The Dog Blog

Yup, those furry flying figures would be the three Look What Labs, racing with fiendish fervor,(in honor of Hallo`ween) each figuring on being first to Mom. Now THAT would be a motivated recall! The first fiendishly flying figure would be Bridget, always getting the jump on the others. Attempting to make up ground, and casting the evil eye on the leader, is Doobie, my puppy mill rescue. Finally (this is always the order) would be English Lab Talley, stolidly chugging along. She gets A for effort and for never giving up. Her stocky little self just cannot cover ground like the two American Labs; Talley has much less stamina also. Do you routinely get that kind of action happening on a recall? As this was a distance recall; let me describe the setting.

‘Tis the season to dress your dog -- much to the dismay of those who revile canine costuming. Such naysayers are wont to quote Fran Lebowitz: “If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater, suggest that he wear a tail.”

 I beg to differ. From a genetic perspective, dog dressing is not only acceptable but desirable.

 I’m not talking about functional clothing -- shoes to protect sensitive paw pads from corrosive salt on snowy streets, say. That’s a given for those who care about their dogs’ health. I’m making the case for dog adornment: kerchiefs, shirts, hats, and even silly costumes, clothing that serves no apparent purpose except to amuse owners.

 Why should that be encouraged?

 Because it’s far better than breeding for neotenized -- a.k.a. cute -- characteristics.

The entire family agreed about our destination: Corsica. « Whaou, this is the Beauty Island. You’ll see, so beautiful overthere. You’ll love it. »  

The people there were so enthusiastic and wonderful that we even thought for a while that maybe it would be nice to share our life between Corsica and Toulouse. But as soon as we said it  people reply: « Oh no, not for you, Corsicans don’t like dogs, they poisoned them».  So we went there happy but little aware about the everyday life of dogs over there.

So I do confirm, this is a beautiful island, marvelous! The Corsicans are very nice people, always welcoming you nicely whenever you meet them.

We see it everywhere in the United States, obesity, it has become an ever growing problem within our society.  It’s true, America has a weight problem!  Studies tell us that our children are overweight and under exercised.  When I was a child, I couldn’t wait to get home from school and go outside to play with my friends.  We played tag, hide and seek, rode our bicycles, roller skated and played many other games until the sun went down.  While we were outdoors getting exercise and fresh air, our dogs were always at our side, romping and playing in the fresh air.    Today however, most children come home from school and sit in front of computers and play games, text message each other or watch television for hours on end.  The family dog is generally sitting or lying by their side, if not in a crate, for hours on end!  Some dogs only receive short strolls around the block before dinner and dog owner’s call that exercise?! &