ok dog people..don't know alot about this breed...need help

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

44. I have had Pyrs for years.

My old dog, Abigail, was a rescue dog. She had been bought as a puppy by some people who kept her tied up to a tree in the yard (and Illinois can have brutal weather. These people fed her whenever they thought about it. When she was about two years old, they moved away and just left her still tied to the tree. She weighed about 55 pounds when she was rescued -- she should have weighed at least half again as much. I cannot imagine why anyone would treat any animal like that. For one thing, she was obviously fairly expensive -- purebred and close to show quality. (Odd thing about Pyrs -- they have double dew claws on their hind legs. In other words, they have six toes on those feet.)

Fortunately, her mistreatment did not affect her personality too badly. Abby was highly intelligent, affectionate, patient, protective, and demanding of attention. She adored being taken for walks in the park, where her favorite activity was having children come up and fuss over her. She was perfectly content to have adults do the same, but she obviously loved the children. The adults would tend to admire her and say that she was a good looking dog. The children simply showered her with affection. She knew the difference.

She also got along well with other dogs. When other dogs barked at her -- invariably small dogs -- her attitude was obviously, "Yes? What do you want?" She knew that she did not have to prove anything to anyone. It was fun to watch her with the Bichon Frise who lived next door -- a big white dog and a small white dog, each of whom obviously liked the other.

She usually slept in the corridor which connects the bedrooms in our house. I have no doubt that she was guarding us as we slept.

She was not all smiles and delight. The only time she ever snapped at anyone was when I found that she had discovered a dead bird in the back yard, and she was eating it. I went to take it away from her, and she snapped at me. She didn't bite me, but the message was clear -- if you touch this, I will bite you. She was very protective of her food, I suspect because of the starvation diet she was on as a puppy.

She was a high maintenance dog. Pyrs were bred for guarding flocks of sheep in the mountains, and have a thick double coat. They are constantly shedding, especially in the spring -- when I would brush huge clumps of fur out. Several years ago, I cut open a vacuum cleaner bag I had just removed to see what was in it. As I suspected, it was well over half dog hair. With her white coat, she showed every bit of dirt that got on her. She drooled constantly, and it formed nasty black clumps on the ruff in the front of her neck.

Still, all-in-all, the best dog I have ever known. Good looking, intelligent, affectionate. Unfortunately, she got arthritis, which became so bad that we had to have her put down about two years ago.

Shortly after Abby died, we got another Pyr, Belle, from Great Pyrenees Rescue of Central Illinois. Belle is different from Abigail. She is slightly smaller, with a lot more color on her (Abby was pure white). She does not drool, and is considerably more independent -- although she will come when she is called, which Abby would only do if she felt like it. Abby could and would eat almost anything, while Belle is quite picky. I thought that Abby was a world class shedder. Belle seems to shed twice as much.

Last year, the woman who runs the rescue prevailed on us to take another Pyr, Madison. Madison was badly abused as a puppy, and doesn't trust people. Fortunately, she gets along very well with Belle. We have managed to get her to trust us, but she will never really be outgoing like Belle is and Abby was. Odd thing about Madison -- she likes to get into bed with my wife and me, and have me rub her throat (which shows real trust). When I do that, she purrs. I've never known a dog who purrs before.