kerry blues and beckett

Samuel Beckett and one of his Kerry Blue Terriers.

Read more about Beckett and Kerry Blues at the web site for the Kerry Blue Terrier Foundation.

Read Krapp's Last Tape which includes this famous passage (here is part of it):

In the end I held it out to him and he took it in his mouth, gently, gently. A small, old, black, hard, solid rubber ball. (Pause.) I shall feel it, in my hand, until my dying day. (Pause.) I might have kept it. (Pause.) But I gave it to the dog.

Further Information on Samuel Beckett:
kora in hell | letters | irish writers | samuel beckett

Further Information on Kerry Blue Terriers:

• US Kerry Blue Terrier Club (USKBTC)

Kerry Blue Terrier Rescue
Kerry Blue Terrier History . . . such as the romantic legends of the Russian blue dog that swam ashore from a ship wrecked in Tralee Bay or a water dog from the Spanish Armada . . .
Kerry Blue Terrier Foundation
This site has additional information on other famous people who have owned Kerry Blues.

NOTE: please contact the USKBTC for information. I think Kerry Blues are wonderful dogs but I don't know anything about them. I am interested in these dogs because of their connection to Samuel Beckett.

yard tears

I don't have much to say about these pictures. I just like the image of her as a blur.

And, yes, she is running aroud with her favorite toy -- the empty toilet paper roll.

It was very hard for me to get a still picture of her since she rarely had all four paws on the ground.

puppy decor

[click on picture for larger image]

This is my office.

It isn't pretty. But sometimes it can be awfully cute.

She just woke up and opened her eye at me.
Herw adorwible widdle eye.

I do have a nice padded bed for her but naturally she chose to take a nap in my laundry basket.

the collar

The pet business is completely out of control. It is sick in a lot of ways and I don't like the feeling that I am indulging in spending lunatic amounts of money on one single animal while there are so many animals in shelters (not to mention the human suffering . . . .).

This CCOCD [CONSUMER CULTURE OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER] doesn't does any good of course.

It isn't like the moral inequalities of the world are in any way affected by my decision of where I buy a dog collar. (Not to mention the psychic ordeal of getting a dog but that's another posting.)

The thing with CCOCD is that instead of just doing a basic task and going on to other more important matters in our lives we exert a tremendous amount of energy -- intellectual and psychic -- just thinking about spending money (it is sort of the inverse of being a shopaholic).

I just feel better buying something I need that is well made, well designed, reasonably priced and supporting a business that is run by what appear to be decent people.

And isn't it nice:
-- kind of cute but not too cutesy?

Okay. Now go consider something of relevance:

If you must.

Or, better yet, consider this.

george sf

GEORGE

This is a great shop - it has stores in California as well as an online shop with pet goods that are well designed. It isn't cheap but it isn't the most expensive either. Their stuff is well made. Given that it is a business inspired by a wire fox terrier it would have to sturdy. They have a nice web site. Take a look around. I wanted to give GEORGE my first shout out because I used their tag as the basis of my design for this page:

And, of course, they are all about fox terriers.

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
- Groucho Marx

This has always been one of my favorite sayings about dogs.

Plus je vois l'homme,
plus j'aimie mon chien
-- Madame de Stael

This quote has been attributed to dozens of people. I always thought it was MdS. Others claim she got it from. Pascal. If anyone knows for certain I'd appreciate the confirmation. It may just be one of those sayings that have always been in the air.

Fox-terriers are born with about four times as much original sin in them as other dogs.
-- Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat