Labs and Lives

"Dogs, I Am Confident, Would Have Arranged Many, Many Things Better Than We Do"

First, I Do An On-Line Search
Cartoon by Arnie Levin
Published in the New Yorker October 5, 1998
I went to my (second) favorite spot to read - the Whole Foods Market cafe - my newly acquired (for TEN dollars, down from FORTY EIGHT dollars!) book, The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs.

Here is what the reviewers say about it:

...the amused insouciance, the self-deprecation, the gentle unfolding of a structural irony, the skip and reveal of the final sentence, the knowledge of Not Too Much that seems intrinsic to the New Yorker. And cartoons.”—Edmund De Waal, The Spectator

But, above all, it's funny, in that canine way, where all things are about the dog.


Thurber Dog With Butterfly for Nora, 1937
Illustration by James Thurber

Dogs, I am confident, would have arranged many, many things better than we do. They would have in all probability averted the Depression, for they can go through lots tougher things than we and still think it's boom time. They demand very little of their heyday; a kind word is more to them than fame, a soup bone more than gold; they are perfectly contented with a warm fire and a good book to chew (preferably an autographed first edition lent by a friend).
James Thurber, from "Dogs I Have Scratched"

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

The New York Dog

I browsed through the books at my local Chapters bookstore, and I found this: The New York Dog (not The Dogs of New York) by Rachael Hale McKenna, going for a mere $21 online ($32 in-store).

Here is one dog:


Bonga Loves New York

Image from: Rachael Hale McKenna: Photographer
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

Jack

Jack, on watch (poor mailman)
[Photo from Google Maps]

I was greeted by two rambunctious dogs, a large pale-furred golden retriever and a black labrador retriever, at the front door of my physiotherapist's office which I was attending for the first time.

I wasn't intimidated, and peered through the glass door and said "Are you going to let me in?"

They retreated, and I opened the door.

The black labrador went downstairs, but the golden retriever edged close to me as I sat on the bench after I signed in at the reception.

" What's his name?"

"Jack."

"Perfect. Hey, Jack!"

Then Jack wouldn't leave me alone, having been formally introduced to me. He would put his big head on my knee, stroke me with his giant paws, lean his lumbering body against my leg. And just stay by me.

I stroked his head, pulled his ears, and talked to him in some form of human-dog speech.

Then suddenly, he left my side and started pawing at the door, with a couple of deep, gruff barks.

"Should I let him out?"

"Yes, he just wants to be out when the school kids walk by"

He has an internal clock!

Jack goes out, and sits on the sidewalk. And sure enough, small clusters of chattering school kids, about eight and nine-year-olds, start walking by. They don't pay any attention to the large canine sitting on the cold pavement, watching them pass by. They must be used to him. But how can they not want to stroke his big, sympathethic head? Poor, faithful Jack!

Jack would keep glancing back, even as he sits patiently on the sidewalk. He clearly misses his warm perch on top of what looks like part of a rowing fitness machine. He should be back inside! He has a room to survey!


Prince
Watercolor by Kimberly Kaminski

"It's cold out there, in fact, it's freezing!" say I, having braved through ice, snow, and blisteringly cold temperatures to make it to my early morning appointment.

"Yes," says the woman, who seems to be the owner of both the practice and the dog.

Jack paws at the door. I let him in, but his leash gets stuck outside, pulling him a little back.

"Should I take it off his neck?"

"Yes, thanks."

Jack sits patiently, and even raises his head a little, to let me get at the hook.

"There you go."

He then resumes his place against my knee.

With a friend like that, who needs anyone else?

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Below is a Jack look-alike on the left, which this dog site describes as "a slightly undershot jaw characteristic of light-furred retrievers."

This was Jack's expression. He wasn't just playing, he was very serious about his friendliness!


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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

Paris in Phillie

This is Paris, or a relative of Paris, a French Poodle. I met Paris in Phillie last week during my trip. She was sitting a little out of breath, so presumably she had been out for a run in the park.

"What's her name?" I asked her owner.

"Paris."

"Can I stroke her?"

"Just make sure she smells your hand first."

"Hi, Paris," I greeted her, stroking her surprisingly soft fluff of coiffed hair.

She just sat grinning at me, quiet and calm.

"Paris!" I said to my friend who was showing me around Philadelphia. My friend is a France expert, and speaks fluent French. She also knows the real Paris.

It seemed a good sign, to find a poodle named Paris in Philadelphia. And indeed, the rest of the day went beautifully well.

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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An American Foxhound in New York

A Winning Spirit



I saw a dog which looked to me like an American Foxhound near the Duane Reade on 106th and Broadway, when I was in New York last week. The second time I saw this happy and active dog, I asked the owner what kind of a dog he was. The young man told me that he didn't know, and that the dog was a "rescue dog" which he'd only had for a couple of months. The young man looked like he could do with a rescue more than the dog. As I was talking to his owner, the dog became friendly, but possessive, as though to ward me off his master. I took this as a greeting, and stroked him gently, while asking the man what he called the dog. "Grant," he said. "What a name you have," I told the dog, who by now looked like he just wanted to play.



"He looks like an American Foxhound," I said. "You should have him tested. George Washington's dog was an American Foxhound." I left Grant with his owner, still playful and rambunctious. I wonder where his owner got "Grant" from, the movie star (Cary), or from President Ulysses Grant? Either way, this Grant is a member of a prestigious group.


John Ward Dunsmore (1856-1945)
The First Gentleman of Virginia: George Washington at the Hunt (c. 1777)
Frances Tavern Museum, New York City

Information on the painting is on page 20 of:
Images of America: Woodbrook Hunt Club
Joy Keniston-Longrie
Arcadia Publishing, 2009

I've written about Jewel, an American Foxhound, who won several dog shows. And my post George Washington and his Dogs discusses how Washington bred the American Foxhound from English and French hounds, and the names he gave his large menagerie of hounds.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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The Beagle and The Hare

Debra Chamberlin writes about The Aesthetics of Foxhunting:

I kinda think Teddy is a beagle; his legs are short like a beagle's and his ears are longer than the foxhounds. I enjoyed reading this segment about hunting and Jessica Fletcher. It gave me an opportunity to call up distant memories of my own long-gone beagle, the magnificence of the hunt, and the fun of seeing the unparalleled Angela Lansbury in modified hunting livery.

Here is a Beagle, which looks like Teddy:



And here an American Foxhound, which is "taller" than the Beagle (and more handsome, I might add):



Beagles were also hunting dogs:

Beagles were developed primarily for hunting hare, an activity known as beagling...Before the advent of the fashion for foxhunting in the 19th century, hunting was an all day event where the enjoyment was derived from the chase rather than the kill. In this setting the tiny Beagle was well matched to the hare, as unlike Harriers they would not quickly finish the hunt, but because of their excellent scent-tracking skills and stamina they were almost guaranteed to eventually catch the hare. The Beagle packs would run closely together ("so close that they might be covered with a sheet") which was useful in a long hunt, as it prevented stray dogs from obscuring the trail. In thick undergrowth they were also preferred to spaniels when hunting pheasant.[Source: Wikipedia]

Debra continues:

Your readers might get a kick out of this five-minute youtube about beagles

Here is the link to the video (the embedding function has been removed). It is of rambunctious Beagle puppies scampering around. Play is training for work, and these puppies, with their cuteness factor removed a notch, will run after the hare when the time comes.

Still, there's Aesop's fable:

The Hare and the Hound

A Hound started a Hare from his lair, but after a long run, gave up the chase. A goat-herd seeing him stop, mocked him, saying "The little one is the best runner of the two." The Hound replied, "You do not see the difference between us: I was only running for a dinner, but he for his life."

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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