In the money

 February 25.

On this day in 1862, my old buddy, Abraham Lincoln is said to have introduced paper currency – the greenback - in the US.  So out of curiosity, I decided to see if I could find paper currency that depicts dogs.  Well.   Good luck with THAT task.  I found coins that had dogs – for example, in Canada in 1997, a series of coins called the Best Friends series – was released.  Clever name.  It depicted Canadian breeds – the Labrador, Nova Scotia Duck Toller, Eskimo Dog, and Newfoundland.  Canada also had a dog coins in 2006 for the Year of the Dog.  I found Norwegian and Irish coins with the Elkhound and the Wolfhound.  And I bet there are other dog coins.  But finding dogs on paper money was tougher.  I’m SURE SOME country has dogs on their paper currency – but I wasn’t successful in finding them.  I mean the Queen is on lots of money – SURELY one of the pictures has her holding a corgi?!  There MUST be some out there somewhere!

Probably a bit more interesting though, and is quite timely given my current enrollment in my scent class, is the role of the CDD – or Currency Detection Dog.  They are trained to detect large amounts of hidden cash – like at border crossings or airports.  I’m thinking I would be a bit more interested in that line – rather than being an Explosive Detection Dog.  Not that I don’t admire the work that those dogs do – but well, I’m thinking the money hunting is probably a bit safer.  I’m going to check with my instructor next week how I go about doing that.  And where we get the huge stash of cash to practice with. 

We dogs have our own type of “currency.”  We like to be paid in things like treats and toys.  Paper currency isn’t nearly as interesting, although Paxton has been known to take a bite out of some.  The key is to NOT consume the serial number.  My human learned that with a FIFTY dollar bill one time.  Paxton was L-U-C-K-Y.

Anyway, time for me to “cash in” on the break in the rain – and go for a walk.  If I wait too long, it may start up again, and I’ll have to “pay for” my tardiness by wearing a raincoat.   Ugh.  You can “credit” my human for the bad puns.  Honestly, the things I put up with!

Have a great day - I'm banking on it!

©   Linda Wozniak