Tank is still too quick to leap at some poor pooch

Frank Touby —
We have been back in St. Lawrence Neighbourhood a couple of days now after having shuffled off toward Buffalo and our Lake Erie cottage known locally as The Bog.

The Tank Report

 

Seeing this scene recently at St. Lawrence Market, photography enthusiast Nancy Miller, DVM, couldn’t resist snapping a photo as Tank nestled against the shoe of Danny Murphy, his beloved and now-deceased owner.

Seeing this scene recently at St. Lawrence Market, photography enthusiast Nancy Miller, DVM, couldn’t resist snapping a photo as Tank nestled against the shoe of Danny Murphy, his beloved and now-deceased owner.

That’s because it is on a peat bog and forest. We winterized the 1927 Martha’s Vineyard-style cottage and so Tank will be able to wander the woods in all seasons and dunk into the lake at will. We’ll see how tempting that is when the icebergs form as they did last winter. Word is that this coming winter 2014-15 will be more of the same (So much for global warming. I guess that’s why they renamed it “climate change.” Personally I don’t think carbon dioxide, which plants breathe and we exhale, has anything to do with the weather. Weather is always changing. But if you can create another banker-investment scam like carbon credits you can keep transnational traders gambling on derivatives, making fat commissions and fixing the markets in their favour. Think Libor.)

I had to change leashes on Tank because it’s such a burden to haul him in on a long leash when he’s trying to attack another dog, which can come at any moment. (And keep in mind that Tank is 80 pounds of mostly dog muscle…with a bit of blubber we’re working on.)

I don’t know if he would actually get into a biting fight and don’t plan to find out, but he has some weird notions of who offends him. Boxers for sure. Boxers are almost to a dog even-tempered and unlikely to do battle. But Tank doesn’t see things that way.

Nancy Miller also was compelled to capture this pose of basset hound Monty, Tank’s best friend, who is owned by Kevin Scrimshaw.

Nancy Miller also was compelled to capture this pose of basset hound Monty, Tank’s best friend, who is owned by Kevin Scrimshaw.

Some harmless, meek little dogs also can get Tank surging at the leash, which puts him in the same league as Daisy who also can get an instant hate on for some little white dog who is no match for her.

Tank additionally has it in for joggers who infuriate him. Also I discovered skateboarders can get his snarl going. We’re going to condition him against his jogger aversion on Oct. 19 when Tank is a guest of honour at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. He’ll be surrounded by the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association cheering section at the Flatiron Building.

Speaking of joggers reminds me of a jogging shoe. So here’s a shot of Tank taken by veterinarian Nancy Miller, a diligent amateur photographer who was at the Market doing some rare vegetable shots for her collections. “Most of the photojournalism stuff I do is of animals, nature shots, and kids,” says Nancy. But it was veggies that day and yet she stumbled upon an animal scene she just had to photograph.

It was a dog with a mien of bliss and dedication lying with his face against the running shoe of his owner. That was Tank and Danny Murphy. She also got a shot of Tank’s best friend, Monty, owned by Kevin Scrimshaw. Kevin often accompanied Danny and also misses his friend as much as Tank does.

Here’s Nancy with Mavis Miller.

Here’s Nancy with Mavis Miller.

Nancy advised us that Labrador retrievers are very susceptible to hypothyroidism, so it’s a heads up for us and we’ll check him for that prospect. She says it’s easily and inexpensively managed Back at home with us, Tank and Daisy are like brother and sister. They don’t get in each other’s way and they don’t exactly ignore each other. Jealousy isn’t apparent at all and each accepts the other without malice.
For Thanksgiving dinner tonight they’ll have the usual chicken-based kibble with fresh garlic, olive oil, kelp and a bit of tomato.

For Paulette and me it’s Tofurky. We are vegan, after all. When we mentioned Tofurky in the dog park, one of the dog “parents” thought we were talking about the New Orleans barrel-fried turkey stuffed with a chicken stuffed inside a duck. It’s cooked in a galvanized metal garbage can or a cleaned out metal barrel mounted on bricks or concrete blocks over a wood and charcoal fire.

If it doesn’t catch on fire and spill over with blazing oil and critter parts forcing the (usually) half-bagged celebrants to run for their lives, those who get some on their plates swear by it.

Happy Thanksgiving from Tank, Daisy, Paulette and me.