Since the National Geographic Channel trimmed Pappy's dynamite footage down to just a few seconds in the "Dog Genius" program, I've decided to take matters into my own hands. Here's my cut of the TV show, destined to become a classic. It doesn't get all caught up in that science junk, and gets right to the point-- Pappy.
My wife surprised me this Christmas with a little Pappy homunculus. A veritable doppelganger, ball and all. There's a web site that specializes in making Oaxacan carvings from photographs of your pet, and the Pappy commission is featured on their site.
I'm thinking of using this as the model for my planned Pappy colossus, with his treelike legs spanning the Potomac near the Mall in DC. It could even function as the perfect pedestrian bridge, where tourists walk in the mouth and come out the... never mind.
Well, we witnessed Pappy's moments on the TV screen tonight. In the opening credits of Dog Genius on the National Geographic Channel, he made two appearances-- once from the chest down while sitting, another is a head shot against a white background. Then before the 30 minute mark there is a brief montage including me tossing him his ball, and then when they talk about tails the camera luxuriates on him for a moment as he stands and displays his proud butt plumage. All told there were about three seconds of footage, but I was so amped I might be wrong about that. Maybe closer to a second and a half.
I've been up all evening, but the phone is silent. Why aren't the offers rolling in?
Tonight's Pappy's big television premiere in "Dog Genius" on the National Geographic Channel, 8:00 PM EST. Check your local listings. I know where I'll be-- at my brother's house where they actually have cable.
In a non-PC moment, I was envisioning Pappy as a service dog for the visually impaired-- hauling his charge into phone poles and leaf piles, tangling leashes with other dogs, coming to a dead stop next to tennis courts to watch the ball go back and forth. Probably not a good career move for him.
Pappy likes clothes. If I happen to drop a shirt on the bedroom floor when headed for the shower, on my return I am likely to find Pappy lying on top of it. And if we are separating laundry, it's simply irresistable to him. He settles down in the middle of of the pile and makes a little nest.
Of course if he insists on sitting on the laundry while I'm trying to strip the bed, he's gonna get what's coming to him. He becomes just another victim of collateral damage.
While I was out for a run with Pappy yesterday morning, he stopped to do the needful. And he got stuck. Without being too graphic, I had to pull stuffed animal remnants out of his rear like a magician pulls hankies from his sleeve. We had a little quality time in the drizzling rain.
Pappy always has destuffed toys, typically into great piles all over the living room floor. To my knowledge, he hadn't yet answered the question of whether the fiber fill was tasty. With Christmas coming, now I have to worry whether Pappy is going to give himself an intestinal blockage from all the new toys. And I'm kind of wondering whether this stuffing was from last week, or represents years of accumulation finally making their way through the exit. The worries of parenthood.
With Pappy already in the galleries, it's high time for him to saturate the airwaves too. A couple of days ago my wife mentioned in passing that we had never heard from the National Geographic Channel about the TV show for which Pappy was filmed. I googled the show's name, and sure enough it is on their TV schedule. So be sure to look for Pappy in "Dog Genius" on Sunday, December 23 at 8:00 PM on the National Geographic Channel. Don't worry, I'll remind you.
The pathetic thing is that we don't even have cable TV. Please let me know whether Pappy or I made the final cut. He was awfully good on-camera, so I'm thinking positively!
Hedgehog, one of Pappy's oldest friends, is now just a withered husk. Pappy just used him and tossed him aside. Well, occasionally he gnaws on him.
This is about as close as he'll ever get to a museum, but Pappy's likeness will be on display at a local gallery. Two of my paintings were selected for a juried show at the Touchstone Gallery; there are more details at the art blog. Sorry, but Pappy won't be making the opening.
Hey, if you are in DC over the holidays and are loitering around Gallery Place, stop in at the gallery and pay homage to the great one.
P.S. Some of the astute amongst you might recognize that tongue.
This poor toy has to live out his days in little stuffed wheelchair. Oh, the humanity.
Why was this carnage necessary? This young lady had a bit part in the last Pappy music video. Now she lies in tatters, sucked clean of stuffing as if by a fiberfill vampire.
Some of you may remember this brave octopus as Pappys prize from Jackson's Moustache Championship. Now the nameless octoped has been reduced to a set of legs with no head. Thankfully only one squeaker has been extracted, but who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Gus and Teka exercised their lyrical muscles and put together a Pappy Christmas song. I'd record it for you if I could get the neighbor's cats to stop yowling whenever I sing.
Well, DC had it's first snow of the season. As these things go in our area, it was an early whopper of 3 to 4 inches. Pappy was wild with excitement, though I can't say his aptitude for ball chasing translates as well to snowy conditions. With each toss he'd lose the ball, then go snorkling around for five minutes in search of it.
I let him out for a late evening pee, and, for the life of me, I can't get him to come in. He just keeps prancing around in the pre-winter wonderland.
I went to the dog park this morning to be greeted by news of a new arrival. Max's owners have just had their first kid. This was hardly a surprise, because the situation had been in development for some time. It's a first in my experience at the park, because the mom had been coming to the park regularly up through the weekend before delivery.
This weekend sweet little (oops I've forgotten his name) was home with his mom, but Max and his dad came to the park. From what I understand, once sweet little whatshisname is fattened up a bit they plan to have him live in the dog park under Max's stewardship. Well, they didn't actually say this, but they'd be crazy not to consider it. That "raised by wolves" thing is so overdone; it's time to give an equal opportunity to dogs.
