About 5 or 6 weeks ago, I got a puppy for my birthday. (Lisa gave her to me!) Her name is Dirt McGirt. At the shelter, she was called “Godiva” and was listed as a chocolate lab mix. She was mostly brown, but had a second, yellow coat that molted off as we pet her and brushed her.

I got a lot of suggestions from people who met Dirt about her other half, especially other dog owners on walks or in the dog park. Some said she was part pointer, others said some sort of hound. The trend was definitely towards hunting dog. But last week, the vet said she was most probably a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, a dog originally bred for retrieving ducks and other game.

That she is a Chessie explains a lot – it explains her double coat, her obsession with water, her retrieving instincts, and even her temperament.

I love her. She is an amazing dog. Right now, she is asleep on my floor after a couple hours at doggie happy hour at the Adams Mill bar. (Doggie happy hour is amazing – not only did she get a bag of treats, the Bud Light girl gave her a frisbee, a travel food/water container, and a little soccer ball. And I got a t-shirt and a wrist sweatband.)

Why Dirt McGirt? I don’t really know. But the origin is a nickname of Ol’ Dirty Bastard of Wu Tang Clan.

Once I found out that she’s bred for retrieving game, my dad gave us a Remington duck decoy, and I brought her to a pond. I got ready to throw the decoy into the water. Dirt approached the edge. Suddenly, a half dozen ducklings came out of the reeds. DIrt jumped back and ran back behind my legs. So much for those instincts.

Anyway, I took a video of her fetching a duck decoy. Check it out: