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Comments

Mouse's Looks.

[(Anonymous)]

Okay, I've known for a while that what I think Mouse looks like isn't exactly canon, but I'm wondering how exactly fanon pictures mouse generally.

Myself as example:

I know in canon Mouse is supposed to be a Foo Dog, and so look something like a chow ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chow_Chow ). To me, however, this is impractical (grooming issues, for one, for another they aren't particularly active) and doesn't fit the idea of a dog that goes with Harry to battle the fae/latest baddie.

Instead, I think of this breed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesian_Ridgeback
An african breed for hunting lions (instead of being a "lion-dog") that seems to fit Mouse, especially when you look at the temperament (here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesian_Ridgeback#Temperament ). This, especially, reminds me of Mouse:
"Ridgebacks are strong-willed, intelligent, and many seem to have a penchant for mischief, though loving. They are protective of their owners and families. If trained well, they can be excellent guard dogs."

(Also, the 8-month picture is, to me, the perfect image of Mouse.) :)

Re: Mouse's Looks.

[(Anonymous)]

I always pictured Mouse as a Tibetan Mastiff.

Re: Mouse's Looks.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, me too, anon.

Re: Mouse's Looks.

[(Anonymous)]

It is certainly a more canon breed than what I picture mouse as - however I still can't picture Harry as having a long-haired dog, even only partially long-haired as those appear to be (by a quick google image search). It's just, I've dealt with long-haired dogs, and I can't picture Harry taking the time to brush out dirt and knots every day, taking him to the groomers every three months for a cut and clip, and bringing him home with a red bandanna around his neck. (Although our dog was a boy who sometimes came home with a pretty pink bow on the top of his head.)

Unless there is a magic solution, which I am more than willing to accept. :)

Re: Mouse's Looks.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, Mouse is a semidivine being...

Re: Mouse's Looks.

[cyprinella]

Jim was talking on twitter recently that Mouse is basically a Caucasian Shepherd in his head.

However, even with all the shaggy dog references in the text, he still registers in my mind as a blue merle Great Dane like this guy. I have no idea why.

Re: Mouse's Looks.

[qem_chibati]

Sweet! My head!version of mouse is pretty close to Jim's version.

Re: Mouse's Looks.

[(Anonymous)]

In one of the later books Charity comment on how he looks like a Caucasian Mountain Dog, only he has nothing like their super aggressive temperament.

Re: Mouse's Looks.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, apparently the disconnect I have isn't usual. I'm not sure why I've never really been able to get "it's magic, accept it" in my head, but he's always been a sleek-looking, smooth, hound-type dog to me, though maybe a bit larger than his non-magical counterpart.

While the Mountain Dog and the Shepherd mentioned above fit the size I imagine Mouse at, I simply can't get my head around shaggy dog-type. It simply does not compute. Big fat error message, even though I can sit back logically and think "no matter how much that doesn't make sense to me, that's what it is."

The closest I get is maybe an Irish Wolfhound (here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Wolfhound ), with the temperament still matching somewhat with Mouse's.