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Puppy Update, December 29, 2005

Having celebrated his first birthday (on Christmas), Watson is now officially a DOG!! He has shown no signs of waning exuberance, however, so I suspect that he'll be a "puppy" for a while yet. His new love is snow--for frollicking, digging, and eating (here is a picture from snowy Minnesota).

Puppy Update, October 6, 2005

Watson had a wonderful summer, and is now enjoying the crisp breezes and exciting smells of fall. Here is a photo of him snuggling with our son, Gabe. Don't be fooled by the deceptive serenity of this scene. Seconds later it turned into a wrestle-fest.

Puppy Update, August 2, 2005

Watson, post-walk. It's been pretty hot here in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 swamps, and a dog has to find relief where he can. We both come back from our hour-long romps in the woods looking a little like Harry the Dirty Dog. So is he a white dog with brown patches or a brown dog with white patches?

Puppy Update, July 24, 2005

Ah . . . summer afternoons. That's my husband Jim on the couch. Watson is in what we call "elastic position"--the ultimate sign of relaxation. In his livelier moments, Watson's been doing a lot of swimming lately. He's still a bit wary of going out over his head, but has meeting lots of other swimming dogs, whom he finds very inspirational!

Puppy Update, June 3, 2005

Wow! Watson's coming up on six months old already! He has gotten used to having our sons home from college, and exploits them shamelessly for outdoor play (this is a photo of one of our son's friends with him). His light brown puppy color is giving way to a darker, curly chocolate brown, and his eyes are amber-colored. He has also discovered our bed--how lovely and soft it is. Uh-oh!

Puppy Update, April 20, 2005

Here's Watson in a compromising position in the lap of my husband, Jim. We "gentle" him like this when he gets too wild & crazy (almost every evening). How can a puppy have so much energy? He has also started to FRAP (Frenetic Random Activity Periods) in the woods--you know, those galloping loops that puppies make, full speed, without any apparent reason!

Puppy Update, April 5, 2005

Watson is already growing by leaps & bounds. He has developed a love of socks and a fear of garbage cans (they rumble so alarmingly). His favorite part of the day is our daily walk in the woods--oh, and visiting both human and dog friends along our street.

Watson arrives, March 21, 2005

Watson came to us at 3 months old from a breeder in Nebraska. He is a Small Munsterlander, a long-haired pointer that is just starting to become known in the U.S. We are totally in love. You can't see it in this picture, but he has a knob on the top of his head that makes him look like a Cone Head when he looks down. He loves being outside, watching geese fly over head, searching for disgusting things in the woods, and snuggling in our laps (not right afterwards). So far he's still at the I-don't-want-to-be-alone stage, but he's so cute that we don't mind.

This is our dog Watson, up close. Below are some photos of him, from puppyhood on. (Read here about Merlin, inspiration for The World According to Dog.)

You can also view my Robin Journal, the story of the time robins nested on my porch!

The Current Pic

March 14, 2008

Out of all the places to sleep, why does he choose the tiny little triangle of carpet right next to my reading chair?

Merlin, 1994-2004

Inspiration for The World According to Dog

We lost Merlin in January 2004, to an unexplained illness. We miss him like crazy, but know that his sweetness will live on--in the memories of all who knew him, and all who read about him in The World According to Dog.

Merlin meets Tilly ("The One Who Listens," pg. 46) at one of the Dog Parties held to celebrate the publication of The World According to Dog. They were very well-behaved, and got in several good sniffs.