As I traveled through the channel listings via remote last night, I spotted a program on VH1 called "How Thin Is Too Thin?" And I thought, "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
We're up a little early this morning -- pre-dawn -- because Baby Jane Doe, one of our big dogs, thought today was "Pre-Dawn Conversation Day" on the modern calendar. She got some conversation, alright, but, by then, it was too late to celebrate the unofficial National Sleep-In Friday. Oh, she's a sweet dog. I'm sure she meant well. And, mercifully, she has been able to eat her breakfast and go back to sleep without tossing and turning. Another reason to envy dogs.
GOLF COURSE RESCUE NEEDS A FOSTER HOME: Marni Carter of the Humane Society of Lewisville has a catch-up note about an old story. Back in mid-April folks from the society were able to catch Cheyenne the Dog -- it was a six-day project on the North Texas Golf Center course at I-35 and Walnut Hill..
Now, Cheyenne is undergoing heartworm treatment 
and needs a foster home where she can be kept in quiet confinement. You know, when these dogs are being "cured," they simply must be still and calm. It's part of the deal -- rowdy behavior puts them at risk. Trust me, it's bad stuff.
(In the photos, Cheyenne demonstrates her acting talent with, first, the "I'm interested" look and, next, the "Ah, I see. That's sweet" expression. Note the flexibility of her ears -- this gift separates her from the run-of-the-mill actors. Jack Nicholson is good, but he can't pull this one off.)
Cheyenne is a Shiba Inu/Basenji mix, says Marni. "She loves children, women and is shy of men at first and then warms up."
She, however, also gets a tad excited around other dogs and cats so she needs to be in an only dog spot.
Now, here's a little bit of her personality from Marni's eyewitness report. Cheyenne "prances around when she walks. She dances in circles on her back feet with you and she buries her food to save it for when she is hungry. She will either bury it with a toy or with a towel. We make sure to give her an extral towel to use just for that. She positions the towel perfectly over the bowl in a little bitty ball so that all you can see is a balled-up towel and nothing else. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen. She also loves to give kisses. If it weren't for the cat and dog thing, she wouldn't be going anywhere! We absolutely are in love with her!"
To help the Humane Society of Lewisville find a good foster or permanent home for Cheyenne, call 972-353-4840 or e-mail [email protected]. And if you'd like to see a well-done website, go to www.hsltexas.org. It's got photos of animals you can adopt and it has a nice gentle sermon about the benefits of spay/neuter.
WEBSITE TIP: I used to work a lot of nights and weekends which means, of course, that I was a fan of/victim of late night television. This was before the networks realized that people who were up late had jobs, thus had money to spend in the daytime. So, generally, when it got past the midnight sign-off for the three networks, only NBC had something interesting for insomniacs: Mister Tom Snyder. Mr. Snyder has been off television for five or six years, but sweet memories from his "Tomorrow" show and his "Late Late Show With Tom Snyder."
You can still catch his delightful sense of humor and his take on the world at his website www.colortini.com. He's undergoing chemo right now, so, maybe it would be good if some of his old fans let him know they're still thinking of him. He's a fan of toy trains and dogs and he is among the smartest people ever to appear on TV. I'm not sure that's much of a compliment, but you get my drift. He had conversations with his guests -- they weren't just on the show to pitch a product.
Some day, maybe, the pendulum of sanity will swing back and the "really smart and important people" who run the 21st Century's media will go butt a stump and allow un-frenetic, smart programming and helpful design replace the quick-cut, racket-filled hodgepodge of short-term experimentation that consumers must suffer today. Here's a thought for you TV programmers: If everybody is loud, nobody stands out.
OK, off the soapbox. Hand me the remote. Where is that mute button? By cracky.
COMING UP NEXT: Stay tuned to this site for our continuing weekend series "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" and "Cat-napping." This time we'll be featuring an Arizona kitten named Smokey! Remember, nominate your critters by sending a photo of the slumbering rascals to [email protected]. And Smokey will make you smile!
