DUDLEY DID-RIGHT; Thank You "LORD"

   The top two photos are purported to be that of Lord Tweedmouth--Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks  --of Guisachan Manor in Scotland. Though the second photo, to a casual observer, appears to be Dudley In Drag. The third combination of photographs and toons requires explanation. Which follows.
   There is an arrogance among Americans that suggests that we created everything of value, or should have. If there was no Dudley in Scotland, no doubt we would have "discovered" one in the New World. After all, at least one religious faith born in America claims that Christ Himself walked the ground of the Western Hemisphere. There is even an assertion that the original Garden of Eden was somewhere in America's midsection.
   So it would not be much of a stretch to say America created the TRUE Golden Retriever breed. Parallel developments in the United Kingdom or Australia/New Zealand not withstanding.
   It may shock many Americans to discover that the Golden Retriever does not bear a Made-In-USA label. Though admittedly most Goldens at AKC venues are of the American Type. Curiously, Americans can claim rightfully that they created the "Australian" Shepherd. So much for the proposition that a dog breed is what we name it.
   If it had not been for Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks in Scotland (Lord Tweedmouth to his friends) there might never have developed a breed called the Golden Retriever. The Russian white circus dog theory has been debunked by all who have examined the historical record.
   So, it is clear that the first Goldens-- born in Scotland --were the direct ancestors of the English Type Golden of today. American and Canadian Goldens have a right to claim that same historic past.
   But perhaps America might have invented a Dudley of their own-- thanks to Hollywood and the television industry.
   Who can forget Dudley Do-Right from the Bullwinkle and Rocky the Squirrel show? And his true love Nell, who was more smitten with Dudley's horse "Horse" than the rider atop him. We are told that the first significant Golden Retriever was brought to North America, entered by way of Canada, followed by a transcontinental trip to the far west of the nation bearing the Maple Leaf flag. The dog's name was Speedwell Pluto (an apt name, since we are talking toons here).
   Suppose there had been a collaboration between Do-Right and his friends, borrowing the dog Pluto from his owner, Mickey Mouse (a strange relationship to be sure; but blame that on Walt Disney). They could have created a new American breed of dog.
   Or consider Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald of movie fame. Who can forget the "Indian Love Call" duet from the film Rose Marie released in 1936? Nelson appropriated a Royal Mountie uniform and sang his heart out. A bit less dim-witted than Do-Right but still cartoonish  in his conscientious and cheerful demeanor, he might have taken a timeout from serenading to try his hand at dog breeding. Why not create a Golden Retriever? (I guess the breed would have been Canadian though-- unless the film was produced on a Hollywood sound stage rather than on location.)
   It would take little to convince the typical American man in the street of either theory's validity. Yes, some of our citizenry are REALLY that dumb.