Magnum,
You didn't hijack anything. I like your point about your two dogs being happy to see you after a mongering vacation!
Some interesting facts about dogs that I like is that they actually understand human emotion better than any other animal. This is believed to have happened from 10,000 years of domestication. Probably dogs were the first domesticated animal. They are very smart too. I had a lab mix that I could actually ask it questions and it clearly knew what I was saying. Amazing. I have only cried at one funeral and it was for a dog.
I love the hunting breeds like labs, retreivers, springers, and setters. Man, those are fine animals.
I once saw a dog fighting video. I thought it was pretty boring. Pits tend to look for a clamp position and lock down. Boring. I once was involved in a fight between a samoyed and a pit bull. It was the most ferocious fight I have ever witnessed. I ended up in the emergency room because of it.
What I can't stand is watching women fight. Ugh. As for gladiators, the UFC is pretty amazing. As for the Romans, well...showing no mercy and being indifferent to suffering was part of their culture. One time during a gladiator exhibition they ran out of Christians to feed to lions and the emperor Caligula ordered rows 1-3 from section B into the arena. That is what I call entertainment. Another thing he did was order the wives of senators to work in the Rome brothels to help pay down the debt. Have you seen Tommy Thompson's wife? I'd hit it!!!
