Heart of Dogness

Single-Malt Scotch Terriers: Campbeltown

Campbeltown, once known as "Scottyopolis" for its large number of breeders, now has only one, Springbank, which does, however, produce three distinct scotties: Springbank, Hazelburn, and Longrow.

The Springbank Scotch Terrier is distilled two and a half times, and is not chill-filtered, nor does it have colour added. This means that some parts of the dog have been through distillation twice and some parts three times. This results in a smooth-drinking but understandably nervous dog that should be allowed to sleep in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for as long as it likes.

The Longrow Single Malt is a highly peaty dog that will track in all kinds of swamp stuff if not closely monitored. The standard Longrow also sleeps in ex-bourbon casks, while a Sherrywood variety can also be found. There is also an experimental Tokaji-cask edition available, which barks in Hungarian.

Hazelburn Single Malt, the newest variety, was first bred in 1997. Hazelburn is a triple distilled, non-peated dog, named for another now-defunct Campbeltown breeder.

Single-Malt Scotch Terriers: Islay

Islay Scotties are bred by, and occasionally in, the sea, and warmed by peat fires during the long, dreary nights of winter Islay (pronounced Eye-la by those who want to pronounce it, and IZ-lay by those who don't). This gives these dogs their characteristic smoke-and-old-fish aroma, which gives rise to their popularity as outdoor watchdogs.

Like all Scotties, the Islay is inclined to be stubborn, and needs firm but gentle handling from an early age or it will dominate the household. If properly trained, though, it will instead dominate the neighborhood and bring you an endless stream of purloined or coerced valuables you can pawn to pay for its upkeep. Advanced training might include: don't bite the Constable when he comes for his payoff; don't bite the Judge ever; do bite the pawnbroker from whom you reacquisitioned the watch.

Popular names for the Scotties of southeastern Isla include Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg. Caol Ila is a frequent name for dogs in the north of the island, where dogs are similarly treated. In the middle of the place, Scotties are often named Bowmore, although there is disagreement as to whether the first or second syllable is stressed; the dogs, however, are uniformly stressed.

Elsewhere on Islay, dogs may be called Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich, but since no one can actually pronounce these names, the dogs seldom come when called.

Single-Malt Scotch Terriers: Speyside

 Speyside Scotties are bred in Strathspey, the area around the River Spey in Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey, in northeastern Scotland. There are so many breeders that there are few similarities across the region, though some of the most refined and elegant Scotties are from Speyside, and won't hesitate to let you know it. Although Speyside Scotties are often described in such grocery-inspired terms as fruity, floral, nutty, spicy, buttery and biscuity, most need no refrigeration and few thrive in cupboards.

The Speyside Scottie, like all Scotties, is charming and full of character, and knows a variety of card tricks. It is loyal and will protect your home and family from intruders, whether unwanted or greatly desired. If you have a Scottie from Speyside, you won't need any other friends, which is just as well, since you won't have any. You will, however, make the acquaintance of any number of lawyers.

Popular Speyside Dog Names:
Aberlour, Aultmore, Balmenach, Balvenie, Benriach, Benromach, Cardhu, Cragganmore, Dailuaine, Dufftown, Glendronach, Glendullan, Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Glen Grant, Glen Keith, Glentauchers, Glen Elgin, Glen Moray, Imperial, Inchgower, Knockando, Linkwood, Lismore, Longmorn, McClelland, Miltonduff, Mortlach, Speyburn, Strathisla, Tamnavulin Glenlivet, Tamdhu, Tomintoul, Tormore.

The following will only answer if you preface their names with "The":
The Glenlivet, The Glenrothes, The Macallan, The Speyside

Single-Malt Scotch Terriers: Lowland

Lowland Scotties are bred in the lowlands of Scotland. There are only three breeders now in the region: Glenkinchie, near Edinburgh; Auchentoshan, near Clydebank; and Bladnoch in Galloway. At least six other lowland Scotties are still available, but are no longer bred: Rosebank, Kinclaith, St. Magdalene, Ladyburn, Inverleven and Littlemill.

The typical Lowland Scotch Terrier is fresh and light in character, with notes of lemon and cut grass. A sweet nose and a hint of peat make this a good introduction to the breed, but that lightness requires that you keep a close watch on the dog in a stiff breeze and you must remember not to squeeze the dog over your fish. The Lowland Scottie's scrappy attitude makes him a challenge to train. The new Scottie owner should immediately find an obedience school at which to abandon the pup. That failing, equip yourself with a steely resolve and a small firearm with which to assert dominance.

Single-Malt Scotch Terriers: Highland

The Highland Scottie is thought to be the original of the breed, and shows it by barking in an incomprehensible brogue and wheezing like a bagpipe while asleep. There are far too many varieties to ascribe a specific set of characteristics to all, but it would be rash to say they have no character (see end of next paragraph). Use words like "heather" and "honey" in the description, and you ought to be safe.

Playful, lovable and loyal, the Highland Scottie can be a great family pet and watch dog, who will eagerly alert his owners to the presence of intruders or approaching spacecraft. A well-trained Scottie can learn to give a special bark when a process-server, bill-collector, or particularly unwelcome in-law is coming up the walk. Great care should be exercised when introducing Highland Scotties to other dogs, as they can be aggressive, argumentative and frequently have excellent attorneys on retainer.

Popular names for Highland Scotch Terriers:
Aberfeldy, Allt-a-Bhainne, An Cnoc, Ardmore, Balbair, Ben Nevis, Benrinnes, Clynelish, Dallas Dhu, Dalmore, Dalwhinnie, Deanston, Drumguish, Glen Albyn, Glencadam, Glen Deveron, Glen Eden, Glen Garioch, Glengoyne, Glenmorangie, Glen Ord, Glenturret, Imperial, Inchgower, Inverarity, Loch Dhu, Loch Lomond, Loch Morar, Macphail, Mannochmore, McClelland, Millburn, Oban, Old Pulteney, Royal Brackla, Royal Lochnagar, Teaninich, Tomatin, Tullibardine.

The following will only answer if you preface their names with "The":
The Edradour, The Singleton

Single-Malt Scotch Terriers: Introduction

The Scotch Terrier was developed in Scotland and called the Aberdeen Terrier, after the Scottish town of the same name. This was meant to hide the breed's true origins in Dumfries, at more or less the other end of the country. The Scottie was used to hunt den animals like otter, fox, badger, rabbit and couch potato, and to annoy tourists from England.

Scotties love the great outdoors, and should be given at least one brisk walk each day. A Scottie with a dominant personality (that is, one that's breathing) will insist on carrying a blackthorn walking stick, and occasionally whacking you in the shin with it.

The Scotch Terrier's outer coat is hard and wiry with a dense, softer undercoat. Frequent brushing with a wire brush or jackhammer is recommended. The coat may be black, gray, wheaten (yellowy-white), or brindle (almost any color, but looks like it's been rolling in coal dust). The breed sheds little, preferring to retain its hair until a suitable buyer can be found. Scotties are comfortable in rural, suburban, or urban environments, but in an apartment setting, the dog will always want to be the Superintendent. It's best to accede to this demand.

Most Scotch Terriers are blended, and have characteristics of many varieties. Over the next five days, we hope to introduce you to the many Single-Malt Scotch Terriers, and so deepen and broaden your appreciation of this remarkable breed.

Incidentally, I KNOW this is the same picture I used in my last post. Bear with me, OK?

Martina's True Dog Story 3: Duchess

My mother has always been a "dog person". She trained her childhood dog (a border collie mix aka Duchess the First), to eat off a plate on the picnic table and do many tricks. When she married her parents would not let her take Duchess to her new home.

Dad brought home a wolf hybrid (shepherd/wolf mix) for Mom when she was pregnant with me. This dog, Duchess II was "Martina's dog" and very protective of the family. One time she saw toddler me crawling towards the street in our suburb, and dragged me home by the collar.  Mom was watched the whole thing from the kitchen window.

After both Duchesses passed we had a series of family dogs. Mom had a Doberman for a while and her name was Duchess III.

When I got Georgie, Mom wept. She'd always wanted a standard poodle, a black standard poodle. So, for Mom's birthday I arranged with Georgie's breeder to purchase a female Standard Poodle from the next litter from Georgie's mom, which was expected in June.

Mom counted the days. We waited and waited for the puppies. The breeder called and the pups were born the evening before my birthday. Mom and I drove quite a distance to the breeder's one week after the pups' birth. Georgie was in the car and stayed there while we met the dam and pups.

Georgie's mama looked exhausted and had 8-9 pups begging for her attention. Mom clutched one to her chest immediately and said "This is Duchess, I love the Marcel on her forehead"

She brought Duchess home from the breeder's after the pups had been weaned about seven weeks later. Mom came by my work on her way home from the breeder's with Duchess and we had a tailgate party at Burger King (know puppies really like French fries).  Mom (she really doesn't cry often!) cried, hugged me really really tight and said thank you many times.

Duchess is now 10 years old, full of energy and happy and adores Mom. She comes over for "sleepovers" once in a while which Georgie, Gordy and I love. Mom says it gets lonely with just one poodle in the house when Duchess is here.  )Hank is the other standard poodle at Mom's: she adopted him about four years ago. We call him Hank the Horse because he is a very large dog.)

Well, since then Duchess has provided constant entertainment and love to everyone in the family. I told Mom that when Duchess goes it will be harder for me than when Georgie and Gordy go. Duchess just has grabbed all of our hearts. The only times she doesn't grin is when she is asleep. The first two years of Duchess were tough for Mom -- puppies take a long time to calm down and learn, but they both pulled through.

The only thing Mom fusses about with Duchess is the topknot. Duchess may have had a "marcel" as a pup but her topknot has always naturally parted in the middle despite any attempts to have it be one poof.  So if you see a pretty grinning and prancing black female Standard Poodle with her topknot in two sections, that is Duchess!

Martina's True Dog Story 2: Gordy

Georgie (black female Standard Poodle, six years old with newly diagnosed Addison's) and I had just tried to adopt a Kimi, a shiba inu, but it didn't work out. Kimi had severe dominance issues and was very destructive. She even attacked her own mother when she went back to the breeders.

Anyway, we realized it was pretty lonely here without another dog -- a boy standard poodle. He'd be named Henry or Jacques. Enter Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue. Georgie and I were interviewed. It didn't hurt that we had gone through a dog training course a few years earlier where one of the standard poodle reps for SPDR assisted with the class. In the meantime a poodle group friend in Florida called me and said there was a puppy mill 40 miles from us and they needed to be rescued. She'd heard about it from a reputable breeder in Washington.

I contacted SPDR, they raided the mill and got something like 45 poodles: toy, mini and standard. The conditions were deplorable, with many dogs in open outside kennels, three or more dogs per kennel. I was called the next day and told they had three SPs I could choose from. The meeting place was the parking lot behind the hair salon Lavena, one of the SPDR reps, owned. While we were waiting to see the dogs, a friend of Lavena's named Gordy came by. Everyone who knew him greeted him effusively.

Then the covers were removed from the dog crates. Two black male SPs, and then....sound of trumpets...the most pitiful, dirty and stinky white/apricot boy SP with hypnotic gold eyes. I instantly knew he was the one and his name would be Gordy.

Mom drove Gordy and me to the vets. I sat in the back with the poor scared stinky boy. He was very skittish and scared, his eyes were large as saucers with the whites showing. I hugged him gingerly and said "Gordy, I am your person and you will never ever live in fear or not be loved ever again".

After he stayed at the vets for 48 hours and got treatment, he came home. He had obviously been in one of the open kennels at the mill and was very frightened. He was scared of coffee cups -- I realized that the mill owner probably did rounds in the morning and if the dogs were loud or disobedient she probably threw the contents of her coffee cup at them.

Mom frequently came to visit because she also thought Gordy was special and needed love. Gordy lived under the dining table for many days and didn't mind being crated when I went to work. I wanted him to be comfortable with his new home and didn't rush anything.

One day I caught my 68-year-old mother belly crawling on the kitchen/dining room floor: maneuvering towards Gordy. That was the lightbulb moment. She got him to realize that this was home and no harm would ever happen again.

Now, four years later, Gordy and Georgie are best buddies. He and the cat have a great friendship. Gordy is the house security system, with barks to indicate various things such as Mom is walking up the walkway, dear friends are at the door or...eeeek the mailman had the nerve to put things in the mailbox! He still is skittish with loud noises or sudden movement but adores attention, running laps in the yard or long walks, treats and being here.

Adopting Gordy was one of the smartest and most emotionally fulfilling things I have ever done.

Martina's True Dog Story 1: Georgie

I had a very elderly, incontinent, deaf and nearly blind wire fox terrier. I knew she would have to cross the Rainbow Bridge soon. Did lots of internet research and decided that a female black standard poodle would be a great next dog.

Told a coworker who had five kids to keep her eyes peeled for a black female standard poodle pup. If one of her kids located the puppy, the dog would have that child's name as her middle name. Then thought nothing more about it.

Three weeks later...boss calls me to office. Uh-oh! What did I do? Coworker -- who had had the day off -- was in the office with her youngest child and a black blob. Boss had a very big smile on her face. Coworker had taken up a collection from my bosses and paid for the dog that way. Georgie Tara was the only female left in her litter. There was a card signed by the four doctors who had contributed to Georgie's adoption.

I called the vets. They said come in right now! They were very happy. Called my mother. She cried and said she HAD to see the pup that night.

Georgie will be 11 years old in October. She is very healthy (Addison's disease under good control) and is the friendliest, happiest dog you've ever seen! She enjoys playing with Gordy, greeting visitors and just being herself. Oh, and she is ever so slightly spoiled...

A poodle for Obama

In a down-to-the-wire, heart-stopping photo finish, the American Kennel Club announced last week that the Poodle had eked out a narrow victory over the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier in its evidently-unnamed poll of American voters. Here's video of the press conference.

Update: See what Misty the Alpha Poodle has to say about this.

The Obamas are currently dogless, but Barack has promised Malia and Sasha that after the campaign he'll get a dog. So AKC asked America to vote on which of five hypoallergenic breeds (the kids have allergies) the family should get: Poodle, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, Bichon Frise, Miniature Schnauzer, or the Don-King-lookalike Chinese Crested. Forty-two thousand voted, and they picked the poodle.

Herewith, a guide to poodles:

Standard Poodle	This is the original, developed in Germany to retrieve waterfowl and poorly hit golf balls. The funny-looking haircuts often inflicted on Poodles are said to be derived from a functional clip that was intended to leave insulating hair over the joints while the rest of the coat was shorn to reduce drag. This story fails, however, to account for either ribbons or rhinestone collars. Poodles are available in many colors, including black, blue, white, cream, red, apricot, silver and brown, and can be special-ordered in snazzy combinations of these colors. The deep candy-flake finishes popular in the 1960s are now considered a fault and will result in disqualification in the show ring. John Steinbeck wrote his wonderful Travels With Charley about a cross-country trip he took with a Standard Poodle whose name escapes me. Shockingly, the book appears to be out of print except in this Library of America collection.
Substandard Poodle	Sadly, there are poodles that just don't make the grade. You know the type: raggedy, shiftless shirkers out for a quick buck and lookin' for the next thing smokin'. They'll chase any tail, even their own. They'll hang back under the awning while the decent, hardworking types who came to this country looking for a better life are on the corner chivvying the straw bosses for a day's work. If you tell one of these dogs Jesus saves, he'll hit Him up for a loan. If I had a poodle, this would probably be it.
French Poodle	France also claims to be the place of origin for the poodle, which some may think is like claiming to be where herpes began. This poodle thinks it's both logical and romantic, blithely ignoring two basic principles: You can't be both; and if you think you're either, you're not. Sits in sidewalk cafes drinking charred coffee by day and wine by night, pretending to read incomprehensible philosophers while scoping for impressionable American dogs to hit on. Smokes French cigarettes made of used tires and occasionally sips noxious disinfectants like cassis and Campari.
Miniature Poodle	Just like a Standard Poodle, but smaller, flightier, and much more likely to faint. Not available with opera windows or whitewall tires. The Mini-Poo once set the standard for small, pointless dogs, but it has since been far surpassed. See below.
Toy Poodle	Developed for those intimidated by the gravitas of the Miniature Poodle, the Toy Poodle features a bark like Satan's dentist's drill and pointy little teeth that can find your ankle no matter how thickly and expensively shod. The barking of this dog has been known to set up a harmonic vibration that can shatter windows, masonry structures, and in at least one documented case, an entire planet.
Teacup Poodle	The Teacup Poodle is a further tinyfication of the Toy Poodle, intended for use by adults as a napkin or moist towelette, or by children as a handy way to dispose of unwanted vegetables. Also favored by those who, for whatever reason, feel a need to keep a dog secreted about their persons at all times. The Teacup Poodle is frequently accessorized with sweet and sour, barbecue, or new zesty ranch dipping sauce.

In Development: Shotglass Poodle, Eyedropper Poodle

German Shepherd

What we once called a German Shepherd is now, with annoying precision, officially called a German Shepherd Dog. This is, evidently, intended to distinguish the breed from the more common German Shepherd Fish and German Shepherd Telephone.

German Shepherds are descended from a long line of sheep-herding dogs of various abilities and appearances, but the breed was standardized beginning in 1899 by an obsessive character named Max von Stephanitz, who inbred them to the point that several of the offspring actually collapsed and spontaneously combusted. Max nevertheless persisted, and the German Shepherd is today the third-most popular dog in the United States, ranking just below Yorkshire Terriers and just above Golden Retrievers.

Modern German Shepherds seldom herd sheep, who are now heavily unionized and have ironclad contracts with wolves that limit predation to a specified level. Each flock now has a Sheep Steward whose function is to make sure the sheep uphold their end of the contract, and to convey grievances to management. So German Shepherds have long been associated with other parts of the security industry; when I was growing up, if you said "Police Dog" this is the breed you were talking about.

Now, in the age of bomb-sniffing beagles and attack chihuahuas, increasing numbers of German Shepherds are finding work in the transport sector (I'll use any excuse to link to this video).

Sources: Wikipedia, American Kennel Club

Rescue: German Shepherd Rescue

Guest Post: Why My Dog Lexie Stars in my Mystery Series

My name is Linda O. Johnston, and I'm a writer.  Among other things, I am the author of the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series.

The protagonist, Kendra, is a lawyer.  So am I.  She lives in the Hollywood Hills.  So do I.  She is a litigator, though, and I am a real estate transactional attorney.  That's one difference between us.  Another, even more major, is that she is a murder magnet and solves a lot of mysteries.  I, on the other hand, just create them.

One of the most important similarities between us, though, is that we both own tricolor Cavalier King Charles Spaniels named Lexie.  Or maybe we're owned by them.  For as different as Kendra and I may be in some of the ways that count, we're both suckers for snuggly, loving animals.  And that's what Cavaliers are all about!

As you probably figured, Kendra is an alter ego of mine.  She sometimes does things I wish I could do--like have a much better trained and socialized Lexie than mine.  (Okay, Cavaliers are people-pleasers, so my Lexie would be better trained if I trained her!)

But my Lexie helped to inspire the creation of Kendra and her Lexie.  She's my companion and muse, and she enjoys lying at my feet as I write.  She loves to be on my lap, too, when I'm reviewing things on the computer, but she's annoyed when I'm not paying full attention to her and dare to disturb her by using my hands to type on the keyboard. 

She's especially unhappy when I don't allow her to fool me at dinnertime.  She can tell when it's six PM, which is when I always feed her.  She stands up on the floor beside me, her paws on my chair, and snorts for my attention, to make sure I'm aware of what time it is.  But now and then, she decides she'd rather eat earlier and--especially when I'm so deeply engrossed in my writing that I'm not really aware of anything else--she stands up and tries to convince me it's six!

I recently acquired another Cavalier--a puppy named Mystie, who's a real character.  She loves to chase shadows and bugs and reflections.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if, eventually, Kendra and her Lexie find a Cavalier puppy as complicated and charming in their lives... 

Come visit me at my website: www.LindaOJohnston.com   I also blog weekly, on Thursdays, at www.KillerHobbies.blogspot.com

Bastille Day Special

Billions of Pug Blogs

I don't know quite how I stumbled onto this, but there are an ASTOUNDING number of Pug Blogs out there. Seems like if you own a pug, you've got a blog.

A few below. And these are just the ones I could count that were pretty much entirely about pugs:

Bella and Perogi
Chronicles of Pugs
Clover's Adventures
Goodboy Norman Featherstone
Harry Pugalicious
I am so Excited...To Be a Pug!
Ladypug Mugs
Life is art ... Art is Life
Multum In Parvo...with a Cinnabon tail
Outside the Lines
Pug Hugs
Pug Possessed
Roy & Gwen's Pug Blog
Seadra & Zoe
Suki Sumo
The Adventures of a Pug Named Bijoux
The Devil Dog
The Misadventures of Pug & Bugg
The Pug Blug
The Pug Farm
The WriggleButts
Too Cute Pugs
Weeny and Daisy's Pug Diary
Wild Alaskan Mountain Pug
Wilson & Henry
Winston On Pugs very brief thoughts

Pug T-shirt on Zazzle

A Salute to American Dogs

The breeds listed below are North American in origin (some are Canadian; close enough). as far as I can tell, these are actual breeds, not Designer Mutts or breed wannabes. If you have any additions or corrections, please let me know.

Alaskan Husky
Alaskan Klee Kai
Alaskan Malamute
American Blue Gascon Hound
American Bulldog
American Cocker Spaniel
American Eskimo Dog (now considered a separate breed from the German Spitz)
American Foxhound
American Indian Dog
American Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
American Staghound
American Toy Terrier
American Tundra Shepherd Dog
American Water Spaniel
American White Shepherd (I'm a little uncertain this belongs here)
Australian Shepherd (Yup. Originated in the American West)
Black and Tan Coonhound
Bluetick Coonhound
Boston Terrier
Carolina Dog
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
King Shepherd (not sure about this one, either)
Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog
Mountain Cur
Mountain Feist
Native American Indian Dog
Newfoundland
Northern Inuit Dog
Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retriever
Redbone Coonhound
Treeing Tennessee Brindle
Treeing Walker Coonhound

Billy's Victory, um, Lap

Last week at the Licensing Expo, I was pleased to meet Jim Benton, creator of It's Happy Bunny and other fun stuff too numerous to recount here. When I gave him my card, he gave me a True Dog Story.

A friend of Jim's owned Billy, a Bulldog. I don't know if this was a French Bulldog or an English Bulldog, but the English Bulldog is what I think of when I think Bulldog, so that's what you get in the picture.

Anyway, Billy was a Show Dog who loved the Show Life. Lived for the spotlight. Drank Champagne and ate up applause. He'd won every show Detroit had to offer, year after year, until he came to believe he was invincible.

Until the day The Other Bulldog showed up. The Other Bulldog, nameless because I don't know his name, was sleek. He was beautiful. He had that sinister edge that said, "You lose, pal." He was, in short, everything Billy was. And more?

Billy paced the green room, attended by attendants and fanned by fans, while the judges judged in a secluded cell (you sick of this yet?). Finally, a verdict, and vindication. Billy's owner said simply, "Billy, you won."

Billy fainted.

Watch Billy faint again. Hit F5 to watch it again.

Little Fluffy Dogs: an Appreciation

Little fluffy dogs, although derided by some as Rat Dogs, as Dog Food, or as Squirrel Surrogates, are in fact Dogs. With actual dog personalities and actual dog behaviors.

This was brought home to me recently when I got back from the Licensing Expo and took Gus for a walk at Eagle Pond, which is where we go in the summer when they close the beach to dogs. (I contend that the beach should be off limits to people without dogs the rest of the year, but so far the town hasn't conceded this point.)

While there, we met Abby, a Border Collie, and George, a Little Fluffy Dog (Shih Tzu or Lhasa Apso; I don't remember which.) Abby loves to fetch sticks from the water, and had five or six in her mouth when we met her. George took one look at Gus and decided he was going to take no crap from this hulking fuzzwad. So George went off on Gus. Gus looked amazed.

George's owners, naturally, were mortified, and at a loss to explain this behavior. I, having seen Gus pull the same stunt more times than I'd care to count, about fell out laughing. It's a wonderful thing these little penwipers are real dogs.

Border Collie

The Border Collie is not, as some have suggested, a collie with a Borderline Personality Disorder, nor is it some Collie wannabe, like a schnauzer with a Lassie fixation.

A Border Collie is a real collie that originated along the border between England and Scotland, an area rife with sheep and smuggling. The Border Collie was bred to herd sheep, which it does by staring them down, then escalating through a series of maneuvers ranging from barking through gripping (biting) and small arms fire with rubber bullets. In extreme circumstances, a Border Collie will resort to reading the collected speeches of long-ago Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith. No sheep can withstand this impenetrable verbiage for long, and soon the whole flock will hightail it for anywhere the words aren't.

Less known is the Border Collie's role in smuggling. The dogs were enlisted to herd tax collectors, border police and other such vermin away from drop points where Angus might casually transfer a jar of whisky to Nigel for some trifling consideration. The authorities then recruited dogs of their own to herd Angus and Nigel into the Paddy Wagon, but the evidence invariably dried up before trial.

Border Collies are among the most intelligent of dogs, and although a dog may still herd sheep for exercise, the majority of Border Collies are now major players in the Financial Services industry.

Sources: Wikipedia, Border Collie Rescue

Meghan Saves Chanel

Friend and former colleague Meghan reports that she's recently adopted a 7-year-old deaf Maltese named Chanel, rescued from the shame and struggle of life in a puppy mill. Poor little doggy developed a tumor after too many litters.

Chanel flew first class to Meghan on Super Bowl Sunday. No word yet on whether she's Chanel No. 5 or Chanel No. 19.

Portuguese Water Dog

Warning: Way too many links; most unnecessary.

The Portuguese Water Dog was originally developed in Portugal to herd fish into nets, deliver messages from boat to boat, to retrieve lost tackle and broken nets, and to bring beer from shore to the thirsty fishermen. Although loyal, fearless, and hard-working, the dog's proclivity for chasing catfish can make it a challenge to train.

The Portuguese Water Dog's coat is either curly or wavy [insert cheesy pun about waves here] and may be black, black and white, silver-tipped, brown or some combination of these in an attractive tattersall plaid.

The dog's closest relative appears to be the more upmarket Standard Poodle, which also has a curly coat and doesn't shed much, although the poodle won't herd fish and gets seasick on boats. Like the poodle, the Portuguese Water Dog often sports a distinctive haircut, called a "lion cut". The back half of the dog is sheared, leaving only a tuft, or "flag" of hair at the end of the dog's tail. The front half of the dog remains fully furred, so it looks kind of like a lion if the dog has brought you enough beer from shore.

The following link is actually worth clicking on:

Senator Kennedy's dog's, Sunny and Splash, are Portuguese Water Dogs.

Sources: Wikipedia, Portuguese Water Dog Club of America