Famous Dog Times: An Interview

I was recently featured in an article in Famous Dog Times. At the risk of letting my popularity go straight to my flocky head, I am sharing an excerpt of that interview here so that my fans may be privy to the insider's answers to questions you've always wanted to ask. Oh, and they interviewed Ayla a bit as well.

FDT: So, Orso, you've had a lot of readers to your blog. How has the notoriety changed you?

Orso: Well, I try to keep it real you know, for the fans. The paparazzi was a bit of an affair before my blog. In fact, the blog was originally intentioned as a way for the peeps to channel their curiosity. Before this, people were taking all kinds of pictures of me with their cell phones, with digital cameras out of car windows, and so on. This provides real access to the real me. I guess to really answer your question, I'd say that I've always been a noteworthy dog, it just has more substance now.

(Ayla: Notes? I like to eat paper! Yea paper!)

FDT: We are dying to know who you're favoring in the upcoming election. Can you share just a bit of your political leanings? Your existential, liberal nature must be evident here, no?

Orso: I say bring back people like Shirley Chisholm, someone who can speak strongly for the people. She fought for the right to be heard and used her public time to share her ideas. I'm really still trying to puzzle out just where everyone stands. These days, it's a challenge to get more than just personality.

(Ayla: I have a new gray elephant rope toy. Yea toys!)

FDT: We've all seen the pictures of you on your couch. So on any given day, when you are kickin' back with a bully stick, what sort of music do you love to listen to?

Orso: I love instrumental jazz like Coltrane and Miles. Mom actually sings and plays guitar and most of the time, frankly, I find that to be pretty annoying. I have to leave the room. Folk music - blah blah, why me? why us? it's so sad what's happening blah blah G chord D chord C chord blah.

(Ayla: Raffi! I love Raffi! Yea Raffi Yea! Peace is cool la la la!)

FDT: You've been called, "The Existential Dog Poet," "The Dog's Dog," and "Orso: Funny Man with an Edge." Do these names tell you that your fans are getting you or are they missing the big picture of who you are?

Orso: Good question. Good question. You know, it doesn't matter really. We dogs are so used to being anthropomorphized and projected upon - it's just become a part of our relationship with our people. I am who you think I am, man. I am Dog.

(Ayla: Me too I'm a dog too me too. Yea! Me too yea!)

FDT: Last question, Orso, what other famous dog do you admire - either present or past?

Orso: I like a dog with a strong work ethic and strength, both inner and physical. So I have to go with Sam the Sheepdog. He clocked in and out everyday. It sounds simple but that Wolf never got those sheep, you know what I mean?

(Ayla: Sheepies? Me supposed to do stuff with sheepies? Where dem sheepies? Yea sheepies! Oh boy sheepies!)

FDT: Anything else you want to tell your fans, Orso?

Orso: Sure, thanks to everyone who reads the blog. We really love your comments too. It keeps me writing and thinking. Oh, and for those of you who asked me to, you can now subscribe to my blog (over to the right) and you get an email when there is a new post.

(Ayla: Hi fans! Hi! Yea! Do you see me through the 'mputer? Mmmm power cords. Yea yea yea!)

That Which Should Never Be Named Nor Discussed

I'd been hearing wind of it for a few weeks, but I dismissed it as me not hearing all of the conversation. Even when Mom sat me down to tell me about the procedure, I still didn't quite believe it would happen.

It was a rainy Friday morning, and Mom put us in the car just like any other day. When we pulled up to the vet, I thought Ayla must need something because I've been feeling pretty darn good. I do love going to the vet, especially this vet, but I didn't want to get out of the car in the rain. Despite my obvious protest, Mom pulled me from the car and brought me in and then did something she's never done........She left me there.

Everyone was very nice and Dr. Lord came to hang out with me. Pretty soon, I was in a deep sleep and when I woke up, I felt some pain of course, but also an emptiness. I felt a little umph, a shenesequa, a part of me was just sort of gone. Hmm, they really did IT.

I took one for the team. We can't really risk Ayla getting in a family way while she is so young. It's okay, I'm okay. Dr. Lord took really good care of me and even called to check up on me a few times.

I'm not sure how I will feel as the next days and months roll on, but right now, when I think about Aria, my pulse beats a bit faster. You can't take that away from me.

Heel, Come, Sit, Down, and Cookies

It's like they never stop training The Kid. "Ayla down, ayla sit, ayla this way, ayla good girl, oh no ayla not in the house, ayla blah blah, blah ayla blah, blah, blah." I've just started tuning them out. Yammering aside, the good thing about all this is that there are lots more cookies going on. Suddenly, every time I sit, I'm getting a cookie too. Not that there has been a cookie shortage in my life, but The Kid requires lots of positive reinforcement tools. I just sort of started doing everything they ask her to do, and wah-lah, the cookies keep on coming.

Today's walk was at a new place called Ridge Hill. We found some nice soft sand to play in. I practiced my elegant leaping and The Kid dug a few holes and ran around like a ..... puppy. I do get it: She's cute, very cute. I have even enjoyed kissing her a bit here and there. But it will be nice when she becomes a little more distinguished, a little more dignified, a little more polite, a little more like me.

Do You See What's Happening Here?

Remember me and MY couch?

I wrote a lovely poem about it's splendor.

I have even shared so nicely.

Mom always straightens out my blankets for me to make it the perfect Bergamasco nest.

But now? As you can plainly see, as evidenced by the above photo, which clearly demonstrates, and conspicuously capitulates that The Kid is taking over. This is not a puppy in the middle of a sweet snuggle. This is not, "But Big Brother, it's so cold, lend me your flocky warmth." No, this is a slow and deliberate take over of my spot. And a take over of Mom's snuggle blanket, I might add.

Luckily, generally speaking, The Kid has an alarmingly short attention span and smushes me for short periods before abandoning me for a chew toy.

I think Dad was hip to my dilemma and tried to find Ayla her very own spot:

This is fine, actually, as it gets her not only off of my couch but literally out of my hair for a bit. But if you refer to the sandwich post, you will realize as I did, that technically, this is still a take-over.

{PS: You might have noticed that I really am getting the hang of embedded links and moving pictures around. Hopefully, I did not just create one of those shows that is supposed to be a new show but they keep just showing snippets of previous shows, because that is so lame.}

mmmm...fluffy sandwiches

How to Make a Fluffy Sandwich

Begin with an open faced clam chair of a comfy variety, preferably with soft pillows.
Add one medium sized person who if you are lucky is covered in an blanket. Let the person get significantly warm and comfortable.
Add one beautiful (if I do say so myself) 6 year old gray and black Bergamasco, male.
Top off with a smallish 5 month old soft Bergamasco puppy, female.

Let sit for long enough for all to find comfortable locations amidst the body parts and chair contortions.

Enjoy the fluffy, flocky, persony goodness.

New Year's Revolutions

I heard the downtown fireworks last night from the warm cozy sanctity of my couch and watched Mom fight to stay up to midnight. And I knew what night this was. New Year's Eve.

Dad suggested that I work on some resolutions for the new year in keeping with tradition. As I thought it over, however, I realized that I don't have any goals, any need to change who I am to meet who I think I ought to be in the course of 365 days.

I think once again you could all consider the dog's perspective here. I could resolve to be more in the present, but man, I am so there. Or here, as it were.

I could resolve to be closer to my family, but our closeness grows naturally with the flow of time, in each walk, in each shared meal, in each journey together.

I could resolve to lose weight or be healthier, but I am concerned with neither. I only eat until I am satisfied. I exercise daily and get plenty of couch time.

So instead of resolutions, my dear readers, I am promoting only revolutions. You human people have a lot of work to do in this area - the government needs a serious shift-a-roo, people need to come together and support each other. I could go on about how you all should be able to go to the doctor when you are sick, but I digress.

The dog revolution is different. We really only require a few stand-up changes, really. Driver's licenses are a good start. We shouldn't have to wait to "go for a ride."

The handle for the refrigerator should be lowered and turned 90 degrees for ease of canine opening. Though, given a few months, The Kid may figure out how to do that one all on her own.

Lastly, we here at the Bring About Revolution Kanine (BARK) are extremely interested in forming a new branch of the internet - a dot dog if you will - our own virtual dog park. This would make communication go way beyond a good sniff if you know what I mean.

I wish all of you a wonderful New Year - May it be filled with personal revolutions.

For the Joy of Winter

I apologize for the lapse in material. The holidays had us very busy, with running to one side of the family to the other to friends. There was quite a bit of car time for us driving around and sometimes, hanging in the car while Mom and Dad went in places. Ayla has some definite issues about being left behind. I tell her, "It's cool, you should use this time to rest before they take us running around some more. They will be back." And she's all, "That's all very nice for you, but I'm going to chew this car apart to figure out how to open the doors and go find them." So Mom had to spray nasty bitter stuff in the car and tire out the puppy more than usual.

Needless to say, all of this activity has kept me away from the computer. My laptop doesn't work in the car, but I've been thinking about all my loyal fans desperately awaiting an update.

We went out to Cape Cod - the top three pictures are from a beach near Hyannis. We also did some local hikes in Freetown and Brandt Island. We had an awesome time with our cousin Kyra who is a beautiful black lab. If I could actually catch her, I would tell her how much I dig her. You all know how I am with the ladies. Kyra really digs me too, she just plays it cool and she can't help running.

I'm sorry that these appear sometimes as a solid block of text. Blogspot has an issue with that and I hate doing it manually in the html. My paws are so incredibly awkward with the keyboard anyway.

We should be back on schedule with the posts from here on. Mom's particularly into hiking in the winter so we'll have more adventures coming in 2008. Unless of course, Ayla succeeds at her attempts to thwart me by chewing through the rest of the laptop powercord (how can that taste good?).

The Snow, The Kid, The Couch

We had our first big snow this week. The Kid went diving right into it, prancing and playing, getting full of the stuff. I politely told her, "Little one, snow is best once it is patted down into a nice cold, flat bed. Do not get your coat full of snow chunks. Do not bury your face in it. Above all, do not act like you like it."

She just gave me a look to say, "Yeah, whatever, Old Man." And took off in a frolicky flounce of fluff.

It was a little challenging to keep an eye on her and keep my paws from getting unnecessarily snowed. Mom has said things to me like, "Don't you know you're a sheepdog, with origins in the Alps? Working with sheep in big snow?" And I'm all, "Don't you know your foreparents slept outside too?" Ha.

The truth is, I suppose I could walk in deep snow if I had to, but I don't have to. There is a perfectly good couch with my name on it when the weather is less than desirable (read: desirable=cold, dry, sunny).

I am glad Ayla enjoyed herself. It made for nice sleepy snuggling on the couch with Dad afterwards. And I have to admit, Ayla is really cute when she's sleepy. There's nothing like a tired puppy.

The Kid

It's been a challenge to post this week, Mom has been taking us to work everyday, and when I am home, I have to keep an eye on The Kid. Ayla is a very sweet little sister, but she can be all puppy all the time. My work is never done. On the one hand, this new responsibility gives me a strong sense of fulfillment. On the other hand, I'm so tired. I'd just like to sit back with some turkey and some sweet time with Big Red. But as the picture above demonstrates, she likes to have all the toys.

This week, Mom took us to Goddard Park in RI which is one of my favorite spots. It's a mixture of woods and beach. It was 17 degrees of perfect dry cold. We were running free. The Kid and I were sniffing and running together. There was no one there in that weather, until there was one other winter lover out with a few dogs. Mom yelled, "Hold up." And I did. Ayla did too for a second but then ran ahead to check out the other dog. So I looked at Mom to say, "Sorry, I've got to do my duty." And I ran after her.

Now, normally, I'm a dog's dog. Big, small, stinky, love 'em all. But this Boxer wanted to sniff The Kid and something came over me. I didn't want that dog to be anywhere near her. I put myself between the dog and Ayla and gave a low growl. The other dog went scampering away and I almost felt badly. He seemed pretty cool but I just can't have anyone touch my sister just yet. She's so young and vulnerable. And, frankly, she's mine.

Mom leashed us after that and we saw not another soul out that day. The Kid is pretty bad on the leash and I just have to laugh watching Mom go through all that all over again. I just don't think Mom realizes that she takes us to lots of interesting places and the excitement is overwhelming. The leash is a total drag.

In an alternate universe, dogs drive cars very slowly so as not to miss a squirrel sighting. The cars are all convertibles. Mom and Dad could rest in the backseat. There would be no highways, just beautiful woods and open spaces with the occasional front porched houses. There are no leashes, just dogs running and frolicking free together, eventually returning home to our people. Our people are always home or with us. Our homes are filled with cool floors, giant couches, and big ol' bowls of cookies.

And all the dogs and people just know that The Kid is with ME.

7 Random Things Including Big Red

Clare from Clare's Sunflower Sky challenged me to write 7 weird/random things about myself. We love the world of blogs and the friends we are making. Clare's blog is really interesting and her dog Moose looks like someone who might really be fun to hang with at the beach.

So here are my 7 things:

1. Turkey. I can still remember my first Thanksgiving. My discovery of TURKEY. I never left the meat platter. It's rich, it's moist, and it's one of the few food items that I really get excited about. Periodically, Mom makes me turkey in the crock pot. Misty and I sit at the door of the kitchen, waiting, waiting, waiting for our special treat. Since Mom is mostly vegetarian, Misty and I have to send deep telepathic nudging messages to Mom to get her to cook for us. And it totally works.

2. Big Red. Big Red is a very large stuffed red dog that Dad bought for me a couple years ago. I have abandoned almost all other toys for Big Red. After dinner, I ask (rather emphatically) for Dad (or Mom if Dad is unavailable, but truth be told, I really prefer Dad for this) to hold Big Red while I (um, how can I say this?) love up Big Red. Ayla has been interfering with this game and it's the one thing that really bugs me about the kid. Big Red is MY love muffin.

3. The Smell of Coffee in the Morning. When the coffee is ready, the morning walk follows. When I see Mom pouring coffee into her travel mug, I know we are going soon which brings me to number 4...

4. Walk. Mom and Dad have taken to just saying "W" so as not to overexcite me with the word, "walk." Come on you guys, I'm 6, you think I don't know how to spell yet? Especially that word. So I now know that they don't say "walk" until they are ready to go. The morning walk is the most important one for me. It doesn't really matter if it is a long or a short one, but I do get extra excited when we turn right instead of left at the end of our street which means we are going for a long one. One of things I really appreciate about Cesar Milan is that he emphasizes the importance of the walk. Everybody needs a nice walk together as a family. It's the best part of every day.

5. Ladies. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am a Ladies Man. Girly, sweet, flocky Bergamascos, especially Aria, make life extra special. We are going to see Aria tomorrow, so I'm chillin' hard on the couch today, saving my precious manly energy in anticipation of the lovin'.

6. Bedtime. Our family has some pretty intense bedtime routines. Mom goes to bed first after containing the kid next to her side of the bed (can you believe she still thinks it's okay to pee inside the house?), then Dad. Then Misty needs to lay on Dad's chest to claim him. Then I ask very politely if I may join the bed, and I jump onto the foot of the bed and curl up to rest. Then Anna comes creeping in to find the coziest spot to snuggle. And we all relax in contemplative family joy as we gently find our way to sleep. After I rest a bit and clean myself, I leave the bed. A sheepdog needs to protect the family at night, so I sleep in the doorway. Of course.

7. Couch. Some *dogs* are not even allowed on couches, but I am no ordinary canine. It started as a fluke, snuggling on Dad's couch when Mom and Dad were dating. And gradually, the right side of the couch became mine. They put some blankets on my spot to make it extra cozy I guess. I'm a little irritated by it, but they have been letting the kid up there with me. She really likes to snuggle up against me, and I think I'm starting to like it a little bit.

Thanks to Clare for some new inspiration for writing!