Beau * * *  COUNTDOWN:  27 DAYS TO LA/XC-2  * * * I once wrote a proposal, including several finished chapters, for a book about raising my three sons and my dog.  The feedback I got was overwhelmingly positive — raves, you might say — but when push came to shove, nobody was willing to publish it.  The problem, according to the editors?  Not enough pathos. What, exactly, did they mean by this?  The editors pointed me to piles of successful books in the dog genre, from...

“Where to?” You can follow Beagle Man on Facebook and Twitter

Boo and I take a coffee break Lately, Beagle Man keeps talking about how I should get a job.  Cosmonaut?  Beagle Brigade?  I already have a job — lots of them!  I announce every guest who shows up at our house.  I make sure everything smells right in the neigborhood.  I lick the kitchen floor till it shines.  But if I really had to work, I’ll tell you who has a good job:  My friend Boo.  Boo’s about my age — she’s an 8-year-old Cavalier King Charles...

"Hey, Beagle Man, wait for me!" It’s 11:15 AM — about the time I take Ricky for his walk.  I head downstairs from my attic study to look for him in his usual spot — the far corner of the beige couch in the playroom — but before I get there I hear his soothing, distinctive, rhythmic breathing coming from Matt’s bedroom on the middle level.  He’s on the carpet near the weight bench, in a sunny spot under the window, snoring so...

Dog days of summer You can follow Beagle Man on Facebook and Twitter

Likes to stick his nose in other people's business I’m starting to get really excited about my next cross-country road trip with Beagle Man; we take off in less than 6 weeks!  And this time I finally get to meet my Cousin Bruce in Palo Alto!  (For some reason, Beagle Man insists on calling him “Cousin Brucie” . . .)  All our cousins were girls — until Cousin Patty and her husband Teddy picked up Bruce, a black lab puppy, two years ago.  I like everything...

[NOTE:  I promised, in a post last week (Ricky and Sputnik?) that I’d start working on Ricky’s resume with him.  Here’s what we’ve got so far.  See what you think . . .] PERSONAL Date of Birth:     May 8, 2003 Place of Birth:    Templeton, MA Sire:                      Saranan’s Gentle Ben Dam:                     Chrisette’s the Crumb Catcher (now that explains a lot . . .) Height:                  1’3″ Weight:                 28...

Hot day, cool spot You can follow Beagle Man on Facebook and Twitter

Ricky and his new friends, Bandit (black fur-ball) and Montauk (brown fur-ball) Well it’s about time! Beagle Man finally took me along to Montauk this past weekend.   He’s been leaving me behind in Westport, just because I tend to steal the occasional steak or burger when they’re grilling.  (Hello? I’m a beagle?)  He gave me another chance, and for the most part, I thought I behaved pretty well.  Which is good, because I have a lot of friends out at the beach...

Last week a friend from Massachusetts sent me a cartoon, “Soviet Space Dogs — A Tribute to Canine Cosmonauts (by Scott Beale; see a portion of the cartoon at right).  I had totally forgotten about that period during the 1950s and ’60s when the Russians used dogs for space flights, to see how it eventually might go for humans.  Whenever I hear about dogs doing amazing things, I always picture Ricky in their place, and wonder how he’d do. Dezik As part of their...