Buy my book or I'll shoot this dog!

This post has nothing to do with animal cruelty or about empty threats to attract attention.  It has everything to do with the way my mind works.  For instance, I had an image pop into my head of a cover of the National Lampoon depicting a dog with a gun held to its head with the caption "If you don't buy this issue, we'll shoot this dog".  It was one of two 'dog' covers from the National Lampoon I recall quite well nearly 40 years later.

Dogs figure into our lives in a way which makes them cleave unto as as family.  I never considered myself a 'dog person' but there have been dogs in my life which have afforded me moments of amusement.  My son and my stepson both have dogs on either side of the size spectrum... the stepson has a Chihuahua (claims it's Mexican, I claim it to be Hawaiian), the son has what appears to be a black Lab which has been fed with growth hormones of some sort.  Both of them play well together, despite the size difference - both of them have roughly the same temprement.

Chico, the Chi-Hua-Hua (bred for chasing pineapple weasels in the vast Hawaiian pineapple mines) was a gift from the step-son's father.  He came to live with us after being cast aside when Warren's father died.  He integrated well into our little family despite being tormented by the cat.  His interaction with me has mostly to do with the fact that I do most of the cooking in the house and the fact that I regularly take him on walks.  He's really a good little dog in many respects, but he shows signs of preferring to live like a little old man - except when Faust is around.

Faust is Stuart's dog, supposedly tossed over a fence at his mother's (after having had his dew claws removd and his tail flocked).  Faust is lots of fun when he comes over to my place.  He's a smart dog... loves to play with Chico... tries to play with the cat.  The cat usually retreats to its 'kitty bunker' whenever Faust is around.

Dogs are something I tolerate.  I know where and how to make almost any dog a friend, but that's about it.  I don't particularly like dogs.  I tolerate them.  No, I don't hate them.  I tolerate them.  At the same time, I am fully aware that dogs can have a positive effect on the people who care for them.

I have written a dog into one of the books I am in the process of writing now.  The dog's name is Frank-Frank the Dog.  He is the guardian of Gracie Stevens, the young daughter of the new minister at the Community Baptist Church.  Frank-Frank the Dog (hereafter just shortened to Frank) is a bellweather of sorts, knowing who is and who isn't a threat to Gracie or to either of her brothers (Jacob and Peter).  I've patterned Frank after several dogs I have encountered, including Chico, Faust and several other large dogs including a poodle belonging to and Episcopal priest in Cincinnatti.  Frank fits in with the laid-back small town ambiance of Magnolia.

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Note:  Tomorrow (February 11) will be the 42nd day of the year... a time to celebrate Douglas Adams and "Deep Thought".  Adams, according to a biography, had a hard time leaving his children alone... "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" being one of them.  He was still working on and revising that series of books until the time of his death.  I see that as being an easy trap to fall into.

Be Seeing You.

bdharrell