012)

wow does he sit on your lap,,Haa haa .he is beautiful


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

Noooo wayyyy - is he real?? What is he? Apart from amazing?? X
Poo bags..... More like bin bags!


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

My nephew say's its a known faked photoshop pic.


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

yes I was going to say I have seen it before and apparently it is a clever fake, have seen a few now, another one is a big neapolitan mastiff. Years ago (I think early 80's) I saw a gorgeous dog which was apparently the first Tibetan Mastiff in the uk - well I think the first since WW2 anyway.


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Oh No! Sad now!


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

There is a tibetan mastiff who came to puppy class (complete with drool towel) comes to my friends daycare


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Cat 53 said:


> Oh No! Sad now!


Don't be sad. Fake or not fake it really is incredible.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

I think you've a panned shot there 2ndhandgal!!!


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

RuthMill said:


> I think you've a panned shot there 2ndhandgal!!!


Lol I did wonder when I posted it whether it was the elusive panned shot  I need to find the original of that and check out the details used I think - maybe that is the answer - use something the size of a small pony as your target


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Lovely dogs though.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

It's a bloody good shot! I have to say! Really good.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Thanks Ruth  I think it was just a lucky shot to be honest of him getting up some serious speed - I was impressed he could manage all four feet off the ground as he is a big chap 

I have found the original and that was 1/160 so from a panning point of view could have done with being a bit slower - and from my perfection point of view I would have preferred faster and crisper 

This is Harry when he passed his puppy training at classes  he is a nice boy


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

He is a big boy and those were really nice photos, panned or not panned. I know virtually nothing about this breed. Are they working dogs? Do they make good family pets?


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Harry is the only one I have ever met. His owner has always had giant breeds with previous dogs being St Bernards and she decided on a change this time.

I think compared to them he has been a bit of a challenge. They are another of the flock guarding breeds so an independent free thinker who needs a bit of thinking to motivate him. He has always used his size to his own advantage and I remember when he was around 12 weeks old he totally ignored a growling Molly and took a bone from her that she was chewing 

He goes to daycare still and can be trusted to go from the van into the field and spends lots of his day just laying around. He is pretty placid and laid back but with his size I would not fancy being around if he lost his temper!!

Possibly quite similar to the pyr's but I have never really known one of those.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

He does sound like an older Pyr. Young ones have plenty of energy and are reknowned escape artists. Zorbie is three now and is finally becoming reliable about not visiting ALL the nighbours on his rounds. Now he only visits a few of them.  Ours have tended to snooze most of the day and converse with the coyotes and wolves most of the night.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Given the freedom to do it I suspect Harry would like to go wandering too - when he sets his mind on something he is difficult to persuade otherwise.

The dogs for daycare are collected in a van and then unloaded and walk through a small stable yard into the big daycare yard. As they learn the routine they are able to do this off-lead. Everybody knew the routine and followed the routine - apart from tiny 5kg Molly  who would mooch around the yard and go in eventually. The day Molly decided to make a bid for freedom over the fields and Harry went with her was the day she was no longer allowed to go offlead  Molly was fairly easy to round up - Harry less so


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

At least with the big ones they are slow and cumbersome. Little Molly could dart about and evade capture. I honestly don't know which I'd rather catch.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

I think Molly knew she was rumbled so came without too much problem - Harry on the other hand took some persuading to go in the direction he needed to 

If you are talking difficult to catch though - let me introduce you to this little lady (sadly no longer with us) she was deaf and blind and the most difficult dog to catch I have ever come across


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

There was a woman at a club I used to be a trainer at. She imported two red Tibetan Mastiffs with the aim of breeding them - they were hard work - she bred papillions as well and it would be hard to think of two more contrasting breeds. The mastiffs were stubborn and willful and huge the paps were fun and quick and very, very bright.
I definitely would rather NOT catch a Tibetan that did not want to be caught! The dog was quite grumpy - with other dogs and people he did not know and he was not against chucking his body weight around. Amazingly she got them both through the bronze and the bitch passed her silver good citizen.
The dog died young and of some condition (can't remember which) I think he was not quite three and was still unproven. The woman left her husband and ran away to Australia with someone she met on the internet... she did not take any of her dogs


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Think if I ever went for a big dog it would be a Newfoundland.....a neighbour had a lovely one. So laid back and very gentle. Very hairy too. Needed an entire sofa for herself. But very loving.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Marzi said:


> she did not take any of her dogs


 Hopefully her ex husband kept them? Pyrs are supposed to be menacing but ours have been friendly to everybody except the wolves and coyotes.

Newfs are lovely dogs, all except for the drool.

2nd the blind dog sounds wonderful too. How was she so good at evading capture?


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

I would have a Newfie too, or a Bernese Mountain Dog but I think Newfies are generally fab gentle temperaments, I would say a Tibetan mastiff is not for a novice, they do need to have a strong (in all ways) owner. If not given the right socialisation I think they can have a problem with other dogs - not one you want your dog getting into a fight with! although I'm sure with everything done right they would be a lovely dog. (yes I have done a bit of googling!)


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Harry is fairly mellow - but he is neutured and was done relatively early as his behaviour was getting very pushy - he generally causes no hassle - but I would not like to get on his wrong side and he is certainly not a dog for the novice owner. 

I have no idea how blind deaf dog was so good at evading capture but she was excellent - she would run round and round a path she knew was safe and the sport of going to bring her in was more entertaining for the watchers than the catcher as you would position yourself on her route ready to intercept and she would almost reach you then turn and go another way - repeatedly


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

bless her, its amazing how they adapt isn't it? I guess she had fantastic awareness of where she was and what was around her despite not being able to see or hear.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Was she blind from birth 2nd? I imagine she used scent and body heat to evade capture. I hope she enjoyed the game as much as the audience?

Google tells me mastifs are used the same as Pyrs, for guarding livestock. Being overly friendly is a liability not an asset. I've always felt a bit sorry for dogs bred to be one way and then trained to be another. Newfs jump off boats in frigid water to rescue people, they are gentle giants and on the list of the best dogs to have with kids.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

fairlie said:


> Was she blind from birth 2nd? I imagine she used scent and body heat to evade capture. I hope she enjoyed the game as much as the audience?


She was a double merle collie dumped on the streets with her sister (also deaf and blind) at around 7 weeks. Breeding two merles together stands a very high chance of having genetic problems including those affecting vision and hearing. My friend got her when she was around 4 months old at which point she was smart, affectionate and very able to map a new territory. Chance was a bit younger that her and she also had another slightly older collie so the three of them had lots of whirlwind games together. 

Unfortunately she also started to be affected by other problems thought to be complex partial seizures and despite everyones best efforts she became more and more withdrawn into her own world and was put to sleep around her first birthday  everyone agreed unfortunately that there were only fleeting moments of happiness for her at that point.

At her happiest she was a bright girl who loved to play avoiding capture and also learned touch command signals for sit, down and no. She loved to play biting my friends feet when she was going down their spiral stair case  and learned the location and how to use the dog flap in her house in her first couple of hours in the house and how to do the stairs a few weeks later when they decided to allow her access as she had mapped out the rest of the house so well.

I think this is one of my favourite photos of her - what could be happier than a pile of sleeping puppies


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