So we've been trying to figure out exactly what Ruby's ancestry is without resorting to things like actual DNA tests. We really think that she's got to be half Labrador retriever, but the rest has been the subject of considerable speculation.

Gretchen caught Ruby pointing, at which point (no pun intended) we started considering various breeds of pointer as part of the mix. And while that's a possibility, it doesn't really explain the very shiny coat or the rather fluffy undercoat that Gretchen has noticed.

And about a week ago, I took a good look at Ruby's tail. This is not the tail of a pointer or a Labrador retriever. This tail is sort of halfway to being feathered, with a curve of hair sticking down from about halfway down the tail and curving back to the tip. I recognize that tail conformation. That's a setter tail.

Well, a setter will point in much the same way that a pointer will, so that's consistent.

I'm strongly suspecting that Ruby is half Lab and half Irish setter. And here, for example, is a dog looking very much like Ruby, save for the fact that the Lab was obviously a chocolate Lab instead of a black Lab.

Could be...