Friends of the Famous - Q

In her book “Good Dog…Stay” Pulitzer prize-winning columnist and consummate novelist  Anna Quindlen writes “The life of a good dog is like the life of a good person, only shorter and more compressed”  as she shares with trademark wit and wisdom the experience of growing older with her beloved black Lab, Beau. A must read for any dog-lover or anyone who’s ever wondered how much easier life could be if we could all just raise our noses to the air from time to time and holler “I smell bacon”!

In the truly heart-warming Japanese production of Quill; the life of a Guide dog, a yellow lab plays the starring role and delivers his best throughout the entire film based on a true story of his early trainers, Quill’s journey, and how they meet up again much later. Artfully interspersed, subtle humor blends well with bittersweet moments that resonate in this documentary-type validation of service animals and the real-life roles they play in society.

Quixall Crosset deserves honorable mention for being the all-time champion losing racehorse in Britain’s history that, despite showing best countless times, had over 100 starts without a win.  In 1998, having surpassed the record of 74 continuous losses he earned the nickname “Sultan of Slow” yet remained in the, ah, running another four years (he was then 17 years old!) before his owner was expressly requested to desist his racing career.  And while Quixall Crosset won’t be bringing up the rear at the tracks anymore he can still claim one victory, and that is over America’s Zippy Chippy, whose career was slightly less dreadful. Who said winners have to finish first?

  

Good News: Quills from our friend the porcupine have inspired a team at Harvard to design needles that deliver less-painful injections. 

 Happy Wednesday!

Cowboy etiquette

Friends of the Famous - O

Just as not all famous are friendly, not all friends are famous—though perhaps they should be.  Here are a few examples.

Oscar is one of five other residents of a nursing home, though not as a convalescents themselves but as a treasured feline companions to those who are. In addition to the prevailing sense of contentment offered by the resident cats, is Oscar’s well-documented uncanny knack for knowing when the end is near and ceasing his hall-roaming to sit and remain upon the bed of the resident until their passing.  Relatives often profess that Oscar gave their loved ones a feeling of completion and consoling attendance, when they couldn’t.

When not playing tag or belly-sledding for hours on end, Otters are constantly doing their part for the environment by eating sea urchins which gobble up kelp; containing valuable CO2, and other undesirable fish, including invasive crayfish, which cause detrimental changes to the rivers that endanger nearby plant and animal life.  One might say Otters act as important gauges of the quality of our water; on which the richness of our marshlands depend.

Oreo knew something was wrong and alerted her family by meowing persistently from the basement stairs.  The garage and a bedroom were lost to the fire that raged that night, but thanks to Oreo, she and her family were safe.

Oliver, a loveable family mutt, proved that compassion has no bounds between animals when he valiantly rescued his kitty-brother Stanley, from certain death by an attacking coyote. Their pet parents took Stanley to the Vet for stitches, but he was otherwise unscathed.

 

How do you feel about animals in nursing homes? Do you enjoy watching Otters at play? Do you have or know any animal heroes?

Friends of the Famous - N

In the Star Trek episode entitled Catspaw Leonard Nimoy (the iconic Mr. Spock) expertly handled a sleek black cat before it transformed into a beautiful woman.  The same practiced care was evident in The Enemy Within, though with a dog that was accidentally divided into both good and evil by the transporter. Nimoy came up with the famous “Vulcan Salute”, based on an actual gesture used in Jewish rituals and “Be well and prosper” are his own words, used during a speech he made to college graduates.  Due to the deep respect and affection Nimoy shared with the animals on the show and in general, it came as no surprise when Star Trek ended in 1969 that Nimoy became co-owner of a pet shop in the San Fernando Valley near his home.  Chipmunks, Monkeys, Crocodiles, Boa constrictors and a South American Otter were among the pets sold at the Pet Pad while Nimoy kept a cat, a dog, a hamster, two rabbits, a tank full of fish and a tortoise (for the kids) at home.

Widely known and often speculated is the story of the eccentric French poet Gerard de Nerval who had a pet lobster he walked on a blue silk ribbon each day along the Palais Royale in Paris. Of his unusual pet he wrote:

Why should a lobster be any more ridiculous than a dog ...or a cat, or a gazelle, or a lion, or any other animal that one chooses to take for a walk? I have a liking for lobsters. They are peaceful, serious creatures. They know the secrets of the sea, they don't bark, and they don't gnaw upon one's monadic privacy like dogs do. And Goethe had an aversion to dogs, and he wasn't mad.

It’s all cats and dogs for steamy songwriter/contralto singer Stevie Nicks who at last check, owned a Chinese Crested Yorkshire Terrier.  Like most designer purebreds, these little dogs require specific grooming care and a bit of patience while in training but they are good with children and make wonderful pets for busy rock stars who don’t want dog hair on furniture and upholstery.

Were you a fan of Mr. Spock? Do you believe the story of the lobster on a leash? Do you have a designer pet?