On Dec 7, 2006, at 1:55 PM, John Francis wrote: > On Thu, Dec 07, 2006 at 04:42:13PM -0500, Mark Roberts wrote: >> Michael Chan wrote: >> >>> William's right. It's Bernese Mountain Dog, and it's frequently >>> shortened to "Berner". Common mispronunciations include "Burmese" >>> Mountain Dogs. On one occasion I ran with that gaffe and said >>> they got >>> their names from the fighting "Burmese" monks who trained them to >>> guard >>> Buddhist temples, and that they are the only breed known that could >>> actually be trained to fight in Bando Tiger form. >> >> And was your explanation accepted? >> Inquiring minds, and all that... >> >>> Berner Sennenhund is the original name. They are closely related >>> to the >>> Greater Swiss, as well as somewhat related to the St. Bernard, Great >>> Pyrenees, and Newfoundland, all of whom trace their roots to the >>> Molosser dogs of the Romans. The breed was developed in the >>> canton of >>> Berne, Switzerland and is named after the canton as well as the >>> "senner" >>> or cattleman he worked for, and "hund" (dog). The breed were >>> originally >>> working dogs, used principally as carters, herders/drovers, and >>> watch >>> dogs. >> >> My S.O. isn't much of a dog enthusiast, but when she met one of her >> colleagues' Bernese Mountain Dog she fell instantly in love. Those >> dogs >> have such sweet dispositions. If we ever get lifestyles that are slow >> enough to permit dog ownership Lisa and I will likely look at a >> "Berner". > > A friend of mine back in the northeast raises (and shows) Berners. > There's nothing quite like going round to visit and being > enthusiastically > greeted by half-a-dozen 25lb puppies scrabbling across a hardwood > floor... > > One drawback is that, like most large purebreeds, they have a fairly > short life expectancy. That means you lose friends far too quickly.
John, You're correct. I remember when my ex-wife and I went to visit our second Bernese (one went with each of us upon separation); there's nothing like rolling around with eleven Bernese puppies. As far as too soon to lose a friend, it's always too soon. Michael Chan -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
