Thanks for the ellucidation, Tootler. I enjoyed it, and you KNOW that Ray will.

And speaking of dog breeds, when was the last time you saw a Water Spaniel? I was probably eleven or twelve.

And in the 60's, the pooch du jour was the Miniature Schnowzer (or however it's spelled. And then Frazier was popular on TV, and Wishbone was a child's program doggie detective, everyone wanted a Jack Russell Terrier.

I always had mutts and loved them.

Here's a semi-autobiigraphical song I wrote about a dog who "followed me home" when I was a kid

WILLIE'S DOG

Willie found a dog, about half-grown
Poppa raised the devil when Willie brought him home
But Willie never paid his Poppa no mind
Told him that the dog just tagged along behind

Poopa told Willie, the dog's no good
Take him to the Pound, but Willie never would
'Cause Willie'd never had a dog of his own
And even though he tried, he couldn't leave the dog alone

So Willie kept the dog and he named him Fred
And he slept at night at the foot of Willie's bed
And early in the morning when Poppa was asleep
Willie and the dog would go swimming in the creek

Then Willie grew up and the dog grew lame
And the old man hobbled with a walking cane
And Willie found a wife and she calls him Bill
And the dog and the old man live together still

I didn't name my dog Fred, though. Although it's a perfectly good name for a dog.

Jerry