The breed of dog can give an insight into the personality, education and even wealth of its owner.Forget the power station, forget the Budget, forget the dancing priests. There was only one big news last week: pop singer James Blunt has finally admitted that his song You’re Beautiful, is “annoying”.
He was being slightly generous with his choice of vocabulary. After a decade of “force-feeding it down our throats” (his words, not mine), we wouldn’t even buy it from iTunes if it cost, say, 58 cents.
The revelation came after years of Blunt defending his chart-topping, multi-million-selling track, with swashbuckling might.
When I interviewed him in 2011 and pointed out that his record-breaking single was voted the most irritating song by The Sun in 2007, he immediately dismissed it as “an unfounded survey” commissioned by “some company manufacturing lactose-free products”.
“The number of participants in the poll was too low to be taken seriously. But anyway, I believe, if people don’t like it, in this modern age, everybody has the power to switch off the radio button.”
He was, back then, certainly proud of the song – about a beautiful girl he saw on the London subway. When I had asked who the girl was, his voice went down a notch: “I knew her. She was an ex-girlfriend, with her new man, who I didn’t know existed. She and I caught eyes and lived a lifetime in that moment.” Had he told her he had written it for her? He shrugged slowly. “I haven’t been in touch with her at all. It wasn’t for me to take up.”
Aha. That’s the clue. After the interview, and a pow-wow with my girlfriends, we all concluded that he was hoping the song would get the girl back. It didn’t (which must have been a bigger blow), but at least it gave him the mileage he needed: he became famous, rich, moved on, fell in love with someone else, and then it was okay to make a U-turn.
In actual fact, his admitting what everyone had been telling him all along is great PR. It is the best way to advertise his new album, generate more income and get the public on your side – as with any apology.
Maybe Konrad Mizzi and Joseph Muscat could learn a thing or two here.
But back to Blunt: the former army officer has now married his girlfriend Sofia Wellesley. He told Hello magazine that their thoughts were turning to parenthood: “Having children seems like an amazing thing to do. A lot of my friends and family have done it. It would be a shame not to experience that. Failing that, I’ll just have to buy a little dog.”
And herein lies the purpose of this column today. He has to be extremely careful what dog to get. These days, it’s not just about getting any dog. A recent study has claimed that the breed of dog can give an insight into the personality, education and even wealth of its owner. And Blunt certainly doesn’t want to hit the headlines again for having the most annoying dog in the world.
A Labrador or a Golden Retriever are more likely to be single, but intelligent, honest and loveable, according to the survey (I happen to have a soft spot for these owners)
The research, carried out in the UK among some 2,000 dog owners, claims to have determined what your dog says about you.
Dog owners of Yorkshire terriers are said to be the happiest, for example. Just like the dogs, terrier owners are often feisty, brave, and competitive. They are extremely talkative and have good sense of humour.
Those with a Labrador or a Golden Retriever are more likely to be single, but intelligent, honest and loveable, according to the survey (I happen to have a soft spot for these owners).
Owners with a pet Bulldog are “in a relationship but looking to get out of it”, possibly because they tend to be stubborn, but then they’re hopeless romantics.
The happily married households of Britain are, the survey found, most likely to own a Pug.
Great Dane owners tend to be the lowest-paid, but they are news junkies and welcome the chance to debate important issues with others – which means they are always down at the pub, spending their miserly salary (there’s an affinity here too).
Those who own Dalmatians are said to spoil them more than any other dog, spending €25 a week on toys and treats.
Owners of Beagles tend to be open to new experiences, and are curious and wilful.
Owners of Poodles, Chihuahuas and other toy breeds “are very neat” and “keep very orderly homes”; in other words, they’re OCD-ish.
Dachshunds owners are bossy, German Shepherd owners are protective, and Rottweiler owners are laid back but quick to react if someone rubs them the wrong way.
So be careful in your choice James. But whatever you get, don’t call it ‘Beautiful’.
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Twitter: @KrisChetcuti