Purebred Dog People: A Breed Apart
Phoebe is sweet and cheerful. What else do you need in man's best friend? Tim Brookes hide caption
Essayist Tim Brookes recently got a puppy, and in the process discovered that Americans are developing a new form of geekdom: dog breeding. Having grown up with mutts, he's stunned to learn that $600 was a good price for a pup and that dozens of new flavors of doggie had been invented. He wound up getting Phoebe from a rescue organization. She's mostly border collie. But maybe there's some lab. And then... well, who cares, really. She's an excellent licker.