Flat Earth: A girl's best friend

STILL on American trends: we've just been boning up, so to speak, on the Rottweiler. This noble breed sprang up in Germany, where it was called Rottweiler metzgerhund because the dogs were used to pull carts loaded with butcher's meat. Nowadays, of course, as your drug dealer's favourite pet, Rotties look quite capable of procuring their own meat. So it's a surprise to find they are now the second most popular breed in the US, and especially favoured by women. 'Everybody gets out of my way when I walk down the sidewalk with Honey,' says one proud lady owner. 'It's like the parting of the Red Sea.' But Americans' hearts are still in the right place: the dog they love most remains the Labrador. 'You have the most friendly dog at the top, followed by a guard dog,' the president of communications for the American Kennel Club tells us. 'That's some incredible yin and yang.'