Our late friend Martin Nathan was classmates and old friends with Michael Crichton in Harvard Medical School and subsequently in Los Angeles. My partner at the time, Bruce Westland and I went to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics with Marty and his partner Sam, and Michael and his wife and had a memorable time.
Marty and Michael were both very tall men. Michael commissioned a couch during the period he wrote “The Andromeda Strain” that he could nap, read and write on. He gave that couch to Marty some years back. Then, in 1986 Marty gave the Crichton couch to Bruce and me. Bruce bought a Lady Kenmore sewing machine and recovered the rotting Naugahyde that covered the couch. Today the couch needs reupholstering and maybe some new legs to make it a bit higher off the ground. We keep an old comforter on it and the dogs have taken it over.
I was very sad to learn that Michael died yesterday of a private battle with cancer. I loved his novels and am sad that the stream of his work has stopped. He was always able to take cutting edge scientific discoveries or possibilities and weave them into epic dramas. He was wise enough to be able to foresee the dangers of technologies.
I will miss this great writer.
I love how dogs and humans communicate. It’s usually a limited list of things they want: food, play, and affection. In the morning, usually when I write my blog, the dogs will come downstairs to be with me. More precisely, to sit and stare at me to let me know that breakfast time is now. I tell them they have to wait, they both let out a big sigh, and sit down next to me until I’m ready to feed them. Then, when I make a move toward the kitchen, they both go racing there for the feeding ritual to begin. When I put the food down, Daniel has trained them to sit until we say OK. During these few moments of torture, Cody looks up at me sincerely, eyebrow crinkled, waiting for the word. Giaco is crouched, and ready to spring toward his food.
The next communication is the “let’s play” look. I’ll be working, when all of a sudden there is a nose between my legs and a tail wagging wildly. I open my legs to find a mischievous looking Giaco giving me an irresistible look. I put on my shoes, and they know that their request will come true. I say “ball?” and they leap into the air.
Sometimes I decide that I will surprise them, and get ready to play ball. What is odd, is that whenever I do that, regardless of where they are in the house, they KNOW what I’m up to and come running to me, as though they picked it up via ESP.
Both of our dogs show affection in different ways. Giaco hugs (sic). If you are sitting, he will come up and drape his front legs over your shoulder and put the side of his face against the side of your face. He then stands here for a while and wags his tail. It’s the darnedest thing. His dismount is a bit awkward, but it is a cute habit. Then he leaves you alone.
Cody, on the other paw, is a lap dog at heart and wants to always be touching a human whenever possible. Sometimes he whines to let us know he wants to be in our lap. We’ve scolded him about this annoying habit, and so the whine has morphed into the teeniest, quietest little micro-whine that we can, of course, both hear, no matter where he is.
There is also that look when children or puppies come over. Cody will look at me with that “what were you thinking? Get this child/puppy out of my house. Now.” look on his face.
I remember Stan used to test his dog on word recognition. He’s say: “Do you want a wookie?” Dog does not respond. “How ’bout a hookie!” Dog moves in frustration. “A bookie?” More frustration. “Or would you like a COOKIE!” And the dog leaps into the air.
We have tried this with using the tone of “Want to go for a walk?” but used some sick words like “Wanna cut your head off?” And the dogs are equally thrilled. Tone is everything.
Finally, there is the “I better get out of here” leave-the-room response where the dog’s answer is clear. This answer is common when we ask: “Who wants a bath?” or “Wanna cut your toenails?” or “Time to brush your teeth.” Cody’s ears go down, knowing it’s futile to escape. Giaco runs to hide under a chair somewhere.
Some of us charge large hourly wages for our services. Lawyers, therapists, personal trainers, consultants, salaried employees and so on. I guess I’m one of those people. It occurred to me tonight while I was playing TUG with the dogs –– what are my hourly wages for playing with my dogs? $250 an hour? $500 an hour, 1 hour minimum?
No, silly, you don’t get paid for playing with your dogs.
Yeah, but it’s the same YOU that is doling out that valuable information to clients.
No. Dogs get your attention for free.
Um, excuse me: my dogs are giving me that look….
[PS: Y'know, another great thing about dogs is they don't have email.]
Our dogs require a daily dose of exercise.
I’ve isolated the two favorite exercising rhythms that our dogs thrive on: running–whether it be a chase, or a run/walk with the pack–and playing tug.
Running is aerobic, and it stimulates the cardiovascular system, and the other is tugging on a toy, a toy onto which they clamp their strong jaws onto and pull as hard as they can. These are two very different kinds of exercise, and I’m trying to transfer this to my own exercise schedule.
Tug, and run. That combination makes my dogs very happy.
Whenever I stretch out on the floor, my dogs assume that I’m dying and they immediately come and start licking my face. I’m not a big fan of getting licked in the face by my dogs, but I realize that this instinct could save my life some day, so I’ve learned from Daniel to thank them and gently push them away.
My aunt sent me a longer version of the following video where an Italian Greyhound, who looks very much like our Cody, is baby sitting. There is a long period where the two of them are just sitting there. Then the baby begins to cry for quite some time. Then this clip begins and you see the baby being “calmed” by the IG’s howling. Howling is what these dogs have to do from time to time (they ARE called HOWLNDS aren’t they?). Our dogs howl when intense fire alarms sound, and especially when old friends arrive. The more they love them, the more they howl.
Cody started figuring out that he could sit out fetching the ball. He’d just sit and watch Giaco race down the driveway, retrieve the ball, and dash back to give it back so that I would throw it again. If I would give Cody grief by saying “Cody! Go get the ball!” He’ll just turn his head to look up in the trees to see whether there were a squirrel to bark at. No coaxing could get him to fetch the ball unless HE felt like it.
Then I realized that I, as pack leader, was standing there watching Giaco, and Cody was just copying me. My solution was that I must also fetch the ball. So, we all RUUUUUUNNNNN down the driveway, Giaco gets the ball (that IS his job), we AAAALLLLLL run back. I take the ball, throw it again, and we all do that until we get pooped, er, tired. Good cardio for both species!
[Photo: Giaco Sleeps by Roger Bourland]
Having two male 5-year old Italian Greyhounds requires certain daily responsibilities. After being fed, the most important activity is activity, or exercise. Our dogs get very high strung and snappy when they don’t have exercise. (Hmmm.)
Every day at three pm, I throw the ball and play tug with them. Giaco loves to catch the ball best. Cody prefers tug. Cody is best at tug. Giaco is best at ball. (Hmmm.)
Giaco is offense. His job is to catch the ball, Cody doesn’t even try, but he runs to catch it with Giaco. After Giaco turns around to bring the ball to me, Cody, who plays defense, tries to get the ball away from him and away from me — that is unless I agree to play tug, his favorite game. Cody sits many of the throws out, preferring to just watch. Only when I say “oh! Good catch Giaco” that he dashes down to try to wrest the ball from his opponent. (Hmmm.)
If I come home at 4, or, god forbid, 5, the dogs will NOT allow me to check my email, make phone calls, but surround me and push me out to play. The rhythm is a nice one as it keeps me in shape as well. We have some exercise equipment and a stationary bike near where I throw the ball, so I can do a set of something waiting for the ball to come back.
These dogs are particularly affectionate. Other duties we have to them is to love them. Cody wants to be sitting next to a human at all times if possible, yes, a true lap dog. Giaco has the bizarre habit of hugging. He stands on his hind legs (while you are sitting down) puts his legs on your shoulder, and then presses the side of his face to the side of my face. We thought that it was because he sees US hug so much, but I met one of his cousins the other day and SHE loves to hug as well. Hmmm, what a lovely genetic trait!
This just in from Angus. A heart warming video and story about friendship in the wild. (Click on this picture to watch the video.)
Over the past five years I have had an annual photo shoot with my dear friend and trainer Teresina. Here are two (of the 500) from our most recent photo shoot. Teresina is passionate about her stationary bicycle, so this is a sexy pose with her buddy, the bike. The second one shows her surrounded by her beloved pit bulls. Any questions as to who is the pack leader here?
