I happened upon a Rover.com list last month of the most popular dog names for 2023.  Topping the charts for the males: Charlie (also my grandson’s name); for girl dogs, it was Luna, followed closely by Bella.  This jibes with my personal experience at Winslow dog park, where I’m pretty sure half t…

It’s no secret that I’m not good at training dogs.  The funny part of this, though, is that a lot of people we run into think Kemba is extremely well behaved.  They’re impressed that he’ll drop a ball at your feet after retrieving it.  That he’ll come when he’s called.  (Mostly.)  That he doesn’t…

I noticed it a long time ago.  It was this real cute photo of Matt, as a baby.  He was sitting outside our house in Vermont, on the deck, alongside a six-pack of beer that was named after him!  The brewery is in Utica, NY. — about 150 miles from the Vermont house.  I thought it was super-cool for…

It was a late Saturday afternoon in late August.  By this time, I felt Kemba had had more than enough cavorting on the beach. His beloved Pickle was out for a visit, and the two of them had been at it for hours: fetching in the surf, wrestling in the sand, kissing and making up.  They’d had their…

Happy Birthday, best boy!  Here are nine things I love about you. •  The way you quietly, patiently stare at a closed door you need me to open — like the living room slider when you need to pee, or the bathroom door, so you can have a drink out of the toilet. •  Your gorgeous, flowing ears, that…

I just found out that Beagle Man pays Elise and Frankie when he leaves me with them.  And I have to say, that doesn’t really make sense to me. I work for them.  Pretty much the whole time that I’m there.  Frankie even calls me his “apprentice.”  During my last stay, I helped him with his music, jam…

When Kemba was a puppy, he and I worked with a dog trainer.  Neither of us — Kemba nor I — did that great.  The trainer was a perfectionist.  I wasn’t.  During a “recall” session at Burying Hill Beach, when I commanded Kemba to “Come,” she wanted him to dash to me and stop precisely at my feet.  H…

Sometimes when Greg and Kelly both need to be away from their house, Greg will ask me to look in on Ruckus, let him out to pee, maybe play with him for awhile.  When I get there, I can hear Rucky barking, paws scratching frantically on the window panes of the front door — so happy to see me.  Once…

For most of you, when you hear the word “Beagle,” you automatically associate it with “Snoopy.” Me?  I think “Ricky.”  Obviously. Sure, over the last eight-plus years, Kemba has become my soul mate.  No doubt about it.  But Beagles are special.  They can’t be replaced.  There’ll never be another R…