Friday, February 03, 2006
The Year of the Pooch!
It is 4704 on the Chinese lunar calendar and the Year of the Dog. Up here in Alaska the canine is and always has been the king of the hill. Dog mushing is the official state sport and has its own racing circuit similar to Nascar. It is to Alaska as football is to Alabama. Jack London gloried man’s best friend with Buck in The Call of the Wild and with White Fang as well. Balto was the lead dog in the 1925 diphtheria serum run to Nome—an event later glorified in the form of the great Iditarod sled race. The event is so popular that restrictions must be placed on would be participants. Rookies in the Iditarod must first qualify in a less demanding preliminary race. Facing the whims of an unpredictable Arctic winter, the mushers take great care to train and equip their teams making sure that the huskies are properly attired in warm winter jackets, if the temp drops below forty below, before setting their paws on the frozen tundra. And for the amateurs no winter activity here would be complete without a dog-pulling contest.
In 1945 as World War II was coming to an end Tex Avery, one of the founding fathers of the cartoon industry, paid homage to Alaska and Robert Service with an animated version of the Shooting of Dan McGoo. The hero is the slow talking Droopy Dog who is busy playing a slot machine at the Malamute Saloon in Coldernell, Alaska. McGoo risks his life to rescue a lady named Lou from the clutches of the evil villain. Since then the silver screen, TV and the radio have featured hundreds and hundreds of canine capers. Alaskans still speak reverently of Yukon King—Sergeant Preston’s Alaskan Husky. The rest of the country had to make do with a wider variety of doggy heroes, such as Lassie, Rin-Tin-Tin, and General Grant in the Little Rascals and the unforgettable Toto in the Wizard of Oz. And for generation X there is Scooby Doo and the Flintstones’ Dino. And for the comic strip aficionados there is Marmaduke, Beauregard—Pogo’s friend, and Snoopy, who always seemed to be fighting the infamous Red Baron. The advertising world has a long track record of such famous pitchmen as Nipper for RCA, Spuds Mackenzie for Budweiser, Tige for Buster Brown Shoes and those talking Chihuahuas for Taco Bell. The music industry, not to be left behind, featured such lyrics as “Here, Yeller, Come back, Yeller!" “How Much Is That Hound Dog In The Winder?” and Elvis’ immortal “You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog!”
Ever since the Pilgrims set foot on this continent dogs have figured prominently. The Indians had a simple formula for teaching the Pilgrims how to farm. Drop the remnants of a dead fish in the ground for fertilizer. Cover with dirt. Drop in a few kernels of corn. Cover with dirt. Last but not least be sure and tie up one of the front legs of all the dogs to keep them from digging up the fertilizer.
Some of our presidents had quirky pets. Calvin Coolidge had a raccoon that he walked on a leash. Herbert Hoover had a possum. And just maybe that was where his presidency began to go down hill. When Richard Nixon felt put upon by the press, he gave a repentant speech while cuddling Checkers in his lap. LBJ had two beagles named Him and Her and when he picked Him up by the ears, his popularity with the American people shot down faster than you can say Vietnam. And when Bill Clinton had his Monica problem, he was quoted as saying,"If you want a friend in Washington, you need to get a dog.” And when we pause and remember our fallen astronauts, let’s not forget Laika who was launched into space aboard Sputnik 2 in 1957 by the Soviet Union. She was the first living creature to go where no man had gone before. Tragically there was no way to return Laika to earth so she died in space about a week after the launch. "
Two of the most famous dogs in the sporting universe are Uga at the University of Georgia and Reveille at Texas A&M University. Uga was invited to the Heisman Trophy Banquet along with Herschel Walker in 1982. Uga was wearing a black tie. No one remembers what Herschel was wearing. When Uga died in 1992 he was given posthumously the highest honor available to a mascot at the University—the Georgia varsity letter. At Texas A&M if Reveille is sleeping on a cadet’s bed, the lucky cadet must sleep on the floor. If she barks in the middle of a class—no matter what the professor might be doing—the class is dismissed immediately. Reveille is a five star general. The first female by the way to be so designated.
One Year when the Aggies were playing Rice at Rice Stadium the MOB, the Marching Rice Band, decided to play a musical tribute to Reveille. The musicians strutted here and there and suddenly a majestic formation materizlied on the fifty-yard line—a fire hydrant. The Aggie Corps took one look and sprang into action. They charged onto the field in a most unsportmanlike manner in hot pursuit of the MOB that seemed to have a premonition of this outcome and were already dashing madly to the secure confines of the dressing room that prudently was equipped with a strong lock. The Houston Police force finally sent paddy wagons to their rescue. As any GI can tell you, think twice before you sully a general—especially one that sports five stars. Although it may not be in Miss Manners’ guidebook, it is OK to take a President’s name in vain but it is never acceptable to speak ill of the President’s best friend—especially in The Year of the Dog.
It is 4704 on the Chinese lunar calendar and the Year of the Dog. Up here in Alaska the canine is and always has been the king of the hill. Dog mushing is the official state sport and has its own racing circuit similar to Nascar. It is to Alaska as football is to Alabama. Jack London gloried man’s best friend with Buck in The Call of the Wild and with White Fang as well. Balto was the lead dog in the 1925 diphtheria serum run to Nome—an event later glorified in the form of the great Iditarod sled race. The event is so popular that restrictions must be placed on would be participants. Rookies in the Iditarod must first qualify in a less demanding preliminary race. Facing the whims of an unpredictable Arctic winter, the mushers take great care to train and equip their teams making sure that the huskies are properly attired in warm winter jackets, if the temp drops below forty below, before setting their paws on the frozen tundra. And for the amateurs no winter activity here would be complete without a dog-pulling contest.
In 1945 as World War II was coming to an end Tex Avery, one of the founding fathers of the cartoon industry, paid homage to Alaska and Robert Service with an animated version of the Shooting of Dan McGoo. The hero is the slow talking Droopy Dog who is busy playing a slot machine at the Malamute Saloon in Coldernell, Alaska. McGoo risks his life to rescue a lady named Lou from the clutches of the evil villain. Since then the silver screen, TV and the radio have featured hundreds and hundreds of canine capers. Alaskans still speak reverently of Yukon King—Sergeant Preston’s Alaskan Husky. The rest of the country had to make do with a wider variety of doggy heroes, such as Lassie, Rin-Tin-Tin, and General Grant in the Little Rascals and the unforgettable Toto in the Wizard of Oz. And for generation X there is Scooby Doo and the Flintstones’ Dino. And for the comic strip aficionados there is Marmaduke, Beauregard—Pogo’s friend, and Snoopy, who always seemed to be fighting the infamous Red Baron. The advertising world has a long track record of such famous pitchmen as Nipper for RCA, Spuds Mackenzie for Budweiser, Tige for Buster Brown Shoes and those talking Chihuahuas for Taco Bell. The music industry, not to be left behind, featured such lyrics as “Here, Yeller, Come back, Yeller!" “How Much Is That Hound Dog In The Winder?” and Elvis’ immortal “You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog!”
Ever since the Pilgrims set foot on this continent dogs have figured prominently. The Indians had a simple formula for teaching the Pilgrims how to farm. Drop the remnants of a dead fish in the ground for fertilizer. Cover with dirt. Drop in a few kernels of corn. Cover with dirt. Last but not least be sure and tie up one of the front legs of all the dogs to keep them from digging up the fertilizer.
Some of our presidents had quirky pets. Calvin Coolidge had a raccoon that he walked on a leash. Herbert Hoover had a possum. And just maybe that was where his presidency began to go down hill. When Richard Nixon felt put upon by the press, he gave a repentant speech while cuddling Checkers in his lap. LBJ had two beagles named Him and Her and when he picked Him up by the ears, his popularity with the American people shot down faster than you can say Vietnam. And when Bill Clinton had his Monica problem, he was quoted as saying,"If you want a friend in Washington, you need to get a dog.” And when we pause and remember our fallen astronauts, let’s not forget Laika who was launched into space aboard Sputnik 2 in 1957 by the Soviet Union. She was the first living creature to go where no man had gone before. Tragically there was no way to return Laika to earth so she died in space about a week after the launch. "
Two of the most famous dogs in the sporting universe are Uga at the University of Georgia and Reveille at Texas A&M University. Uga was invited to the Heisman Trophy Banquet along with Herschel Walker in 1982. Uga was wearing a black tie. No one remembers what Herschel was wearing. When Uga died in 1992 he was given posthumously the highest honor available to a mascot at the University—the Georgia varsity letter. At Texas A&M if Reveille is sleeping on a cadet’s bed, the lucky cadet must sleep on the floor. If she barks in the middle of a class—no matter what the professor might be doing—the class is dismissed immediately. Reveille is a five star general. The first female by the way to be so designated.
One Year when the Aggies were playing Rice at Rice Stadium the MOB, the Marching Rice Band, decided to play a musical tribute to Reveille. The musicians strutted here and there and suddenly a majestic formation materizlied on the fifty-yard line—a fire hydrant. The Aggie Corps took one look and sprang into action. They charged onto the field in a most unsportmanlike manner in hot pursuit of the MOB that seemed to have a premonition of this outcome and were already dashing madly to the secure confines of the dressing room that prudently was equipped with a strong lock. The Houston Police force finally sent paddy wagons to their rescue. As any GI can tell you, think twice before you sully a general—especially one that sports five stars. Although it may not be in Miss Manners’ guidebook, it is OK to take a President’s name in vain but it is never acceptable to speak ill of the President’s best friend—especially in The Year of the Dog.
