Beagleman – Page 2

CONEHEAD

Yup, that’s a cone all right that you see Kemba wearing. “Cone of shame,” as some people call it. All of us have had to be subjected to this torture at one time or another. Like if you’ve bloodied your paw on a razor-sharp rock, for instance, as I did that time at Gale Meadows Pond in Vermont, t…

THE DROOLER

Kemba’s a handsome dog. And it’s not just me saying this. He gets compliments on his looks from strangers all the time — often several times in one day. There’s one circumstance, however, that’s make him look a little less dapper. And that’s when he drools. Fortunately, Kemba doesn’t drool all…

MY PALS: RALPHIE

You may be wondering why, in a post about me and my new pal Ralphie, the featured photo shows Ralphie with Pickle, my nephew. I’ll get into that in just a little bit. But first, I want to say that even though Ralphie and I just met, it feels like we’ve known each other forever. First of all, ou…

WEIRD DOG BEHAVIORS

Throughout the 21 years I’ve owned a dog (Ricky the Beagle, 2003-2014; Kemba the Duck Toller 2014-present), I’ve been repeatedly amused by, and thoroughly skeptical of, the explanations of certain odd dog behaviors by the so-called “experts.” For instance: Dog owners wonder why their pooch walks…

BIG GAME HUNTING

Beagle Man and Mom got back last Sunday from a safari (whatever that is) to Kenya (wherever that is). B-Man showed me lots of photos, said he saw some “amazing” animals. Which begged the question, and I was quick to supply it: Aren’t I an animal? To which he answered, rather condescendingly, in…

THE K-DAWG HITS DOUBLE DIGITS!

HAPPY 10th, KEMBA!

BRAIN SIZE

Humans have larger brains than dogs. According to humans, that is: The brains of dogs are smaller than humans in relation to overall body size. In humans, the brain-to-body ratio is 1:40 while in dogs it’s 1:125. The brains of humans have more folds, which means more surface area. The cortex of d…

THE DOG PADDLER

Yeah, so he can swim. Big whoop. Still, what a fuss the crowd on the beach make about the revered Kemba! Stranger strolls by, and K-Dawg snaps to attention. “Can he swim?” bypasser asks Beagle Man. Without replying verbally, and without getting up from his sand chair, B-Man grabs a stick he’s s…

GOTCHA!

The plan: Meet Greg and his boys — our son and grandsons — and take in an after-school Staples baseball game on a sunny early-May afternoon. I drove in to the high school grounds the “back way” — the narrow road that allows you to circumvent the busy main entrance and head straight for the large…

AGING GRACEFULLY

I was walking with Dede, Mayor of the dog park (or so I’ve dubbed her) earlier this week, along with her Sadie, and, of course, Kemba. She was telling me about a health scare she’d recently been through with Sadie. (Thankfully, it turned out all right.) “How old is Sadie?” I asked. “Ten,” she…