For a long time now, I’ve been thinking that a lot of people don’t take Beagles as seriously as they should.  Watching Westminster last week only confirmed my opinion.  Okay, so maybe a German Shepherd won this year — congrats, Rumor — but nobody can deny my Beagle brethren have dominated recent Westminster history.  Miss P wins Best in Show in 2015.  Her great-uncle, Uno, takes the blue ribbon in 2008.  Has any other breed won twice in the last 10 years?  Uh . . . that...

There’s something strange going on.  Listen to this.  Duke, a new dog, came to visit me in Vermont weekend before last.  He was cute and curly — a Labradoodle, I think.  At first he seemed kind of wimpy when I started I want to come in, Duke wants to come in wrestling with him (the way I do with Ruckus all the time), but I have to give him credit — he caught on pretty quick.  And for a newbie, the little fluffball had some pretty decent moves!  From that point on, he copied...

The K-Dawg’s summer look: Cool dreads behind the ears . . . I’m often accused, especially by members of my own family, of wasting time pondering things that others find . . . not really important. Like, what makes some towns choose black letters on white background for their street signs, and others go for the white-on-green look? Last week one of my writing students turned in a piece about tanning.  And since my dog is never far from my thoughts, I — naturally — found...

Kemba vs. Ruckus (Westport, CT) I’m not a big fan of “authorities” telling me what dogs think.  You’ll read in the pages of some book:  It’s all the same to your dog if you’ve been gone for 15 minutes or 15 hours.  Please.  Did a dog once tell the author this? Which is not to say I don’t find myself constantly wondering what my dog, and his buddies, are thinking.  Especially when they’re fighting.  Or play-fighting.  When Kemba and...

“Kemba, up-up-up, good boy!” Kemba’s almost two-and-a-half now, and I guess it’s about time I own up to something:  He is not a trained dog. Oh, sure, he’s house-trained.  And he’ll “sit” for you if you care to give him a treat.  But by and large, he does whatever he wants. I meant to have a trained dog this time around.  I always had good excuses for Ricky the Beagle’s poor behavior.  Vets, breeders, even dog trainers  admitted...

Your dog is watching you . . . Every breath you take Every move you make Every bond you break Every step you take I’ll be watching you. — The Police I give my rolling swivel chair a sudden shove back from my desk, and Kemba, who’s been napping in his doggy bed of red-and-white ticking on the floor of my study, springs to attention, tail wagging.  Something’s up?  We’re going out, Beagle Man?  Cool!  I head downstairs, Kemba alongside me, panting with...

Tug-of-war: Round 1       Dog training Rule #1: Don’t allow your pup near the dinner table             Dog training Rule #2: No dogs on the furniture!           An EXTREMELY rare moment (glad we captured it on camera!): Kemba relaxing                   “Happy birthday dear Alison . . .” (Kemba and Ruckus, not pictured, desperately trying to figure out...

Come on, all dogs embarrass their owners — at least sometimes. As they say on those Geico commercials, “it’s what they do.” I, for one, used to eat my own poop. Go ahead, judge me . . . though you really shouldn’t knock it Here’s a portrait of Kemba that the B-Man recently commissioned. Did he ever commission a drawing of me? Hmm . . . let me think for a quick second. That would be no. till you try it. The fact is, even the little red duck dog, as...

Finally . . . back in the saddle!  Vermont this time.  But only after spending seven consecutive nights under the same roof!  Can you imagine?!  For one full week I didn’t get to sniff out a new motel room! That’s me, in Equinox Pond, Manchester . . . Or sit and watch Beagle Man check every closet and every drawer before pushing the luggage cart out to the parking lot!  Or make cool new friends in awesome new dog parks!  Yeah, I know: “Weren’t you the one...

LA/XC-52016Neither rain nor fog nor darkness can dampen Kemba’s excitement at the sight of this road sign LA/XC-5 DAY 28:  POSTING FROM WESTPORT, CT Final day’s mileage from Staunton, VA to Westport, CT:  429.7 Total LA/XC-5 mileage (final): 7,420.6 Road Music:  Tons of politics — irresistable after Wednesday night’s “Nasty Woman” Debate #3; Sirius sports; selected albums: 31 (Jana Kramer); Dig Your Roots (Florida Georgia Line); Blak and Blu (Gary Clark...