 |
Canis Max is short for the Latin expression canis maximus, which literally
translates as "the largest dog." For the purposes of this web publication, we have
defined the canis max as any breed of dog for which the weight of a healthy male
commonly exceeds 100 pounds (approximately 45 kg). This would include Akitas, Irish
Wolfhounds, Newfoundlands, Rottweilers, and Saint Bernards, to name just a few of the
more familiar breeds. Any comparably-sized mixed breed would also qualify as a canis
max. A seriously overweight smaller breed would not.
Our mission is to promote the safe, responsible, and enjoyable ownership of larger
canine breeds and mixes. Our goal in publishing this web site is to dispel some of
the negative stereotypes about big dogs while, ultimately, informing and entertaining
our readers.
Our decision to publish Canis Max was the direct result of our
inability to find one good source of information about living with and caring for
large dogs. While we were able to find a few good general dog magazines on the
newsstand and a number of equally fine web sites, most of their content did not
address our specific needs and concerns as big dog owners. Publications devoted to
individual breeds, on the other hand, tended to come across as overly pretentious,
routinely dismissing the companion dog in favor of show dogs and breeding stock.
With Canis Max, we hope to bridge the gap between these two types
of sources.
We do not breed dogs, show dogs, or train dogs (except our own, of course). What
we have to offer is a wealth of information gathered from our years of reading on
the subject of dogs in general and large dogs in particular. We do lots of
research and ask questions – lots of questions – of individuals in
dog-related professions. With Canis Max, we hope to pass some
of this information along to our readers.
This site contains a wealth of useful information on a variety of topics such as
training and obedience, health and diet, and products and services, all with
the large dog specifically in mind. In addition, we offer pages on the individual breeds,
complete with listings of clubs and
associations to contact, publications to consult, and links to sites to visit for
more information. Finally, we offer articles and links to a number of miscellaneous sites with
large-dog-related history, humor, news, etc.
Canis Max was originally a quarterly print magazine, first
published in June 1996. We ceased publication after only four issues because the
company handling its distribution went bankrupt, owing us a considerable sum of
money. However, at that time, our magazine was available in more than 200
bookstores across the U.S. and we had subscribers from as far away as
Malaysia. Our magazine even received mention in the nationally-syndicated
newspaper column "Animal Beat" in an article about petzines. We sincerely hope that Canis Max,
the web site, meets with the same enthusiastic reception.
– Moe and Rick Schober, publishers
|
Contents of this site, except where otherwise indicated, are © 2001 by Canis Max.