Recently I was pleased to receive my official certificate of charter membership in the John H. Watson Society. It's very nicely done and suitable for framing.
The document includes my Society name, "Dutch." Just as members of the Baker Street Irregulars receive a BSI name upon their investiture, so JHWS members receive a unique moniker. In the JHWS, that name is doggish in memory of Dr. Watson's bull pup.
You will recall that while listing his vices in A Study in Scarlet, Watson notes, "I keep a bull pup." Many scholars believe that this was either a metaphorical reference to his bad temper or to a firearm. But for the JHWS, apparently, a bull pup is just what it says.
"Dutch" is a name I chose myself in honor of the only dog I ever had, a boxer who often served as my pillow when I was four or five years old and lived in the country. This will surprise anyone who knows me well, for I am not generally known as "dog person." I have no pets.
We didn't have Dutch long. He was sickly and I suspect that my parents charitably withheld his fate from me after he left our home. Nevertheless, in honor of that most noble canine, I am happy to sign myself
Dan Andriacco, JHWS ("Dutch")
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