The spotlight is good, the shade is better
Ace loves the glare of the spotlight. The glare of the sunlight? That’s another matter. For the five hours we spent Saturday at Bookmarks, Winston-Salem’s literary festival, Ace probably spent about...
View ArticleBack at the beach to sign some books
When Pomegranate Books in Wilmington, N.C., invited Ace and me for a book signing, we couldn’t wait for the time to arrive, for — in addition to maybe selling a few copies of “DOG, INC.” — it meant a...
View ArticleWrenching ourselves away from Wilmington
Once again it’s time to get out the metaphorical crowbar — metaphorical ones being far lighter and easier to use — and dislodge ourselves from the beach. And once again, pry as I might, leaving isn’t...
View ArticleFollowing Atticus
Tom Ryan was an out of shape newspaper man — something I can relate to. He took his dog on an ambitious adventure — something, having recently completed a 25,000-mile journey with mine, I can relate to...
View Article“DOG, INC.” in its resurrected form
As mentioned in our previous post about a cloned dog arriving home in Albuquerque, my book on dog cloning is coming out in paperback soon. So it seems as good a time as any to unveil its new look,...
View ArticleSnubbing Rin Tin Tin
Author Susan Orlean, whose latest book brings Rin Tin Tin back to life, thinks it’s time that the canine star be awarded the Oscar he was so rudely denied 83 years ago. In her biography of the most...
View Article“I Cloned My Pet” airs tonight
The Learning Channel airs an hour-long special on pet cloning tonight that looks at three dog owners who sought laboratory-made replicas of their deceased pets. Judging from the little I’ve seen of it,...
View ArticleEvery dog has his day
I found this little gem of a story — about a dog enjoying life in the home of a millionaire — in the Summit Daily. It was written by Micaela Gilchrist, from notes she took last year while attending a...
View ArticleAuthor offers novel reward for beagle’s return
Bring author Dennis Lehane’s dog back to him and he’ll name a character in one of his next novels after you. That’s the promise that Lehane made on his Facebook page after his beloved beagle...
View ArticleAuthor hoping surveillance tapes shed light on his beagle’s Christmas Eve...
Mystery writer Dennis Lehane is hoping surveillance video from a nearby McDonald’s may help shed some light on his own personal whodunit — the Christmas Eve disappearance of his beagle, Tessa. The...
View ArticleColumnist’s best friend?
In the old days, when a newspaper columnist started writing about his dog, it meant — at least in the eyes of your more crusty and jaundiced types — he or she had run out of things to write about. Of...
View ArticleShould you feel guilty about your purebred?
After PETA’s protest at Westminster, The New York Times posed a timely and interesting question yesterday: Should the buyers and owners of purebred dogs feel guilty — given the number of dogs...
View ArticleDog soils set on “Live with Regis and Kelly”
Beth Ostrosky Stern, wife of Howard Stern, spokeswoman for the North Shore Animal League, and author of a new book that kind of swiped our website’s name, appeared on “Live with Regis and Kelly”...
View ArticleSeeking Tom Wicker
Every once in a while, if not more often, you just have to follow your hunches. I had one the other day — the feeling that fate had led me to turn onto an isolated country road in Virginia; that it was...
View ArticleFrom black sheep to favorite son
The signs at Exit 127 of Interstate 94 in Minnesota let drivers know what’s ahead: McDonald’s, Subway, Jitters Java Cafe and the Sinclair Lewis Interpretative Center. What weary motorist couldn’t use...
View ArticleJust in time for Christmas … well, almost
I’ve written my name in books before — but always as a reminder to other people to keep their grubby paws off of them, or at least return them when they’re done. But yesterday was a first: I signed my...
View ArticleThis ain’t no Motel 6 …
Ace and I woke up yesterday morning in a Motel 6 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It was the cheaper of the two in town, at $29, probably because it lacked a certain amenity — that being hot water. At...
View ArticleHome park advantage
How happy was Ace to see Riverside Park again? Let’s put it this way: He woke me up early today, much earlier than I intended, and all but pushed me down the stairs of the home in which we are...
View Article“DOG, INC.” struts its stuff
“Thought Provoking?” It’s not like winning best in show at Westminster, but I’ll take the sign my book appears under at this bookstore as a compliment. A friend sent me this photo, taken at the Barnes...
View ArticleLearning to love your lover’s dog
What do you do when the woman you’re falling in love with has a dog that, seemingly, can’t stand you? Beef jerky, trust and patience are key, but it also helps to be Jon Katz. The author of numerous...
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