Euro Puppy BLOG

Eric Banks - Child turned Norfolk Terrier

In Allan Ahlberg's delightful book "Woof!", 10 year old Eric Banks is magically transformed into a Norfolk Terrier. The book explains life through they eyes of a dog and when he becomes a boy, he has to prepare for it to happen again!

This children's book is well known in modern day literature, as Eric soon finds out that all is not well. The style of writing is very curious as Alhberg tries to mingle the thought processes of a dog with that of a boy!



Norfolk Terriers are said to be completely fearless despite being the smallest of the working terriers. True to the terrier form, they enjoy chasing down small prey like mice and rats. They enjoy being in regular contact with humans throughout and make excellent pets.

Norfolk puppies are in great demand due to these qualities.

Newfoundland Dog: Nana from Peter Pan (1904- )

Nana was the Newfoundland dog belonging to the Darling Family in the Peter Pan story by J. M. Barrie. Nana howled to alert Wendy's parents that the children were flying away. Mr. Darling ignored the warning of Nana and was so remorseful at the loss of the children that he slept in the kennel in Nana's place until their safe return. Nana - like her breed- is a loving, family-oriented Newfoundland and a lovely character in the story. A St. Bernard was used as a canine actor in the movie version of the story, but everyone knew (or was supposed to know) that she was supposed to be a black Newfoundland Dog like in the book.

Neapolitan Mastiff: Fang from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2003)

Aside from his enormous size, Fang appears to be an entirely ordinary dog. While his appearance is intimidating, he is, in Hagrid's words, "a bloody coward". Boisterous and loving with people he knows, he seems especially fond of Harry and at times, Hermione. Fang, like Hagrid, is not as fierce as he looks. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone he accompanied Harry, Hagrid, Draco Malfoy, Hermione and Neville into the Forbidden Forest to look for an injured unicorn. In the following book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, he joined Harry and Ron into the forest where he was scared stiff. Ironically, Neapolitan Mastiffs were used in Gladiator fights in the past. They were bred as fighting dogs. However, these giant creatures have developed into more lovable creatures. Fang’s fear is not in proportion to his immense size and history, of being a fighter dog. He is thus, lovable even more. Not to mention, a half-giant like Hagrid, would have hardly looked very “professional” as a game-keeper, with a lap- dog by his side!

Mountain Cur: Old Yeller from the Book and Movie: Old Yeller (1957)

Old Yeller is a 1956 book by Fred Gipson and the title is taken from the name of the fictional Mountain Cur dog who is a main character in the book. In 1957 the story was made into a film. The story takes place in the late 1860s. The Coates family is extremely poor, having only confederate money after the war, and when the father and all the other men in nearby homes must leave on a cattle drive, Travis, the son is left as the man of the house. Soon afterwards, a yellow dog shows itself, and generally causes havoc. The dog becomes known as "Old Yeller" and stays on in the family. After a while Travis begins to love Old Yeller and the dog has a profound effect on the boy's life. Old Yeller is found to have distemper and has to be killed in order to prevent the disease from spreading.

The Mountain Cur is a type of working dog used for trailing game; mainly squirrel and raccoon, but also large game. It is a member of the Hound group and is one of several varieties of cur. They can also be used as water dogs. Mainly bred in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee, it has been registered with the United Kennel Club since 1998. The Mountain Cur Breeder's Association was formed in 1957: in the year the story was made into a film.

Labrador Retriever: "Moreover", from the Movie: The Biscuit Eater (1972)

The Biscuit Eater is a film made by Walt Disney Pictures in 1972 . It is the last 'One Boy and his Animal' themed movie made by Disney, as this subgenre would eventually grow out of fashion. The story revolves around a Labrador Retriever named Moreover who has a strong relationship with a red-headed boy, despite his mishaps. Moreover is given to a gas station clerk, but Lonnie and his best friend Text regain possession of the dog. They train Moreover to be a prize-winning bird retriever, entering him in a competition. The 1972 film is a remake of a 1940 film.

Jack Russell: Eddie from Frasier, the Comedy T.V Series (1992-2004)

The Jack Russell named Moose - that played the character of Eddie in the sitcom called Frasier- made his first appearance on the long-running Cheers spin-off in the first episode on 16 September 1993. He retired 10 years later; in 2003. The show finished in 2004. Moose shared the part of Eddie with his son, Enzo. During the height of Frasier's popularity, Moose received more fan mail than any of his human counterparts. Believed to be one of the most disciplined TV/Movie animals in the history of television, he was superbly trained, and was also one of the most lovable dogs as well. He died aged 16, in Los Angeles.

Jack Russells are friendly, alert, playful and very intelligent little dogs.

Irish setter: Big Red, from the Movie: Big Red (1962)

Big Red is a 1962 American family-adventure film from Disney Studios. Based on a 1945 novel by American author Jim Kjelgaard and adapted to the screen by American screenwriter Louis Pelletier, the film starred Walter Pidgeon and was set in the Canadian province of Quebec. "Big Red" is an Irish Setter that would rather run through the woods than be the perfectly-trained and groomed show dog his sportsman owner (Pidgeon) wants him to be. A ten-year-old orphan boy helps look after the dog and rebels against his owner's strict discipline of raising "Big Red."

Irish Setters are aristocratic Bird Dogs, with noble bearings, sweet temperaments and boundless energy.

Huskies from the Movie: "Eight Below" ( 2006 )

Eight Below is a Walt Disney Pictures film which was released in 2006 in the US. It is the fictional re-imagining of the true events of the 1958 occurrence moved forward to 1993; the last year that sled dogs were used in Antarctica. Jerry Shepard is a guide at an Antarctica research base under contract with the National Science Foundation. UCLA professor, Dr. Davis McClaren arrives at the base and presses Shepard to take him to Mount Melbourne to find a rare meteorite.

Shepard does so against his own intuition, which tells him that it is too late in the season. Battling hypothermia, frostbite and near white-out conditions, it is the dogs' stamina and keen sense of direction that gets Shepard and McClaren back to base. They are immediately evacuated, but with too much weight in the plane to carry both people and dogs, the human team plans to return later for the dogs. The dogs are temporarily left behind, but the storm is worse than expected. Five months later, Shepard decides to throw his all into rescuing the dogs. The dogs must struggle for survival alone in the Antarctic wilderness until Shepard and McClaren eventually return to rescue them, more than six months later. Six of the eight dogs survive.

Huskies are brave survivors. They are in their element when they can be free. They are a hardy and healthy breed.

Great Dane: Just Nuisance

Just Nuisance was the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. He was a Great Dane, who from 1939-44 served at HMS Afrikander, a Royal Navy shore establishment in Simon's Town, South Africa. Just Nuisance was entitled the same benefits as any other Able Seaman, which included a cap. Nuisance was involved in a car accident which had caused thrombosis to develop, and this was gradually paralysing him, so on 1 January 1944 he was discharged from the Navy. His condition continued to deteriorate and on 1 April 1944 he was taken to Simon's Town Naval Hospital where on the advice of the naval veterinary surgeon, he was put to sleep. The next day he was taken to Klaver Camp where his body was draped with a Royal Naval White Ensign and he was buried with full naval honours, including a gun salute and the playing of the Last Post.

A simple granite headstone marks his grave, but a statue was erected in Jubilee Square in Simon's Town to commemorate his life. The Simon's Town Museum has a room dedicated to his story, and since 2000 there has been an annual parade of Great Danes from which a lookalike is selected from South Africa.

Golden Retriever: Buddy from the Movie: Airbud (1997)

The plot revolves around a 12-year-old boy, Josh, who has an interest in basketball. Through a series of coincidences, Josh meets Buddy, a Golden Retriever who escaped from his cruel owner. Josh soon learns that Buddy has an uncanny ability to play the sport of basketball. The movie generated a one theater-released sequel and many direct-to-video sequels. In each film, Buddy learns to play a different sport. Golden Retreivers are the family dogs. Although it may be questionable how well they perform in sports, their keen sense of smell, and their ability to retrieve makes them excellent hunting dogs as well.