THE REST OF THE STORY

I promised that I would tell you "the rest of the story" and here it is..........

We officially let Mason adopt us on March 9, 2012 by taking him to the vet for the first time. I supposed he was convinced he was ours when we mutilated the poor little fellow by taking his manhood away forever a few weeks later. He didn’t seem terribly upset with us though and still continued to try and steal our hearts. I might add, he is doing a pretty good job of it too.

On his first visit to the vet I asked about his age and his breed. He was checked thoroughly and it was decided he was 6 to 8 months old at the time so we gave him an August birthday to share with our youngest daughter, Sharon. Dr. Karsteter, one of the four vets at the clinic, was sure about one thing; he was definitely Terrier mixed with something else, but didn’t guess what that mix was. Later, when he went for surgery, Dr. Adam Miller also said he was definitely Terrier and was sure an educated guess would be either Pug or Pekingese. Later Dr. Folke guessed Terrier and either Pug or Pekingnese. My guess (actually had I been a betting woman I would have placed money on it) was Pug/Terrier mix. I knew I was right........

　

UNTIL........I saw on TV where there is now DNA testing for dogs. Now, before you start judging an old woman who would spend money on such absurdities, let me assure you that we didn’t ask for help with the expenses, we didn’t take anything away from our giving to the Lord or others.....I just decided to do it for the shear pleasure of it. And.....maybe the old newspaper reporter’s curiosity just got the better of me. I talked with one of the vets and he assured me it was all on the up and up as they also did DNA testing and sent it off to one of the few labs in the nation who do this.

Out came the checkbook to the tune of $85.00 and soon a kit arrived in the mail. Doyal and I felt like we were on one of the CSI programs as we carefully took the samples, placed them in the container provided and sent it off to the lab.

 

It took a few weeks to get the results and we made good use of the time. I sent out an email to all of the family telling them we were having a contest. The ones who guessed his breed/breeds correctly would receive a prize. Here are the guesses:

Baby daughter, Sharon: #1. Terrier/Pug, #2 Brussels Griffon, #3 Affenpinscher (And she added: I read about Affenpinschers and he definitely has some of the looks and the disposition of them. It'll be interesting to find out, won't it?) You can see she wasn’t undecided at all!

Favorite "Dyer" grandson, Joshua sent the following: Boston Terrier + French Bulldog = Faux Frenchbo Bulldog or Boston Terrier + Pekingese = Bostinese (I learned some new words on this entry!)

Oldest son, Allen: Shizu and Pug

Oldest granddaughter, Jessica: Shizu and Pug (I need to give Allen and Jessica a spelling lesson for the first one....Shih Tzu!)

Oldest grandson, Neil: Ferret and Shetland Pony (I thought surely he’d get the prize with this guess!)

Middle daughter, Paula and her husband, Russ: Father, a Mexican Hairless and Mother, a Bull Mastiff. (If Neil’s guess didn’t win, I figured this would be the next closest.) The next day she sent the following; "Mine was a joke yesterday. He looks like he has some Terrier or Schnauzer in him."

Oldest "Ward", now Jarvis, granddaughter, Sarah: Westie and Pug

Youngest Ward granddaughter, Shelby: Yorkie/Pug ...... A few days later she had another guess..."Maybe "Pug/Pomeranian"

Youngest "Dyer", now Lowrance, granddaughter, Mandi: Brussel Griffin and Pug.

Oldest daughter, Claudia: Pug/Chihuahua

Youngest son, Frank: "Gotta go with Neil on this one"....and then the conversation went as such.... Neil: "I'm telling you guys, I got this one......Ferret / Shetland Pony"....Then Frank: "Neil .... Are you sure there isn't a little Guinea Pig in him????" Then Neil again: "Come on Uncle Frank, everyone knows that a Guinea Pig and a Shetland Pony can't mate! The Guinea Pig's cage is waaaay to small for the Shetland Pony to fit into!"

Oldest "Dyer", now Downs, granddaughter, Talsie: "Alright, I'll join in on the craziness. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think he is a pug at all. I think he got the ugly from somewhere else. ;) I will guess Shih Tzu/Terrier." (This wasn’t the first time he was called "ugly" and, poor kiddo, it probably won’t be the last. He looks much like a monkey and I often tell him he is so ugly he’s cute or so ugly only a mother could love him.)

Middle Ward, now Platt, granddaughter, Stephanie: "I think he is a Brussels Griffon/Pug mix. :) I know Mandi already guessed that...so if I can't guess the same, then I'll say Brussels Griffon/Chihuahua mix."

Now that you’ve seen the results of the guesses from the family why don’t YOU make your guess right now before you read any further. Let’s see if YOU can come up with the right mix. I’ll let you know that there are only two breeds in the mix and no one came up with the mix, although both breeds were mentioned. I’ll also let you know that I was shocked that at least one of Neil’s guesses is NOT in the mix. I thought for sure at least one of Mason’s parents would be a Shetland Pony!

We’ve named our pure breed dogs long, interesting (to me at least) names. Some of which were: Ebony King, our small black Chihuahua; Little Miss Annie Buttercup, the Cocker Spaniel I’ve told you about and Sweet Dixie Lailai, the Belle of Boaz, our precious Dixie. I decided Mason needed something regal so at first referred to him as Mason the Magnificent Mutt. Later, after destroying Doyal’s recliner, the arm of his desk chair and several baseboards, I thought a better name/description would be Mason the Mischievous Mutt! And come to find out he really isn’t a true mutt after all.........

Drum roll please...........

Going back three generations one side of his family are pure Shih Tzus and the other side pure Chihuahuas.......surprise, surprise, surprise!

Now you know "The Rest of the Story!"

 

 

Mason arrived in our home a cold, hungry mutt weighing around 7 or 8 pounds. Now, he has gained status by not being only a one-pure-breed dog, but a two-pure-breed dog if that makes sense.  And since that cold, February morning in 2012 here he is today all 12.5 pounds of sass!

 

 

A face only a mother could love!  He's loving being with just the two of us while his brother and sister are being groomed today.