Posts by Hank

IT’S K-E-M-B-A!

Who’s this handsome dude named for? Kemba. KEM-ba. K-E-M-B-A. Seriously — is that so hard? Robby named him. For Kemba Walker, of course — the ex-UConn star who is now, I’m thrilled to say, a member of the New York Knicks. It was Robby who also named Ricky the B…

The Dogs of Sunville

To honor Kemba on this, his 7th birthday, here’s a poem celebrating his life on the beach. The verses that follow should be recited to the rhythm and meter of Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s “Casey at the Bat.” It’s my favorite poem. It’s also the only poem I know. Happy Birthday, Kemba! …

Fear of Thunder, Love of Sticks

Cole eating a stick . . . A video my oldest son Matt sent me of his 16-month-old son, Cole, eating a stick, reminded me — for maybe the thousandth time — how similar little kids are to dogs. And I’m not the only one who’s mad…

Kemba The Decorator

Before “Kemba’s Interiors” begins: Note that everything is in its proper place We can hear him going at it, even though we’re in the kitchen. Scratch-scratch-scratch-scratch! That’s Kemba, scuffing at the large, flat cushio…

The Dogs of Santa Monica (Part 2)

Kemba couldn’t come along, so I had to make some new friends: Finn and Gigi In my next life, I want to be a dog living near the beach in Santa Monica. Quite the sweet deal they have going there. Their ubiquity, their visibil…

Hello Kitty Gets Decapitated

Kemba’s making me throw this stuffed Hello Kitty. He won’t chase a ball — ONLY hello Kitty . . . Hello Kitty: Kemba’s obsession (of the day) Thus begins a text from Elise, my dog sitter — and it doesn’t surprise me. My boy…

“What Kind of Dog Is That?”

I’m not gonna lie. I think my dog is gorgeous. The thing is, I’m not the only one — not by a long shot. Every day I get stopped about Kemba’s appearance. Just yesterday, while we were walking around Equinox Pond in Vermont, two different dog-owners expressed variations on this same theme: “T…