Pedigreed Pets and Their Mongrel Masters

Absurd or interesting ideas occasionally cross my mind while I sip my daily cup of herbal tea, a motley mixture of dried vegetation for headache prevention, digestive stimulation, relaxation, and yes, taste. Today I found myself examining serene images and the environmental awareness of people from Denmark. My inner thoughts, as usual, quickly changed subjects to that of my pedigree – my ancestral beginnings. I am the result of genetic donations contributed from Danish, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English, and Swiss individuals. Those are the groups that I am aware of. Who knows what else has been stirred in since my ancestors arrived to the American woodpile. I, like other Americans, and people from all over the world, am a result of cultural contact, migrations, pillage and plunder. I am a mongrel, a human mutt. The irony that some individuals, misguided as they are, look askance at dogs of mixed pedigree does not escape me. They wave their AKC credentials and titles for all to see as trainers follow closely behind with pure-blood Barbie-dog in tow. My dog, like me, is a unique individual. We have no titles, no trainers and groomers at our beck and call. We are mongrels; the miraculous result of genetic combination.

Thor