Re: Period Dogs

["Stephanie M. Thorson" <smt2@st-andrews.ac.uk>]

Poster: "Stephanie M. Thorson" <smt2@st-andrews.ac.uk>

The Great Pyrenees, called in Britain the Pyrenean Mountain Dog, is a
large sheepguarding breed of the molossoid (mastiff) type, and seem to be
of some antiquity - where are those folks with books handy?.  They have no
relation to Chows (a Chinese breed) that I know of.  The double dewclaw on
the rear legs is characteristic of the breed and is not necessarily the
result of inbreeding of traits; it may well be the result of a genetic
mutation which was simply not bred out.  Fun fact, folks - the gene for
6-fingeredness in humans is actually dominant to the 5-finger gene. 

Alianora
*****************************************************************************
Stephanie M. Thorson			|  SCA: Lady Alianora Munro
Dept. of Scottish History		|  Clan White Wing
University of St Andrews		|  Tarkhan, Khanate Red Lion

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