OSCAR ATE MY MUFFIN

A Big Red Dog Meets the Giant of Boston

Last summer a mural went up on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, just next door to South Station. Created by the twin Brazilian street artists known as Os Gemeos, the work covers the entire 70 x 70' asymmetrical end of a Big Dig ventilation building and was erected in conjunction with a first ever solo show here in Boston. The ICA has long since moved on to other artists, and it took us until just this past February to pay the outdoor installation a visit, but I can safely report - it's one of the most beautiful, breath-taking pieces of art I've ever seen. Maybe it was the contrast of a vibratingly bright jam of colors against the dull grey skies that day, maybe it was the mural's sheer size and perfect framing by the surrounding city towers - whatever the combination, this epic urban friend literally stopped me in my tracks. Oscar, oblivious, but a true sport, squinted against icy precipitation just long enough to capture a portrait before trudging over to a trash can for a quick pee.

Dubbed "The Giant of Boston" the massive reclining figure is rendered in quintessential Os Gemeos style, with it's canary-yellow skin, eclectically patterned "pajamas", and shrouded head. One needn't look hard to see a history of similar characters throughout the Twins internationally recognized urban art, yet the mural still caused quite a silly fuss directly after it's completion... (Boston, c'mon). 

*The Giant of Boston will only be up until November of 2013 - if you can swing it, we highly recommend you pay this beauty a visit yourself...

And regardless of controversy, Oscar and I are indisputable fans...

Newbury Playday, Part 2: Best In Show

What does one do when, while out for a stroll with your dog, you encounter a giant steel sculpture in the silhouette of a Retriever at attention? Well, for this girl it's a no-brainer - you (poorly) stack your beast right in front of said sculpture and snap a photo... Oscar is looking dreadfully wilted in the heat, but he still attracted a small crowd, which fanned out behind me with their camera phones to take the same picture I was. Ha.

The massive metal sidewalk dog is the work of Haverhill sculptor Dale Rogers (from his "American Dog" series) and it marked the entrance to the Lanoue Fine Art Gallery, at 125 Newbury St. Coincidentally, on one of Oscar's very rare strolls through Boston, the Lanoue was filled with artworks... wait for it... celebrating DOGS! The exhibit, titled "Best in Show", included a spectrum of contemporary artists, including work from current dog-photog darling, Seth Casteel (of "Underwater Dogs" fame), and the grand master of clever canine portraiture himself, William Wegman.
 
Below, clockwise: "Youngster", by William Wegman; Oscar hide+seeking behind a smaller version of Dale Rogers' "American Dog"; "The Fly", by William Wegman; and Oscar next to Emil Alzamora's "Flying Lessons".


Wegman has been a favorite of mine forever and a day, and it was a treat to see some prints in person. It was also an inspiration... but rather than do a 1 for 1 homage using my camera, I decided to keep to the illustrated theme on this blog and ink a portrait, pulled from a Wegman-esque world. If we're dressing up the dogs, there's probably no better kind of human for Oscar to test-drive for a day than a baker... so onto the body of Julia Child his great block-head went! (Observation: when you're mix-matching dog's heads and people-bodies - kind of like when you're doing the same with hair styles - aligning gender across species becomes moot... The Beast rocks a pink button-down, right?!)

Below: the cover of an exhibition catalogue from a comprehensive 2012 show of Wegman's photos, drawings and paintings, held at Bowdoin College, titled "Hello Nature"; a Wegman Dog Chef; and Oscar, cooking up a storm like a pro (in fantasy-land, I'd let him eat it all too!).


Of course any post that alludes to dogs testing their baking chops in the kitchen really wouldn't be complete without including this classic clip from Sesame Street, which follows a pair of Wegman hounds through an adventure in bread-baking... Stay hungry, stay happy, friends...

Newbury Playday, Part 1: Fish & Bone

When appropriate, I like to bring Oscar along for window-shopping walks. He's a bit of a people magnet, and enjoys the attention; he's patient, and curious, and predictably jazzed by the bouquet of freshly changing smells that bathe the heavily trafficked streets of a popular retail strip. A few weekends ago, the Beast and I again ventured across the river to the sunny hum of Newbury Street. And whether I had planned to stop in or not, as soon as O-Town's sniffer passed the "never-ending treat can" tied to the wrought-iron railing in front of pet boutique Fish & Bone, it was decided: we were going inside - and we weren't coming out empty handed.

Fish & Bone is owned by the charming Kathy Palmer, and is the younger, southern sibling of pet supply outpost Fetch, in Portland, ME. Fish & Bone's Newbury location does not boast a heap of square-footage, but what space there is positively overflows with bright, unique, tastefully designed, and meticulously sourced product: collars, leads, stuffies and chewies take up much of the front, while a nom-nom nook towards the back teems with healthy food options, for dogs and cats alike - at least that's what it looked like - we only really made it as far as the á la carte canine treat display...

While Oscar busied himself investigating a bucket of antler chews and pigs ears, I went to work filling a small paper bag with an assortment of novel yet wholesome looking treats from the neatly organized self-serve treat shelf. Each treat type* was labeled in it's own giant, glass, lidded jar, and with names like "Lamb Wonder Wieners" and "Philly Cheesesteak Meatballs", I couldn't help but grab one of each.

*I'm pretty certain Oscar can detect the flavor nuances between venison jerky and chicken crunchers, what I'm not certain of is whether he gives two shakes about diversity (this is the dog that inhales paper wrappers if they so much as smell like they once swaddled a muffin). All things considered, if I can read into excessive drool and an unusually hasty attention to commands as any indication of "like", I'd say each all-natural, no preservative little nugget has so far been a home run in the flavor department. Below, a selection of the varietous treat-scape you can expect to find on the Fish & Bone shelves...
 
Of course every Beast becomes an angel when there is good food to be had... and there was no shortage of good eats for this dog at Fish & Bone. From the company website:

Throughout the years our mission has remained the same: to improve the quality of life of animals and their people with healthy natural diets & other edibles, a great selection of gear, a depth of knowledge in a creative atmosphere, and a spirit of good fun… and to support animal welfare, the arts and the environment along the way.

Our thanks to Kathy and the sweet staff at Fish & Bone for making an impromptu Saturday pit stop such a thoroughly enjoyable affair. We'll surely be back - and we'll bring a bigger shopping bag next time!

A Grand Day Out

Sunday was a brilliantly sunshiny, perfectly cool, spring-all-up-in-your-face kind of day. It was the kind of day I wanted to spend all daylight hours of outside... taking advantage of city goings-on... and I wanted the beast to be with me. So it appeared - after 4 years of dog-walking the streets of Cambridge, and toying with the idea of getting O-Town onto the T - it was finally time... for Oscar to see Boston. With a copious bag full of treats in my pocket, and enthusiasm in spades (a necessary component to any successful adventure with a dog), we marched down to Harvard square... and then descended underground. *Well-behaved dogs are most definitely allowed on the MBTA, just not during peak weekday hours (7 - 9am & 4 - 7pm) - and no escalators - thank you internet horror stories...).

Now, we could have just hit on a "good day", but sweet chocolate YES was the beast amazing! Every, single, step of this entirely unprecedented outing he took LIKE A CHAMP. Cool. Calm. Unfazed. He was absolutely magnificent. This is not to imply that my dog isn't a general doll when it comes to trotting around with me in public - it is precisely because he is so good that I decided to walk him into the midst of the intense - but I admit to going a bit full-on with this newness test, and you just never know what you'll encounter while out.

*For those of you who tote your pocket poodle or roly-poly Frenchie around everywhere and wonder what the big deal is - I don't believe you are familiar with the expression of the urban subway passenger who isn't right fond of canines of any size suddenly noticing 95lbs of hound at their side, shooting them the serious face, at close to eye level for a seated human and a standing Ridgeback... Let's just say, navigating the captive close quarters of the T with a pony is not the same as traveling with a lap-warmer (this is coming from the former owner of a beloved 7lb Pomeranian - who went with us EVERYWHERE... no toy dog haters in this house, but it ain't apples to apples).


Not only did Oscar tolerate the human sardine-pack of a Redline car, he proudly stepped into the bus we transferred onto next. He stood, he sat, he said hello when it was asked of him - and he definitely gave a few people something to talk about while we all lurched down Tremont Street. And when we finally disembarked, into a sea of happy Sunday revelers, he wove his way upstream the sidewalks by my side, around strollers, past other beasts - he even managed to leave pretzels and popsicles in the hands of passing toddlers (trust me, this takes EPIC Oscar-dog self control).

Maybe the fine Spring weather had something to do with it, maybe we just happened to round the right corner at just the right time, but feeling like I couldn't possibly love this dog any more than I do on a day like Sunday, I jumped for my wallet when I spied the highest value reward I could find - doled out by none other than the Pied Piper of frozen city sweets: a wafer cone of soft serve from the Mr. Frosty mobile.


I won't lie - Oscar is awarded at least one frozen dairy treat each year, usually on the first weekend when the weather so obviously screams, "IT'S TIME TO EAT ICE CREAM AGAIN"... but there was no denying the worthiness of this particular afternoon delight. And Oscar most certainly knew it.

Oh yeah - SWAN BOATS! And if you're looking for out and about Boston/MA activities to do with your well-mannered dogster, check out the Fido Loves blog - run by Boston-based photographer, and owner of the muy handsome "Moose", Jay Stebbins. Great info, and lovely, lovely images.