Brick, the Karelian bear-hunting dog. A very rare and fascinating breed from the Karelian region of Finland and Russia. www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/dogs-101/videos/karelian-bear-dog He was found wandering in the woods, very skinny, and taken to a shelter. My daughter-in-law saw him online and that was it - they drove 300 miles to adopt him.

This particular dog is way less fierce than the video portrays, but he did chase a bear, once, and has also gone after deer. He will run for many miles and hours until wearing out. He's about 10 years old, now, and is something of a couch potato if he's not outside. Brick is quiet, polite and somewhat cat-like in his independence.