Jaimie and I had the opportunity to visit a new dog park yesterday.
It’s always a good experience for him as the running and sniffing always tires the big guy out.
We entered the gates and off he went. Of course, I followed him for a while just to make sure that all his new friends were indeed friendly. The good thing is that they all were. It was going to be a good visit.
I wandered over to the owners and greeted them and then, like at any dog park, the conversation turned to our fur babies. Mine is a pure bred blah, blah, blah. Mine is a mix of this with that. Yours?
It’s something that I’ve always wondered. We guess part Husky, part German Shepherd, part retriever, part …, who knows? But, he’s all love.
Then, I got some advice. “You know, you could get his DNA tested.”
I played along – “How much does it cost?”
“About $350. It’s too bad because human DNA testing often goes on sale.”
Now, the world of dog breeding has always been a curiosity for me. A good and provable lineage generates some pretty hefty money for breeders. We’ve all heard, unfortunately, of how this leads to abuses at times.
It’s important in that market. (and I do mean market)
Rather than try to explain our lack of knowledge of Jaimie’s heritage, we just respond with “he’s a rescue”. And, we couldn’t be happier. Apparently, he was a long time resident at the Humane Society and maybe that makes a difference. He’s just the greatest of pets and his demands for walks get me outside for hours every day.
In our world, that’s all that really matters.
While I think it’s normal to be curious, I don’t think that knowing his details would make any difference to this great and faithful friend or his owners.
Well, faithful until we get to a dog part and there are better options for him.
doug --- off the record 