Know it alls need not apply
Growing up, I would find a topic of interest and become mildly obsessed with it. I'd read everything about it I could get my hands on and spout off various factoids about said topic. Whether it be dinosaurs (3rd grade) or dogs and horses (way too many years to count), I was a wealth of knowledge on them. Thankfully, the dino obsession only lasted the one school year or I could've turned into a female Ross Gellar. I even entertained the idea of going to vet school but after a not-so-enjoyable experience doing a job shadow with the local vet (I passed out watching a cat get spayed), decided to scrap that idea. However, I'm still a little animal obsessed to this day and can play "Name that Breed" based off a description. Surprisingly this is not a popular party game. Go figure. I don't like to think I'm a know-it-all because I don't announce my breed savvy knowledge willingly. Ask and I'll tell; otherwise you'd have no idea.
I have owned several breeds of dogs in my lifetime: Sophie the Shetland Sheepdog (awesome soccer player), Munich the Doberman (awesome, beautiful dog...can't wait til we're out of the apartment so we can get one), Pagosa the Great Pyrenees (hello drool!), Bella #1 the Vizla (serious separation anxiety issues), Bella #2 (complete wacko), Lucy the German Shorthaired Pointer (super sweet) and now Finley the GSP.
Ahhh Finley. How does one describe her? She's definitely a character and I've never met a dog with such a personality. She's entertaining to say the least. She was the runt of the litter and is therefore, a little small for her breed. Weight-wise she's fine but her height is a little stunted. German Shorthairs actually come in a variety of colors: liver (solid chocolate brown color),
white with liver patches,
and liver and white ticked with liver patches like my girl, Fin.
Technically, they can also be any combination of the above but with black instead of liver but the American Kennel Club doesn't accept black as a color in AKC sanctioned shows. GSP's that are black are out there, just not as common.
The last time I took Finley to the dog park (and by last time, I mean last time ever we set foot in one because I detest them), I had a run-in with a "supremely informed" gentlemen. Ha. He came up to me and started asking me questions about Finley. "What kinda dog is she?" I get that a lot. Not many people know what a GSP is. "She's a German Shorthaired Pointer," I replied and got a Look. "Are you sure? I've never seen a German Shorthair that color." Remember me saying I know a lot about dog breeds? Um, yeah. "Yes, she's a German Shorthair and this is one of the colors they come in. It's the most common color seen in the breed." Again, I get a Look from this guy. "I don't think she is actually because I've never seen the color before. But my dog, he's a German Shorthair." His dog was the furthest thing from a German Shorthair. Okay, not the furthest but it was quite obvious he was not. He was a mutt of some sort and seriously in need of some Canine Weight Watchers. It was possibly some GSP got slipped into his pedigree many moons back but he was fo' sho' not a GSP through and through; more like a few hounds mixed together. But I wasn't going to tell this guy he was annoying and wrong so I just nodded, trying to get away from the conversation with the self-proclaimed Dog Guru. He, however, wasn't ready to give it up. "No really, she just doesn't look like one. She's weird looking." Okay, that was my limit. Insulting my dog is like insulting someones kid. You just don't do it. Finley is actually a beautiful dog, aside from her height issues and the fact her breeder docked her tail too short (it's a nubbin' instead of a few inches long); I've gotten compliments on her looks. Not like she popped out of my loins but I still say 'thank you' when I get them. She is definitely not, "weird looking."
I should've asked the guy what his lineage was and told him he was wrong and weird looking to boot.
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