Now that it's done, he's in good humor, not sheepish in the least. "I think the general objection is that it's undignified," he says, "but frankly it makes as much as many of the more commonly accepted stories. Mabari are military assets, with the added bonus of loyalty that can't be bought."

Someone wasn't allowed to have a dog as a child.

"But, to your original point. It's fun to think she did, whether or not it's actually true. The history isn't the point."