Sometimes people like to insist that Rosie is not a full beagle, because she doesn't adhere completely to breed standards. These people often ask me if I know what she's mixed with and I joke, "well, she's half-Jewish." Funny, right? Then I usually say, "she's a rescue dog, so I can't be sure, but I have no reason to doubt that she's one hundred percent beagle, and I have no idea what she could possibly be mixed with."
People are obsessed with dog breeds, myself included. I suppose that should come as no surprise—we're also obsessed with human breeds, which is why my Jewish joke is funny at all. Of course, you can't come up to a human's companion and say, "your friend looks part Jewish, do you know what the other part might be?" because it's offensive, but feel free to ask about Rosie's possible breed heritage, since she neither cares nor understands what we're talking about. I have to admit, though, that I am often kind of offended when people question Rosie's beagleness, as if they are impugning her honor. I mean, I purposefully didn't go to a breeder, so I have a dog with no pedigree—no proof of her heritage. I have trouble understanding why people who aren't looking to show their dog even bother paying the thousands of dollars it costs to get a pedigreed breed. Nonetheless, I feel it necessary to defend Rosie as One Hundred Percent Pure Beagle, Thank You Very Much.
