Friday Recap

After completing his first full week of blogging, the Dogman reports:

From the Den of the Dogman has had 579 hits as of this posting.

The vast majority of the Den’s visitors have been from the United States, but readers from Italy, Mexico, Great Britain and Canada have also been welcomed to the Den.

The Den of the Dogman seems inordinately popular in Sweden. I wish I could report this was just due to the natural discernment of Swedes, but it's more likely because my friend Jeff lives there.


Dogs respect no borders, nor does the Dogman. To encourage international visits, I have added a Google widget that translates my stories into an enormous number of languages. In fact, if you don’t speak one of the languages available, you shouldn’t be reading anything. You should be learning a language other people know, too, so you can communicate with someone. Or stick to the dogs.

The Dogman has removed his counter with different flags to represent each unique country, even though he rather enjoyed this colorful feature. The counter with the lovely multi-colored flags will reappear, if you, visitors to the Den, help increase readership so the actual numbers on the pretty flags are no longer embarrassing.


The Dogman loves this opportunity to share his writing widely. He asks that if you enjoy these stories, that you please bring his blog to the attention of others you think might feel the same way. Post a link to the Den on your Facebook page. Send a friend an e-mail advising her that she might like this site. Twitter about the Den. Stand on your roof and shout. However you pass on information to your friends will work just fine. But, please, help share these stories. And, as always, thank you for for visiting the Den of the Dogman, and please come back often.

Watching the number of page hits, and the tiny amount of money made from people clicking on Google Ads whilst in the Den, is somehow intensely reinforcing to the Dogman. In fact, he has begun salivating markedly immediately after he notes rises in readership or income. The Dogman politely begs you to help him keep both of those numbers moving on a steady upward trajectory, so he can continue to look at his Analytics page and hit refresh every 30 seconds in that half-crazed way of his.

Finally, the Dogman encourages you to do something fun with a dog this weekend. If you don’t have a dog, a cat will do. If you have neither, find someone who does, and spend some time with a creature who knows how to be a real friend. Play with a dog and it’s guaranteed that the dog will have a good time. The Dogman further guarantees that you will begin your new week in a better frame of mind, healthier and more grounded. Once you become mindful of Dog, you will find yourself being mindful of other things as well, and your life will be richer.

And now, a recap of this week’s stories:


Friday, October 16, 2009




Labs, Monkeys, Pirates and the Essence of Fear

A story about Vinnie, a black Lab Seeing Eye dog, and some of the things that scared him. There’s the monkey in the courthouse, but, mainly, there are the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. A funny story about a happy-go-lucky guy and the inhabitants of his nightmares!



Saturday, October 17, 2009


Meet Lyric

What happens when you’re going to get your first Seeing Eye dog and she can’t just stand you! A horrible situation turns into a beautiful partnership.






Sunday, October 18, 2009


Levi in Possum Alley

It’s New Years day in Chicago, and it’s raining possums! A story about omens, totem animals, signs from above, and finding your place in the world. A nice essay that takes you surprising places. A Dogman classic!






Monday, October 19, 2009


Webbing and Nails


Levi, Erica and I sit on the patio and shoot the breeze, talking about nails, foot webbing and the Pond of Death. A little whimsy from the Dogman’s Den!



Tuesday, October 20, 2009


Let Us Sit Upon the Ground and Tell Sad Stories of the Death of Kings

The Tragedy of King Arthur, the last Seeing Eye dog. A true story of a dog who couldn’t quit. Warning – This is a tearjerker that will put a lump in your throat, assuming you have a heart. And a throat. And, of course, a lump. The Dogman’s favorite!



Wednesday, October 21, 2009


In Praise of Coyotes

The coyote, the ultimate underdog. Maligned, misunderstood and magnificent. We tend to demonize them, but they’re just dogs on their own, trying to get by. The Dogman declares October 21, Day of the Coyote!



Thursday, October 22, 2009


Rocky's Way

Another underdog, but a cuddly one, unlike our friend the coyote. A story of one of the dumbest dogs in the world, and one of the happiest. Rocky may not be smart, and he may not be particularly good, but he tries real hard and has a lot of character, and that’s worth a whole lot. We can all learn from Rocky, even if he can’t learn to sit.


Tomorrow, Dog and Cat news!

Starting Sunday - A whole week of brand new stories from the Den of the Dogman!

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