The Australian Shepherd is a breed of working dog that was developed on ranches in the Western United States. Despite its name, the breed, commonly known as an Aussie, did not in fact originate in Australia. They acquired their name because of its association with sheepherders who came to the United States from Australia.

Australian Shepherds rose rapidly in popularity with the boom of western riding after World War II. They became known to the general public through rodeos, horse shows and through Disney movies made for television.

For decades, Aussies have been valued by stockmen for their inherent versatility and trainability. While they continue to work as stockdogs and compete in herding trials, the breed has earned recognition in other roles due to their trainability and eagerness to please and are highly regarded for their skills in obedience. Like all working breeds, the Aussie has considerable energy and drive and usually needs a job to do. It often excels at dog sports such as dog agility, flyball and frisbee. They are also highly successful search and rescue dogs, disaster dogs, detection dogs, guide, service and therapy dogs. And, above all, they are beloved family companions. Aussies are very protective and may not be kind to strangers. Aussies will also try to herd anything that moves, including people and all other types of animals.

Waking up my cat Spike, especially in the evening when he’s been asleep in his box in the garage, is not a very wise thing to do if it’s my bedtime. After having slept most of the day, he’s full of energy and wants to play. I just want to go to sleep!

Each night I tip-toe past the door leading into the garage so I won’t disturb him. If he hears voices or footsteps he’ll start meowing, wanting something to eat. After I give him a handful of Meow Mix, he eats a few bites and then tries to slip past me into the house. Because he’s faster than me, most of the time he’s successful. Immediately upon entering the foyer he’ll start lying on his back and then rolling over, something I think is weird but it seems to make him happy.

My neighbor who has a lot of cats say that when one on his back he’s being friendly. Friendly is good when it’s much earlier in the evening, not when it’s time for me to go to bed. I’ve learned not to pet him too much. If I do he thinks I’m going to let him stay in the house. No way!

If I relent and let him go to his bed in the corner of my office, he’ll sleep awhile and just when I’m finally getting asleep, he’ll come to my bedroom and start meowing for me to let him back out. Almost every night it’s the same routine.

No matter how many times a day he’s been allowed in the house, Spike has to rub himself up against every door jamb and piece of furniture he passes. Cats supposedly do this to mark their territory so that other cats will know who rules their kingdom. I find it hard to believe that they have to mark the same place four or five times a day, especially if there are no other cats around. I think my cat does that just to annoy me!

Spike, being and indoor/outdoor cat occasional brings us a gift of a dead mouse or bird. Cat experts say this is because he has this inherent urge to hunt their own food. Instinctively he is using the same stealth and patience they would use in the wild to hunt for food.

From time to time I’ve noticed Spike walking across our front yard at a leisurely pace, when all of a sudden he will jump and start running around the house like he’s been stung by a bee. After that short burst of speed he stops and continues his unhurried stroll.

My thoughts have been that he was just batty and that there was very little I could do for him. Again, my cat loving neighbor has an explanation. Cats are simply pretending that they are in the jungle somewhere running down food, such as an antelope or springbok. Seriously, some cat psychologist must have figured that one out. I still think Spike is nuts!

The most serious question of all about why cats do anything is the one about drinking out of the toilet. After asking that question of several “experts”, I have yet to get a definitive answer. It seems that everyone have a different view of cat behavior.

Some say that cats just want to be close to where we have been, thus making toilet drinking a thing of love. Others say that cats like cold water that’s fresher and cleaner than what is in their water dish. This makes more sense to me than a cat having a romantic interlude with my toilet seat.

Let’s face it! No one really knows why a cat does anything. Spike let’s us believe that we’re in charge of his life, but when I command that he rolls over or fetch a stick, he simply stares at me and then lies down on the floor and start grooming himself. I guess I had better think of new tricks for him!

The American Bulldog is a breed of working dog developed for catching livestock and for protecting property. Though larger in size, they are the closest surviving relative of the Old English Bulldog because they were not altered to as great an extent while in Colonial America as their European cousins. There are generally considered to be two types of American Bulldog, the Johnson type and the Scott type, named after the breeders who were influential in developing them, John D. Johnson and Allen Scott. These are more commonly known as Classic or Bully type and Standard or Performance type. The American Bulldog is a stocky, strong-looking dog. Its coat is short and either white, white with patches, black and white brindle, fawn and white, fawn and white brindle or a combination of all of these. The color comformation is quite varied, but white must be somewhere in the coat for the dog to be confirmed in most ABD clubs. The Johnson type is a larger dog with a shorter muzzle than the Scott type. However, many modern American Bulldogs are a combination of the two types. In general, American Bulldogs weigh between 27 to 57 kg (60 to 125 lb) and are 52 to 70 cm (20 to 28 in) at the withers.