Goodbye Lucy Ann

What a Memorial Day weekend it has been. But first things first:

Speaking of memorials, we got some sad news on Friday. One of our own, Lucy Ann, a gi-normous beee-utiful eleven year-old poodle, is prancing through the West Village no more.

Lu, as she was called by her friends, was a mighty good sport -- she traveled, hiked, snuck onto movie lots (one of my favorite pastimes!) and generally reigned supreme over two of the greatest cities in the US. I've always been a sucker for those big-boned bi-coastal gals -- I'm sure we'd have gotten on quite well.

Her extended family, Laura, Howard, Barb, Jim and especially little Ollie are missing her dearly. Ollie is a wire-haired dachshund -- and anyone who knows me knows about my predilection for that breed of beast -- they are the party animal of the AKC. In fact, I don't know how they got the hat off Ollie for this photo.



I wish I could send Ollie this painting.

It's by Gina Percifull and I think this is what dog heaven is like -- juggling dog bones at sunset.


I'm always reminding my human friend that she's darn lucky to have me, but once in a while I'll admit -- I'm pretty lucky too.



"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace." - Milan Kundera

Pug Recall!!!!

Ok, now I've seen everything. APBA has recalled the 2007 model Pug. Do you think they were made in China?








By the way, Small Dog Electronics in Vermont is my favorite source for all kinds of Mac stuff. They send tiny plastic dogs with every order -- oh, and their prices are pretty darn good, too.



And don't worry, I don't think Ivan is a 2007 model.

And speaking of sunshine...

Where the heck was I?

And does Anita Bryant know about this?

FedEx Man of the Year

It's Official!

Our FedEx delivery man, Dave, is the FedEx Man of the Year. He won by a landslide vote. Everyone in our building voted for him -- and I voted twice!

We love Dave. He brings treats.
He's friendly. He's cute.
He brings boxes of bubble wrap.

And did I mention he brings treats? He does! He brings the kind You-Know-Who won't buy for me -- she says they smell nasty. But I say when it comes to dog treats, the nastier smelling the better!

A day without Dave is like a day without sunshine.

Thanks Dave!

Tails of the City

I walk by this place everyday.

And -- frankly -- it scares me.

I'm afraid to go in, but it strikes me as just the kind of place my friend Ashley would shop.

I think I'll get her a gift certificate --- don't tell her!







By the way, Venus is right next door to a carpet store that has been "going out of business" since at least last October.

After I took this picture, I finally figured it out: they say they're going out of business "after 30 years," but they still have a few more years to go....

My Friend Ivan

This is my friend, Ivan. He's a pug.

Everyone loves Ivan and Ivan loves everyone, but even his Dad will tell you that Ivan is a few fleas short of a circus.

I've spent quite a bit of time with him and yet I'll never figure out why he barks at airplanes. (or why Kim Carnes recorded a song about it.)

I kind of get the mailman thing -- although I find it a disagreeable habit -- but Ivan, airplanes can't hear you!

Ivan also has a rather unique talent that can't be fully described on a web page. Perhaps someday he'll let me videotape him in action and then I'll post it.
Let's just say he's very flexible.

Cheers, Ivan!

My Little Addiction

Wow -- what a weekend I had! Walkies! Walkies! Walkies!

And then I threw up. Seriously. I hate it when that happens.
A waste of a perfectly good breakfast.

Now I'm exhausted and ready to curl up, but I know there will be at least one disappointed reader if I don't come up with something.....


One of the great things about writing this blog is that I get mail!

I got a note from this cute little LA girl: Her name is Penny, but her friends call her "Miss Fuzz." She sent me her picture. Hmm. Whaddaya think she wants?

Fuzz, if I had a calendar, you'd be Miss May!



I love mail of any sort, but I especially like FedEx packages because they often contain the one thing that will set my tail to furious waggin' -- BUBBLE WRAP!

I just adore bubble wrap. I like to tear it apart and pop the bubbles, but then as my friend Scott says, "Who doesn't?"

Yes, bubble wrap popping is a compulsion I share with many two-leggeds. And like many small children, I have no shame about my bubble-popping habit; but I know you grown-up types like to hide in the closet and get busy. Well, guess what?
WE CAN HEAR YOU!!!

Does the Queen have a Bath Day?

"There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them." Sylvia Plath - The Bell Jar

But things didn't really turn out that well for Sylvia, did it? Perhaps if she'd spent more time in the bath and less time in the kitchen...

And look at Jean-Paul Marat:

His bath ended very badly.
Never allow visitors during bathtime.

What is the point of baths, I ask you? You just get dirty, and have to be bathed all over again. Rinse and Repeat. Pointless.


I see any pool of water bigger than my waterbowl as a potential torture. I don't swim -- except for the time that lout at Bow Wow Bungalow tossed me in the river...

Okay, so the river was only three feet across and twelve inches deep -- I had to swim for my life!

Anyway, I survived my bath and the hair dryer (another horror!) and finally went for a decent trot outdoors.

Mon dieu! Yorkies everywhere! I swear we are breeding like rabbits. And they're so tiny, I'm almost ashamed to nip at them -- but they desperately need it. There is nothing more rude than a spoiled Yorkie -- and I ought to know.

In the evening, we watched a movie.

It was called "The Queen", but actually it was the story of some very happy Corgis and Labs in Great Britain. They live with Helen Mirren; and she lives with her cranky mother and even crankier husband. Hey! Wasn't he the man with the pig? He seemed so nice when he lived with the pig.

Something Bad has happened and everyone wants Helen to Go to London, but she wants to stay in the country with the dogs. Can you really fault her? They go on lots of walkies in the mountains and attend picnics. Sometimes they are scolded for being where they ought not be; but overall, it's a nice enough life.

Three woofs for The Queen!

Reality Check

In case you're wondering what a small dog without opposable thumbs really does during the day, here's the photographic evidence:

That thing I'm chewing on is called a "Greenie." Just hard enough for a little chewing satisfaction, but soft enough to finish off while the boring human watches a movie.

BONUS: Makes the breath smell good and the poop turn green!

On the Road Again

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Well now, you wouldn't know it to look at me, but I enjoy a good story. No, of course I can't actually read -- although not for want of trying. I find turning pages the sticky part. Damned opposable thumbs -- wasted on humans, if you ask me.

Anyway, as I was saying, I enjoy a good story and occasionally SWMBH will manage to stay awake long enough to read me a couple of chapters. I like to curl up right under her elbow and pretend to look annoyed when she turns the pages.

This week we read a book called "The Road" by a fellow named Cormac McCarthy. I like that name "Cormac" -- he says it means "son of Charles" in Gaelic. I was going to show you a picture of Cormac (he looks like the kind of fellow who would like dogs -- although probably not on his lap) but unlike me, Cormac doesn't like his picture taken, so instead I'll show you this drawing by Rob.

Go see Robert Donnelly's illustrations -- especially the journal drawings. One note to Rob: More pictures of Dogs!



So, back to "The Road" -- this book doesn't have very many dogs in it, but it's a pretty good story. Something really bad happens and there's hardly any food left. A boy and his dad are trying to get somewhere, but they keep running into scary people. When people are hungry and there's not enough food, it's not a good time for scraps. And not a good place for a dog. But you find out who your real friends are mighty fast. Reminds me of Mad Max (he had a dog!) but without all the guns and loud music.

Sad, scary, sweet, very dark and a quick read. I give it a "woof" and a "wag".


There's this guy named Garret who writes short reviews of books he's read, but the best part is he takes funny pictures of himself with the books. His expression is like a mini-review.

I don't know Garret, but I'd like to - he'd be fun to read with.



By the way, there's another famous "Cormac McCarthy" but this one plays the guitar and sings. I can't play the guitar -- once again with the opposable thumbs.

Now, this looks like the kind of guy who would let a dog sit on his lap.