dogs in the news

dogs are the topic of not one but two of the most e-mailed articles in the new york times today.

article one: c'mon pooch, get with the program about how upwardly mobile dog owners expect their dogs to adapt to new human-oriented environments and sometimes freak out about our dog-like behavior:

The problem, some dog experts suspect, is not that there are more bad dogs, only more demanding owners. People expect their dogs to cooperate with their busier lives — to behave at cocktail parties, at real estate open houses and in cafes and shops — and to respect their better-appointed homes. And in a culture that values achievement and excellence, they readily assume that dogs value the same things, especially when there are obstacle courses to master and social graces to display.

article two: a milk bone? humph! only truffles will do about a doggie bakery in manhattan. on the menu: coconut-coated carob-crunch truffles (a steal at $1.50 apiece) and the display case that holds the liver-cheese brownies (75 cents each) and the salmon crackers with seaweed and anchovy paste ($6.95 for a barker's dozen).

the lesson? stop taking us to goddamn obedience class and get me to the bakery!