Tonight, we watched the National Dog Show.

What a complete treat.  The finals came down to a stunning group of amazing and beautiful dogs.  For fun on a Saturday Night….. we try to figure out who the judge will pick.   I was winless.  Once again, my favorites were overlooked.  The Norwich Terrier was in the wings.   Not to mention the Norfolk Terrier.  And the little Russell Terrier…. which was a cute as could be…. also on the sidelines.

I loved the Bernese Mountain Dog, and the Golden Retriever too.  But they didn’t get to the final ring either.

So after two hours of viewing the competition…….
The Bloodhound wins the show.  (Which always reminds me of Christopher Guest’s Ventriliquist-Dog-Handling Character in “Best in Show.”   “Pine Nut.  Peanut.  Macadamia Nut.  Hazelnut. Cashew Nut. “)

Anyway.  Dogs are amazing to me.  I just read a study which was conducted to test dog’s understanding of language.   They spoke a series of words in the dog’s native human language… that is… the language it’s owners spoke.   And then, they spoke the same words in a foreign tongue.

The dog used the opposite side of his/her brain to try to decipher the words.  Which indicated that they truly are trying to process human’s spoken language.  (I am giving an abridged encapsulation of the study here.)

The long and short of it is this.  Dogs are smart.  They are beautiful beings.  And I like them.

Back to The National Dog Show.  These babies are the cream of the crop, the pick of the litter.  The Golden Eggs.  But I think the AKC is doing it all wrong.   I think they should hold a competition for Mutts.  Mixed Breeds.  Heinz 57’s.

You see… for as beautiful and amazing as all these Breed Standard Canines were…. none of them compared to our Maxine, or our Frances, or our Ollie.  I am certain we have the most incredible dogs in the world.

I am pretty sure you do too…. if you own a dog…. and you love yours like we love ours.

And while they try to make sense of, and comprehend our spoken words…. they do something far better than that.  They understand the language of the heart… and they speak it quite well.

 One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.  –  Lucius Annaeus Seneca