Posts by Hank

I’d by lying if I said I wasn’t ridiculously excited about going up to Nova Scotia this weekend. Matt and I are flying into Halifax Friday night.  Saturday morning we’ll do a little get-acquainted-with-the-city tour, then grab some lunch.  And then . . . The Main Event:  We’ll take a 45-minute dri…

My mom’s name was Stella.  She died in 1996, and I still miss her a lot.  I’ve always loved the name Stella, and have hinted to all my sons that it would be nice if they named a girl after my mom — but based on the family track record, I’m not counting on too many daughters.  So I decided I’d name…

So yes, as you’ve been hearing, it’s looking pretty solid that Future Dog is going to be a Toller.  And yes, arrangements are starting to be made for its arrival — knock wood.  The thing is, I’m pretty superstitious, and I don’t want to jinx anything by revealing too many details.  As my son Matt…

Yes, Beagle Man has gone dark for over a month now, as many of my friends and followers have observed.  Intentionally so.  I’d become abundantly aware that a lot of you out there felt I’d gotten well into the overkill stage in my research, my pros-and-cons lists, my live-dog interviews, my biding t…

Interviewed Chief, Scott’s husky, earlier this week at Acme headquarters in South Norwalk.  I’d have to say it went quite well.  I ate some chips in his presence, and the candidate, while interested, didn’t jump on the table for them; he actually claims not to be food-obsessed.  He’s got a good, s…

“Have I missed a blog?” asked Marcia in an e-mail.  And from Bernice:  “Didn’t get your blog this week?” The fact is, I haven’t posted since May 17th — and there’s a reason for it.  In recent weeks I’ve sensed the patience of my friends and followers wearing thin as I continue to . . . deliberate…

I suppose I should have seen this coming — the wounded feelings, the fierce breed loyalty, the surprising (and, to my way of thinking, xenophobic, uninformed, and over-reactive) anti-German Shepherd sentiment  — when I encouraged followers to “weigh in” last month in my Future Dog post: Hi Doodlem…

Today would be Ricky William Herman’s 11th birthday. To celebrate this day, you should do whatever you want. After all, that’s what Ricky always did. 🙂

Good advice.  Lots of it. “If I ever get another dog,” Sarah tells me, “it will be a foster.”  Sherry says, “My vote is for a shelter dog.  Rescued souls are the sweetest, and usually grateful.”  Mimi, who’s all for the rescue thing, adds, “Don’t let guilt get to you . . . like, awww, I should res…

I honestly think it’s okay that I’ve started thinking/talking about my next dog.  Here’s how I see it.  Had I just gotten a divorce, let’s say, or become widowed, and then I showed up with a new wife 3 weeks later . . . yeah, that would be in poor taste.  People would talk.  And rightfully so.  Bu…