By: Katrina

A Xoloitzcuintlil, or Xolo for short (pronounced Sho-Lo) is a hairless breed of dog from Mexico. I really love interesting breeds of horses, dogs, etc; and this is pretty unique.

The breed comes in three sizes: the Miniature, Intermediate and Standard. The one in the photo is a Miniature, Karmen, shown by my mother, Barbara Hamilton. Karman is a World Champion and has Championships in 11 different countries.

History

The Xolo is native to Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Archaeological evidence shows that the breed existed in the New World for more than 3,500 years. Their value in ancient native cultures is evidenced by their frequent appearance in the art and artifacts produced by the Colima, Aztec and Toltec civilizations in Mexico.

Xolos were considered sacred dogs by the Aztecs because they believed the dogs were needed by their masters’ souls to help them safely through the underworld. The Aztecs also raised the breed for their meat. 16th Century Spanish accounts tell of large numbers of dogs being served at banquets.

When Columbus arrived in the Caribbean in 1492 his journal entries noted the presence of strange hairless dogs. Subsequently, Xolos were transported back to Europe.

Xolos were among the first breeds recorded by the American Kennel Club. The first AKC registered Xolo was in 1887. The first AKC champion was in 1940. In 1959 the Xolo was dropped from the AKC studbook due to the breed’s scarcity and perceived extinction.

As of 1/1/09, the breed has just been introduced into the Miscellaneous Group at AKC dog shows, with exhibitors working towards full AKC recognition in the near future.

Technorati Tags: AKC, American Kennel Club, Aztec, Barbara Hamilton, Mexican Hairless, Xolo, Xoloitzcuintle

  By: Richard

Our cat, Linus, has been a part of the family for many years. He has learned all of our habits and how to take advantage of them. He also, like most cats, loves milk and yogurt. In the morning while I am having breakfast it is not unusual for him to beg  for a little milk in his bowl. However, let me grab a cup of yogurt and he is an instant pest. He can be in any part of the house and as soon as I pull the cap off the cup of yogurt he comes running.

Our ritual is that I eat what I want in the cup but always make sure to leave a little around the edge of the cup and in the bottom. I place it on the floor next to me while I finish reading the paper and he cleans the cup out.

I was recently on a regular business trip out of town and stayed at one of those hotels that has a free breakfast bar. As usual, I went down to the lobby and grabbed a newspaper and a tray of food including yogurt. I found an empty table in the center of a group of similar travelers and began reading the newspaper and eating my food. That is one of my morning habits, read the newspaper and eat breakfast. I don’t make small talk, just catch up on the news and enjoy my food.

When I finished the cup of yogurt, you guessed it, I never looked up from the paper; I just reached down and sat my nearly empty cup of yogurt on the hotel lobby floor next to me! I never gave it a second thought, Linus would soon be licking the inside and I would hear the usual sound of the plastic cup scooting across the tile floor.

But wait there’s more! I was not at home! The floor was not tile and most of all, there was no Linus! I quickly reached down, picked up the cup and put it back on the table. I never looked around to see who was watching. I was too embarrassed. However, I did sense a slight quieting of conversations in the room.

I guess I am beginning to a feel a little too much at home at that hotel. I may need to start staying somewhere else.

Technorati Tags: cat, embarrassed, hotel, linus, yogurt

By: Richard

Katrina and I recently visited the Florida Everglades and had a wonderful time. We were not surprised that there were no miniature donkeys but we were surprised that the area looked nothing like the image we had in our minds. There was no bayou like you see in and around New Orleans, no tropical jungle like you might find in Mexico or else where in the tropics, and there was not even a lot of water.

We visited in February which is a good month to get out of the cold up north and it is the time of year that there are a lot of birds in the Everglades. However, it is also the dry season in southern Florida. That is good from a visitors standpoint but it means that the Everglades are very dry and will be nearly completely dry in just a few weeks.

This year is dryer than usual which means the alligators are very much out in the open. Here are just a few of our photos. We know they aren’t miniature donkeys but if you love animals you should enjoy these images anyway.

Let’s start out with a couple of Love Birds, feathered……

….and not feathered!

Pelican looking for a meal, he found one just seconds later.

How many Pelicans do you see sitting in the tree? There are 3.

The Dolphins were more interested in feeding than entertaining.

This place next to the doc looks just like a movie set.

Mr. Turtle takes a sun bath.

Look closely for the bird.

Ok, here are some alligators. These are babies and only 6″ to 12″ long.

You can see mommy alligator just off to the left and babies on the rock. She will lay eggs with 40 or so hatching. Only 6 to 8 will likely reach a year old.

If you look closely you can see a couple of babies crawling on their mom’s back near her rear leg.

Not everything in the Everglades is camouflaged.

Look closely and you can see the baby bird just to the right of mom.

This is as much water as you will see in the Everglades in the winter. This was taken on a boat headed out into the Gulf of Mexico. You will find a few lakes or ponds in the area that will also resemble this. Most are only inches deep.

This is the most common site we saw in the Everglades whether we were in the north end or south end. During the summer (the wet season) this should be full of water but there will be few birds around and the alligators will be in the water.

This site was astonishing. Each of these alligators is 6′ long or longer! There are even more outside of the picture.

This bird just finished diving into the water for a meal and must now sit in the sun for a half hour to dry its feathers before it can fly again. Some birds have an oily coating on their feathers so they can fly immediately after coming out of the water but not this bird.

Pretty flower but can you find the butterfly?

Technorati Tags: alligator, bird, everglades, florida, miniature donkey, turtule

By Richard

Katrina and I just returned from a week long Spring Break in Florida. When we returned we found several inches of snow on the ground. It was a shocking reminder that winter doesn’t take a break. We did all the usual things you do in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area in the winter.

We will show you more over the next couple of weeks.

The Everglades was nothing like we expected but more than we deserved. If you love little donkeys; you most likely are fond of all animals. I know we are and the Everglades is a place of wonder.

Here are a couple of teasers; we will tell and show you more over the next couple of weeks.

Technorati Tags: donkey, everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, snow, spring break