THE DOG BREED AND ANIMAL SPECIES OF THE WEEK

The dog breed of the week: African Boeorboel

The Boerboel is a big, strong, and intelligent working dog. This large, mastiff type dog reaches up to 250lbs and 28in high. Also known as the African Mastiff, they are reliable, obedient, and have strong watch dog/guard dog instincts. These giant dogs are very gentle with children and will not protest a small child riding on his back. These dogs love attention and think that they are the size of a chihuahua, trying to curl up on your lap to get as much love as possible. These dogs consideriung their size, love to run and need to have alot of excercise, so are not suitable for an apartment living conditions.

They are beautiful and usually fawn,

yellow, orange, white, or tan with a

brown or black muzzle, and somtimes

have white markings on their chest, tail,

paws, or face. Other unusual colorings

are brown brindle, red brindle, or black.

Animal species of the week: Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle was officially declared the National Emblem of the United States by the Second Continental Congress in 1782. It was selected by the U.S.A.'s founding fathers because it is a species unique to North America. The Bald Eagle has since become the living symbol of the U.S.A.'s freedoms, spirit and pursuit of excellence. Bald Eagles live near large bodies of open water such as lakes, marshes, seacoasts and rivers, where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees for nesting and roosting. The feathers of Bald Eaglets are light grey, and turn brown before they leave the nest at about 12 weeks of age. During their third and fourth years, Bald Eagles have mottled brown and white feathers under their wings and on their head, tail and breast. The white head and tail feathers do not appear until Bald Eagles are about 4-5 years old. Bald Eagles are about 29-42 inches long, can weigh 7-15 pounds, and have a wing span of 6-8 feet. Bald Eagles feed primarily on fish, but also eat small animals (ducks, muskrats, turtles, rabbits, snakes, etc.)and occasional carrion. They swoop down to seize fish in their powerful and sharp talons. They can carry their food off in flight, but can only lift about half their weight. Their diving speed is estimated at 75 to 100 miles per hour. They can fly to altitudes of 10,000 feet or more.