Putting them here because it's very probable I'll want to refer to these myself. Basaltine is my hellhound character. It's pronounced "bazzle tine" (or "baz uhl tine" if you're American, I guess).

To sum up, he has the build of a Rottie, the size of a mastiff and German Shepherd facial features.

Build (at 'this' point in time): Rottweiler
NB. Ignore tails. His is longer than a natural (undocked) Rottie.
Rottie 1
(He does not stand with his hocks that far back - that's a show-dog pose.)
Rottie 2
(This pose is a bit too bull(dog)ish)
Rottie 3
(intent)
Rottie 4
Rottie 5
Rottie 6
(Swimming - definitely!)
Rottie 7
(Honest, I wasn't going to hump your leg...)

Size (at 'this' point in time): Mastiff
Basaltine's size varies over periods of years, so we have some leeway here.
Mastiff 1
("I would put up with this all day")
Mastiff 2
(rrruff!)
Mastiff 3
(...)
Mastiff et al
(Mastiff pup w brindle Dane for comparison)

Shape of head and ears: German Shepherd
GSD 1
(Tail is the length shown in this picture, but held with more of a curl when happy)
GSD 2
(good head and neck, but ignore deformed stance! Stupid show rituals. Hinds as low as that should be a fault IMHO)

GSD head/ears/face reference
GSD 3
(VERY characteristic expression when wheedling)
GSD 4
(B's fur is shorter/skin is less loose around the neck - he's all muscle)
GSD 5
(*Mutt melts*)
GSD 6
GSD 7
GSD 8

Nooooo! My one hope of ever understanding weights and measurements! *cries*

I mean, check it out - my eyes cross after a few paragraphs.

Which brings us very neatly on to this, de said, shuffling paragraphs around. Could you read 100 novels in 100 days? With this handy article you can, or something.

A new study by an academic says that 'girl power' was alive and kicking around 600 years ago. Considering the whole '90s teenybopper 'girl power' fad was an absolute joke (yeah! Barbie power! Let's fire our male manager, but only after it's pointed out to us/we're rich enough! Then marry footballers!), I can believe that. Heh. I don't know why the article uses the phrase 'golden age', though. Rich widows had it good. That's nice for everyone else.

Viking ship 'buried beneath pub'

Why is this news?

Trafalgar's pigeon ban extended

The dog fighting stuff is dragging on horribly.

Also, I saw a Dobie puppy this morning and he was gorgeous and awesome and floppy! He lives in one of those houses one unconsciously associates with a snarling dog on a chain, so I hope he doesn't grow up into an unhappy lad. I wish I'd been allowed to touch him. It sucks that people don't mind you stroking their cats (possibly because the cat tends to go walkies without the owner) but it's impolite to hug a dog, who are more social and pleasant animal by far than cats.

Excepting, perhaps, Murphy. He is a neighbourhood acquaintance of mine who likes to follow me and has a festish for my feet, such that when I stop walking he immediately falls over on them. (Dirty dirty kinky redheads.)

Contagious yawn 'sign of empathy'

*blinks* Let's see. I can infect people with yawnage, but only sporadically get infected by them. On the other hand, reading this story has given me an almost inescapable urge. In addition, it is known that I can only empathise with the printed word. Theory proved! \m/

National library building flooded