EDITOR ' S CHOICE
author of “ Lessons From Lucy : The Simple Joys of an Old , Happy Dog ,” has written about his dogs ’ quirky behaviors throughout his entire 40-year career , beginning with his “ large main dog Earnest ” and “ emergency backup dog Zippy , a small , dim-witted toupee with legs .” His observations were funny then and they are still funny , especially one story how main dog Earnest ’ s mission is to catch the “ Express Squirrels as they scamper along the top of the fence , which forms a sort of Rapid Transit Squirrel Monorail .”
Dave talks about how easy it is to talk to dogs , with Lucy appearing to listen attentively . ME : The situation in the Middle East certainly looks serious . MY DOG : I wonder if he ’ s going to give me some food . ME : It is unfortunate that an area so vital to the economic wellbeing of the world is so politically unstable . MY DOG : Maybe he ’ ll give me some food now . ME : The Russians certainly are making it difficult for our government to achieve a lasting Mideast peace . MY DOG : Any minute now he might go into the kitchen and get me some food .
The Onion opines that once the decision to get a dog is made , the most important one after that is choosing the right dog for you . “ First , decide which type of dog hair you want to stick to everything you own for the rest of your life .”
The author Nora Ephron suggests getting a dog when your children are teenagers “ so that someone in the house is happy to see you .” There ’ s the ubiquitous dog vs cat chapter : “ If animals could speak , the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow ; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much ,” according to Mark Twain . Or this unattributed quote : “ Dogs will give you unconditional love until the day they die . Cats will make you pay for every mistake you ’ ve ever made since the day you were born .” But perhaps Aristotle said it best : “ There is honor in being a dog .”
As I sit surrounded by two dogs ( one having an epic dream about chasing rabbits at the moment ) and two cats ( one snoozing and the other on her cat tree chattering at birds she ’ d like to kill ), I found this book delightfully non-political and a lighthearted read . It ’ s a nice little stocking stuffer that will garner a dozen or more belly laughs about our favorite companion animals . Now if you ’ ll excuse me , my bulimic cat is about to regurgitate after speed eating , and the youngest dog , who prefers her refried kibble steamy , is in the catcher ’ s position . — The editor
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62 Building Better Trainers Through Education