There is no dog but dog

[pjthompson]

Random quote of the day:


"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down."

—Robert Benchley, “Your Boy and His Dog,” Chips Off the Old Benchley



(Thanks to hominysnark for this quote.)












I'd just like to state for the record that in my years as an image searcher I have found few subjects with more mawkishly sentimental pictures than that of "A boy and his dog." Just sayin'.



Disclaimer: The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Comments

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

Have you seen some of the pictures that miapatrick has posted?

There's one thing that one hopes boys do not learn from dogs. One of the pleasures of serendipity when researching 5th century Burgundians was discovering the penalty for stealing a dog. Unlike most offences, it wasn't a fine; the thief had to kiss the dog's arse. I've incorporated it into my novel, with the dog looking very pleased at a human behaving sensibly for a change.

[pjthompson]

Now there's an amusing punishment. It reminds me of the Miller's Tale from Chaucer.

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

Yes, indeed. It appears to be a fundamental (sorry about that!) aspect of Germanic humour. I've probably mentioned claw beakers before - much loved by the Anglo-Saxons, elaborately decorated conical vessels with hollow claw-shaped elements protruding from them. As you drink, as the air rushes into the hollows the beer rushes out, slopping up your nose and making a burping sound. Combination whoopee cushion, dribbling cup and yard of ale. Somebody ought to try manufacturing them; I should think they'd be an absolute wow at any beer festival from Munich to Manchester.

[hominysnark.livejournal.com]

I swear that Dalmatian is actually smiling.

[pjthompson]

She does. Life is good when you can use your human for a bed.

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

Something that made me very, very happy was a book on domesticated mammals that said that when dogs look as though they are smiling, they really are. It's one of the things they learned from us, like communicating with complex sounds (dogs bark, wolves don't unless they have been brought up by humans)

[pjthompson]

Yes, I've heard that, too. It's a nice, nice thought.