I Think My Dog Is A Jew

So yesterday afternoon I was taking Jet for a regular walk around the park. It was a relatively cold and quiet day, and there were very few people with or without their animals out at the time. There was, however an older woman walking through the park with what looked like a Yorkie of some sort. I'm honestly not into purebred dogs. As a matter of fact, I much prefer a mixed breed animal. Mutts are traditionally more interesting and for the most part, less high maintenance. Purebred animals can sometimes have a whole host of health problems, many associated with inbreeding or careless breeding. I'm hardly an expert on the subject. Mostly I was concerned with how unpredictable my own little angel can be in public. Most times he ignores or barely notices other dogs, sometimes he is highly defensive or aggressive, and kicks up a huge fuss. It's totally a show, and I know if I ever let him loose he wouldn't get beyond the charge. But as I was silently relieved that Jet paid the Yorkie no mind, the woman asked me what kind of dog he was.

"Is that a Canaan?"

Sorry?

"A Canaan. Is that a Cannan?"

Oh! I'm prety sure it's a cattle dog.

"A Canaan is a cattle dog. It looks like a Canaan."

I'm really not sure. I was told that the vet said he was a mixed breed, mostly Australian cattle dog.

"A Canaan is an Isreali breed and he looks just like that. JFK had a Canaan."

Cool. I'll look it up when I get home.

I was intrigued and made a mental note to check it out. I had actually heard of a Canaan breed just recently. I believe I read about how they were bred from feral dogs indigenous to Isreal. They were used and trained by the Isreali army as guard dogs, messengers and by the Red Cross as helper animals. If my dog was a Canaan I would love it. But I didn't get the chance to look it up. Until today, when a completely different woman with a completely different HUGE white dog asked me the same question.

"Is that a Cannan?"

Wow. That's weird. Someone just asked me that.

"He's adorable. He looks like a Canaan."

As soon as I got to work I looked up the breed. There are many different variations on the coloration but I think I found what they were talking about:



That's purebred Calah on the top left, and Jet on the bottom. He's not quite as tall as the purebreed, but the markings are pretty convincing. There are other examples that have the same spotted legs as Jet does, too.

So I think my dog might be a Jew. Which could explain why he refuses to go out on Friday after sundown. Last week I was gone all afternoon and when I returned, my computer was on and Michael Lucas' blog was displayed. Then just the other day I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk. He just looked away, and let out a dramatic sigh.

I could swear he was trying to say: "Never mind. Don't bother. I'll just sit here. Alone. In the dark. You go ...."

But maybe it was just my imagination.