Particular about pedigree

This month’s winner is MARY KELLY of Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

My husband and I recently visited the Cinque Terre region of Italy. While waiting for the train in Vernazza, we struck up a conversation with a couple from Sweden who were traveling with their lovely dog. 

As the train was pulling up and we all were in the crush to board, my husband asked, “Is she a spaniel?”

The Swedish lady directly replied, “She is not a spaniel. She is a cocker, and she is Dutch.” 

As we were settling into our seats, I realized that, with the language barrier, she thought my husband had asked if her dog was “Español,” implying she was from Spain, rather than “a spaniel.”

Now when we see spaniels about, we whisper to each other, “She is not Español. She is Dutch!”