Dogstars
Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):
First some good news (for me anyway): the new Birthday Massacre album, Walking with Strangers comes out on September 11th. Their previous album was the first one in a long time that I just listened over and over and over again and I just love the demo version of Kill the Lights that is on their Myspace page. Now, if only they would do an official release of some of their older songs like Queen of Hearts or their awesome cover of the Neverending Story.
Hope the new album lives up and hope they play somewhere accessible to Austin.
New HATE THAT SONG of the day: Hey, There Delilah by the Plain White Tees.
First there was that song from Fall out Boy that would PUMP YOU UP if you are a bully working out so you could beat up nerds later in the day. Then there was that Iggy Thump song from the White Stripes where it sounds like they are just plucking strings out at random and doing it over and over again. Hey, I can pluck strings at random- where are my millions? (My main problem with both songs? Aside from being unimaginative pieces of crap, both were and are played continuously)
Then there is that Delilah song. I have nothing against it really other than it is played over and over again on a radio station that is supposed to play contemporary alternative rock. So in between sets of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Soundgarden and Nirvana songs that get played at least four times every hour, they play crap like this. At least twice. Every hour. More than likely in between songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Soundgarden and Nirvana. And then they play those songs from Fall Out Boy and the White Stripes.
If I ever find out who this Delilah was, she better watch out for the ten thousand bullets that have each have her name on it.
Hey there, indeed.
Now, okay, you Texans really loved Lady Bird. Even the hard core sports freaks were mourning her the day after. When I first heard the news the other day I thought they said Larry Bird (which would explain the mourning sports freaks) and when heard it a second time I was wondering what the fuss was about Hank Hill’s dog (which would not explain the mourning sports freaks).
Anyway.
Thirty and two- just remember that.
Especially if you come across someone passed out on the floor and is not breathing.
Thirty compressions and two breaths for CPR up from fifteen compressions, so you will be freaking tired after several sets.
So I am not saving your life until I have a good warm up stretch so I do not pass out after a set or two of thirty compressions and two breaths.
While we are at it, the American Health Association’s CPR training now consists of a guy on a DVD talking you through the steps. Sorry, but that does not cut it.
Oh, well.
I am not boycotting 7-11 and the Kwik-E-Mart promotion. And I am not stopping you from going either. I thought it was a great promotion and I am curious as hell to see what Krusty-O cereal tastes like. And I even enjoy the Apu character. But I will not be supporting the promotion as it does pigeon hole our Desi friends as two dimensional caricatures (the Apu character does have some depth, but the normal gweilo will not care, that brown guy at the corner store is just another person they will mock because it is what they saw on TV because ultimately, Apu is a Desi as seen from the point of view of a gweilo no matter how hard they try).
As someone who is pigeon holed as being super smart with computers (well, I do know how to turn the machine on), knows kung fu (I watch the movies but I am not a martial arts master) and has canine for supper (just like Apu I am vegetarian), I know the annoyance of being stereotyped. So you can go to 7-11 if you want to, I will stay away for now (and besides- it has been at least a decade since I even walked into one anyway, when was the last time I craves a Squishy?).
Speaking of TV things, I am currently catching up on series three of Hustle which has become one of my favourite shows, whose producers also make Spooks/MI-5 (another favourite) and to whom I ask the following: Where is Life on Mars? I know there is an American remake coming soon, but come on! Give us the original on DVD. I am really anticipating this show and even the sequel Ashes To Ashes.
There is an article at the LA Times about the place where I used to work (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/ventura/la-me-archie9jul09,1,7854253.story?coll=la-editions-ventura&ctrack=1&cset=true – reproduced in full below) primarily about the place where I used to work and specifically about the therapy dog who I knew was the size of a small horse and is now the size of a big horse. It also talks about Vicki Murphy who was one of the most dedicated people there (and one of the nicest and always had some candy for me).
Funny that two years after I left there and after I left California that the article would just pop out of nowhere and drive me back to thinking about the place. There were frustrating times, maddening times and worse times. But there were also good times and good people there who at the end of the day were just about making sure the kids felt safe. There are some great people there and I just wish the article would just talk about them more (not to take away from Archie who also does great work there).
And why is it that there are things all over the place that are reminding me of home? I was watching the show Psyche which is set in Santa Barbara and name drops the 805 and Ventura. I spoke to someone named Camarillo (no kidding- and she wondered why the hell I moved to Texas. But then again, she was in Missouri). And then there is the article about the dog.
SO.
Two years in Texas for me.
How about that?
That LA Times article [with some commentary from me in brackets]:
Archie? He's the Dog Star
The 165-pound Newfoundland works his magic daily with abused and neglected children at Camarillo's Casa Pacifica. Only his drool is 'yucky!'
By Mary Engel, Times Staff Writer, July 9, 2007
“When we see really large creatures, we tend at first to be taken aback. But Archie is a very lovable-looking and acting dog.” - Howard Miller, a therapist at Casa Pacifica
[Howard is a great guy, who took time out of his day to say good bye to me on my last day; he is especially effective with tweens, making his therapeutic techniques very accessible for that age group]
The toddlers spot him the instant he steps out of his office. They swarm him like bees [the dog, not Howard], shouting his name:
"Archie! Archie! Archie!"
[The dog’s real name is Archibald Something Something- I forget what the full name was]
He drops to the ground, eye-level with 3-year-olds. They lean into him, hug him, climb on him.
At Casa Pacifica, a Ventura County oasis for abused, neglected and emotionally disturbed children, patience and calm aren't just virtues; they're job requirements. Archie has worked at the leafy campus in Camarillo for two years, and he doesn't flinch when small hands pull his ears and wandering fingers poke his nostrils.
[The little ones do not restrict their poking to just animals that walk on four by the way. Bipeds get as much attention when it comes to poking]
Instead, he bestows slobbery kisses with a pink tongue as large as a hand towel.
"Yucky!" the kids squeal, hugging the 165-pound dog all the harder.
Archie was Vicki Murphy's idea.
[Vicki is one of the non-frontline staff at Casa Pacifica who exemplifies and personifies the purpose and cause of that children’s shelter. She works very hard for the place and what’s even better- she also knows and appreciates the hard work of the front line staff. Plus her daughters look like supermodels- Hi Ashley!]
Her boss, Steven Elson, a psychologist and Casa Pacifica's executive director, was initially skeptical of so-called therapy dogs. Her husband was doubtful for different reasons; he knew where the massive canine, who looks like an extra-fuzzy black bear but is actually a Newfoundland, would spend nights and weekends.
[Steve Elson can sometimes seem aloof and distant from the goings on at the place and it sometimes seems as if he is sheltered from any bad news there. He does a good job there, though and is a nice person, but he is all business, all the time and drives a nice car]
But Murphy, 51, Casa Pacifica's director of operations and development, had watched dogs work magic with children before. A former private school teacher, she once raised a puppy in her classroom. The second-graders took turns walking Rudy, a Labrador retriever, and learned not to rock their chairs on his paws or tail. If dogs could teach privileged children about responsibility and nurturing, Murphy mused, maybe they could help kids whose human role models had failed them utterly.
[Hah! I love the fact that she went from helping privileged children to children who have next for nothing.]
Besides, she'd said to her husband when they picked up the 9-week-old Archie, then a cubbish 26 pounds, "How big can he get?"
Private donors bought the dog and have kept him in kibbles - eight cups a day, or almost 30 pounds a week.
Operated by a public-private partnership, Casa Pacifica looks more like an upscale camp than a shelter for youngsters who sometimes arrive with gashes and broken bones.
[Sad but true about the gashes and broken bones]
[I also have had adults who knew nothing about the place ask me how they could get reservations to the place, like it was a five star resort or something.]
It has 45 beds for emergency placements: infants through 18-year-olds rescued from abusive or negligent households in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. They stay an average of two months before returning to their families or being placed with relatives or in foster homes.
[HAH! I came up with that statistic. No really, I did.]
The campus also has a school and a 28-bed residential treatment center for seriously emotionally disturbed 11- to 18-year-olds who have exhausted the foster care system. A typical stay is about 15 months.
[Reality Check: the kids at the shelter, school and residential treatment center can get very annoying, abusive and generally think they are better than you. So, they are just like normal kids, just more extreme. So, give kudos to anyone who works in a similar place]
[Reality Check II: Remember where the kids are coming from, if we all had their experiences, we would an extinct species. And just like you the kids have good days and bad days, with way more good than bad. It is just that the bad days stand out]
[Reality Check III: Yes, there are kids you just want to take home and adopt though that is highly not recommended. I had a cousin who worked for a similar place in Orange County did that and it did not end well]
Murphy chose a Newfoundland for Casa Pacifica after researching breeds. Newfies are gentle, playful, lovable galoots whose devotion to children has earned them accolades as natural baby-sitters. According to the American Kennel Club, "Sweetness of temperament is the hallmark of the Newfoundland."
[Newfies, especially ones with the right coat, also look exactly like Chewbacca]
Their strengths made more of an impression on Murphy than other characteristics. Like their massive size. Or their tendency to drool.
Some children are initially frightened of Archie. They quickly get over it.
"When we see really large creatures, we tend at first to be taken aback," said Howard Miller, a Casa Pacifica therapist. "But Archie is a very lovable-looking and acting dog. Immediately the kids sense someone who is warm and cuddly. Being near him gives them a great sense of security."
Wired teenagers walk out their frustrations next to Archie. Lonely adolescents sit beside him on the green lawn, arms draped across his broad back. Kids who are having trouble in school practice reading aloud to him, choosing from a library of books about Newfies.
A toddler who was 11 months old when she arrived at Casa Pacifica spoke her first word there: "Archie."
[True Fact: Dogs are more lovable than most people; they are more lovable than me at least]
As for the drooling, Murphy and the other staffers have learned to live with what the kids call Archie's "schnarf."
[On one of his days off Archie ate Schnarf - much to the dismay of Lion-O and much to the delight of the other Thundercats]
Murphy bought stacks of white cotton shop towels, and everyone from the receptionist to Elson keeps one nearby to wipe slobber off walls, desks and laps.
[If Ericka is still the receptionist there, let her know I said hi. She looks like a supermodel, too]
A local quilting group has made 20 Newfoundland-size bibs, embroidered with Archie's name or phrases such as "World's Greatest Smoocher." He has a Valentine's bib and one for St. Patrick's Day. For the Casa Pacifica "prom," Archie wore a tuxedo bib with a boutonniere.
[The Casa Pacifica prom is a real prom, except the kids do not have to pay fifty dollar tickets; it begins at 6pm and is over by 8pm and there are no trips to hotels afterwards. Oh, and the DJ and/or entertainment usually is pretty cheesy- one year they had a Madonna impersonator]
Dog people don't need proof that a wagging tail can salvage even the worst day. But researchers at UCLA Medical Center have actually quantified the therapeutic value.
A study presented at the American Heart Assn.'s 2005 scientific conference monitored heart and lung function and stress hormones in 76 heart failure patients randomly assigned to one of three groups. In the group visited by a dog, anxiety levels dropped 24%, compared with a 10% drop in patients visited by a human volunteer and no drop in those with no visitor.
Today, UCLA's People-Animal Connection, or PAC, is one of the oldest and best-known animal-assisted therapy programs in the country. More than 60 trained volunteers and their dogs visit 450 patients a month at the university's Westwood and Santa Monica hospitals.
"Patients have said these visits make them happier, less anxious and isolated, and less scared," said PAC director Jack Barron, whose golden retrievers, Joey and Sam, specialize in transplant and psychiatric patients, respectively.
Even doctors, nurses and other hospital staff members put in requests from time to time, not for a patient but for themselves, Barron said.
At Casa Pacifica, Archie starts each day by greeting everyone who works there. Unfolding from the back seat of Murphy's Chrysler in the morning (her husband was right about those nights and weekends), he pokes his big, square head into every office before posting himself at the door to await the children.
When he isn't napping in Murphy's office, he snores next to the director's desk. Casa Pacifica's Christmas card last year featured a photo of Archie, a red scarf around his neck, a little girl at his side.
[He eventually ate the little girl]
[Okay, I kid]
Elson's reservations melted, even after Archie ran up some expensive medical bills.
Like many large breeds, Newfies are prone to joint problems. Most recently, Archie blew out his hip playing with Tallulah, Murphy's Shih Tzu, a silken-haired dog about the size of a loaf of bread.
Donations paid for the repairs. As Archie recovered, handmade get-well cards covered Casa Pacifica's walls and doors. The kids missed him. Home alone, the dog howled.
Murphy decided that work was the best medicine, and so Archie limped back to the office, his leg in a cast. And children who had known great callousness in their lives treated the giant canine with exquisite tenderness.
[And besides- happiness is a warm puppy]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mary.engel@latimes.com
[One post script: Newfies also have webbed toes, love the water and especially swimming. It is not recommended that you get a Newfie unless you have a swimming pool or access to a body of water. Newfies have also been known to be trained as life guards. I saw a group train at Lake Castaic once. Those horse sized dogs sure can be gentle.]
________________________________________________________________________
First some good news (for me anyway): the new Birthday Massacre album, Walking with Strangers comes out on September 11th. Their previous album was the first one in a long time that I just listened over and over and over again and I just love the demo version of Kill the Lights that is on their Myspace page. Now, if only they would do an official release of some of their older songs like Queen of Hearts or their awesome cover of the Neverending Story.
Hope the new album lives up and hope they play somewhere accessible to Austin.
New HATE THAT SONG of the day: Hey, There Delilah by the Plain White Tees.
First there was that song from Fall out Boy that would PUMP YOU UP if you are a bully working out so you could beat up nerds later in the day. Then there was that Iggy Thump song from the White Stripes where it sounds like they are just plucking strings out at random and doing it over and over again. Hey, I can pluck strings at random- where are my millions? (My main problem with both songs? Aside from being unimaginative pieces of crap, both were and are played continuously)
Then there is that Delilah song. I have nothing against it really other than it is played over and over again on a radio station that is supposed to play contemporary alternative rock. So in between sets of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Soundgarden and Nirvana songs that get played at least four times every hour, they play crap like this. At least twice. Every hour. More than likely in between songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Soundgarden and Nirvana. And then they play those songs from Fall Out Boy and the White Stripes.
If I ever find out who this Delilah was, she better watch out for the ten thousand bullets that have each have her name on it.
Hey there, indeed.
Now, okay, you Texans really loved Lady Bird. Even the hard core sports freaks were mourning her the day after. When I first heard the news the other day I thought they said Larry Bird (which would explain the mourning sports freaks) and when heard it a second time I was wondering what the fuss was about Hank Hill’s dog (which would not explain the mourning sports freaks).
Anyway.
Thirty and two- just remember that.
Especially if you come across someone passed out on the floor and is not breathing.
Thirty compressions and two breaths for CPR up from fifteen compressions, so you will be freaking tired after several sets.
So I am not saving your life until I have a good warm up stretch so I do not pass out after a set or two of thirty compressions and two breaths.
While we are at it, the American Health Association’s CPR training now consists of a guy on a DVD talking you through the steps. Sorry, but that does not cut it.
Oh, well.
I am not boycotting 7-11 and the Kwik-E-Mart promotion. And I am not stopping you from going either. I thought it was a great promotion and I am curious as hell to see what Krusty-O cereal tastes like. And I even enjoy the Apu character. But I will not be supporting the promotion as it does pigeon hole our Desi friends as two dimensional caricatures (the Apu character does have some depth, but the normal gweilo will not care, that brown guy at the corner store is just another person they will mock because it is what they saw on TV because ultimately, Apu is a Desi as seen from the point of view of a gweilo no matter how hard they try).
As someone who is pigeon holed as being super smart with computers (well, I do know how to turn the machine on), knows kung fu (I watch the movies but I am not a martial arts master) and has canine for supper (just like Apu I am vegetarian), I know the annoyance of being stereotyped. So you can go to 7-11 if you want to, I will stay away for now (and besides- it has been at least a decade since I even walked into one anyway, when was the last time I craves a Squishy?).
Speaking of TV things, I am currently catching up on series three of Hustle which has become one of my favourite shows, whose producers also make Spooks/MI-5 (another favourite) and to whom I ask the following: Where is Life on Mars? I know there is an American remake coming soon, but come on! Give us the original on DVD. I am really anticipating this show and even the sequel Ashes To Ashes.
There is an article at the LA Times about the place where I used to work (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/ventura/la-me-archie9jul09,1,7854253.story?coll=la-editions-ventura&ctrack=1&cset=true – reproduced in full below) primarily about the place where I used to work and specifically about the therapy dog who I knew was the size of a small horse and is now the size of a big horse. It also talks about Vicki Murphy who was one of the most dedicated people there (and one of the nicest and always had some candy for me).
Funny that two years after I left there and after I left California that the article would just pop out of nowhere and drive me back to thinking about the place. There were frustrating times, maddening times and worse times. But there were also good times and good people there who at the end of the day were just about making sure the kids felt safe. There are some great people there and I just wish the article would just talk about them more (not to take away from Archie who also does great work there).
And why is it that there are things all over the place that are reminding me of home? I was watching the show Psyche which is set in Santa Barbara and name drops the 805 and Ventura. I spoke to someone named Camarillo (no kidding- and she wondered why the hell I moved to Texas. But then again, she was in Missouri). And then there is the article about the dog.
SO.
Two years in Texas for me.
How about that?
That LA Times article [with some commentary from me in brackets]:
Archie? He's the Dog Star
The 165-pound Newfoundland works his magic daily with abused and neglected children at Camarillo's Casa Pacifica. Only his drool is 'yucky!'
By Mary Engel, Times Staff Writer, July 9, 2007
“When we see really large creatures, we tend at first to be taken aback. But Archie is a very lovable-looking and acting dog.” - Howard Miller, a therapist at Casa Pacifica
[Howard is a great guy, who took time out of his day to say good bye to me on my last day; he is especially effective with tweens, making his therapeutic techniques very accessible for that age group]
The toddlers spot him the instant he steps out of his office. They swarm him like bees [the dog, not Howard], shouting his name:
"Archie! Archie! Archie!"
[The dog’s real name is Archibald Something Something- I forget what the full name was]
He drops to the ground, eye-level with 3-year-olds. They lean into him, hug him, climb on him.
At Casa Pacifica, a Ventura County oasis for abused, neglected and emotionally disturbed children, patience and calm aren't just virtues; they're job requirements. Archie has worked at the leafy campus in Camarillo for two years, and he doesn't flinch when small hands pull his ears and wandering fingers poke his nostrils.
[The little ones do not restrict their poking to just animals that walk on four by the way. Bipeds get as much attention when it comes to poking]
Instead, he bestows slobbery kisses with a pink tongue as large as a hand towel.
"Yucky!" the kids squeal, hugging the 165-pound dog all the harder.
Archie was Vicki Murphy's idea.
[Vicki is one of the non-frontline staff at Casa Pacifica who exemplifies and personifies the purpose and cause of that children’s shelter. She works very hard for the place and what’s even better- she also knows and appreciates the hard work of the front line staff. Plus her daughters look like supermodels- Hi Ashley!]
Her boss, Steven Elson, a psychologist and Casa Pacifica's executive director, was initially skeptical of so-called therapy dogs. Her husband was doubtful for different reasons; he knew where the massive canine, who looks like an extra-fuzzy black bear but is actually a Newfoundland, would spend nights and weekends.
[Steve Elson can sometimes seem aloof and distant from the goings on at the place and it sometimes seems as if he is sheltered from any bad news there. He does a good job there, though and is a nice person, but he is all business, all the time and drives a nice car]
But Murphy, 51, Casa Pacifica's director of operations and development, had watched dogs work magic with children before. A former private school teacher, she once raised a puppy in her classroom. The second-graders took turns walking Rudy, a Labrador retriever, and learned not to rock their chairs on his paws or tail. If dogs could teach privileged children about responsibility and nurturing, Murphy mused, maybe they could help kids whose human role models had failed them utterly.
[Hah! I love the fact that she went from helping privileged children to children who have next for nothing.]
Besides, she'd said to her husband when they picked up the 9-week-old Archie, then a cubbish 26 pounds, "How big can he get?"
Private donors bought the dog and have kept him in kibbles - eight cups a day, or almost 30 pounds a week.
Operated by a public-private partnership, Casa Pacifica looks more like an upscale camp than a shelter for youngsters who sometimes arrive with gashes and broken bones.
[Sad but true about the gashes and broken bones]
[I also have had adults who knew nothing about the place ask me how they could get reservations to the place, like it was a five star resort or something.]
It has 45 beds for emergency placements: infants through 18-year-olds rescued from abusive or negligent households in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. They stay an average of two months before returning to their families or being placed with relatives or in foster homes.
[HAH! I came up with that statistic. No really, I did.]
The campus also has a school and a 28-bed residential treatment center for seriously emotionally disturbed 11- to 18-year-olds who have exhausted the foster care system. A typical stay is about 15 months.
[Reality Check: the kids at the shelter, school and residential treatment center can get very annoying, abusive and generally think they are better than you. So, they are just like normal kids, just more extreme. So, give kudos to anyone who works in a similar place]
[Reality Check II: Remember where the kids are coming from, if we all had their experiences, we would an extinct species. And just like you the kids have good days and bad days, with way more good than bad. It is just that the bad days stand out]
[Reality Check III: Yes, there are kids you just want to take home and adopt though that is highly not recommended. I had a cousin who worked for a similar place in Orange County did that and it did not end well]
Murphy chose a Newfoundland for Casa Pacifica after researching breeds. Newfies are gentle, playful, lovable galoots whose devotion to children has earned them accolades as natural baby-sitters. According to the American Kennel Club, "Sweetness of temperament is the hallmark of the Newfoundland."
[Newfies, especially ones with the right coat, also look exactly like Chewbacca]
Their strengths made more of an impression on Murphy than other characteristics. Like their massive size. Or their tendency to drool.
Some children are initially frightened of Archie. They quickly get over it.
"When we see really large creatures, we tend at first to be taken aback," said Howard Miller, a Casa Pacifica therapist. "But Archie is a very lovable-looking and acting dog. Immediately the kids sense someone who is warm and cuddly. Being near him gives them a great sense of security."
Wired teenagers walk out their frustrations next to Archie. Lonely adolescents sit beside him on the green lawn, arms draped across his broad back. Kids who are having trouble in school practice reading aloud to him, choosing from a library of books about Newfies.
A toddler who was 11 months old when she arrived at Casa Pacifica spoke her first word there: "Archie."
[True Fact: Dogs are more lovable than most people; they are more lovable than me at least]
As for the drooling, Murphy and the other staffers have learned to live with what the kids call Archie's "schnarf."
[On one of his days off Archie ate Schnarf - much to the dismay of Lion-O and much to the delight of the other Thundercats]
Murphy bought stacks of white cotton shop towels, and everyone from the receptionist to Elson keeps one nearby to wipe slobber off walls, desks and laps.
[If Ericka is still the receptionist there, let her know I said hi. She looks like a supermodel, too]
A local quilting group has made 20 Newfoundland-size bibs, embroidered with Archie's name or phrases such as "World's Greatest Smoocher." He has a Valentine's bib and one for St. Patrick's Day. For the Casa Pacifica "prom," Archie wore a tuxedo bib with a boutonniere.
[The Casa Pacifica prom is a real prom, except the kids do not have to pay fifty dollar tickets; it begins at 6pm and is over by 8pm and there are no trips to hotels afterwards. Oh, and the DJ and/or entertainment usually is pretty cheesy- one year they had a Madonna impersonator]
Dog people don't need proof that a wagging tail can salvage even the worst day. But researchers at UCLA Medical Center have actually quantified the therapeutic value.
A study presented at the American Heart Assn.'s 2005 scientific conference monitored heart and lung function and stress hormones in 76 heart failure patients randomly assigned to one of three groups. In the group visited by a dog, anxiety levels dropped 24%, compared with a 10% drop in patients visited by a human volunteer and no drop in those with no visitor.
Today, UCLA's People-Animal Connection, or PAC, is one of the oldest and best-known animal-assisted therapy programs in the country. More than 60 trained volunteers and their dogs visit 450 patients a month at the university's Westwood and Santa Monica hospitals.
"Patients have said these visits make them happier, less anxious and isolated, and less scared," said PAC director Jack Barron, whose golden retrievers, Joey and Sam, specialize in transplant and psychiatric patients, respectively.
Even doctors, nurses and other hospital staff members put in requests from time to time, not for a patient but for themselves, Barron said.
At Casa Pacifica, Archie starts each day by greeting everyone who works there. Unfolding from the back seat of Murphy's Chrysler in the morning (her husband was right about those nights and weekends), he pokes his big, square head into every office before posting himself at the door to await the children.
When he isn't napping in Murphy's office, he snores next to the director's desk. Casa Pacifica's Christmas card last year featured a photo of Archie, a red scarf around his neck, a little girl at his side.
[He eventually ate the little girl]
[Okay, I kid]
Elson's reservations melted, even after Archie ran up some expensive medical bills.
Like many large breeds, Newfies are prone to joint problems. Most recently, Archie blew out his hip playing with Tallulah, Murphy's Shih Tzu, a silken-haired dog about the size of a loaf of bread.
Donations paid for the repairs. As Archie recovered, handmade get-well cards covered Casa Pacifica's walls and doors. The kids missed him. Home alone, the dog howled.
Murphy decided that work was the best medicine, and so Archie limped back to the office, his leg in a cast. And children who had known great callousness in their lives treated the giant canine with exquisite tenderness.
[And besides- happiness is a warm puppy]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mary.engel@latimes.com
[One post script: Newfies also have webbed toes, love the water and especially swimming. It is not recommended that you get a Newfie unless you have a swimming pool or access to a body of water. Newfies have also been known to be trained as life guards. I saw a group train at Lake Castaic once. Those horse sized dogs sure can be gentle.]
________________________________________________________________________
posted by Catterpillarboy at 3:23 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home