« dawg pitchers | Main | Devil Don't Claw »
June 06, 2005
A Boston Terrier in his Natural Habitat
Marcel starts his day by surveying the garden from a good vantage point.
Hm, those petunias look like they could use some watering.
Every little dog needs a garden to play in. And flowers to smell.
It makes them smile!
Plus they like to explore.
He's in there somewhere.
Oh yes, its good to be a dogue, with cool moss under your patas in the summertime.
Now that its summertime and he has a new home, Marcel has been spending quite a bit more time in the out of doors. Yesterday he and I went to the park, which is one block away and quite convenient for a dog who prefers short jaunts to long hikes. Its not that he is lazy. Its just that his ventilation system is limited to a short narrow, slightly inadequate nasal passage. Its tiring for him to keep cool. The park is a whole other thing from the garden. It has its advantages, for example, there is the Hot Dog Lady. Who will sell you a hot dog with no bun just for you-know-who, who would probably be pleased with the bun also, but still. Its only 50ยข without. There is not one dog, big or small, within a 4 mile radius of Welles Park, I am quite certain, who is not in love with the Hot Dog Lady. And who doesn't dig in the couch cushions when no one is looking, hoping for loose quarters.
The general consensus among small children, those who aren't terrified of him, is that Marcel is funny looking and his tail is too short. So far only one particularly friendly, especially groovy little boy named Angus demanded to know what had happened to it to make it short, as he poked his free index finger (other hand was clutching a soggy bagel, probably the only reason Marcel sat still for any this) repeatedly in the general vicinity of where Marcel's tail would be, also known as his butthole. (scuse my language). Marcel was slightly put off by being molested in such an intimate way, but was good natured about it, as he tends to be, especially since he is terrified of little kids, and when he's terrified he just freezes in place. At the same time he was scooting his back end down, his nose end was reaching for the bagel, which Angus managed to hold aloft with one grubby paw while continuing to poke at Marcel's personal swimsuit area with his other. Why his tail is so short? Angus really wanted to know. Some mean bad guys cut it off when he was just a little baby! I said. Don't worry, he isn't sad about it anymore!
I explained gently.
Then there was the little boy on the scooter yesterday. This child had a face like a 16 inch softball, and he informed me that Marcel looked funny. I informed him that that was because Marcel was very special and that was why I loved him. Then he said it again. I said its true, he does. That's why I like him. Then he said it again and I said isn't your mom calling you? Because I think I hear your mom calling you.
Posted by at June 6, 2005 11:24 AM
Comments
its good to be a dogue
That's funny; "dogue," pronounced just like that, is Caroline's new word. Her new word is so pronounced like "dogue" that when I asked Molly how to best capture Caroline's new word phonetically, she suggested d-o-g-u-e.
But "dogue" in Caroline doesn't mean "dog." We don't know what it means. The other day she started insisting that she wanted to go to the "Bug Tea House." After I pressed her for a while about where or what the Bug Tea House could be (a tea house for bugs? a place where they serve bug tea?) she finally said "dogue," as if that ended the conversation.
Dogue
rob
Posted by: rob helpychalk at June 6, 2005 03:31 PM
Omg, I totally want to go to the Bug Tea House and drink tea with the bugs. Too cute.
Maybe she wants you to get her a Dogue de Bordeaux? (google them if you don't know what one looks like, its the dog in Turner and Hooch. Don't ask why I know that.)
*I* want a Dogue de Bordeaux!
Posted by: pippy at June 6, 2005 04:02 PM
that hound is lookin' sound! i know how happy a walk in the moss can be!
many much more!
Posted by: db at June 7, 2005 05:45 AM
I don't know what it is about him, but Marcel has a quiet dignity mixed with a sort of happy goofiness that always makes me smile. Looks like his environment suits him just fine, even has a little camoflage action going on there.
Posted by: Elizabeth at June 7, 2005 02:29 PM
we're still learning to read each other
and sometimes I see sonnets
Posted by: library boy at June 8, 2005 12:48 AM
I only see doggerel
Posted by: Mr. Higgenbotton at June 10, 2005 12:34 AM