We have crossed the line. It has not been a month since we added a puppy to the
household, and already we are full-fledged members of the seacoast dog culture.
We shop at stores where pets roam the aisles. We stop the car when the passenger
in the back seat whines. We carry little blue bags everywhere. We can never go
anywhere on Earth where dogs are not allowed. We talk to dog people about dog
things. We have moved wholly to the other side of the fence, and we may never
find our way back.
Certainly kids are more work, but puppy ownership isn’t what it used to be. No
more tying the thing out in the back yard until it grows up. Today’s liberated
canines have to be "crate trained" and we have one crate for the house and a portable
collapsible one for the car. Dogs now have their own organic food, their own edible
toothbrushes, specially approved toys, vitamins, training classes, medical exams.
Pretty much whatever people have, dogs have too, but at a higher price. Our dog
has his own doorway from the living room to the kitchen. He has his own composting
sewer system buried in the back yard. He has a variety of leashes, a couple of
special pillows, even a little yellow life preserver for ocean voyages.
His name is Reverebd Beebe. His namesake was a minister at the Isles of Shoals in the 19th century. On his first visit to see the Isles last week, Beebe seemed immediately
at home. Though barely a foot tall, he leapt from boulder to boulder as if he
were born to the barren rocky shores. He is all but fearless. He is incurably
smart. And he is always and forever afoot. No matter what we do, Beebe is there.
Despite a lack of legs, Beebe, a corgi, has learned to travel up and down stairs
with frightening speed. Last week, after 100 attempts to get up on the couch,
he left the TV room in a huff. Seconds later he came roaring back and launched
himself skyward from the middle of the floor, landing smack on the couch. He was
so pleased with this engineering feat, he did it five more times. A week later
he learned to avoid the long, fast runway approach by bouncing on his hind legs
like a pogo-stick until he reached couch-height.
Already, since I mentioned him in the last monthly newsletter, Beebe is getting
male. Readers have sent in dog training tips, dog stories and dog queries. Eileen
Terrill of Peterborough, NH, a fan of our monthly newsletter who also works for
Pet Care News, wrote personally to welcome Rev. Beebe. Since I half-jokingly suggested that
we will need to create a "Pets" section on the site, readers have been asking
when it will appear.
So for all those pet owners – although I promised myself never to do this – here
are some pix of the young pup. If he’s going to hang around here in the office,
he might as well earn his keep.
READ ALSO: Rev. Beebe Stay in a Hotel


Article and photos by J. Dennis Robinson, SeacoastNH.com.