Arthur

This is Arthur.

He belongs to Craig and his sister Leeann. Leeann loves him so much and he lives with her but while she has been on holiday at the Gold Coast in QLD, he has been at our place.

He looks like a lovely puppy....admittedly with a face only a mother could love.....

WRONG!

He is a very old man at about 9 human years and for his size that converts to about 90 dog years. Dogs his size have a much shorter life span than other breeds. The average for his breed is 6-8yrs.

You can definitely see the history and ancient heritage in this face. His breeds hark back hundreds of years (just like my standard poodles do). He is part wolfhound and possibly part mastiff. He was a rescue dog and Craig tells that as a pup of 6 weeks he was already 10kg (20lb)

Here is a shot with my hand as well. Compare the palm of my hand with Arthur's nose. Awesome huh!

This gentle giant will let me open his mouth and shove tablets back there with good grace and temperament.

He weighs about 100kg (200lbs) and no, he doesn't eat much, because he doesn't DO much.

As an older dog, he has arthritis and needs LOW to the ground, stable, soft bedding. His teeth are worn quite a bit but still need some bones for daily plaque management. Chicken frames and lamb/beef bones are great. He also needs good quality, nutritionally complete kibble that is free of artificial colours (gives him skin allergies) and salts and caramels (bad for old dog kidneys).

There is a lot vets can do to ease the pain of arthritis and provide quality of life with drugs like cartrophen. I am a firm believer in the benefits of fish oil and green lipped mussel extract for dogs too.

He has had a lovely time with the poodles but at the end of the day he regards them as the babies they are at a third of his age.

He is a lovely dog with a gorgeous nature and particularly protective of Craig and Leeann's mother, and I couldn't help sharing him with you. All our dogs have been rescued dogs, and they are just the best. We know Arthur had a sister also for adoption way back then and I know Craig always wishes he could have adopted her too. We hope she has had a loving home and long life like Arthur has and send her our love wherever she is.