Page 37 - Cinci 2018

www.GreaterCincinnatiPetPages.com 37 The Tale of the Tail

The Tale of the Tail

Our pets’ tails are mobile and include Poodle and Portuguese
flexible extension of their spines. Water Dog.
Dog tails vary widely in length, hair •Tapered tail: set high on the
covering, and shape. The shape back. They are wide at the base
of your mixed-breed dog’s tail can and held straight up or out. Dogs
give you a hint about his genetics. include Terriers, Dachshund, and
Dalmation.
Some examples of dogs’ tails are: •Sword tail: wide at the base
and tapered at the tip. The natural
•Sickle or curled tail: like its position is straight down. Dogs
name, shaped like a sickle and include American Staffordshire
curled forward over the back. Terriers, Great Dane and some
Dogs with sickle tails are Husky, Pointers.
Shiba Inu, Chow, Keeshond, and •Saber tail: resembles a saber –
the Chihuahua. long and held low. Dogs include
•Snap tail: more tightly curled Collie, German Shepherd, and
than the sickle. Dogs include Cardigan Welsh Corgi.
Malamute and Pomeranian. •Gay tail: meaning “happy tail,”
•Otter or swimmer tail: thick at is thick and slightly curved, ending
the base and narrowing to a blunt in a small often white tuft at the
tip, used as a rudder for swim- tip. Dogs include Beagle, Border
ming. Dogs include Labrador and Collie, and Cavalier King Charles
Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and Spaniel.
Otterhound. •Corkscrew tail: like its name,
•Carrot tail: stubby, short, thick shaped like a corkscrew. Dogs
at the base, ending in a stumpy include Pug and Bulldog.
tip. Dogs include West Highland
Terriers. Our domesticated cats’ tails don’t
•Bobbed tail: less like a tail and vary that much in shape and size.
more like fatty tissue. These tails The only variance
are naturally bobbed, not docked. is the length and
Dogs include French Bulldog, Old amount of hair.
English Sheepdog, and Pembroke
Welsh Corgi.
•Tufted tail: set high and straight
on the back. They are very furry
and have a tuft at the end. Dogs