Posts tagged Dogs
ringo, the beatles and dogs
Jul 17th
ringo
So. Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey real name) turned 70 not too long ago. 70. Oh. In case you are under 12 or have been living in a cave Ringo was the Beatles drummer.
Look. I was only 9 or 10 when the Beatles played their last concert but maybe because their music was so integral to my household and growing up hearing Ringo become 70 makes me feel old. Kind of like it’s time to grow up.
Ringo was always the playful one.
For god’s sake he wore a pelt and played a caveman in a movie.
He sang Yellow Submarine from a group portfolio that includes Eleanor Rigby, Norwegian Wood and Helter Skelter. .
And now he is probably best known to most people these days for his excellent work as the voiceover guy from the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends videos.
While we will never forget him as the drummer of the Beatles, it’s easy to forget he wrote and sang probably one of the top 3 ‘post Beatles’ songs of all the Beatles (It don’t come Easy from the concert for Bangladesh).
It’s easy to forget as a drummer he shared the stage with two of the greatest songwriters of all time as well as another immensely talented guitar player and songwriter in his own right … and concert in and concert out and studio session after studio session he kind of kept it all together.
But he turned 70.
I guess in an odd way I just wanted the Beatles to burn out and not fade away. I don’t want to see the rust. (using Neil Young to make a point here).
And maybe I want that because their music is eternal. You can listen to a Beatles song today and it is just as good and relevant as it was when it first aired. Beautifully crafted. Wonderfully managed from start to finish. I would be hard pressed to find anyone who not only didn’t know one Beatles song but couldn’t sing along.
Birthdays like this remind us that time passes but some things remain eternal.
beatles and dogs
Lately I have had a number of good friends, and dog lovers, suggesting it may be time for me to think about getting a new dog. Not yet.
While it really isn’t time I actually get to put the decision off because I am in too small a place and the uncertainty on what is coming next in my life. So that makes the decision a little easier. I don’t have to make it.
But. It does remind me not only the great things about having had Tigger but I think the reason why dog lovers are dog lovers and not cat lovers. They teach you responsibility and give you character and an unequivocal dedication (when they want to). But. Best of all ? :
There is that excitement of being John, Paul, George or Ringo when you came through the door every day. Heck. Depending on how long you have been gone you could be all 4 of them in one.
Oh. And they never asked you sing.
I will get another dog someday. I will probably get another border collie. Maddening and nonstop hyper and their terrible two’s last 3+ years but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The following picture is not of my old border collie, Tigger, but it could have been.
Border collies work when they play. And that makes them happy.
Some days I would be lazy when we went out and wouldn’t bring a toy or a ball or a stick and when he would stare at me with unblinking eyes and say “so, what are we going to do?” I would take a sip of coffee and say “go get a stick. Let’s play stick.” And he would turn and sprint away. I have no clue how he knew where to go and it wasn’t the same direction every time but, sonuvabitch, he was getting a stick. And on occasion this is what would happen.
dogs
Beyond treating you like The Beatles every time you come through the door I have one word for owning a dog. Companionship.
Ok. Maybe two. Dedicated companionship. I don’t care how surly, moody, incorrigible, lazy or whatever word you attach to a dog when they see “their” owner they pick their ass up and are just there.
Anyway. Just to complete my post on dogs thought it would be a good excuse to show some picture of how dogs provide joy and companionship all over the world. The great thing about dogs is that they are just like great friends. They need not be by your side for you to know that they are there. But they will always find a way to be beside you when you most need it. So. This is my tribute to dogs around the world.
This is for all the dog lovers. Miss ya Tigger.
Dog Food Advertising Ramblings
Mar 16th
So. My neighbor, who has a great mutt named Josie, was telling me about a Pedigree commercial she thought I would like. I typically dislike pet food advertising because I think most of it is fairly unoriginal and “cute” (I CANNOT believe I just typed that word) but not really giving me a reason to buy their stuff. I do think IAMS does a nice job talking about some of the functional reasons to purchase, and I loved the Snausages execution (the dogs yelling “snausages”) because I could just envision my dog doing the same (didn’t really compel me to buy Snausages but I thought the commercial was hysterical).
Anyway.
The Pedigree ads. I cruised onto Youtube and checked them out (because apparently I don’t watch TV shows with high dog viewership because I haven’t seen any of this crap). Before I get to the ones that she told me about I do want to point out one Australia version of a Pedigree ad which I really liked. I think it is an older campaign and the use of an Aussie voice (which could calmly tell you that you were fat, dumb and ugly and you would still smile) may bias me but I thought it was nice. I thought it was simple with a straightforward message and a little twist that made it clear they understood dogs:
Ok. Onto the ‘slow mo’ Pedigree campaign. Beautifully shot and produced. Well crafted. Not sure it will sell one damn bag of dog food. Oops. That was the cynical-advertising-business-side of me speaking. Ok. Ok. With one exception. The introductory “now available” version I thought clearly made me want to pay attention to the words and the footage is really nice:
This next version I am sure is the one TBWA has on their agency reel and probably has never aired on one television show (its 2 minutes long). And it seems to go too long, but once again fun to watch and it has beautiful footage and I hope they never pay to air it because I don’t think it will sell one bag of dog food.
So. I figured after pounding on the 2 minute version I should probably share the one that is probably on television right now. I don’t really have anything new to say other than the fact I have been on a production where we had a dog jump and grab something and it is a pain to shoot and shoot well but if you get it right (like TBWA did) it is a really cool little vignette in the bigger scheme of the commercial.
Lastly.
Now. I love the filming of the commercials and I absolutely love the introductory commercial (mostly because it is well done and unabashedly an introductory message). I would also like to note I am an admirer of TBWA who did this campaign (Toronto office I believe), however, the campaign is kind of a rip off of a video done by Pleix films in about 2006. But, hey, great ideas can happen everywhere and copying is the truest form of flattery (although I seriously doubt they knew they were copying).
Now, that is just a short film done for creativity’s sake and isn’t selling anything but the production capabilities of the group who created it, but it is a fun very well done video particularly if you like dogs.
That’s it. My neighbor got me thinking about it and I love dogs so I thought what the heck…write about it. Plus. Everyone likes to look at commercials.
My last Tigger post (I think): Pet quotes
Feb 3rd
Tigger in his younger days
Every dog owner knows this … if you are responsible and loving and devoted and invest every ounce you have of those things into your dog, the return you receive is tenfold, no, hundredfold. And even better?
You receive so much there is even some of it left over to hold onto when your dog has actually left you behind in life.
With that. Some words from some people (kind of) who are smarter than I:
“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.”
- Unknown
“Yesterday I was a dog. Today I’m a dog. Tomorrow I’ll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There’s so little hope for advancement.”
- Snoopy
“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“Ask of the beasts and they will teach you the beauty of this earth.”
- St. Francis of Assisi
And then there was one.
Jan 27th
My border collie Tigger got me off the hook. I am afraid I was selfish with my dog. I didn’t want to let him go. As he has for almost 15 years he did what was best for me and took care of me as best buddies seem to know how to do. He passed away in his sleep last night.
And in the morning there was just one. Me.
My dog, a border collie named Tigger, would have been 15 next month.
He was having more and more senior moments.
On murky days he sometimes lost me when I walked 15 or 20 feet away. He panicked but when he finally spotted me (after I have been yelling “over here” and waving my arms like a windmill) he perked up and immediately ambled over towards me.
On murky days he woke up and tried drinking from his food bowl (until he realized there was no water there).
On his less stable days (which happened more often) he sometimes fell. (and a good gust of wind could knock him over)
On his really good days you could see what he wanted to do in his eyes and we would go out and act like when he could actually do it.
So. A couple of nights ago sitting on my floor he fell sleep with his nose resting on my leg. Those of you who know, or own, border collies know how unusual this could be in their hyper personalities. But. He was getting tired. Of life I fear. I recognized there weren’t years left. It was now months. I think he knew it was weeks. Maybe even days.
As background. It was just Tigger and I. And always has been (including an incredible circle of friends).
He has been my best friend for these 14+ years. From the day I picked him out of a litter, carried him in the palm of my hand to the car and drove him home we have done everything together. With a mercurial personality, sometimes surly, always active, herding everything and shamelessly dedicated to me (except Uncle Gary who was his alpha dog) he was his own dog. Often, to the dismay of my friends, Tigger attended almost everything I attended. To call him my best friend really doesn’t tell half the story. I am single and he has been my constant family over the past 14+ years.
To be fair to Tigger he always encouraged me to add to the McTague household. Showing incredible affection to close friends, occasional girlfriends and even their pets. He has stuck with me as I have singlehandedly destroyed every relationship I have had with some amazing women over the years. Now. Let it be told he did his part to salvage these relationships all on his lonesome.
There was the woman who he must have sensed I was thinking of moving on from as she left our place one day (and he was right) and as she drove away he suddenly started running after her car. She had to bring him back when he stood in front of her car at the light outside the complex because she couldn’t move without running him over. Nice try on his part but I still screwed it up. And then there was the time we were cat sitting for a girlfriend out of town on business and he took a nap curled around the cat, named Beast to top it off, telling me in his own way that he would approve having a cat in the household. (I screwed that one up too).
For some time now I think I have been afraid to let him go. I know all dog owners worry about that day. And I guess I hoped it was the one day he learned to talk so he could tell me and I didn’t have to guess. There were times I think he just wanted to say to me “I am tired, we had a great run my friend. It’s time for me to go.” And sometimes when I felt that way I forced him up and out the door for a walk or a “quasi” run or something that gets him up and moving. And that is why I think he got me off the hook. He knew I wouldn’t let him go.
It is amazing to think about it but on Sunday, the last time he saw my mother, he played with her and was (as she called it) frisky. He gave her a going away gift. Her last memory was one of an active, fun border collie.
Monday, while I was typing on my computer he came over and fell asleep by my side with his head on my foot. And he rarely did something like that. I think he knew what was going to happen. Several times yesterday he came over and sat looking to get a good scratch behind the ear. We had a great last day.
As he neared the finish line I sensed he wanted it to be just him and me. He was a lot less inclusive, more protective and more affectionate. Of course he couldn’t talk so I am guessing (trying to get in touch with my inner dog voice). Plus. He got “snappish” with other people which he never did before. So. I use that information to make me feel better about myself.
I will miss the guy. He was my family. He has been with me through thick & thin. And I think he did a lot of things just to please me. I also sometimes thought lately, if I would let him, he would rest his head. And I am not sure he would stop resting. But, once again, he never asked me to do that.
I think in the weird way that dogs know things about their owners…that he knew I was worried about being selfish and afraid of letting him go…but he was ready to go to “the great dog biscuit factory in the sky”. Yeah. I was afraid. Afraid of what it would be like without him (because he has got me through a variety of career crises, relationship fiascos, and general life ineptness). And I was right to be afraid. There is a hole. A deep empty hole.
I know in the end he didn’t want to disappoint me (I believe he knows he never did). And I also know he didn’t want me to worry unnecessarily. So. He made the decision for me.
And then there was only one.
