At the end of the day Eko and I usually end up on the couch together.  He snores and sprawls over two-thirds of the couch and I use the remaining third to read.  A few weeks ago, while reading The Art of Racing in the Rain, I realized how many great stories feature great dogs.  From childhood classics to Greek classics, dogs have played a memorable role in all types of different works.  It was tough to pare down the list but in no particular order here are my ten favorite dogs from literature.

Enzo - The Art of Racing in the Rain

Writing a novel is hard, but writing a compelling novel from a dog's perspective is even harder.  Enzo, the dog-narrator of this tale is a kind, loving and loyal pup.  Enzo's voice captures the personality of our dogs perfectly

Argos - The Odyssey

The Odyssey is one of the world's most famous and oft retold epics but many people forget about Argos, Odysseus's dog.  Away for twenty years, Odysseus finally returns home, disguised so that he may retake his rightful place from the usurpers.  The disguise fools everyone, except for Argos, who faithfully waited for Odysseus's return.  My odysseys rarely take me further than the grocery store, but I love how Eko - and all dogs - have the loyal spirit of Argos while we are away.

The Hound - The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles was the first Sherlock Holmes story I read and the mystery of the evil hound kept me engrossed. In literature, dogs aren't always the good guys, but that's okay.  In this story in took the world's greatest detective to catch the hound.  Pretty cool if you ask me.

101 Dalmatians (can't pick just one) - The Hundred And One Dalmatians

As someone with freckles, spots are obviously near and dear to my heart.  You can imagine my horror when I learned of Cruella De Vil, a woman willing to kill to get spots for her coat!  I remember watching the movie adaptation of the book, holding onto my family's Dalmatian for dear life!  Us spotted creatures have to stick together.

Shiloh - Shiloh

Figuring out this world is no easy task for a kid, so it helps to have a four-legged guide.  Shiloh is Marty's (the young narrator) guide for learning about morals and ethics.  The story, largely because of Shiloh, does an excellent job at introducing young readers to the complexities of the world

White Fang - White Fang

White Fang is another successful story told from a wolf/dog's point of view.  Every kid dreams of running wild and free and running through the woods with White Fang was an exhilarating read that I will never forget.

Snowy - The Adventures of Tintin

Tintin gets all the credit in the title, but he couldn't have done it without his faithful terrier Snowy.  Loyal, brave and always humorous, Snowy was hands down my favorite character.  Like most dogs, Snowy would always notice the things that people seem to miss.  Can't begin to count the number of times I have found something interesting only because it caught Eko's attention first.

Clifford - Clifford The Big Red Dog

Clifford is such a popular pup that he was the centerpiece decoration at the White House one Christmas (see above).  But that is not Clifford's highest honor - I think that would be having the red SUV Eko and I drove around the country in named after him.  Simplicity is universal and the simple message of a big dog with an even bigger heart resonates with everyone.

Fang - Harry Potter

Hagrid is one of my favorite characters from the Harry Potter series in part because of his love for animals.  Fang was a perfect match for Hagrid in both looks and disposition, and I was happy Hagrid had someone with some sense to look after him.

Toto - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The tale of Dorothy and her cohort might have ended dramatically different if not for the heroics of Toto.   While the group cowered in front of the Wizard, it was Toto who revealed that the Wizard was not so great and powerful after all.  Another classic case of a dog's intuition saving the day.

I guess the moral of the story is that if you are going on an adventure, you probably want to bring your dog with you!

Now, who am I missing? Who is one of your favorite dogs from literature that I don't have on the list?  I have a feeling I am going to be saying, "oh, I should have included him/her!" a whole lot when I read these comments.

 

 

Thanks to Eko I have had the good fortune to meet new people and try new things.  Of all of our adventures, one of my favorite is our outing to the Dog Day White Sox game.

Every kid grows up playing at the park, pretending to be on a Major League field...

But how many people get to actually walk out on one of those Major League fields?  With Eko as my escort, we got to walk underneath the bright lights and see the field like the players do

I have been to plenty of baseball games, but none of them could match the festive atmosphere of Dog Day.  The crowd absolutely loved the pups and you could tell the dogs loved the novelty of it all 

Eko's only disappointment that evening was learning he was not allowed to go after the ball

Now, I thought Dog Day was where the story would end, but it appears it was just the beginning.  ESPN usually breaks all sports related news, but today I have a MOTN (Marking Our Territory News) exclusive.  In a surprise move, the Chicago White Sox have traded canine superstar Mr. Eko to the St. Louis Cardinals.  In return, the Cardinals promise to relieve the city of Chicago of the burden of Eko's pal Will, if only for the weekend.

Translation: this Saturday the Cardinals host the Rangers for their annual Purina Pooches In The Ballpark event, and I managed to score some tickets!  That means Eko and I will get to walk on another MLB field and enjoy another fun night at the ballpark together.  That Eko sure takes care of me.  The ticket also includes a buffet - human food only though, don't tell Eko.

Now, I have two questions for anyone out there who might be able to help.  First, the parade around the field is "baseball costume" themed, any suggestions about what Eko could wear?  Maybe I'll make him a "Babe Woof" (Ruth) shirt? Also, if you know your local MLB team has a dog night, drop me a line.  Not sure if it's feasible, but maybe Eko and I will be the first man/dog to visit them all.

And finally, here is a very quick video of a few of the great human/canine partners we saw at last year's game.  Looking forward to making plenty of new friends this Saturday.

Normally, there is nowhere Eko would rather be than the dog park.  He not-so-subtly does his best to make sure all of our walks end up at the dog park by my apartment.  I took Eko to the park yesterday, but he was not very interested in playing.  He stood near the corner of the park taking deep whiffs of the breeze.  His ears were up and swiveling in what I call satellite-dish mode and his head was cocked as he puzzled through the sounds and smells.

Something is out there...

At first I thought Eko was looking at a dog on the other side of the fence, but then I saw a steady stream of people come walking in our direction.  And when I strained my ears I could hear the faint sound of music.  Something was up and Eko wanted to find out what.  I'm always up for exploring, so we followed the music up to what turned out to be an outdoor Greek festival.  Eko's eyes lit up as we turned the corner and found ourselves in the middle of a lively celebration.

Eko was a big hit with the kids on the dance floor

One of many things to love about summer in Chicago is that nearly every weekend there is a different outdoor festival, fair or concert and almost universally all of the events our pet-friendly.  Weekend walks are always more interesting when you get to pass through these events.  All the action helps tire Eko out the events are great walking/training practice for Eko.  Especially when it comes to restraining his natural impulse to eat EVERYTHING.

To the untrained eye, it may appear that Eko is calmly sitting, but I know he was simply surveying the tablescape to see if there were any unguarded plates

At one point Eko found a target.  A table was loaded with food and the people sitting there were looking the other way.  I braced the leash, but instead of lunging for the food Eko tried to puppy-dog-eyes me.

 

"Come on, Will! They'll never notice!"

I didn't give in, but I rewarded Eko for his restraint with some of his favorite dog treats.  Now that pet-friendly event season is in full swing, I'm hoping I can use these events to work on Eko's obedience training.  With all the love Eko gets at these events, I think he will be happy to put in the work!

 

My mom taught me a lot, but she shares the credit/blame (depending on who you ask) for who I am with my dad.

Once, when I was in elementary school, I climbed a tree while on vacation and watched my dad finish packing the car to head home.  "Hey dad, do you want to see me  jump out of this tree!?!?" I yelled.

"No William, I don't. You're going to..."

Before he could finish I leapt off the branch and flew...for a moment.  Then gravity did its thing.  I assume the end of my dad's sentence was "get hurt," and of course he was right.  I broke my wrist and we ended up at the hospital for seven hours instead of on our way home.  I expected my dad to be furious, but it was then I learned his motto - "If no one is going to die and no one is going to jail, relax.  We can handle this."  Channeling my old man's patience certainly helped raising my knucklehead puppy!  Here are a few other lessons I am grateful to have learned from my pops:



Happy (early) Father's Day to all the dads out there!

It's summertime and that means adventure season is in full bloom.  Trips to the park, the beach and the woods are just a few of the adventures I have planned for the next few months.  Anyone who has seen Indiana Jones knows that every adventurer needs a trusty adventure bag.  After many pet-friendly adventures, my motto when I pack my bag is to be as prepared as possible while carrying as little as possible.  With that in mind, here is what I carry whenever I head out for an adventure with Eko.

You don't think Eko would let me leave the house without treats do you?  They always come in handy to reward good behavior with some tasty encouragement. And of course, bags are a must.  The rule of thumb is that your dog will ALWAYS go to the bathroom the one time you don't bring a bag

A lightweight, collapsible bowl helps keep Eko hydrated on the go.  He is happy to drink out of my hands, but that wastes a lot of water.  The bowl makes it easy for us to share the water I bring

This is my mini-first aid kit.  I have a full kit in the car, but when I'm on the go I just pack the bare essentials.  The spray cleans/protects Eko's paws, the small towel is always useful and the benadryl (diphenhydramine) is in case of an allergic/inflammation emergency.  Luckily I have never needed to use the pills, but benadryl can be a life saver for dogs.  A couple precautions: first, make sure you buy plain benadryl, meaning the ONLY ingredient is diphenhydramine.  The recommended canine dosage is 10 mg per each 10 pounds of weight.  And of course, you should always talk with your vet to establish a course of action in case of emergency

Last but certainly not least, you have to bring a camera to record all the action!  My GoPro and Canon are both light, compact and great on the go

It may look like a lot of stuff, but I can throw it all in my little draw bag with room to spare and it only weighs in around five pounds

Now, this brings me to two questions.  First, maybe I'm missing something - does anyone have any must-carry items when they head out with their pup?  I'm always looking to improve my gear.  Second, why I am the one carrying all this stuff!?  Eko is a healthy young lad, I think it might be time to share the load.  Does anyone have any recommendations for dog backpacks?