Posts on dogs

Just writing that last post made me so depressed I had to look at some cute dog pictures to make myself feel better. Here's a photo of my dog, Carly, feeling comfortable and loved.

One of my writing projects concerns a stray dog. So when I read Cheryl Rainfield's glowing review of Dog Lost, by Ingrid Lee, I put it on hold at the library right away. It came this morning.

And I got to page 30 and had to stop. I should have known that to go with the pit bull debate there would be some bits about pit bull abuse and dog fighting. But somehow that didn't sink in until page 30, when we see two dogs chained in a shed and are told only one of them will get to eat. And I just don't think I can keep reading.

One of the things in this world that makes me saddest is animal abuse in general and dog fighting in particular. I know this book is, in part, an argument against all that—a compassionate defense of innocent animals who get a bad name because of the cruelty that makes them wild and violent. But I can't help thinking of the news articles I've read and the photos I've seen of dogs rescued from the dog fighting industry, and I just break down crying.

Does that every happen to you? Do you ever encounter a book you can't read because, no matter how good it promises to be, it's just too painful to read? Apparently animal abuse is one of my triggers. I can't bring myself to read Kathi Appelt's The Beneath, either.

I mean, heck, I can't even read Where the Red Fern Grows to its conclusion anymore, and that was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. As with playground swings and merry-go-rounds, I just don't have the stomach for sorrow anymore.

Carly Day '08
Originally uploaded by celerysoda

In our household, February 1 is Carly Day! Five years ago, a skinny brown dog with enormous ears charmed us into taking her home from the Anti-Cruelty Society. She's got plenty of issues (especially with wheeled objects: motorcycles, mail carts, wheelchairs, etc.), but her sweetness continues to win us over.

In honor of Carly Day, today's Poetry Friday contribution is a stanza from "The Dog," by Edgar A. Guest, which, along with dozens of other dog poems, appears in Doggerel: Poems About Dogs (Knopf, 2003):

I like a dog at my feet when I read,
Whatever his size or whatever his breed.
A dog now and then that will nuzzle my hand
As though I were the greatest of men in the land,
And trying to tell me it's pleasant to be
On such intimate terms with a fellow like me.

Now, I have my doubts that Carly thinks I'm the greatest of anything, except possibly people who might be inclined to rub her tummy. But it's true I do my all my best reading and writing on the futon, with Carly nestled in a ball beside me. It's definitely a symbiotic relationship.

In continuing honor of Carly Day, here's a bit of doggerel I've just made up:

A clever brown canine named Carly
saw something that made her quite snarly:
a passel of squirrels,
mocking her from the burls.
So, she caught them and stewed them with barley.

Finally, I'd like to highlight one of the best books about animal adoption out there: "Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate, by Bob Graham (Candlewick, 2001). It beautifully captures the value of pets as part of the family and the experience of visiting an animal shelter to pick a pet to bring home.

The first few times I read this book, I got teary-eyed. If we had the resources, I'd love to bring home another dog (though I'm sure Carly wouldn't be too thrilled about that). In the meantime, we're a one-dog family, and Carly gets showered with affection every February 1...

Catch this week's Poetry Friday round-up at Karen Edmisten's blog!