Every blog has its day. Especially when that blog belongs to a dog.
Take Whanganui Regional Museum staffer Elizabeth Hamblyn's dog Jasper.
So keen was Mrs Hamblyn to get 18-month-old Jasper - a maremma - a place in the recently completed Tux Wonderdog competition, she started a blog - jaspersdoggyworld.wordpress.com - singing
his praises.
Blog watchers took to it like a dog to a bone.
Mrs Hamblyn started the blog in April, a month before the competition entries were to close.
As of this week, 700 people had visited the site, including a woman from Italy who sent her support.
But try as Mrs Hamblyn might, Jasper's application got the thumbs down from the Tux Wonderdog people. It seems he simply didn't meet the canine criteria.
Initially, Mrs Hamblyn was a little barking mad about it but now she thinks the decision was probably for the best. At 42kg, Jasper "would probably have torn the camera crew to shreds".
Maremmas don't make great pets. Instead, they are reknowned guard dogs that have been used by Italian shepherds for centuries to keep hungry wolves at bay. "They need space and to be properly disciplined," says Mrs Hamblyn.
A DOG'S TALE
The Maremma sheepdog is a breed of livestock guardian dog that originated in central Italy and has been used for centuries by Italian shepherds to guard sheep from wolves.
They are of a muscular build, sport a thick white coat, have a large head and black nose and a bear-like face.
Most weigh between 30 and 50kg.
Despite their large size, Maremma can be good companion dogs, given adequate open space.
They are bred to be gentle with lambs but fiercely protective of their flock.
