A Tale (tail) to Tell

A dog's tail can tell you what your dog is feeling from moment to moment. In Misha's case when he is hunting rabbits his tail sticks out straight behind him. The hairs decending from it never move unless a breeze blows by.
Lots of dogs have beautiful tails. Though many spaniels have their tails docked I've wondered if Misha could be part Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? Their tail is extraordinarily beautiful.
The rescue group that picked up Misha from North Carolina and put his picture on Petfinder said that he was a "Corgi/Spaniel" mix. Spaniels are small sporting dogs. They are used to retrieve a bird after it has been shot by a hunter. Their usual white with brown markings (which Misha also has) would distinguish them in the field from a fox or other wildlife. Spaniels have very soft coats (except for the Brittany spaniel) and so does my Misha. Their mouths are very soft too so that when the dog brings the bird back to it's owner the bird is not injured by the dog's teeth. The gentle folds of skin around the mouth protect the hunter's kill. Misha's instinct to point and tiptoe toward small creatures may come from a spaniel heritage.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is not really in the sporting group though. It is a toy dog, bred to be a companion. They have a small carriage and look like the proverbial puppy with huge eyes and a smilely countenance. It's tail is long and flowing, elegant and so very soft to the touch. Sometimes Misha just wags the teeny tiny tip of his tail in answer to a question I pose to him. I think dogs can use their tails rather like sign language and if we watch carefully maybe we can learn the language fluently.