When we first brought Nemi home, she weighet one and a half kilos, was about the size of a kitten and she had no hair. People were asking us on our way home "Is it a dog - or a cat?".

Stupid question, perhaps, but we were overbearing. Actually "Dog" was not the first word to spring into ones mind when one saw Nemi. "Gremlin" was a more likely one (and a cute Gremlin she was too!).

Although humans sometimes have a problem identifying what species a rare dog specimen might belong to - it seems that dogs seldom have this problem.

Our older dog Mita had encountered a few dog breeds in her life, but never one without hair, and never one this small. Would she know that it was a dog?

The wirehaired dachshund is bred for hunting, and has the terrier mentality. We know Mita will kill (and eat, yuck!!) mice if the opportunity arises. Our worry was that she would classify our new family member as a rodent rather than dog, with the potentially fatal consequences that could have.

We waited until the second day to introduce Mita and our little newcomer. We needn't have worried. Although a little hesitant at first when introduced to this strange creature (mutual feeling shared by both dogs it seemed) - they said hello, and pretty much left it at that. A few days later, they were playing with much enthusiasm.

Meanwhile I'm still wondering how dogs know that a dog is a dog?