Art inspired walk

Much of South Florida sits on Coral Rock, which is as much as 4000 feet thick in some areas, covered with just a few inches of topsoil. Coral Rock quarries provided building material for homes and other construction in the early days of South Florida. Because Florida is perched on Coral Rock, when building here, construction crews must dig into the rock, which is at or below sea level. Keeping water at bay is a particularly Floridian effort. At job-sites, pumps run non-stop until foundations are excavated, set and waterproofed.

Coral Rock is beautiful, traversed by crystalline white patterns accented in grey and black. By our home, there is a public park with an installation of monolithic sculptures constructed of natural Coral Rock. It is titled Accordant Zones, designed by artists Neijna and Smyth. The installation explores the juxtaposition of sculptural elements and landscape, speaking to history, ecology and archeology.




Booker and H-Mom like to walk along the low Coral Rock wall, all the way to the giant disc at the west end. It looks like it will roll away, perched on its side. Each piece of coral is textural and intriguing, laced with the imprint of creatures that long preceded us.


Which direction looks interesting today?

Job Description: Commander in Chief

Booker P. Washington.

A name synonymous with integrity and strength in defense.

An American original.

A working dog, strong of heart and tireless, with a record of proudly and bravely standing up for his country.

He has earned accolades (or at least attention) for vocally and persistently identifying border breaches.

He has proven his dedication to national security by tirelessly identifying enemy cells.

He has fearlessly entered hostile territory in pursuit of threats to his fellow citizen.



Booker P. Washington.

A candidate strong on country.

Note: This may be a shamelessly biased candidate endorsement.

"needs" game on Google

Our friend Snuggle Puggle played the Google "needs" game. It sounded amusing, so we gave it a go ... just type your name and the word "needs" into google and list the first items that come up.

booker needs good negotiating skills to secure artists

H-Mom thinks not. If Booker was in the gallery when artists came a-callin' they would immediately be won over, no negotiation needed. All he would need to do is give them that over-the-shoulder-don't-you-LOVE-me look that hound dogs specialize in, and it would be a done deal.

Booker needs to run for federal office

OBAMA? McCAIN?
No! Booker P. Washington. Headed for the big White House. Lots of trees, lots of bushes and plenty of space that needs marking by a true-blue, American classic: Coonhound.

Booker needs extra pounds

H-Mom is still upset. One of the building maintenance guys said, "BOY he's getting fat." Now H-Mom is paranoid that they were actually referring to HER butt, not Booker's, but still. Booker does not need extra pounds. Booker is just fine. She asked EVERYONE at the dog park, "Do you think my dog is fat?"

That's like asking your husband about your derriere ...

Booker needs the help, trust me

We all need help. Trust me. Booker's help is on the way. It's in the plan. It's on the agenda.

Thoughts on a Kong

Before H-Mom got this crazy idea that a COONHOUND would be the right breed for the family. And before she did all this research and saw how COONHOUNDS go all crazy in the woods, and how they often are kept only tied or chained or in wire pens, and how they are "THROWN AWAY" when they become an expense or slow down or don't hunt productively. Before she found out that they are difficult to rehome because they are often thought of as hunting dogs and not at all as PETS.

Before all that, I have heard that H-Mom and Man-Dad were looking for a Labrador. They even did tons and tons of research. They registered with "South Florida Labrador Rescue," and had a home visit! They talked black, chocolate, yellow and even RED. They set out all the photos of the Labradors that Man-Dad used to have. He loved those Labradors. They put up alerts for adoptable Labradors.

They found a Labrador breeder in South Florida who had a 2-year old female needing a home. (She was not quite a Show star and was not going to be bred.) They even went to visit this Labrador.

They were serious. Serious about a Lab.

There is evidence:


They had even BOUGHT some toys, expecting a Labrador.

Note that THIS Kong is a "WATER" Kong. It is made for throwing INTO the water so that a retriever-minded dog can leap into the water, swim, grab the floating Kong, and then return it to the pitcher. This Kong is specifically designed for a game of ... water fetch.

Then H-Mom and Man-Dad got a call from American Black and Tan Coonhound Rescue. "Booker can come and live with you! We can ship him this weekend!" Actually, H-Mom and Man-Dad got this phone call when they were on the highway, on their way home from visiting the beautiful, water-loving black Labradors at Surfside Labs. That's where they met the sweet 2-year female that they could have.

Now, look at this foot:


Here, Booker will hold it up for you. Look carefully:


There is no webbing on this foot. It is the tidy, cat-like paw of a Coonhound. It is large-padded, well-clawed, for giving traction when tracking, and for clawing up a tree after cornered raccoons, bears and mountain lions. This is not the foot of a water retriever. There are no webs. Nothing duck-like here.

The only interest that Booker has in water is cooling his paws if there is a puddle on a hot road or quickly powering through it if the scent he is on comes out the other side. There is no Coonhound "joy of water just for the sake of water."

So the only thing that a Coonhound could possibly do with a WATER KONG is make like it's a RACCOON and kill it. Shake it really hard and growl. Shake the living daylights out of it some more. And then suggest that a Coonhound can do that much, much better than any Labrador could ever do, looking up at H-Mom and Man-Dad with those big, always mournful-looking Coonhound eyes.

Dog-Friendly Gallery in Dog-Friendly City

Yes, we are a dog-friendly gallery! Of course! (thanks for asking, Jake and Just Harry ... come and visit H-Mom, she would be thrilled!)

Everyone on the street is talking about planning a "Yappy Hour" for the downtown Fort Lauderdale shopping district - Las Olas Boulevard. "Yappy Hour" would feature a hundred adoptable dogs from the Humane Society, wearing "Adopt Me" bandanas; "dog specials" at the restaurants with dog-friendly outdoor seating; and, "Dogs Welcome" signs in the windows of participating merchants, along with bowls of biscuits, drinking water, and poopbags (H-Mom added that last one).

Does anyone else live in a city that does something similar? We think it would be great fun if Fort Lauderdale "went to the dogs" for a day.

H-Mom tried to think of an artist in our gallery - Las Olas Fine Arts - who paints DOGS, and she found some wonderful paintings by Dominic Besner, an incredibly talented young Canadian artist quickly earning international acclaim:

Greyhounds racing ...

Roulement de tambour pour une course de 3, Mixed Media on Canvas

Dog in a tutu? It looks like a dancing greyhound:

Tutu des Flandres, Mixed Media on Canvas

There was an awesome huge painting with three Borzoi in the background, but H-Mom cannot find the image. The gallery represents very contemporary artists. The best thing about the gallery, from a dog's point of view, is the highly polished cement floor - always cool when it's hot outside!

Meeting of the minds

Will these two have a meeting of the minds? Is there an uneasy truce? Is the teenager becoming a "pack leader" or least a 2nd lieutenant? Can Booker ease into the position of dog ... #1 dog ... BUT dog.


I have to sell a couple paintings at the gallery so that I can hire our trainer/guru/behaviorologist. Argh. It is a very slow month, and add the economic woes to that. Where are our Europeans with good taste in contemporary art and happy Euros?

Help on the way

Well H-Mom got home from the gallery late last night and Booker's blue cushion was moved BACK into Samantha's bedroom.

The meeting with Mark, our prospective behavior/training consultant, evidently has turned someone's opinion around. She has undug her heels and uncrossed her defiant teenage arms.

The three of us sat in the living room to talk - Mark told us about the philosophy of Sit Means Sit. Booker clambered onto the sofa and curled up quietly right behind Samantha, his muzzle up against her thigh. Booker sighed and fell asleep.

"He's obviously a very sweet dog, with a calm, loving disposition," was Mark's observation. He listened to Booker's history. "The one thing that you have to know is that dogs live in this moment, going forward," he emphasized. "Booker doesn't hold grudges. He isn't still angry at you about the kitchen towel. He has forgotten that he bit you. You have to go forward."

Mark talked for awhile about dog behavior in general. Booker may have had a tough start, an abusive past life, starvation and fear, but he is well-cared for now, his stomach full, his bed soft. THIS is Booker's reality, and he needs to be taught, with no hesitations, how he needs to behave to conform to OUR lifestyle today, going forward.

Sit Means Sit uses non-forceful (no yelling, no punishment) verbal commands with a stimulus collar -- very light attention-commanding "buzz" almost like clicker training. Mark gave Samantha and I a demonstration with his dog, a giant German Shepard. Astounding. That dog was regimented, perfection, frightening ... we don't need Booker to be that kind of dog, but 1/4th ... gee ... 1/8th of that would be a gift.

As everyone who knows dogs has commented, Booker is testing us constantly, pushing around his will for premiere pack-position and trying especially to bully Samantha. She is a sweetheart, a gentle soul, a lover of small rodents and lazy cats. Booker is really new territory for her and she needs to learn how to interact with him, as much as Booker needs to learn his boundaries.

Some observations from Mark included:

• Booker was a hunting dog in his prior life, he had a rigorous job. He needs a NEW job ... he is a dog with a temperament modeled and calmed by knowing exactly what is expected of him.
• Aggression within the "pack" (family) is NEVER acceptable
• Booker should obey every command without hesitation
• Everything in the house -- food included -- belongs to the leaders, and he is allowed to have it only with permission. That includes a beef fillet laying on the coffee table. (Well, maybe the countertop, hahahaha)
• Almost every dog is trainable, there is no reason that we should not expect that Booker cannot have perfect and trustworthy behavior at all times
• The humans have a lot of work to do --- that would be US

Mark charges a flat fee of $690 for unlimited lifetime training. (Samantha asked me to clarify whether that is for the lifetime of the OWNER or the DOG.) We can also put together a package that deals directly with Booker's aggression/bullying issues, start the process of training both the family (especially Samantha, who is very receptive to input from Mark) and the dog, and then go from there.


P.S. Thank you everyone for your encouraging and insightful comments. Our family team really believes that when you make a commitment, you make it and use all the resources you have to make it work.