Sunday 26th October 2008

The representation of dogs is woefully lacking. I was reading the list of ‘film and television personalities’ in the Penguin Book of facts. Where was Lassie? Where was Beethoven? (the dog not the composer.) Where oh where was Snoopy? I feel the need to write a letter of complaint to the publishers. How can these people be so narrow minded? I wouldn’t even have objected to finding Garfield, Tom and Jerry or even Mickey Mouse. Animals are being overlooked by the short sighted people who compile these books. I’m guessing it’s really a ‘four-legist’ thing. Obviously being published by Penguin, they have two legs and humans have two legs, so they are simply excluding from their lists all those animals with four legs. I suppose I didn’t actually spot any famous film or television penguins on the list, so I may be exaggerating the logic they have applied.

I’m actually thinking that some of my ramblings come of a dog having too much time on his paws. That’s the problem when you’re in kennels, only out to exercise a couple of times a day and for the rest of the time left to watch the clouds scudding across the sky and into obscurity. It doesn’t really help to have the radio playing all day either. It’s all very well the people here thinking that we’ll find it soothing, but it isn’t tuned to any of my preferred stations. I’m more used to listening to talking books than music, although to be honest I have found some of the thrillers a bit scary, so being on my own in here I’m probably glad I haven’t got to listen to those. John Grisham books aren’t too bad most of the time, but after a while I get confused on which book we’re on and I think they have combined with the last one, which can produce some far more spooky results in my head.