"Hmmm" - a little whimper, followed by a giant head stuffed under your arm means "Give me a hug!"
"AH ROO!" followed, if needed, about 15 seconds later by "AH ROO!" means "Stop that! Now! Someone's going to get hurt!" Notice the posture in this picture, where his head is level with his back. He's getting ready to stuff his head between Jeffrey and his sisters. (In case anyone wondered, Jeff at 6'4" and 230 pounds can surely haul his 3 sisters, each of whom tips the scales between 110 and 120.)
"Roo!" With head pointed upward, this means, "Can I join in the game?" If no one pays attention, he'll then take up head butting people.
"OOWWW HMMM Roo OWW!" means he has heard one of our cars or the gate, and someone he loves is coming home. This usually occurs when Thor's on the porch.
"ROO ROO ROO!" means "You are not one of my people and I demand that you leave my property/sidewalk/street at once!" A proper introduction will stop this. One pedestrian had the audacity to tell my 13 year old to shut that dog up, because he was a menace (although the dog was inside a 6 foot high fence), and the child responded, "You have no right to interfere with his constitutional right to free speech."
And for Mango, the handsome brindle mastiff from Massachusetts, Thor weighs in around 250. He spends as much time as possible romping with his boys, and the "Bone Happy Dance" is the only dancing he does. Glad to know another big guy!
And I should add for Crabigail, Thor doesn't shed much. Le had a white lab for years, and he shed much more than Thor does. Because he's shorthaired, and we brush him once a week, he's a pretty clean guy, especially when you consider his size!
Happy Thorsday, everyone!
25 comments:
This was such a fun post! I love the word "barkcabulary"! That should be trademarked asap. My favorite part was the witty reply to the rude passerby. So much classier than "walk somewhere else, bub!" Happy Thorsday!
Oh sweet Thor. I am here if you ever need a dog sitter.
Isn't it neat how we learn to recognize what the different sounds mean? I can even tell who's barking without looking. They each have different voices.
What a great post! I loved learning about the language of Thor. If the Knight would fall in Mastiff love, I'd be forced to agree...
Such a sweet dog...silent, but golden!
Thor is such a big bear! Love him... and I've never met him. How tall is he when he stands on his hind legs? Must be as tall as your son. =)
Great, fun post... and of course, great pics!
Thor looks very well-loved... he's a lucky dog.
Aaah! I could just hear his dark voice! Bless him, he is a gentle giant!
Loved, loved, loved this post! It's so true how different sounds they make mean different things! Fuji smelled some catnip spray on a toy yesterday and said "phew phew" we got the biggest laugh and then she came back over to it and did it again....tooo funny!
I love the AH-ROOO picture! I want to know how your kids stay so thin with all your good cooking!
And I never thought of an old lady baking bat cookies in the house...
Thor is such a perfect name for him!
Cool post! We love to learn more about you my friend! And I agree: silence is golden and mastiff!Happy Thorsday!
xoxo
Thor
Thor is a handsome boy. I love big dogs. I had my big boy Max, a Boxer, for 11.5 years. He was a huge Boxer and great to hug!
:)
Ahhh... I just love that big ol' boy, so thanks for sharing his barkabularly!!
I'm with Pam on this one. If you ever need a sitter, give me a call!
;-)
Great post! I could almost hear Thor's voice.
It's good to know Thorspeak. After all he does have a constitional right to freedom of Thorspeak.
Loved this post. Thor has got so much personality. He's a cutie. Our Beau only barks in the middle of the night at the neighbor's dogs. Other than that he is the strong silent type. Have a great week!
lol...great post. I could actually see some of my 17 lb poodle in some of Thors "barkcabulary"....love that word :)
Marjie, this post made my day! Nitoy had to ask from across the room why I was laughing. :D
Darling Thor is so huggable, I was pleased to learn that he asks for cuddles (in a nice way). A head butt does less damage than Zebby inserting a claw. You can pick the loving cat owners by the scratches on their skin!
And your darling doesn't shed? How wonderful. Zeb gets brushed, okay - demands to be brushed, at least once every day yet there is always some cat hair around my place - no matter how often I vaccuum.
Please give Thor a huge, gentle huggle from me. I do adore your canine lad.
Cute post, Marjie! ~ Robyn
Oh thank you for the vocabulary lesson. I tend to moan and howl much more than to actually use my big dog voice. I also kind of pucker my lips when I am howling and crying.
I do that head thing too! The more they resist, the more my head butts into them. Hehehe. The Mango will not be denied his lovin!
I don't think I have every growled, but I do snarl my lips as a warning when required. The only time I have done this is when Pee-Wee was really little and was getting in my space. He figured it out pretty fast.
Momma isn't actually sure how much I weigh since I am afraid of the scale at the VET. I weighed 230 pounds the last time I got on which was about two years ago. So now, who knows?
Slobbers,
Mango
P.S. Have you seen this YouTube of my big cry baby sounds? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjUWm7Q-sd0
I really enjoyed getting to know Thor better. I love his personality. i always have a hug available!
ah Thor, a man of few words - just my kind!!
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