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ritual-unions · 9 months

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My Mind's Aflame

Part Two of Wolf Like Me: read the other parts here

Pairing: Ubbe x OFC

Summary: Ubbe worries over the future of his family, only to find that his mother, Aslaug, has been laying down plans of her own for him, involving a marriage pact to a certain princess of Sweden who wants nothing to do with him.

Settings: Kattegat, pre-season 4b, maybe by a month, before Bjorn leaves for the Mediterranean.

Word Count: 2,800

Warnings: none, just a "meet-cute", introductions to new characters and the resulting family squabbling.

The Great Hall is a wild ruckus in celebration of Winter’s end. The taste of Spring is sweet on everyone’s lips as they listen to tales from friends they have not seen in months or years, some even meeting for the first time. Ubbe indulges in the view he has from this corner of the long hall. From here he is able to see without being seen. Here he can talk to Bjorn in earnest.

“I would be cautious with King Harald,” Ubbe muses as he sits back in his seat, appraising the gregarious king across the hall. It is the second night of feasting after the king’s arrival and Harald Finehair and his men will eat Ubbe and his family out of hearth and home before the full thaw.

Ubbe glances at his mother, whose warm eyes greet him across the hall and with a knowing smile she soothes his internal worries. Aslaug has overseen the house for many years without misstep. He will not start questioning her now.

Bjorn sighs heavily at Ubbe’s attentive forethought - he too has the same nagging notion hidden at the back of his mind. “What am I to do? He has many men and considerable gold to offer. I cannot deny him passage on this voyage because of caution,” Bjorn sneers, face contorting as if mocking Ubbe’s advice.

He shrugs his shoulders. Bjorn is always querulous any time he offers advice and he is not in the mood however to bicker, turning instead to accept the cup of ale from Hvitserk.

Hvitserk’s eyes follow his brothers’ pointed gaze at King Harald.

“He is already spreading rumors,” Hvitserk husks against the rim of his cup.

“About what?” Bjorn demands. Their older brother cannot fathom the idea that anyone would have anything negative to say about him.

Ubbe and Hvitserk chortle in response to his sudden self-consciousness. Refusing to acknowledge their oldest brother’s demanding inquiry, they turn their heads into one another as they laugh, eyes sparkling in shared mischief.

“Ah,” Bjorn growls in frustration, with a dismissive wave a his hand in their direction, he lets go of his ire. “I wouldn’t worry about mine, Ubbe. It is your sister that should have your attention.”

Ubbe scoffs in disbelief though his gaze automatically scans the hall in search of his twin, just to be certain she is safe. Her back is turned to him, but she is there, near the hearth fire that blazes bright, with her long flaxen hair tumbling over the russet fox pellets he gifted her during Yul. Hati, the crossbred wolf-dog, is not at Ylva’s heels as she had been trained, instead she roams mindlessly, sniffing the boots of the men near Ylva.

Skoll, Hati’s littermate, relaxes languidly at Ubbe’s sprawled legs, golden eyes watching the inhabitants of the hall with acute interest. Ubbe’s tongue clicks in irritation at his sister’s lack of mastery over her beast.

“There isn’t a king or jarl here with a son who hasn’t asked for her hand.” Bjorn goads when he senses Ubbe’s rising indignation. Ubbe’s brows crease as he shoots his oldest brother a look of disbelief, causing Bjorn to have a laugh of his own.

“It’s not possible,” Ubbe denies with a shake of his head. “She is too young.”

Bjorn howls out a booming laugh. “And you?” Bjorn points in Ubbe’s direction. “Are you too young to have a woman?”

Ubbe’s head swivels to take in Hvitserk’s reaction to Bjorn’s proclamation. “Hvitserk,” he pleads out his little brother’s name, hoping he will be the one to quell his worries. Hvitserk instead drowns his answer in his cup.

“She is a woman grown.” Bjorn softens to the panic rising in Ubbe’s face. “You’ll have to do something with her, and soon.”

Their eyes simultaneously travel back to their sister. She is talking to some man Ubbe does not recognize with a ruddy beard and blue markings that swirl up his neck and around his ears. She laughs when he replies with a cheeky smile and sparkling eyes. Hati, the damned dog, responds to her master’s enthusiasm with a soft lick of her tongue on the man’s hand.

The throaty growl emanating out of Skoll echoes Ubbe’s own bubbling sense of protectiveness for his twin sister. Not for the first time he wishes Ragnar was here. It isn’t supposed to be his job to find a match for his sister. He does not want to be responsible for her future happiness.

He sighs in resignation to the idea, his head rolls back in annoyance while Bjorn and Hvitserk share a chuckle at his expense. Irritated, he motions to a passing thrall to refill his cup. He will need a lot more liquor if he is going to be able to get behind the idea of bartering off his twin sister like some kind of prized heifer.

“Who?” Ubbe utters in defeat.

“Who what?” Bjorn mumbles into the rim of his cup, eyeing a pretty woman as she passes.

“Who is interested in Ylva?” Ubbe snaps, annoyed he even has to say such words out loud.

Bjorn purrs in feigned contemplation to Ubbe’s request, fingers drumming against his chin as he scans the Great Hall. “Everyone!” Bjorn hoots loudly at his brother’s expense.

Ubbe jerks up, standing, no longer able to deal with Bjorn’s taunting attitude when it comes to his sister. He will search out his mother instead if he is to come to any rational decision.

“Wait, wait.” Bjorn tugs at Ubbe’s elbow. “It is true, every man here is interested in our sweet Ylva. It’s not a matter of choosing the right man for her but who can offer the most-” Bjorn hesitates, drinking in Ubbe’s attentiveness, wondering how he will respond to his next words - “advantage. An alliance.”

“Ylva would never agree to that,” Hvitserk mumbles, his eyes caught on Ylva as she flits around the room, entrapping any man who meets her gaze. Ubbe bares his teeth at the idea of trying to force Ylva’s hand anywhere but where she pleases. She is as stubborn as the rest of them.

Bjorn stands, seemingly bored with the conversation. Stretched out tall he catches the attention of King Harald who calls out his name.

“Bjorn Ironside! Come sit with us. We will talk of our time in Frankia.”

Bjorn glances at his brother one last time, resting his hand on his shoulder in hopes of easing the tension.

“We all have difficult choices to make, Ubbe. There is no promise for happiness. You will make the right decision, whatever it is.”

Ubbe rolls his eyes at his brother’s vain attempt of encouragement, muttering a half recognition of thanks as Bjorn disappears behind the wall of enthralled men that surrounded King Harald Finehair.

+++

He takes to pacing the length of the hall, hearing but not listening to the mindless chatter of its drunk inhabitants as he prowls the room. He is half hoping to find his sister, if only to place a protective arm around her shoulder.

“Ubbe,” his name sounds behind him. He turns to find his mother’s gaze almost level with his. Her cat-like eyes search his face lovingly. He cannot help but smile back at her.

“Ubbe, this is King Anund of Sweden.” Aslaug motions to the portly man hovering at her shoulder. Ubbe offers a brief bow of acknowledgment.

“And my daughter, Eir.” King Anund continues without prelude, flicking his wrist at the golden haired beauty that hides beside her father.

Ubbe’s gaze darts conspiratorially between the three figures before him, stopping on his mother to give her an exasperated look. He has been attempting to match his sister without her consent all the while his mother is doing the same behind his back.

Eir’s eyes narrow in Ubbe’s direction as she recognizes him from the day before. “But you are the kennel master,” she exclaims angrily as if he should not even be allowed to be in the room as all these royal dignitaries.

“Eir, my sweet daughter,” Anund laughs heartily, placing a hand on her shoulder as if to calm her outburst, his gaze turning to Aslaug in feign apology. “This is Ubbe, son of King Ragnar Lothbrok. Be kind, greet him as such.”

Ubbe cannot help the coy smiles that spreads across his mouth as he drinks in the dark green eyes of Eir for a moment before leaning in for a brief kiss on either side of her face. Her round cheeks blush at his intimacy.

“Eir,” her name slips like honey off of his tongue, deepening her blush. He hadn’t thought to see her again, not with all the new ships arriving daily, yet here she is, part of a scheme neither of them have control over. It is no wonder she wanted to scream. He too feels a tickling sense building up at the base of his chest. Eir quickly steps away from him, blatantly turning her cheek to look anywhere but at him.

Silence falls over the group suddenly, neither knowing what to say. Here is your wife. Here is your husband. Now kiss and be on with your lives.

Ever the diplomat, Aslaug carries on the conversation without a hitch.

“Eir is interested in falconry.” Aslaug turns to Ubbe, patiently awaiting his response. She expects him to respond, as she has raised him to do. Foul moods and aggravated words are saved until they are behind closed doors. You are the son of a king, she would whisper at night, you will hold yourself accountable for your actions. Such words have never been shared with Ivar or listened to by Sigurd, Hvitserk only remembering after his knuckles are bloody and his chest is heaving, but Ubbe has always tried to make his mother proud.

His pulse races as he tries to be the man she raised him to be.

A terse smile graces Ubbe’s lips after a moment's hesitation.

He does not want to play this game with his mother but he does not know how to leave the conversation without being rude so he asks, hoping to see Eir blush once more, “do you enjoy hunting, Eir?”

“No,” Eir replies without missing a beat. Ubbe can not help but guffaw at her response. There will be no more blushing on her part. Eir is as exasperated with her father as he is with his mother.

“What is it that interests you?” Ubbe ponders with a tilt of his head, genuinely interested with her answer. She surprises him every time she opens her mouth, and he is unsure if she is a petulant child or a princess tired of her title. Possibly both.

“I am interested in the freedom of such animals,” she announces, her eyes suggestively traveling to the wolf-dog obediently perched at Ubbe’s heels.

Ubbe licks his lips, hungry to debate with the minx before him when her father rouses himself enough to tug at his daughter’s arm.

“Ah, yes, well it was nice to meet Prince Ubbe. We will see you,” King Anund announces before stepping away.

Ubbe laughs as his mother’s eyes cut across his face, annoyance dripping off her sharp features.

“We are surrounded by enemies, Ubbe.” She warns, voice low as her gaze flickers over to King Harald and his men, her stepson cozied up next to them. “We must make alliances where we can, to protect ourselves against those who threaten us.”

Ubbe hums in agreement, watching as Ylva sits across from one King Harald’s many sons.

“And Ylva?” Ubbe murmurs his sister’s name, worried that if he says her name too loudly she too will be gifted the same curse as him.

Betrothal.

“We must all make sacrifices.” Aslaug notes as her hand runs the length of Skoll’s dark head, scratching behind his ear. “Come, meet the Jarl of Lade and his son. They provide Harald with many ships but I believe our sweet Ylva can curry their favor.”

Ubbe’s lip twitches in agitation at the hand he has been dealt. Until today he had imagined his sister as the sweet girl that had followed at his heels no matter how hard he tried to shake her shadow. Now he is being forced to sell her off to the highest bidder. He sighs heavily through his nose. Being a son of Ragnar Lothbrok weighs heavy on his shoulders but he is starting to realize being the only daughter is even more cumbersome.

+++

Ubbe’s jaw works itself, grinding his teeth, as he contemplates the boy before him.

Straw blond hair curls around Vikar’s neck, unkempt and dirty. Dark tattoos swirl across his collarbone and down the open cut of his shirt, though he has fought no battles, or won any glory to deserve such markings. He looks no older than Sigurd with his face clean of any hair besides the sparsely grown mustache. His eyes are bright with hunger, eager for power.

This is not who Ubbe imagines for his sister, though he is unsure if he has ever given it more than a moment’s brief thought, he knows in his gut Ylva will not approve.

“I have heard many stories of the daughter of Ragnar Lothbrok and for many years I have held a deep affection for your sister and her famed wit,” Víkar replies solemnly, his head titled in a slight bow. Ubbe sneers, lip pulling in disgust at the boy’s pious act. He should leave that to the monks at Lindisfarne.

How could this boy hold affection for someone he has never spent more than a moment with? The sound of dissent that rumbles out of the back of Ubbe’s throat is muffled by Aslaug’s soft murmurs of encouragement to the young man. She is enthralled by anyone who holds her daughter in such high regard.

Sveinne, the Jarl of Lade, grins at his son’s pointed response. “Víkar was entrapped by Ylva the moment he laid eyes on her. He told me such when we entered your great hall and met the lovely girl.”

Ubbe cannot help but roll his eyes at this father-son act they are playing at. “She has always been stubborn, willful. Not afraid to speak her mind,” Ubbe counters, with a shake of his head. He cannot help but think of all the mischief she has conjured up over the years.

“Ubbe,” Aslaug warns. He ignores her, leveling his gaze with Víkar. Ubbe’s patience for such ridiculous and pompous conversation is left somewhere with King Anund and his daughter, Eir. He is determined to know if this boy is fit for a life long relationship with his wiry sister.

“She once cut the balls off a man who scorned her,” Ubbe says, lowering his voice. Stepping forward, Ubbe scowls when Vikar laughs in disbelief. “She chewed them out with her own teeth as her shieldmaidens held him down. He screamed, but Ylva would not stop -”

“Ubbe,” Aslaug warns lowly but he ignores her. He does not like this boy.

“They say his screams could be heard all the way to the top of Scar Mountain.”

Vikar shakes his head, glancing briefly at his father, uncertain if he should listen to Ubbe’s madness.

“But I think not.” Ubbe smiles at Vikar. “I was at the Big Meadow that day and all I could hear was that of a squealing pig. It is not possible they could hear him at the top of a mountain pass.” Ubbe laughs at the ridiculousness of the claim. He can see Hvitserk out of the corner of his eye and he motions him over. “Brother, tell Vikar how Ylva castrated that man.”

Hvitserk laughs heartily, leaning in to Ubbe for support, as if the mere thought of the story will knock him off his feet. “Oh yes, the problem is Ylva’s shieldmaidens, or was it Hati? I cannot remember, but -”

“Hvitserk.” Aslaug’s tone is sharp, halting Hvitserk’s babbling. Hvitserk glances briefly at Ubbe, wondering if they should continue pestering the boy before them. Ubbe shakes his head. It is enough, the boy is at least confused to not know if the story is true or not. He will think twice before raising a hand toward her.

“Ubbe, go find Sigurd.” His mother’s voice is soft but he can sense the anger lingering behind her words. “Have him play the lute for us all. Jarl Sveinne and I can discuss things more.” Aslaug’s warm hand on his shoulder gives a soft squeeze of warning.

She kisses his cheek when he nods his head. “Behave yourself,” she whispers in his ear. “I promise I have Ylva’s best interest in mind.”

Ubbe’s lip twitches, he does not want to be dismissed so quickly. He wants to watch and hear exactly what Vikar’s intentions are for Ylva but he knows he has worn his mother’s patience too thin to be allowed the privilege.

Bowing his head in departure to Jarl Sveinne, Ubbe snaps his fingers and Skoll, hastily heeds to him, following at his heels. He mumbles out a soft praise, stroking Skoll’s head in appreciation.

Eir is across the hall, her green eyes appraising him with scorn. He offers her a half smile, in hopes that she might even return her own grin but unimpressed by his attempt at peace Eir turns her back on him in a sassy flash of attitude. He clicks his tongue. Neither he, nor Ylva, would be receiving a perfect match.

+++

Wolf Like Me masterlist or to see almost everything I have written for Vikings

#vikings fanfiction #ubbe ragnarsson #ubbe fanfiction #ubbe x oc #Ubbe x Eir #ubbe #ubbe imagine #vikings imagine

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beardedmrbean · 8 months

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Every time I see someone wanting to ban specific dogs breeds I die a little inside. Especially from people who are extremely pro second amendment. Wanting to ban dogs because some might be violent is no different than wanting to ban guns because some people use them to rob and murder. And most people who want to ban pitbulls can't even correctly identify one anyway, they're the dog equivalent of assault rifles, a meaningless buzzword meant to fearmonger.

I can't think of any 2A-OK people that run with the thought that any dogs should be banned. Admittedly I haven't paid much attention so it could be fairly widespread and I just don't know it.

Most understand that it's not the dog it's the person who has the dog, there are some that are likely far more easy to get to be dangerous than others, can't imagine a goldie or samoyed ever being violent feels like something that would take effort, even still there's no bad dogs just bad owners.

Gotta say this comes at a wild time because when I read the first bit I thought you were talking about the UK.

Up and down the UK, news headlines have been dominated by seemingly endless terrifying dog attacks in recent months.

In Surrey, a professional dog walker died when her own pet turned on her. In South Yorkshire, police reported four separate dog attacks on children in two days. In Birmingham, an 11-year-old girl was attacked in the street. And in Staffordshire, a man died last week, with grisly video footage of the attack emerging and horrifying the nation.

So what do all these attacks have in common? They are all believed to be the doing of the American Bully XL breed, an increasingly popular and hard to define sub-breed of the American Bulldog.

Now, with the attacks capturing attention at the highest levels of Government, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called American Bully XLs a “danger to our communities”, and vowed to add the breed — once it has been established in law — to the list of dogs banned in the UK.

1. Pit Bull Terrier

The breed that spurred dozens of sub-breeds, the Pit Bull Terrier (PBT) was bred for blood sport — and can be devilishly hard to define.

According to DEFRA guidelines, authorities should use a checklist to identify PBT characteristics in dogs they think might fit the breed, including the shape of its head, shoulders, muzzle, eyes and rib cage.

Traditionally bred for fighting, a spate of fatal attacks in England and Wales by PBTs between 1981 and 1991 led to the introduction of the Dangerous Dog Act, and the breed was banned.

There are numerous sub-breeds which are not banned, however, like the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Bully XL.

2. Japanese Tosa

The Japanese Tosa or Japanese Mastiff is a breed of fighting dog that was crossbred with large and giant breeds including the Great Dane to produce enormous results.

Spookily, Japanese dog fighting rules (the practice is still permitted in some parts of Japan and almost all fighting dogs are Tosas) declare that dogs mustn’t be noisy in the pit, so the Tosa is able to fight in complete silence.

According to experts, if the Tosa isn’t properly trained it can be very aggressive towards strangers and other animals, earning it a place on the banned breeds list.

3. Dogo Argentino

This Argentinian working dog was bred to hunt big game in packs. It is known for being highly intelligent, protective and ruthless, and should never be handled by anyone other than a breed expert — which is why it’s on the list in the UK and several other countries.

4. Fila Brasileiro

Also known as the Brazilian Mastiff, Brazilian Bloodhound, Cao de Brasil, Cao de Fila, and the Fila, this breed — originally used for hunting and working — is known for being very nervous of strangers and surprisingly agile for its size.

The Fila has a better reputation in Brazil, where it is praised for its loyalty, but its intelligence, strength and aggression have led to bans in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Denmark, among others.

5. To be banned by 2024: American Bully XL

The American Bully XL is the largest variation of the American Bulldog breed, which also oncluides the pocket and standard variation.

It is thought to have been developed from cross-breeding with other breeds — including the banned Pit Bull Terrier. They are known for their heavy bone structure and strong, stocky build.

The American Bully XL is set to be the first added to the list since the introduction of the law in 1991 — but there are complexities. It is not an officially recognised breed, so it’s difficult for officials to determine which dogs should be outlawed, and which should be added to the list.

_______________________

First and last ones are the only ones I'm familiar with, also the prime targets nearly every time talk of a ban comes up.

#3 there is the only one I might have reservations about and there's gonna be ways to train them to behave too.

#captainsquare

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rayadraws · 2 months

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I had a dream that I wrote a tumblr post on labrador retriever colour genetics for some reason and now I'm like well since dog colour genetics IS an interest of mine, why not. I don't remember what I wrote about specifically in my dream but here's a few lab colour facts.

(N.B. I am not getting into the debate of purebred vs mixed, I am not saying one is better than the other etc, just stating a few facts)

There is only one breed of labrador, the labrador retriever. Yellow/brown/black lab just refers to the coat colour. They share the same breed standard, are judged together and can be interbred, they are not different breeds.

All colours you can find in dogs are created through the interaction of two different kinds of colour pigment, they are eumelanin (black/chocolate brown/blue/lilac) and phaeomelanin (all shades of red from deep copper to off-white). White is absence of pigment all together.

For labradors specifically, black and brown are expressions of eumelanin, yellow labs express phaeomelanin. From a genetic viewpoint, all yellow labs from the super pale cream ones to the deep fox red ones are genetically "red", they just have additional genes that bleach/darken their red shade.

Most (maybe all) labrador retrievers are genetically tanpoint ("dobermann pattern") but almost all of them also have a gene called "dominant K" which overrides that pattern, leaving them solid black or brown. In very rare cases, purebred puppies can be born that show the pointed pattern.

Yellow labs also have a gene that prohibits the expression of eumelanin in the coat, instead they exhibit only phaeomelanin, which is otherwise "overridden" by the dominant K, black/brown -> red.

In very rare cases, dogs can have something called a "somatic mutation" where you can get a dog that expresses two or more coat patterns/colours at once. Try googling "somatic mutation labrador" and you'll see some cool labs that are mixed black and yellow, which is normally impossible. This kind of mutation happens randomly, it is not genetic and can not be bred for. It is not the same thing as merle.

Small white markings such as a chest spot or white toes is something that can randomly happen in puppies if the pigment did not have time to develop fully before birth. Often such markings go away as the dog ages and the pigment fills in. However, more extensive white markings (like white that forms a full or partial white collar, extends pasts the toes etc) is a sign that the dog has another breed or breeds mixed in, the genes to produce that amount of white spotting does not exist in purebred labradors.

"Silver" labradors are labs that have been crossbred with a breed that carries the dilution gene (usually a weimaraner), which turns black to blue and brown to lilac. Unscrupulous breeders try to pass these dogs off as rare and exotic purebred labs to fool unsuspecting buyers. Breed DNA tests are not reliable as they can not spot a mixed in breed after 3 generations. The breeding of silver labs is unethical as the dilution gene is tied to health issues, in particular CDA (colour dilution alopecia) which can lead to itchiness, flaky skin, hairless/balding and skin infections.

Artist bonus: - If you are drawing a black lab, it should have a black nose and brown eyes. - If you are drawing a brown lab, it should have a brown or flesh-coloured nose and amber or light brown eyes. It is genetically impossible for a brown lab (or any other dog breed that comes in dark brown/chocolate/liver colour) to have a black nose and dark brown eyes. They just can't produce that kind of pigment. SO many people including professionals get this wrong and it drives me up the wall, use references people lol - If you are drawing a yellow lab, it can have black OR brown pigment "behind the yellow", but black pigment is most common, so black nose/brown eyes. These dogs sometimes have a flesh-coloured spot on their nose, which is called a dudley nose.

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canisitsnotlupus · 2 years

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The Welsh Hillman, the oldest Welsh dog breed (older than the Corgi), sadly went extinct due to complacency in the last part of the 20th century. Used for herding and droving the Welsh Hillman dog may have been the descendant of the old gellgi or "Welsh wolfhounds" - these dogs may even have pre-dated the Romans but no solid evidence exists sadly. It may even have been crossbred with north african dogs in following centuries but again, solid evidence is lacking. It was a large but rangy dog, up to around 25 inches in height, and described as "fast and fearless", with an appearance not unlike a lighter-built German Shepherd. The ears were pricked. The coat was usually of a light fawn, sandy or red-gold colour with a black saddle, white chest, white on the legs and tip of the tail and a blaze on the face. (the odd Blue merle existed too). The breed was already close to extinction as a working dog by the 1940s as the increasingly fashionable border collie was replacing it. This fashion almost pushed the Welsh sheepdog to extinction as well. Farmers were therefore no longer breeding the unique Welsh Hillman dog breed. The last known Welsh hillman dog, "Jess", was purchased in 1974 from a hill farm near Y Gelli Gandryll (Hay-on-Wye) by a BBC producer and author from London called Jeanine McMullen. She had moved to Wales to escape the ratrace and publish books on "living a good life" with countryside traditions. Sadly the last of a countryside tradition was spayed before her owner realised her rarity. Source: https://www.facebook.com/CymruRydd/posts/pfbid0ANH8vrdnL3E2Tr3oSD3UcgRKmiaEYsNah75gHXtj1QnmYypBVjvDEyrL8m24u1Uzl

#welsh hillman #i think about this breed ALL the time #dogs #dog

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fatehbaz · 1 year

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[H]istorical trajectories of nonhumans and empires intersected, and informed one another [...]. Nonhumans [...] were also integral to the sustenance of imperial formations. [...] These varied indications of nonhuman presence provide the opportunity to address questions about nonhuman agency that privilege neither an anthropocentric nor a zoo-centric conception of history. [...]

[T]he “maintenance and repair” of nonhumans was an incessant preoccupation of disparate imperial powers. [...]

---

This involved not just the protection of nonhuman lives through legislation, as in the case of dogs in Ottoman Cairo. Rather, empires were invested in innovating new forms of lives by experimenting with forms of reproduction. These ranged from efforts to immortalize living horses through artistic portrayals in Mughal India, to machine-induced crossbreeding of sheep known as “freezers” in colonial New Zealand.

If the cultivation of animal life was a preoccupation of imperial regimes, so too was their death. In Mehmet ‘Ali’s Cairo, dogs that refused to internalize the status of domesticated subjects were collectively liable to poisoning or could be imprisoned in a ship and drowned; sheep awaiting to become commodities in late nineteenth-century colonial New Zealand were crossbred, raised, reared, fattened, butchered, and dressed precisely to suit the technologies of mechanical refrigeration [...].

---

Mikhail situates dogs in the course of two centuries, ending in the 1800s, as “integral actors in the urban fabric of Ottoman Cairo,” a “city full of dogs.” Dogs were subjects of exalted religious, allegorical, and legal discourses [...]. The role of dogs was related to the wider character of the contemporary Ottoman Empire, which, as Mikhail has argued elsewhere, was built on an “animal energy regime.”

The metamorphosis of the dog in nineteenth-century Ottoman Cairo from being a valued member to being a redundant burden was connected to the modernizing reforms initiated by the Mehmet ‘Ali government. The practices of urban reconstruction, modernization, sanitization, and cleansing in Mehmet ‘Ali’s Cairo were to a great extent, Mikhail argues, founded upon the reinvention of the canine body as a site of disease, waste, crowd, noise, and eradication.

---

Rebecca Woods shifts focus to the imperial meat trade to examine the reemergence of sheep in British New Zealand in the late nineteenth century as an embodiment of the intimate relationship between metropolitan consumption and colonial raw material. Sheep -- as livestock -- were appropriated as part of a network of lively capital that both connected and maintained the antipodal distance between New Zealand’s pastoral economy and metropolitan dinner tables in England. This was enabled by, as Woods shows, the recasting of the sheep as a “malleable” animal, one suited to bridging the technologies of mechanical reproduction and mechanical refrigeration. [...]

---

[N]onhuman animals had an indelible effect on imperial history, and [...] their subalternity was manifest in at least three distinct ways: they were victims of imperial violence; they were products of imperial regimes of subjectification; and they were usually marginalized in imperial historiography. The evocation of the subaltern calls up the critique of imperial meta-narratives of progress and improvement [...].

---

All text above by: Rohan Deb Roy. “Introduction: Nonhuman Empires.” Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 35 (1). May 2015. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

#abolition #ecology #imperial #colonial #multispecies #interspecies

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darkwood-sleddog · 2 years

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okay I'm not involved in the ~dog community~ (my own dog is a poorly trained shelter mutt), but I'm really interested in the topic of crossbreeding. Do you have any resources you would recommend for learning more about the topic? Or any crossbreeding projects you think are especially interesting? Thanks!

Crossbreeding is the act of breeding two different types of dogs together (note I say types here because this practice outdates the modern idea of breeds).

I can’t provide you with a neat list of links to follow because crossbreeding is incredibly varied, much like the breeding of any animal. And I am really tired after battling Covid this week.

But above all I support responsible dog breeding and this can be achieved by both purebred breeders and cross breeders equally. The definition of what is a “responsible breeder” also makes things difficult because the definition of such will vary person to person. For me a responsible breeder utilizes all scientific and behavioral avenues available to them to best breed dogs that are: healthy both physically and genetically and temperamentally and physically sound for what they are bred to do. A responsible breeder (for me) is also supportive of the dogs they produce for the lifetime of those dogs which may include: taking the dog back if needed, mentoring puppy buyers, being knowledgeable about their community. Both purebred breeders and cross breeders can hit those responsibility goals (and they also can fail to hit them too just as equally).

Being in the mushing world I am exposed to many, many incredible cross bred and purpose bred non purebred dogs every day. Non purebred dogs win iditarod each year. Non purebred dogs dominate this sport and people have been mushing with and breeding and keeping pedigrees of these non purebred dogs as long if not longer than my own breed, the Alaskan Malamute.

In the UK Luchers, a sighthounds cross breed, is super popular and functional. In the southern United States bully dogs are often crossed with herding dogs and other bulky breeds to create good hog dogs (hogs are invasive in the US). Neither of these are trying to be breeds and the people that love these crosses would not want it that way.

Crossbreeding can also help create new breeds and is much how new breeds have been created in the past. Golden Retrievers, Doberman, Dogo Argentino are just a few that took distinct dog types and molded them into a breed before closing their studbooks to new blood. German Shepherds, Border Collies, Siberian Huskies are breeds that stem from non purebred landrace dogs that just existed as a type of dog and were later molded into modern breeds.

Crossbreeding can also help mitigate health issues that occur in purebred dogs. A huge majority of purebred dogs have closed studbooks. This means that no new blood that is unregistered with the breed club can enter. Breeds do sometimes open this closed book (my own breed the Alaskan Malamute did this in the 1950s to increase genetic diversity). Crossbreeding to fix health issues is usually called ‘outcrossing’ because the crossing is not done widely, but in a more targeted manner. A great example of this is LUA Dalmatians (a single non Dalmatian dog used) and the Bobtailed Boxer Program (really interesting look at how quickly type can be brought back).

In reality I love both purebred dogs and crossbred dogs. I think both serve the needs of the human population as what we need dogs for can be so varied from person to person. I also believe it is bad for populations to keep closed studbooks and I think every breed club should have outcross programs in development, especially those that are circling the drain with incredible health issues such as the Doberman.

I think it’s in poor taste for purebred folk to viscously hate cross bred dogs and their breeders just because some are not breeding responsibly. Irresponsible breeding happens plenty in purebred dogs and people need to stop acting like cross breeders are holding purebred folk at gunpoint and forcing them to buy a doodle.

#dogblr #faq #crossbreeding #this got long I’m sorry #meanwhile at least my breed has a history or re opening studbooks #and I have seen recent conversations on the best breeds for that #which is nice to see and from respected community members also #I think these conversations need to begin in every breed club right now #bc our genetics cannot keep up like this together #not when you did so many brother sister and father daughter etc matings #less than 100 years ago

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