In the Dogosphere

Paula and I live an an "inter-species" household.  There's Kinko, a cat named for the kink that birth defect put into his tail.  He climbs trees, hunts birds with unfortunate acumen and insists on being petted before he dines.

Then there's Brewster, a 58-pound black-and-tan dog of questionable lineage although there's a good chunk of Rottweiler in their for certain. He's what you call a high-maintenance pet. He's definitely a morning creature and starts doing things to wake us up at about 5:30. When I spend too much time on my keyboard he nuzzles my elbow.  He constantly brings me things for tug of war or a game of catch, many of them articles of clothing.  Once a week he goes to dog play with Paula and her mom at the local Humane Society.  When I have the chance, I take him to Mavericks in Half Moon Bay where he literally runs like the wind after birds and surfers.

Now, when I walk through my neighborhood, the dog people know me.  They don't know my name, but they ask for Brewster.  I go to the beach where Brewster frolics with dogs, and an owner tells me what a good dad I am. They know me by first name at the vets and in the local pet store.  Paula started a book club and five of the six members are women she met through Brewster.

Humans are incredibly collaborative by nature.  We find people with common interests.  These days I spend much of my time in the Blogosphere. When I come up for air, I find myself in the Dogosphere.

Comments

[Wil Everts]

This really is so true! I got my black lab pup, Lucy, in December. Since I have met many of my neighbors at the local dog park. In months of living in my community I had never met these people, some who live as little as 100 feet from my front door! Now my lucy stretches her head in hopes of seeing her friends as we pass our dog-pals homes. Rocky, the thick stocky dog who can be heard barking anytime (day or night) that Lucy and I pass; Bailey, the golden retriever pup born within weeks of mine; Hercules, Lucy's most beloved playmate, who she loves to lay in the cool shaded grass with or wrestle around with in the park; Dutchess, the golden who lives up to her regal name; Misty, the little dog with big attitude; and others are all around us.

Lucy is a funny girl, playful, energetic, rebellious, sweet, but definately family. She is an enormous part of my everyday life! Fitting that she has her very own blog, http://www.LucyTheLab.com.

[Ivan Chew]

Personal theory: Humans are social animals. But urbanisation has made us more reclusive. We basically need an excuse (or a catalyst) to start making conversations. Perhaps we've lost the art of making conversations. So Dogs and Blogs are really just excuses for humans to act out our instinct for social interaction.