Why would we hug ourselves? Is this an absurd idea? Maybe what I mean is something akin to, “have you received your hug today?” And if so, have you given someone else a hug today–all of which is just another way of saying, “have you taken care of yourself today?” One of the things researchers, animal behaviorists and scientists know is that for primates, especially chimpanzees and … [Read more...]
COMING FULL CIRCLE TO LIFE
How did I get through the loss of Gulliver, the dog of my heart, to whom I dedicated Bespotted? How did I put away my grief and return to living and enjoying myself once again? The answer is a simple one: I bred a litter of puppies. Two years after Gulliver’s death, we sent our girl, Breeze, to Canada to a male who had done extremely well for himself in the show ring. We were looking … [Read more...]
MEET MAC! “BESPOTTED’S” COVER DOG!
As I promised you in my last newsletter, today you will meet one of my Dalmatians. I have chosen to tell you an anecdote about Mac, our youngest, as he is the “cover dog” for Bespotted. You can watch Mac as he grows up in the photos below this blog. Mac was born into a litter of four boys, a quartet, which we nicknamed after the Fab Four–the Beatles. His litter name was originally “Paul” … [Read more...]
PRAISE FOR BESPOTTED
“Bespotted is a brave and wonderful book. The first chapter about the origin of the famous poem by Anne Sexton, “Live,” is precious both for the history it recounts with an authenticity nobody else could claim, as well as for its insight into one of the great poems of the language (hint: it is a poem made possible by dogs). Even more importantly it recognizes something that is only now becoming … [Read more...]
