Malamutes and Huskies are watch dogs only so far as watching the burglar enter your house and take your goods goes. It's a trait of both breeds.

Humans, on the other hand, are supposed to be more on the ball with the watching of things. It doesn't exactly explain why people who lob up at my front door seem incapable of using the bell. I don't have a door knocker or one of those electronic button thingies, I have a dirty great brass bell mounted at eye level beside the door. You can't miss it. And yet I quite often find people standing there staring at it, perhaps they think it's ornamental.

Yesterday I got the bell starers. They were distracted by the Husky, who sat at the door and looked adorable. He didn't bother mentioning the visitors to me and I didn't realise they were there until I heard them talking to Husky.

Oh, aren't you adorable. You're the cutest thing.

He just sat there, tail wagging and a big doggy grin, agreeing with them.

Curious as to who was talking to my Husky, I answered the door and, instead of spiel, I got asked if my Husky was a Malamute. So I got to use the line:

This isn't a Malamute, that [enter Malamute hurtling in from the backyard] is a Malamute.

You make your fun where you can.