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Greetings:
Welcome to the June 12th edition of the Bsk Newspaper! As promised, this edition has been released exactly two weeks since the last newspaper and hopefully, the Bsk newspaper staff can stick with that schedule! Before we get to the featured articles, there are a couple of announcements that I want to make before everyone gets occupied by the articles. The very first thing I want to say is that I cannot be more grateful for the newest newspaper staff member, Phoenix, for joining me in bringing the Bsk community the news. I was uncomfortable being the sole person to decide what to put in the newspaper but with another opinion, I feel much more confident that the newspaper is not only composed of the opinions of one person. She is the one to do the wonderful article that is the main feature for this newspaper. The next and final thing I wanted to say was that the Bsk newspaper would not be possible without the absolutely wonderful support of Chained. She made me the newspaper manager and because I was unsure with exactly what the job entailed and what would make the newspaper interesting, she has walked every step of the process with me, ensuring that I didn’t majorly mess up something that has been on Bsk for years. So, from the very bottom of my heart, thank you to both Phoenix and Chained. Thank you also to everyone who has ever commented or given feedback for the newspaper while I have been manager. I couldn’t do anything without the information I get from everyone else around me on this site and it makes me very happy that I am not alone in wanting the newspaper to succeed. So, without further announcements, let’s get to the main reason why we make the newspaper, shall we?
Main Featured Article:
Hello everyone, I'm Phoenix. I'm sure most of you read Black Dahlia's post about me joining the newspaper team. Before I jump right into my article I wanted to explain what my articles will be about. I'm sure most of you have heard about the show Dogs 101 on Animal Planet (if you don't know what the show is about, it basically gives you lots of facts on one dog breed at a time and how to care for that dog breed); I will be doing something similar to that. I hope you all enjoy and if you have any dog breeds you would like to see in one of my newspaper articles, please comment at the end of this article or message me.
The first breed I will be discussing is the Tibetan Mastiff. Some of you might not have even heard of this breed before. It is actually a very rare breed. It was almost extinct not too long ago, but luckily a few breeders decided to start breeding this breed. It is still a very rare breed, but it is not at the risk of becoming extinct anymore. The breed was rescued in the 1800’s by British breeders.
Some people call this dog the mother of Mastiffs; it has provided the root stock for all of Asia's and Europe's giant livestock-guarding breeds. It is also one of the biggest mastiff breeds, weighing up to 180 pounds.
Because of its rarity, this breed is very expensive. People have said that this breed has sold for as high as 1.5 million dollars. I've done a lot of research on this breed and I haven't seen one that high, but I have seen them as high as $6,000. When looking at the breed you would probably think it wasn't worth spending that much money on, but when you think about being able to tell people that you own a breed that was almost extinct, the novelty of the breed is almost worth the money.
If you ever think about owning this breed, you might want to look into it first. This is a very high maintenance breed. Most breeders suggest brushing the dog's coat at least once a day. Grooming this breed can be very time consuming and very expensive if you don't groom the dog yourself.
This breed has been known to have temper problems, but after years of selective breeding, the Tibetan Mastiff is pretty easy-going. The breed has been known to be good with kids and has been said to be a very good family dog. These dogs are known to be very protective so beware strangers.
The Tibetan Mastiff isn't known to have a whole lot of genetic health problems, but other health problems are found in this breed. If you ever decide to purchase a Tibetan Mastiff, make sure you are aware of the health problems the breed can carry. Even though this breed has a few health problems, it is known to live anywhere between ten and fourteen years. I think that covers everything you need to know about the Tibetan Mastiff. For my next article I will also be adding an interview section; this is where I ask members a few game related questions. If I think their answers are enjoyable to read, I will feature them in one of my articles. So if you would like to be a part of one of my newspaper articles, answer the questions I have listed below and message them to me:
1) How long have you been on BSK?
2) What is your favorite part of being a member on BSK?
3) What breed are you currently breeding on BSK?
4) On a scale 1 to 10 what would you rate BSK?
5) What type of articles would you like to see in the BSK newspaper?
Most Popular Dog Breeds:
In the Bsk community, there have been many breeds that had a lot of individual dogs but over the last year and a half, the number of dogs has dwindled until there are three or four popular breeds and then very few individual dogs in the other breeds available to the community. The three most popular breeds, it seems, to Bsk are the German Shepherd, the Wolf, and the Shiloh Shepherd. Each of these breeds has at least 100 individual dogs spread out among the kennels in our community. Kitteh is the kennel with the most Shiloh Shepherds and German Shepherds whereas Mirage and myself (Black Dahlia) have a majority of the wolves. In the case of the Wolf and the German Shepherd, these breeds have always been a favorite among the players on Black Star Kennels; Chained was a primary breeder of German Shepherds, LizLoBoLove was a primary breeder of wolves, Kitteh has always been a breeder of Shiloh Shepherds and German Shepherds, and I have always had wolves in my kennels. Several newer members and returning members have decided to take up these popular breeds and that is a wonderful thing.
However, it has always been a concern of the Bsk community that a majority of the breeds available to be created in the Bsk store have only a few individual dogs or are entirely extinct in the game. These breeds were dubbed Rare Breeds and while it is unfortunate, it is a fact that there are many more breeds that have individual dogs in the single digits, if any at all, than there were last year or the year before. It is only through the effort of the individual players on Bsk that each of these breeds can be represented in our kennels. There are a few players that take on more lines to help bring the forgotten breeds back to life but this effort needs more than two or three people to work. If we want Bsk to be a better representation of the canines in our lives, let’s not focus solely on the dogs we like the absolute best and try to give some our attention to the dogs that have no attention at all.
Advice to Everyone:
The typical thing that every newspaper manager tries to do is to make the community more interactive and more aware of things that can make the experience of everyone on the site the best it can possibly be. While I like to call myself an odd duck or the odd ball on the site, I will not be different in this aspect. So, I have a few things I would like to say that should help everyone have an improved experience on Bsk.
1. Anger Issues: Irritation is common on every site and Black Star Kennels is absolutely not an anomaly. There are many different types of people in our community and it is only natural that there would be some chaffing going on between individuals. However, it is not acceptable to start fights or arguments in the messageboards, chat room, private messages, or the role-plays. This is the internet and every one of us has control over what appears on the screen to everyone else on the site. I could be fuming in real life, which has happened before, but I appear only slightly less cheerful on Bsk. We each have the ability to censor what we type and this is something that we should practice. Bsk has rules about fighting and while there are moderators that can handle issues, it cannot be expected that we are the sole people to control all of you. It is understandable and acceptable if you want to let someone know, politely, that you are irritated or upset but starting a fight or appearing as if you want to argue is not acceptable and will be dealt with accordingly. We haven’t had a real issue with this but it is always something that can happen and everyone, particularly the moderators and administrators that deal with the repercussions of the incidents, would be much happier if these incidents remained rare.
2. Inappropriate Subject Matter: This isn’t an issue very often but it has occurred in the years I have been on here so I figured it was worth mentioning. There are a few topics that are not to be discussed at any time on Bsk, particularly in the chat rooms, the role-plays, and the messageboards. It is inappropriate to discuss: religion, politics, sexual matters, and drugs/alcohol. While moderators can’t exactly keep these things from being discussed in messages, the public forum areas strictly prohibit these topics. The only time in recent months that I have seen this as an issue was the 2012 election in the U.S. but that was minor and was dealt with swiftly. Keep up the great work, Bsk!
3. Read the Rules: I cannot stress this enough. Everything you need to know in order to have a fun and safe time on Bsk is in the rules. Everyone has to follow these, no exceptions.
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