Red Eye, Summer of 2013
GREG : Actress Eva Mendes tells New York magazine that she wishes the tabloids would blur the faces of her dog Hugo, like British rags do with celebrities kids.
She says, Ill go somewhere and theyll be like, Hey, Hugo. And Im like, How do you know Hugos name? Thats so creepy.
To throw off the paparazzi, she now has someone else walk Hugo.
Dana, I go to you first for no particular reason whatsoever. Why must your friends, family, and Twitter followers be kept abreast of everything your precious Jasper does?
DANA : I know that Im a dog bore, but I embrace it. It gives me great joy. I love all the pictures. And you know what? Ill make Jasper Americas Dog. He is for everybody, and Ill share him with the world.
Look at that face! And hes got that little ear and hes so cute!
People adore Jasper and they say, dont stop tweeting pictures of Jasper just because Greg Gutfeld makes fun of you.
GREG : Would you want your dogs face blurred?
DANA : No. Actually, you know what? People recognize Jasper more than they recognize me at the park, and I love that.
Theyre like, OMG is that Jasper!? We love Jasper.
So I think I have finally achieved something in life. Finally!
W hen I wrote And the Good News Is, I had an entire chapter about dogsthe ones I grew up with in Wyoming and Colorado, the one I had to give away at college, and the ones Ive raised with my husband. I loved that chapter. I was proud of it, too. It had great detail, funny stories, and descriptions of the life lessons Id learned from being around dogs (more, I think, than Ive learned from humans). I thought it fit perfectly into my book that blended my memoir with my best career advice.
The problem was, my editor, Sean Desmond, needed me to cut about ten thousand words from the draft manuscript. I spent a weekend trying to trim off that length, but the text was pretty tight. I got frustrated. I couldnt find a way to delete that much copy.
Finally, I stepped back and took a long look at the dog chapter. It was several thousand words long. I eyed it for the chopping block, but I couldnt bring down the hatchet. I slept on it (the book, not the hatchet). The deadline loomed.
I used my foolproof method of decision-making, praying for a clear idea of how to solve my problem. When I woke up, I knew what I needed to do.
I printed the dog chapter and took it with me to Seans office near Grand Central Station in Manhattan.
This may be the hardest thing I do, and it is breaking my heart, I said. But here you go. You can have the dog chapter. Without it, we can make the word count.
I tossed the chapter onto his desk.
While Sean isnt a dog person, he knew it was quite a sacrifice.
I think this is the right decision, he said. And I promise you, one day there will be a dog book.
And true to his word, here we are.
So let me tell you about Jasperhow my best friend became Americas Dog.
J asper is a four-year-old Hungarian Vizsla. My husband, Peter, and I brought him home to New York City from Maryland in June 2012 when he was nine weeks old. No one has ever made me laugh morehes a beautiful little rascal. (My dog, I mean, not Peter. Though, now that I think about it)
Hes also a bit of a celebrity. I didnt set out to make Jasper a star; it just happened, and almost overnight. Hes got that certain something, and together, over time, Jasper and I have connected with more people and their pets than I ever thought possible. I wanted to write this book because Im touched by the human connection that we can make with each other through our dogs.
It is a bit wonderful that through television and social media, Jasper and I became friends with so many people across the country. I enjoy interacting with my followers and fans, and I really feel that we have modern-day friendshipspeople Ive never met, but that Ive come to know over time through short digital interactions. It has widened my circle of people I talk to, and its deepened my appreciation for people from all walks of life. I now get a chance to communicate with people I wouldnt have ever known; the Internet has given us a way to connect and network that didnt exist before. Were all neighbors now (with the proper amount of fencing to keep things friendly).
Often this new group of people has cheered me up or warmed my heart just when I needed it. Working in politics and live cable television can be stressful, and switching off at the end of the day isnt always easy. Jaspers following has actually given me a way to set aside the work portion of my day and exchange some messages with my electronic friends, which helps me keep grounded and cheerful.
Ive long used dogs as a buffer between my work and personal life, though I didnt realize it until I sat down and really thought about how much I appreciate dogs. On my way to work, I see dogs out for their afternoon walks and it always makes me smile. Dogs have a way of softening my hard edges.
And Ive found that no matter what the controversies or issues of the day that we discussand argue abouton television and online, dogs are the great equalizer. Just when it feels like we are so polarized as a country between right and left, and that we cant get along, remember that we have a few things in commonand for millions of us, that is our love for our pets (this includes catsI guess). Sometimes, if you cant get along with anyone or you have strife in a relationship, find common ground through your dogs: hit the dog park and reconnect. Its certainly better than a four-hour heart-to-heart in Starbucks, ending in an awkward hug and a secret promise to yourself that you will block this person from your phone.