drewe dogs

After watching The Shark Net etc, boynton casually discovered an unread Robert Drewe book lying beside her bed - Walking Ella - a dog day dossier - how on earth could have she let this go unread for so long!
This is the blurb on the back cover "It occurs to me that it might be cathartic to write a dog-walker's journal: the true, unsentimetal ruminations of a dog walker with things on his mind more important than dogs..."
only a short way in but loving the observations of assimilating the challenging dog into one's daily ramble. The ruminations on ears are pertinent:

"Ella works on the kids' rule of dogs; floppy means stupid, pointy means bite"

Until recently boynton only ever knew the floppy eared - noble - labradors,
several of whom broke this rule meaning both clever and bite, but floppy ears are certainly less stressful to be around. Flo's pointy ears only add to her always on personality. A Jack Russell hovers somewhere between the two - and one of Bronte's is usually cocked - the other mini fake floppy ear belies her non-relaxed state. She's merely masquerading as a labrador.
Walking Ella is illustrated with general doodles of the writerly process and thurbered dogs.

"As a compulsive lifetime doodler myself (dogs and fish mostly, plus the occasional hippo, cat anbd tycoon-with-cigar), I'm interested but not surprised that Thurber settled on a floppy-eared hound rather than a pointy-eared dog."

"Hounds are more "doodlable". They don't take any emotional energy away from the doodler. If you doodle a pointy-eared dog you right away start thinking about teeth and a snarling expression. You're soon thinking about adding one of those tough, spiked-studded dog collars. Next thing you're doing a drawing".

Once a compulsive daily sketcher, boynton has been eyeing off Flo's ears lately wanting to commit them to paper. Doug's beautiful floppy ears are wonderful drawing fodder, but alas, a black labrador is harder to paint than a piebald Jack or a mottled bluey.

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Comments: drewe dogs

Casually discovered an unread book by your bed?

The mind boggles :O
Posted by Scott Wickstein at September 3, 2003 01:02 PM

oh dear - sprung by inneuendo cop again? ;)

Absoloutely true btw - I have a pile of books sitting there to make me feel less illiterate, to remind me of a former pastime, and I forget sometimes what is there. Shelved, vertically.
I bought the book in early May and forgot about it, and just happened to "casually" (is this the bad word?) see it the other day within the stockpile.
Alas, there is little method in my reading madness at the moment.
Posted by boynton at September 3, 2003 01:15 PM

You do have your 'casual' moments...

I always have a booke beside my bed, but it's whatever I'm reading. I like to have a half hour read with my milo last thing at night.
Posted by Scott Wickstein at September 4, 2003 11:25 AM