No, he did not drive the truck. We took away his keys.
Don't know if I mentioned it, but a few weeks I broke down and bought one of those cheek-swab DNA testing kits for Plato, in the hopes that knowing what unholy combination of specific breeds went into his design might give us some insight into training him. (Pause for laughter.) Incidentally, do you know that dogs do not like to have the inside of their cheeks swabbed, not even if you explain the reasons patiently?
Anyway, the report came back today, and it was, well... I'll let you decide for yourself. Just to refresh your memory, this is the dog in question:
Fig. A: The Dog
Remember, I was told he was a dachshund/terrier mix. These are the results that came back:
Fig. B: The Results
I'm sorry... WHAT? The Aussie cattle dog, I'll buy, simply from a few pictures and a description of the breed ("May be suspicious or cautious around strangers requiring careful socialization with rewards to prevent or reduce fear-based defensive aggression") and the fact that they're descended from dingoes (everybody, keep a close eye on your babies). And possibly Plato's coloring could come from the Aussie shepherd. But if he is 25% labrador retriever, then I'm 25% Angelina Jolie (and I'm not). I'm pretty sure the lab techs were just guessing, because their HAS to be some terrier in there somewhere. That's the only explanation for the ?-shaped tail. Not to mention the fact that Plato is on the small end of the Aussie cattle dog spectrum and much smaller than either the shepherd or the lab.
So... I'm out an embarrassing $60 and more confused than when I started. Can I complain to someone about this if I have no way of proving them wrong? I feel like writing SOMEBODY a very stern letter.
Anyway, the report came back today, and it was, well... I'll let you decide for yourself. Just to refresh your memory, this is the dog in question:
Fig. A: The Dog
Remember, I was told he was a dachshund/terrier mix. These are the results that came back:
Fig. B: The Results
I'm sorry... WHAT? The Aussie cattle dog, I'll buy, simply from a few pictures and a description of the breed ("May be suspicious or cautious around strangers requiring careful socialization with rewards to prevent or reduce fear-based defensive aggression") and the fact that they're descended from dingoes (everybody, keep a close eye on your babies). And possibly Plato's coloring could come from the Aussie shepherd. But if he is 25% labrador retriever, then I'm 25% Angelina Jolie (and I'm not). I'm pretty sure the lab techs were just guessing, because their HAS to be some terrier in there somewhere. That's the only explanation for the ?-shaped tail. Not to mention the fact that Plato is on the small end of the Aussie cattle dog spectrum and much smaller than either the shepherd or the lab.
So... I'm out an embarrassing $60 and more confused than when I started. Can I complain to someone about this if I have no way of proving them wrong? I feel like writing SOMEBODY a very stern letter.