Since adopting my dog, Tulip, back in November, I have become used to the question most people ask when they see her: "What is that?"It is a question asked with genuine incredulity and a touch of dismay.
The thing is, Tulip looks... special. With a mop of tight little gray jheri curls on her head and butt, eyebrows like an old man, a crooked underbite of a smile, and a firecracker tail, she draws attention in the form of gasps and giggles wherever we go.
I typically respond to the question with something like, "She has the best personality ever." Which is absolutely true. Plus, my wounded retort, "what is THAT?" in reference to the person's dog sorely backfired. ("Uh, it's a yellow lab.")
Truth be told, I have no idea what Tulip is. She looks part dog, part Ewok, part Sir Didamus from Labyrinth, part "before" picture for a cosmetic dentistry advertisement.
The profile in her kennel at the shelter said "ghost gray miniature poodle mix??" But I am left wondering what she really is and if it's okay to feed her after midnight.
The other day, believing she found the answer to some of these questions, my mom jacked a copy of Web MD Pets from the doctor's office to show me (she's not usually a thief...). On the cover is a photograph of the lovely Lisa Edelstein (of House fame) with her two dogs.
Lo and behold: there was Tulip's long-lost relative! A little scrappy miniature poodle-schnauzer living the high life with his celebrity human.
So when people ask what my Tulip is, I suppose I have an answer. She's a designer dog! A dog fit for a celebrity and the cover of a magazine! A rarity, a unique snowflake of a thing!
That said, I dearly hope that what they say about owners and their dogs growing to look alike is not true...
But if we do, so be it. I'll just have to work on my personality...
