The other day my wife played bridge with a woman who brought along a Cocker spaniel. She said it was a service dog. When my wife asked what kind of service a Cocker spaniel could provide, the woman said the dog was trained to pick things up off the floor for its owner. You know, for old geezers like us who can’t bend over…and get back up.
Most service dogs I’ve seen have been Labs, goldens, or German shepherds. My Labs have all been smart dogs but I can’t see them being trained to pick things up off the floor and give them to me. When any of my Labs found anything on the floor they would automatically eat it, roll in it, or try to have sex with it.
Cocker spaniels were once upland hunting dogs but down through the ages their hunting instincts were bred out of them. I know people like that. I call them Human Cocker Spaniels. They think meat is something you buy wrapped in paper at the grocery store… or they don’t eat it at all.
That’s why, when people refer to me as a Neanderthal, I take it as a compliment.