Katz Jeffrey P. - Dirty bow wow and other doggie love stories

: Hogan (Bernese Mountain Dog) and Rabbit
Hogan is good natured soul. True to the traits typical of his breed, he is a loving and dedicated companion. A bit shy and reluctant around new people, Hogan had to be cajoled onto the set to have his picture taken. But once he was comfortable and sure he was among friends, he couldnt have been more of a ham happy to be tethered to his best buddy, Rabbit. The more his audience cheered him on, the happier his howl. What a beauty!

Copyright 2009 by Cheryl and Jeffrey Katz
Photography copyright 2009 by Hornick/Rivlin

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Cover and text design by Nancy Austin
Cover photography by Hornick/Rivlin

FIJI and FIJI Water labels and bottle design are registered trademarks of Paramount International export, Ltd.

Frisbee is a registered trademark of wham O. Inc. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publishing Data
Katz, Cheryl (Cheryl B)
Dirty bow wow : a tribute to dogs and the objects of their affection/Cheryl and Jeffrey Katz;
Photography by Hornik/Rivlin.
p. cm.
1. photography of dogs. 2. DogsEquipment and suppliesPictorial works. I. Katz, Jeffrey (Jeffrey P.) II, Title.
TR729.D6K38 2009
779.329772dc22
2008041474

eISBN: 978-1-60774-165-7

v3.1

For our dear friend Nora Devlin,
and our extraordinary children, Fanny and Oliver

W hen we were writing Dirty Wow Wow, a book celebrating the threadbare love objects of childhood, it seemed that every child we encountered was accompanied by a well-worn bunny, blanket, or bear. One evening, a year later, we were heading home from our design studio when we passed the dog park in Boston Common. We stopped to watch the dogs run and play until dark descended. Leashes came out, people called or whistled, and the dogs came running. Nearly every dog had a stuffed animal, squeaky toy, dirty tennis ball, filthy Frisbee, or frayed rope toy in their mouth. The idea for Dirty Bow Wow was born.

This got us talking about the dogs we had loved growing up. Jeffreys family pet was, as poodles used to be called, a miniature French poodle named Pierre. Pierre was Jeffreys mothers pride and joy, and like Jeffreys mom, Minnie, Pierre was stylish, well coiffed, and alarmingly manicured. Though Pierre didnt have a standing Saturday morning beauty salon appointment like Minnie did, he did go to a pooch parlor on a regular basis. Just when Pierre would get scruffy to the point of almost looking natural, Jeffrey and his sisters would return home from school to find a powdered and perfumed Pierre, head and tail punctuated by pom-poms, toenails painted an embarrassing shade of pink, with a matching ribbon around his neck. The effect was meant to emulate a pedigreed champion ready for the show ring, but the result ended up with Pierre looking more like a life-sized figurine. Poor Pierre.

Cheryls family had a mutta cross between a Beagle and a German shepherd, as near as anyone could guessnamed Happy. As her name suggests, Happy was given to Cheryls sister Leslie on her fifth birthday in the hopes that Happy would become a playmate for her. The family had recently moved from the city to what seemed like an empty suburban neighborhood devoid of other children. However, much as Cheryl and Leslie tried to win Happys affection, the dog preferred their dad, Joe. Joe took Happy for walks in the woods behind their house, fed and bathed her, and made sure that Happy had a bowl of corn flakes every morning for breakfast. Probably just as well. Had Happy spent much time playing with the little girls, sooner or later she would doubtless have succumbed to their favorite game of beauty parlor. Happy, too, would have ended up with an extraordinary hairdo and pink nails.

Alas, neither Pierre nor Happy had a Dirty Bow Wow, so during the photo shoot for this book, we were fascinated as dog after dog cavorted with their favorite object. We were delighted when we saw Peppers joy when Pink Elephant was in sight, Blisss true bliss when Orange Horror was brought out of a bag full of Dirty Bow Wows, and Seamuss pure pleasure as he retrieved Bucky.

After spending many wonderful days in Rick and Sandys studio with the dogs and their toys, it made us wonder what our long-gone pets would have adored. What if they had had the good fortune to have been attached to something that gave them as much happiness as the stuffed monkeys and bears and gorillas gave the dogs that we photographed? Pierre, the French poodle? He probably would not have settled for anything less chic than, like the toy poodle Annie Goodman, a satchel full of treasures. Happy? She was a simple soul. Like the French bulldog Diesel, she would probably have been attached to nothing fancier than a discarded water bottle.

And so it was with memories of Pierre and Happy that we embarked on this book, an effort to capture all these beautiful, good-natured creatures with the things that make them happiesttheir Dirty Bow Wows.

A mos and Quacking Duck spent their youth together engaged in a series of high jinks. As his name suggests, Quacking Duck was not the silent type, which, given his rambunctious partnership with Amos, was a blessing. When the two invaded the next door neighbors backyardthe aroma of barbecue too hard to resistQuacking Ducks distinctive voice helped Amoss family locate just where the two rascals had gone. Now, as they grow old togetherAmos a little slower and grayer and Quacking Duck headlesstheir escapades have been scaled back a bit. They can often be found reminiscing about the good old days and the pleasures of absconding with the occasional burger, ketchup and mustard not necessary.

Golden Retriever

W hat French-American princess goes out without the perfect fashion accessory? Certainly not the trendy Annie Goodman. In fact, the nine-year-old canine fashionista goes to great lengths every day to excavate Pink Purse from her extensive collection of couture accoutrements. Annie rarely leaves home without the chic tote, a gift from her Aunt Pam, which holds an interesting yet practical assortment of items, including a collapsible water bowl, a leash (pink, of course) and a brush. Attention to appearance is every urban poodles prerogative.

Toy Poodle

B eau Beau and Big Red have been friends from the start. No fair-weather friendships for this diminutive dachshund. No ball, bone, or bear (and there have been many) can turn his head or bring two-year-old Beau Beau such bliss. There is only one thing that excites him more than playtime with Big Red. An energetic romp with his family in the verdant meadow that surrounds their house is an irresistible treat. During these extensive nature rambles, the always thoughtful Beau Beau leaves his beloved Red indoors. For as much as Beau Beau would love to share his love of the outdoors, his short stature makes searching in the tall grass for Red something of a challenge.