Category: Instagram dog

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Borzoi + German Shepherd = Giraffe? A Family of Long-Necked Dogs Say…“Maybe.”

My dog is a rescue, so we don’t really know what all is in there.

She’s a smallish cattle dog, with terrier traits, and based on her teeth, our vet said, “daddy must have been a traveling salesman.”

But even when you know your dog’s breeding history, or think you do, there can be surprising results.

Meet Gatsby, the two-year-old Borzoi and German Shepherd mix.

 

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A post shared by Gatsby and Gary (@followgatsby)

Gatsby’s family told Bored Panda that they fell in love with him immediately, even before he was old enough to leave the litter.

“In 2019, I decided our family needed a new member. I stumbled across someone who had a litter of pups from a Borzoi father and German shepherd mother. They had a wonderful, unique look that I was immediately drawn to.
On August 19th, 2019, we took the 3-hour trip to meet the pups. First look at Gatsby, and I knew he was the right one, and the look he gave me, I knew he thought I was the right one.”

Turns out, they were more right about the “unique look” than they realized.

The pooch has a very sweet face, but as he has grown up from puppy to ginormous full-sized canine, one particular feature stands out.

Gatsby has an unusually long neck.

 

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A post shared by Gatsby and Gary (@followgatsby)

“We returned one month later when he was old enough to be adopted and brought him home. I wanted to teach him many things, and the bond between us has grown stronger than I could have imagined. Today we enjoy parkour, blood tracing, balance training, nose work, and just taking long walks together. I decided early to document our life together through videos on YouTube, regular Instagram postings, and recently took our life to TikTok. We have many adventures planned in the future and are expecting a new brother for Gatsby soon. Most folks claim that he has giraffe DNA in there somewhere, but in truth, it is most likely mythical creature DNA some have hinted at.”

Now, pretty much everyone is familiar with what the German Shepherd breed, so I thought maybe the Borzoi was responsible for the long neck.

As I soon discovered, Borzoi have extremely long legs, and although they are included on lists of long-necked breeds–relative to the proportions of the rest of their body, I don’t think their necks are unusually long, not like Gatsby’s.

Image credit: Karolina Wv via Unsplash

It almost seems like Gatsby’s DNA got a little mixed up somewhere.

TikTok users agreed, and Gatsby’s family made a multi-part video of some of their best comments.

@followgatsby

More quotes from my comments❤ @carriecraftsagain @dawnynotblonde #dogsoftiktok #goodestboi

♬ A Thousand Miles – Vanessa Carlton

Still curious about their giraffe dog, they also ordered a DNA Test to hopefully solve the mystery once and for all.

@followgatsby

Are you guys ready? #dogsoftiktok #dogdnatest #wisdompanel

♬ original sound – EricaB_1083

When the results came in, the family was a little surprised: 50% Borzoi, 25% German Shepherd, and 25% mutt on his mother’s side.

@followgatsby

Little did we know!#viraldogsoftiktok #wisdompaneldna #dogsoftiktok #mixedbreed

♬ Blade Runner 2049 – Synthwave Goose

Maybe there’s a little giraffe mixed in there after all.

His family have fun letting the dog get his wiggles out, and posting his antics to social media.

This recent compilation video, perhaps underappreciated in terms of views, will give you a good taste for the fun he gets up to with his family and brother.

@followgatsby

Jumping on this trend #sighthounds #twentyonevideo #viraldogsoftiktok

♬ swing lynn – ✮❦lovdfilmz❦✮⋆

Thanks to the social media documentation of his adventures, Gatsby the long-necked pup has developed a fan base, complete with amazing artwork!

 

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A post shared by Gatsby and Gary (@followgatsby)

I always wanted a dog I could ride like a horse when I was little.

What do you think about Gatsby? Part giraffe, part mythical creature? Let us know in the comments.

The post Borzoi + German Shepherd = Giraffe? A Family of Long-Necked Dogs Say…“Maybe.” appeared first on UberFacts.

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Dachshunds Went Viral for “Helping” To Save the Suez Canal

I really love a good dog story.

Crusoe the Dachshund is no stranger to the camera.

A spunky little dog who, like many dachshunds, suffers from Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD), he and his canine siblings, Oakley and Daphne, are internet-famous across multiple platforms, and where they recently went viral because of one of their adventures.

The three doxxies make lots of videos, which can be found under their Instagram handle @crusoe_dachshund.

The pups often play dress-up in their videos, like this one where they posed as a zebra, a lion, and a monkey for Earth Day this year:

And donned their favorite Star Wars costumes on May the 4th:

These intrepid little dachshunds just like to have a good time, whether it’s filming a makeup tutorial:

Or a mock ad for a jewelry store:

And they are no strangers to the art of the green screen!

So when that massive container ship got stuck in the Suez Canal, blocking more than 400 other vessels for several days, their fans knew just who to call to dig it out.

Originally posted on TikTok, with a slightly longer version available on YouTube, these little diggers did what dachshunds do best.

When he’s not busy posing for the camera, Crusoe also acts as the CEO for the company DoggoRamps, which was founded by his owner Ryan Beauchesne.

According to their website, the company was started when little Crusoe underwent surgery on his back in 2016.

Crusoe loves to spend time with us on the bed and couch, and I still wanted him to be able to do that without always worrying he might jump off.

So, through much trial and error and many iterations, I finally designed the original small dog bed ramp, which I used for Crusoe for a couple years before even bringing it to market.

Nowadays Crusoe is doing just fine. (He did help dig out that container ship after all. Ahem.)

And the ramp that Ryan invented for him has helped over 10,000 other dogs and their families.

How’s that for a good-boy story? Let us know what you think of Crusoe in the comments.

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These Border Collies Replant a Burned Chilean Forest

Herding dogs are smart and high energy.

When we first met ours at a rescue shelter, she was so excited she raced around the yard in circles like a cartoon Tasmanian devil.

That combination of energy and intelligence makes Border Collies the perfect breed for a very special and unexpected environmental task.

Meet Das, Olivia, and Summer:

They live in Chile, where in 2017, fores fires decimated the landscape.

TreeHugger.com described the fires in El Maule in stark terms:

The worst wildfire season in Chile’s history ravaged more than 1.4 million acres early in 2017, destroying nearly 1,500 homes and killing at least 11 people. More than a dozen countries sent fire-fighting specialists to help battle the dozens of destructive blazes.

According to Green Matters, the damage was estimated at $333 million, but the loss of trees and their impact on the environment as a whole is likely immeasurable.

It will take decades to regrow the forest land–but first, new trees must be planted.

Enter sisters Francisca and Constanza Torres and their three Border Collies:

Together, they train the dogs to race across the forest floor wearing backpacks full of native seeds, which they purchase with their own money.

As the sheepdogs run, the seeds spill from holes in their special doggy bags, and spread out where they can begin to take root and regrow the once-lush environment.

It may seem like work to humans, but for the dogs, it’s just a raucous good time.

In an email exchange with Mother Nature Network, Francisca explained:

“They reeeeeally love [it]!! It’s a country trip, where they can run as fast as they can and have a great time.”

And when their bags are empty, the dogs return to their owners for treats and cuddles, and a refill on the seeds.

It’s quite the sight, to see the dogs bounding through the scrub.

And it’s a good thing they have so much energy. According to Green Matters:

This system is also more efficient than having people spread the seeds manually. These speedy canines can race through a forest and cover up to 18 miles a day. Humans, on the other hand, can only cover a few miles each day. These pups can scatter over 20 pounds of seeds, depending on the terrain.

Johnny Appleseed, watch out!

They may not be able to cover the entire forest, but the work these very good girls are doing is already paying off.

The BBC even did a story about them:

It seriously blows my mind to think that two women and their gorgeous pups are changing the world all by themselves and in such a big way.

This Earth Day it makes me wonder, what more could I be doing? What about you? Did your heart just grow three sizes like mine did? Let us know in the comments.

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