Beagleman

Greetings from Ricky!

As Carol came in from the garage to the playroom last night, she was blitzed by an eager, kissing, licking, tail-wagging little beagle. He, of course, had heard the car pull up, and was waiting by the door. I followed Carol a moment later, and got the exact same treatment. We’d been in Vermont…

Ricky’s Best Friends

Jake

Ricky’s not a perfect dog. Where food is concerned, he has no morals whatsoever. What’s his is his, and what’s yours is his. He’d steal your croissant soon as look at you. On top of that, he’s stubborn to th…

Good Thing Your Daddy Loves You

So sweet when he sleeps

I hear that shakety-shake-shake-shake, ears flopping side to side against his head — the universal sound of Dog Waking Up. It’s pitch black. Four A.M. This is a little early for Ricky’s mo…

When Robby Met Toby

In a recent post (“Dad, Can I Have a Dog?”), I traced Robby’s campaign that led to Ricky’s becoming a member of our household. Now I realize I left out an important part. Yes, from the time his middle brother went away to college (leaving Robby an “only child”) till he finally wore me down more…

Milo, Haley, and the Dogs of Santa Monica

No, it’s not my intention to turn BEAGLE MAN into a travelogue; it just happens that we found ourselves in Southern California a few days after our Costa Rica vacation. Seems our youngest son may be L.A.-bound for college next year, and we were out on campus for a meet-and-greet. Imagine if we …

The Cute Creatures of Costa Rica

They were a sight for sore eyes, the Beagle Brigade — the first thing we saw back on U.S. soil at Miami International Airport. We’d read about them before in the newspapers, but here they were, up close and personal (see photo, right), sniffing and tugging and pulling — caring not one iota ab…

Son of Champions

Yeah, I suppose it’s okay that a Scottish deerhound took the top prize earlier this week at Westminster; after all, that breed had never won before. Sure, I’d like to see a beagle — clearly the cutest and most lovable breed in the world — honored every year, but I guess that wouldn’t really be…

Plays Well with Others

“Dad,” Robby said, “Luke’s drinking Ricky’s water — and he didn’t even ask!” Luke is a big German shepherd, about three times Ricky’s size, who visits from time to time. “How do you know?” I answered. “Maybe he did ask. And I’m sure Ricky would say yes.” All of us dog-owners insist we have t…

Dad, Can I Have a Dog?

Did I ever mention how we came to have Ricky in the first place? Well, before Greg (Robby’s second brother) was even out the door en route to his college career, Robby began playing the “only child” card to lobby for a dog. This was the summer of ’02, and he was eight years old. To his credit,…

And What Am I, Chopped Liver?

Here’s what I do for Ricky. I buy his food, his treats . . . whatever it is he needs. I take him for a good long walk, every day; neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of nights keeps us from our appointed rounds. I feed him. I give him his pills — such a daunting array that I have to dep…