Many a marketing expert has contacted us with offers of their services. Inevitably, every single one of them says, “Why do you have all those dog breed labels? Why don’t you have one label with a dog’s nose on it?

While I'm tempted to scream, "You're a GENIUS...I NEVER thought of that!" I smile and thank them for their input.

One reason we have so many dog breed labels is to celebrate the tenacity and adaptability of human beings. 

Ever since that first friendly wolf puppy crawled to the campfire for a snack, humankind has wanted a dog that was bigger, smaller, fluffier, taller, longer, every imaginable color combination, friendlier, more fierce, better tracker, better swimmer, the list is truly endless.

For eons dogs were expected to hunt or guard. That is all humans in earlier times cared about. Adaptations for the climate and geographical area also shaped the decisions on dog breeding. Tibetan Mastiffs are huge guarding dogs with a very thick coat, to withstand the harsh Tibetan weather. The Saluki is lean, wiry and fast, with a much closer coat, as they were bred to chase prey in the hot, sandy desert.