We were out shopping for greeting cards the other day when I suddenly did a double-take. There on the rack was a picture of ... me!
Except... I don’t know how to play guitar. And I don’t stand up straight on my hind legs. Maybe I’d be on a card, too, if I could do those things.
Thus, a close brush with fame, but until I learn a few more tricks, I guess my doppelganger gets to keep the royalties.
What am I? No, it’s not an existential question. It’s a question I get all the time. As in, “He’s sooooo cute! What is he?”
I assume it’s obvious I’m of the canine persuasion. So they must be asking about my breed.
First of all, it’s kind of personal question, right? It’s not exactly politically correct to question another’s parentage. But what the hay? We’re among intimates here on ScoutAbout.dog. DNA testing is all the rage, not that I’m going to go that far here, but I will share what I know with you, my dear reader, and explain the sad facts of why I don’t know more.
You see, I’m a rescue dog. I was shuttled from family to family — four, count ‘em four times in three years — before I got scooped up into my forever home. (What a happy day that was!) I never knew my parents and my paper trail is a little bit spotty, with various veterinary records rather poorly redacting prior owners’ names and addresses. (“Redacting” is word I learned watching the news this spring!)
One document identified me as Pomeranian, which, as you can see, is not even close. Others have labeled me “Terrier” — itself a catch-all for many breeds — as well as “Havanese,” “Mixed Breed,” and “Terrier-Havanese Mix.” (Click on the photo to see the breeds)
I took a look at Google images, and frankly, West Highland Terriers looks kind of like cousins. The Jack Russell Terrier’s color pattern and stocky body type look a little bit like mine. Neither are a perfect match.
Here’s a photo of a Havanese I grabbed from the web. It’s almost like looking in the mirror, right? The Havanese is a Cuban circus dog, bred for the aptitude to perform clever tricks. I love to do tricks. I can balance a treat on my nose, roll over, beg, spin, dance, and jump through Her legs. Just sayin’... I am pretty good at tricks. But I am about 30 percent bigger than a Havanese, and more barrel-chested.
So what am I? Wavanese? Javanese? Tavanese? Herrier?
In the end, what does it matter?
I’m pretty happy just being Scout.
This is my cousin Luna. She is crazy.
She has so much energy it makes me feel like an old dog. Every time she visit, she jumps on the furniture and runs around, I don’t know how she does it. She lives pretty far away, so I don’t see her too often, which is kind of a relief. (I really hope she doesn’t see this.)
I’m not really related to Luna, but mom says she’s part of the family. I think she is a Yorkshire Terrier.
Even though we butt heads a lot, I like having her around when she’s calm. It’s kind of nice to have someone else in the house that’s my size… as long as she doesn’t eat my food!
