Meet Brutus (Spike) – Medal of Honor winner
Posted by DNA Guru in 
Spike - Boxer-Mastiff or Belgian Malinois?
Meet Brutus, a military K9 at McChord.
He’s huge – part Boxer and part British Bull Mastiff and tops the scales at 200 lbs. His handler took the picture. Brutus is running toward me because he knows I have some Milk Bone treats, so he’s slobbering away! I had to duck around a tree just before he got to me in case he couldn’t stop, but he did. Brutus won the Congressional Medal of Honor last year from his tour in Iraq.
His handler and four other soldiers were taken hostage by insurgents. Brutus and his handler communicate by sign language and he gave Brutus the signal that meant ‘go away but come back and find me’. The Iraqis paid no attention to Brutus. He came back later and quietly tore the throat out of one guard at one door and another guard at another door. He then jumped against one of the doors repeatedly (the guys were being held in an old warehouse) until it opened. He went in and untied his handler and they all escaped. He’s the first K9 to receive this honor. If he knows you’re ok, he’s a big old lug and wants to sit in your lap. Enjoys the company of cats.
K-9 Congressional Medal of Honor Winner
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
Although this is a heart-warming story, several friends have pointed out that this story is apparently fiction. According to Snopes, this is untrue and there have been no Medals of Honor awarded to any dogs for service in Iraq. There’s also an obvious issue with the picture, in that this dog is clearly not a Boxer-Mastiff mix. As it turns out, the dog in the picture is a retired Police Dog from Scottsdale named Spike. Spike is actually a Belgian Malinois who weighs in at less than 100 lbs.
Funny New Crossbreeds
Have you heard about the new dog cross-breeds?
They crossed a Collie and a Lhasa Apso. The new breed is a Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport.
They crossed a Spitz and a Chow-Chow. The new breed is a Spitz-Chow, a dog that throws up a lot.
They crossed a Pekingese and a Lhasa Apso. The new breed is Peekasso, an abstract dog.
They crossed a Labrador Retriever and a Curly Coated Retriever. The new breed is a Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of laboratory researchers.
They crossed a Pointer and a Setter. The new breed is a Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet.
They crossed a Irish Water Spaniel and a English Springer Spaniel. The new breed is a Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean.
They crossed a Newfoundland and a Basset Hound. The new breed is a Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors
They crossed a Bloodhound and a Labrador. The new breed is a Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly.
They crossed a Malamute and a Pointer. The new breed is a Moot Point, owned by….oh, well, it doesn’t really matter.
They crossed a Collie and a Malamute. The new breed is a Commute, a dog that travels to work.
They crossed a Deerhound and a Terrier. The new breed is a Derriere, a dog that’s true to the end.
They crossed a Bull Terrier and a ShihTzu. The new breed is a uhh, I’ll get back to you on that…..
What is the oldest known breed of dog in the world?
Q. What is the oldest known breed of dog in the world? – Tom, West Bloomfield, Michigan
A. There are fourteen contenders for the title of “oldest breed.” Dogs, as we know them today, are descendants of domesticated wolves. DNA research was conducted to determine which dog breeds had the most common ‘genetic fingerprints’ to wolves.
The fourteen “ancient breeds” identified are:
- Afghan Hound
- Akita
- Alaskan Malamute
- Basenji
- Chow Chow
- Lhasa Apso
- Pekingese
- Saluki
- Samoyed
- Shar-pei
- Shiba Inu
- Shih Tzu
- Siberian Husky
- Tibetan Terrier
This research was reported in the article “Genetic Structure of the Purebred Domestic Dog” in the journal Science, Volume 304, on May 21, 2004.
AKC Recognizes 3 New Breeds
Three new breeds will make their debut at the 2010 Westminster Kennel Club’s dog show. The three breeds entering the annual show for the first time are herding dogs the Pyrenean shepherd and the Norwegian buhund, along with the Irish red and white Setter in the sporting group.
Most Popular Breeds – Results are in!
According to the AKC, once again, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog in America. Anyone who’s ever been around Labs can certainly understand why, as they make great pets. Moving into second place in the current rankings is the German Shepherd Dog, up one position from last year. In third place for 2009 is the Yorkie. To put this popularity poll in perspective, the rankings are based on nationwide AKC registrations for these breeds for 2009.
Why isn’t Pit Bull on the Breed List?
This is a question we get quite frequently here at Apex DNA HQ. There are a few reasons for this.
First, let’s look at the breed itself. There is probably no more controversial breed than Pit Bulls. They have come under fire in many communities who want to ban the breed because of reports of a few individual dogs who have become problematic and draw a lot of attention. Because of this, some DNA labs have made a decision to exclude Pit Bulls from their test database as they don’t want to be responsible for a dog’s death sentence if the dog happens be in an area where the dogs have been banned.
Dog Breeds – Jack Russell vs Parson Russell Terriers
We’ve had some questions about why the Jack Russell Terrier is not on our breed list. The reason you don’t see “Jack Russell Terrier” on breed lists is that as of 2003, the breed name (for pedigree show dogs of this breed) was changed to Parson Russell Terrier. The individual who’s credited with developing the breed originally was a clergyman named Rev John (“Jack”) Russell. Originally the dog was bred as a working dog so the breed definition was pretty broad and accepted a wide range of body types. read more
Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty.
Featured Shelter Pet
Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society, Kitchener, ON
Meet Shelby, an adorable 11 week old Shelty. Young self starter looking for an inspirational coach to take us to the top. I've got the whole package - brains, good looks, and loads of raw talent - and I'm ready to use them. Teach me, praise me and I guarantee I'll make you proud at home, on walks, or competing in the field.
If you're interested in Shelby and would like to offer your support or help support other great animals like Shelby, please contact the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society at (519) 745-5615 or click on the link above the picture). KWHS appreciates your help.
Voice Your Opinion
Loading ...