Report to the Agency:

      I recently heard from my uncle Duke who is a former navy dog currently retired to a very charming farm in Louisiana. He has been reading some of my messages to The Agency, and he wanted to point out that my family background is more catahoula hound than beagle. I must confess that it came as a surprise to me that I had ANY catahoula hound in my genetic makeup at all! In fact, I had never heard of catahoula hounds until Duke mentioned it and sent along a couple of pictures. If, however, he is right – and I suspect he is – the catahoula part of me would certainly explain my extraordinary intelligence, good looks and modesty. To paraphrase what one of the web sites about catahoulas mentions, we are almost prescient in our ability to read people’s emotions, anticipate their intentions, and plan a decent menu. Also known as leopard hounds because of our attractive spots – of which I have depressingly few – catahoula hounds are extraordinary in their ability to climb trees in the hound for prey – and by “prey,” I assume they mean sweet potato French fries, one of my favourite food groups… 



My Uncle Duke - Commander (hon. HMS Ret.)



Uncle Duke as a young pup. It's like
looking in a blotchy mirror...

Initially I was very concerned that I might suffer something of an identity crisis when hearing the news from Uncle Duke. Upon careful reflection, however, I realized that given the uncertain genetic background of all of us, knowing I am more beagle/catahoula than beagle/Aussie Shepard can only serve to help me enhance my already finely tuned tree-climbing, cat-tracking and human training abilities.

As always,

Faithfully yours,

M3.