Beagle Man started making fun of me with his “duck” jokes back in April of 2015, when I was just an 8-month-old pup.  It was during my first cross-country road trip, and we’d stopped for a walk through the grounds of the Marin County Civic Center.  The park was kind of fancy, with DOGS MUST BE LE…

                                                                The Best Beagle Ever would be Sweet Sixteen today 🙂   #rickythebeagle

You all remember, Joe, right?  Beagle Man’s friend who’s not, um, all that crazy about dogs? (You can take a look at what Ricky the Beagle wrote about him in “The Odd Couple.”)  So what Joe’s been up to lately doesn’t really surprise me.  But his wife, Pam — Checked bag #1. Shown unpacked, but weighed in at Baggage Drop at 43 lbs. When I’m getting ready for a get-away, I want everything with me that I could conceivably nee…

I have a bone to pick with a piece I saw a while back in the sports section of The New York Times — which I do read, by the way, even if it’s “failing.”  It was called “Two New The Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen. A mere seven syllables.[…

Austria avalanche kills 3; Ski patrollers killed in France  (Washington Post, January 13, 2019) At 24, NFL player retires after his 6th concussion: ‘My well-being is more important’  (Today, August 2, 2018) Teen Surf Star Loses Arm in Shark Attack  (ABC News, November 3, 2003) Yes, skiing the Alp…

I’m gonna be perfectly honest with you:  I usually don’t give small dogs the time of day.  I’m not a huge fan of their yappy tough-guy act, and it’s easier to just ignore them.  Which is exactly what I’m thinking when Robby’s friends Rob and Charlotte show up at the Vermont house a week ago [capt…

“Unfortunately, it looks like your drooling, howling, underwear-sniffing, sock-eating angel of perfection is not, you know, especially smart.” — AJ Willingham, CNN Really?  This is the author’s take-away from a study published in the so-called “scholarly” journal Learning & Behavior?  I’d lik…