A Case of Mistaken Identity

We've had Yukon Cornelius for almost two years now (whose name needs no explanation to baby boomers, but his namesake was the gruff prospector on the clay-mation classic "Rudolph"). All this time I've been telling people that he is part Newfoundland, because he is black, hairy and about the size of a small pony. I had to take him to a new vet the other day and, behold, he took one look at him and said he was sure he was Gordon setter.

Notice what the Gordon Setter Club of America has to say about the breed:

"... alert and lively, pleasant and exceedingly loyal They tend to be devoted to members of their household." That fits. Apparently, he had no problem identifying the alpha male, and I literally cannot even go to the bathroom without him following me in there. That leaves very little room to maneuver.

"a Gordon would stay a 'puppy' forever" That fits, too.

"They do, however, need plenty of daily exercise to maintain peak physical and mental condition." We figured this one out by his carrying a Frisbee around in his teeth every waking moment and giving me "the look."

"Constant wagging of their tail seems to be part of their style as well" Check.

"Many Gordons are great talkers. They can develop quite a vocabulary with various tones to express themselves." This one is as completely accurate as it is truly bizarre. It's almost as if he is attempting to form words at times. He'll roll around on the floor moaning or chuckling or whatever it is he does. That coupled with the quizzical expressions he gets on his face can be somewhat unnerving.

Case closed. He's a Gordon.