Monday, January 21, 2008

On Dogs


I dedicate this blog entry to our sweet-as-pie dog, Sherpa, who was on my lap just a few minutes ago. A few thoughts about dogs...


Dogs boost our self-esteem; cats make us feel inadequate. They sit in judgment. A dog finds us innocent until proven guilty - and even then treats us as though we were innocent. A cat, on the other hand, finds us guilty until proven innocent - and even then treats us as if we were guilty. - George Howe Colt


A dog, like a human being, is a flawed and messy creature, an amiable galumpher that cleans your coffee table with one sweep of its tail. Grace rarely ranks high among its virtues. Who ever heard of a dog burglar? A cat, on the other hand, is the closest thing to perfection we are likely to encounter in our imperfect lives....Owning a cat, unlike owning a dog, it has been said, is not a utilitarian pleasure; it is an aesthetic one. A dog...is prose. A cat is poetry. -- Anne Fadiman


Epitaph: Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who possessed beauty without vanity, strength without insolence, courage without ferocity, and all of the virtues of man without his vices. This phrase, which would be unmeaning flattery if inscribed over human ashes, is but a just tribute to the memory of Boatswain, a dog, who was born at Newfoundland May 1803 and died at Newstead Abbey November 18, 1808. -- George Gordon Lord Byron 1788-1824

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are lucky my beloved Tess can't
read! (That's my cat ;)
Love ya sisba. . . Brentster

Teacherpreacher said...

You are a cat and your writing is smooth cream. You have the heart of a dog, but the prefectionism of that cat you describe. No wonder you chase your own tail--first the cat, then the dog, then the cat, well, you get the idea. Love, a fan

Cheryl said...

Thanks,Brent. Teacherpreacher, are you my Aunt Cathy? You must be because you know me too well! I DO chase my own tail -- that's the perfect analogy for how I live half the time. -- Cheryl

Acton Family Member said...

I've never seem you chase your tail!