10. Fly like a Beagle
The title of the chapter is from a 1976 song by Steve Miller and his band. It reached the number two spot on the Billboard Top 100 the next year. Excuse me, I’m told that the smash hit was actually “Fly like an Eagle,” but this chapter is about more dogs so the beagle stays. It’s certainly appropriate for Charles Shultz’s Snoopy. He may be a figment of the cartoonist’s imagination, but that beagle did his share of soaring.
Though this treatise is about animals, I must talk about Dick Wolfsie first. That’s appropriate because of his surname. In school, he was a class clown, always ready with a humorous reply. He spent detention time for it, but students laughed and so did teachers – some anyway. He graduated from New Rochelle High School and followed that up with a degree from George Washington University. Seeking a job after graduation, he returned to the high school. The secretary asked if he was the same guy who graduated from the school four years ago and he replied in the affirmative. He was interviewed and they hired him anyway. He taught psychology and English and was successful because students learned while he was entertaining.
He eventually worked in New York and Chicago for a few television stations, ending up at WISH-TV in Indianapolis. He met Steve Allen and Art Buchwald. Appearing on Good Morning, New York, when Allen was talking about Stan Laurel, he asked, Where can you find people of that ilk anymore? Dick responded, You could join the Ilks Club. Steve laughed. Meeting Buchwald and presenting him some of his work, Art looked at it, wrote a few words on one of the papers and Dick departed. Later he read what the humorist had written: Wolfsie, stay out of my racket.
Over the years, Dick had worked at numerous jobs, but Indianapolis seemed most suited to his liking. It even got better one morning when he left for work. Departing the house, he spotted two eyes. They weren’t that of a leprechaun, but belonging to a beagle, who seemed to be saying, please. He was trapped so he put the dog, whom he soon named Barney after a character on the Andy Griffith Show, into his home. He left for work and figured he’d see Barney later. Little did he know how much damage the beagle could do.
Barney would eat anything – he was a true omnivore. He wouldn’t completely devour tables and chairs, but certainly did a lot of chewing. Mary Ellen, Wolfsie’s wife, didn’t hate dogs, but this pooch seemed to change her mind about them. During the time the television guy was away, Barney couldn’t stay inside the house because of the limitations of the Wolfsie’s home insurance policy. Tying him up outside would only result in his howling endlessly, which didn’t thrill the neighbors. So Dick took him to work – not for Barney to find a job, but to remain in the car. The barking continued. The beagle was also a great escape artist as he could open the window and leap out. Soon Dick brought him into the studio. Dick would take him on mornings when he was on assignment somewhere.
The duo had quite a few adventures, including an incident when Barney lifted his leg on a small television set showing sports reporter Vince Walsh doing an update. This was outdoors. Dick was called to see Paul Karpowitz, the general manager of WISH-TV. It certainly didn’t look good. Inside the office, Paul asked Wolfsie, Did you think that was funny the way the dog urinated on the TV monitor? Dick didn’t reply, but many others laughed and so did he. Karpowitz then assured Wolfsie that he thought it was hysterical. Some time after this, Barney’s bladder wasn’t empty as he did justice to a rival station’s sign.
From that point, it was all gravy for the duo. Rin Tin Tin and Lassie may have rehearsed and had to do retakes, but not the beagle. It came naturally and WISH-TV wanted it no other way. Barney went to obedience school but didn’t get much out of it, except a certificate. Wolfsie felt training him would spoil the spontaneity. Dick’s show had many viewers and Barney his fans. Even Mary Ellen came around to love Barney – almost. At least she didn’t divorce Dick. Their son, Brett, wasn’t a big fan of his antics but somehow got along with the beagle without feeding him chocolate.
Soon, the beautiful beagle was on magnets, tee shirts and men’s underwear. He graced the cover of Indianapolis Monthly three times, three more than Wolfsie. He wasn’t any threat to Siskel and Ebert but reviewed movies thanks to Barney’s Bad Movies, a late night talk show. Karpowicz came up an idea to show bad old movies and have the hound give a thumbs up or thumbs down, something he couldn’t do since he slept through them – even Lassie Come Home. Dick and Barney visited schools and children loved them, the latter replying with all kinds of mail. Fans sent in pictures they drew and paintings they made of the dog. Wolfsie’s favorite was art from barbed wire. Bill Arnold made a life size image that was both uncanny and realistic. People sent so much stuff that Mary Ellen took some for the living room and the rest went into the basement.
An idea came to name a drink after him at Ruth’s Chris, a steakhouse chain. Named after Ruth Fertel, Barney and his master visited her, emphasizing the dog’s food choices. Ruth wasn’t concerned. Barney took off and returned with a 40-ounce chunk of meat, which Ruth didn’t make much of a fuss about. The station manager nixed the idea of the Barney drink and Dick felt a non-alcoholic drink might work. When the manager left and was replaced, the program went ahead with the drink. Viewers chose the winner, which was comprised of cranberry juice, vanilla flavoring, club soda and a twist of lemon: Barney’s All Bark, No Bite.
The TV canine showed his feelings many times and didn’t lose his appetite. You already know about the 40-ounce steak he procured and showed his master. When four sticks of butter went missing, guess who was responsible? Paula Dean would have been proud. Once, Barney roamed from home and did some shopping – without a cart. Dick was notified that Barney had been arrested. Someone went to buy some milk and saw the famous beagle coming down one of the aisles with a barbequed chicken. It wasn’t wrapped and didn’t have to be. Even if the food was hidden, you couldn’t keep him away from it.
Despite his food cravings, Barney was loyal to his master and a smart dog. On one of the morning shows, Dick’s guest was a Bill Clinton impersonator, Damien Mason. Mason sat in one chair, Wolfsie in another and Barney in the third one. Damien went on lampooning Clinton and finally looked at the beagle and said, Barney, I’m not happy with Al Gore. How about being with me on the ticket as vice president? Dick’s dog shook his head, departed the chair and headed out the door. One other time a band started to play some Mexican music – they were so bad they wouldn’t have passed the audition for America’s Got Talent. Barney went to the outlet and withdrew the cord. He had a snack at the same time.
Barney was quite a dog. You can read all about him and his master in Wolfsie’s book, Mornings with Barney: The True Story Of An Extraordinary Beagle. Just like the people of Indianapolis, you’ll delight in the beagle as well as Dick’s story.
There are more stories about beagles, which I’ll get to. For now, it should be noted that dogs have wolves for relatives, since canines evolved from those wild beasts. Just compare a wolf, Canis lupus, with a German shepherd and you should see the similarity. Even the scientific names are almost identical. Werewolves aren’t part of the family, even as cousins somewhat removed.
In the city of Buffalo lives Annie the beagle. She lives with my sister Pat and her husband, Lou, and the canine’s full name is Annie Rose Petunia Nose. If given the chance, Annie will chase any bunny rabbit she sees and probably won’t gather in the hare, but if the beagle is in the house and spots a rabbit – or even senses that one is nearby – she’ll howl. I’m not sure what Annie would do if she lands her prey, but I wouldn’t put money on the rabbit.
As far as culinary choices, this beagle just could be an omnivore. She loves corn and can’t wait until the fresh corn arrives. She’s not too happy in August when she isn’t presented a cob of corn to demolish. She likes blueberries and beer, too, but not together. In early 2014, Pat left some hummus and bābā ghannūj in a bag and she and Lou left the house. Each dish was in a sealed plastic container. Annie found no obstacle, opening each dish and indulging. If she had been able to speak, she probably would have offered compliments to the chef. Lou and Pat are both great cooks. This might explain why the beagle is a dumpster diver. Really, she just got into the garbage receptacle in the kitchen one day. That didn’t last long as the homeowners figured out a way to lock her out. It doesn’t mean she won’t return to her diving.
As most dogs, Annie can sniff out food in another county. That’s a great exaggeration, but a canine’s aroma seeking ability is forty times that of people and may approach being one hundred times greater. Bloodhounds are the leaders in this category. This explains the devouring of the hummus and baba ganush – another of many spellings – but Annie also found candy they shouldn’t have, especially chocolate. The wrong kind can result in a dog becoming sick or even dieing. The safest kind is white chocolate, while baking and semi-sweet chocolate are the worse. The culprit is theobromine, which is poisonous to canines. Annie’s latest chocolate caper happened around Easter of 2014. Somehow a small candy rabbit – I think both ears were missing – was in the proximity of the beagle. It didn’t take long for her to proceed. She didn’t devour the base since it was too thick. Her reward was getting slightly sick afterwards.
Annie is a loving animal who gives love while receiving it. When Pat and Lou head out on vacation, my niece, Liz, and I beagle sit. Liz does most of it and when either of us departs, Annie howls – barking in sadness – unlike the cries of happiness she sends forth when we arrive at her home. She is one intelligent canine bringing joy.
What follows next is the story of Jon and Maria and their dogs: labs, border collies and a rottweiler-shepherd mix. Each loves dogs but were going through tough times as both their marriages were crumbling. They lived in Upstate New York not far from Albany. Maria was a frustrated artist who spent time remodeling houses with her then husband. She adopted her dog and named her Frieda, because of her eyebrows, which brought to mind the Mexican artist, Frieda Kahlo, who was also referred to as Frida. Maria got the canine from the rescue center because she figured no one wanted a dog that was both German shepherd and rottweiler. She was right on the money in that assessment. Frieda had been treated badly by her owners and spent a year at the shelter. The dog and her new owner loved, respected and cared for the other.
Caring for canines, Jon Katz sold books on dogs that he wrote and worked to save old barns from being demolished, not an easy task. For one barn, he thought a window or two would be a great addition. He went over to look at some and met Maria and the ferocious Frieda. One was a delight to him while the other female overwhelmed him with her barking. At least no blood flowed. Talking with Maria, he realized that she didn’t really discipline the dog, whose life had been so tough that the task would have been difficult for anyone.
Jon found it easy to talk to Maria and she liked Jon as well. Each was still married so they settled on being good friends. Occasionally they would have lunch or dinner together, although Maria always insisted on either splitting the cost or paying for it the next time. Each still faced tough times and relied on each other. Eventually, Jon was divorced and Maria was waiting for hers, which later came. The real problem was that Jon couldn’t come between Frieda and Maria. The dog writer came up with the beef jerky solution, which he would try with Frieda. He dropped it off for her and then repeated that the next day. Jon knew he had to be patient. The same could be said of his relationship with Maria, who wanted to prove that she could survive on her own.
Besides Maria, Frieda didn’t care for people or other dogs. Jon knew this and kept his distance. It appeared that matters were improving when on one occasion Jon got a call from a director of a nursing home, asking for Izzy, the writer’s border collie. There was a food fight and the proprietor didn’t want to call the police, fearing some arrests. Izzy and his master made the trip and soon the residents began petting Izzy, terminating the tossing turmoil. Coming home, Maria was coming down the driveway with Frieda, dragging her along. When the two dogs were close, Frieda was raging, but Izzy ignored her, behaving as if Maria’s protector wasn’t there. There was no contact between the canines and Frieda must have been puzzled and certainly affected by the encounter.
There was another similar encounter between Frieda and Lenore, the black lab who was about three years old. The two dogs were close to each other when Lenore fell to the ground. Then Lenore licked Frieda’s nose and did it again. The rottweiler-shepherd was confused but soon she sniffed Lenore, whose tail was wagging during this time. Jon suggested the four of them stroll along together, which they did without incident. This illustrated that there was hope for Frieda. Lenore was a huge influence in Jon’s life, making him aware that love was still a part of it, sustaining him.
Katz lived each day being patient with Frieda and her master. He knew that the dog had been treated badly, but needed to find out more. He posted a picture of the canine on his blog, asking anyone who knew anything about her to contact him. He heard from Stella in the nearby town of South Glens Falls, who thought she knew her – the Kahlo connection may have been a clue. She felt that her husband, Steve had obtained Frieda from a breeder to protect his auto business at night, which had been robbed a few times. The dog was confined to a kennel all day and then let out at night to patrol a gated area. Once out of the kennel, Steve and others would antagonize Frieda, poking her with sticks and tossing rocks at her. Soon kids in the neighborhood were doing the same thing.
When Jon drove over to see Stella, she felt guilty about this horrible treatment of Frieda, whom they called Brownie, but she really couldn’t stop it. She was glad that the dog was in a better home and asked Jon if she could see her. Quickly he replied it wasn’t a good idea. Then Stella mentioned the night Brownie was howling, louder than usual. She was aware of a house on fire and only through her loud barking was a neighbor’s family rescued even though the house wasn’t. However, insurance provided the funds to rebuild the dwelling.
Jon learned that Brownie dug a tunnel and escaped but returned on the fifth day. It was soon discovered that Brownie would soon be a mother. Steve couldn’t handle that so one day he drove the dog into the Adirondacks and abandoned her. Most dogs wouldn’t have survived that ordeal, but Brownie accepted the challenge. She found food and shelter, gave birth and the puppies soon left on their own. Eventually students at Adirondack Community College became aware of her, calling her ACC, the acronym for the school, located north of Glens Falls. Because of what Brownie had been through, she was hard to pin down. However, she wound up at the Queensbury SPCA.
Katz learned a lot about Maria’s dog, but became more enlightened when he returned to see Stella, this time bringing Frieda (or ACC or Brownie). He changed his mind about bringing Frieda after some thought. Before seeing her, he met Cheryl, who knew of the dog, whom the family called Goldie. It’s no wonder this pooch had problems. It didn’t take long before Jon asked her: This was the house with the fire, right? Indeed it was. Cheryl affirmed that she had saved their lives, including her son Sean. The lad had a great relationship with Goldie, bringing her food and treats. Jon wondered what wrong had been done to the dog.
Katz would then see Stella and she got a glimpse of Frieda, but it was only a small one before she closed the door and went inside. Jon had one more stop to make at the breeder’s place. The latter wasn’t very friendly and the writer saw an environment that wasn’t too clean or welcoming. Jon was happy to leave the place and had enough information to understand what Frieda had been through.
Winters being as brutal as they were in upstate New York, Maria and Jon knew they had to be someplace warmer, even if for only a few days. Jon loved Disney World. When someone advised him to go to a warmer place, Jon said, I can’t afford it. His therapist replied, You can’t afford not to. Jon set it up. At first Maria was doubtful, but after a few days in Orlando, she loved the place. They met people and told them of their love and they received great support. This bolstered their self-esteem and the short stay in Florida played a huge role in future events on the farm.
They returned home and Jon had some ideas, based on his knowledge on what Frieda had been through: the actions of the breeder and Steve, especially the desertion of the pregnant dog in the Adirondacks. One day Jon heard a big commotion and went to investigate. Inside the gate of her compound, Frieda was sitting on a large deer. Katz uttered, Frieda, get off that deer. She did and the deer left the area. The dog listened to him and would keep doing that.
There were times when Frieda took off and didn’t return for days. When she did, she was bloody and bruised. Eventually she stayed on the farm, abandoning that behavior. When she first came to the farm, she wanted to chase every moving creature: dogs, cats, chickens and other farm animals. She soon became their protector. Frieda had watched over Maria, but now she had the same concern for Katz.
Jon’s book, The Second-chance Dog: A Love Story, relates more about himself, Maria, Frieda and animals on the farm. Watch the video of Frieda at http://www.bedlamfarm.com/?s=FREIDA. Another web site is fullmoonfiberart.com. Jon had asked Maria Wulf to marry him numerous times and she finally agreed to do so on June 12, 2010. The ceremony was performed in the barn and the only missing creature was Frieda, whom Maria felt should be kept away because of all the people. Katz and a wulf can live together in harmony.
The puppy had been beaten to the point of death when he arrived at the Ardmore Animal Hospital. He was in such bad shape that the emergency room doctor was going to send him to the SPCA, where his life would be terminated. When hospital administrator Diane Klein came in and saw him, he was missing his left ear and part of his face. Diane’s dog Maddie had died two years before from cancer. Her mission was to save the dog. Exactly what had happened was unclear, but another dog or some person could have done the damage. It may have involved dogs tearing at each other, but he was so young he certainly wasn’t doing any battling. Later it was learned that he was bait in dog fighting.
Diane called Dr. James Bianco for his input but he thought the case was hopeless and the best choice was for him to be euthanized. Diane pleaded and the doctor agreed to try surgery. It took several hours but was a success, but only the beginning. The young pit bull must have suffered immensely, but all those in the hospital noted that he wasn’t whimpering or showing any sign of what he should have been experiencing. He must have had a high level of tolerance for pain. He was progressing, but wasn’t eating. Bianco opened his jaw and saw why as he removed a half-dollar sized piece of the puppy’s jawbone. With it inside, it had been so painful that the dog couldn’t operate his mouth. Before long his appetite was back.
He stayed in the hospital for ten days and then Diane took him home for rest and recovery. Because he was white and reassembled a cotton ball, she named him Eli, after the inventor. She would have loved to keep him but there was a jealous dog in her home so her work was to get him ready for adoption.
Larry and Jennifer married and were set on having children but nothing seemed to work, finally deciding on adopting. One place refused to work with them because Larry was over 40. The non-profit organization Golden Cradle, founded by Arty Elgart, was more accommodating. Elgart had to wait five years for the child he and his wife were blessed with. One thing that Arty said to the waiting couples was: I want you all to relax. You’re all going to be parents.
One Saturday morning the phone rang. The voice on the line said, This is the stork calling. They waited two years but their first son came with a bonus. Larry and Jennifer named the twin boys, only three days old, Noah and Dan. The couple had bought nothing in the way of baby stuff, so they had to buy all the necessities for the two right away. The separated the babies by color: red for Noah and blue for Dan. The couple didn’t see much sleep the first half of the year, but they didn’t mind, being overwhelmed with joy. As Dan and Noah grew, they learned they were adopted but accepted that very well.
Shortly after the twins celebrated their twelfth birthday, the family cat Buzzy wasn’t feeling well. Larry and the boys went to Ardmore Hospital and left him overnight. Before they departed, a member of the staff brought a white puppy on a leash. He warmed to Dan and Noah and as they bend over to pet him. The puppy licked both their faces and Larry picked him up, cradled him and soon his face was being kissed. He was one happy dog. The little white creature was Eli with the missing ear and left side of his face. Before long the Levins knew the story of the beaten pit bull.
They lost fourteen-year old Buzzy but adopted the white puppy. Jennifer was reluctant but on seeing Eli and with Dr. Bianco’s convincing words that the puppy was so friendly and wouldn’t harm a soul, she accepted him into their home as their third adoptee. Larry considered a name for him. The young dog certainly was ugly but you couldn’t call him that so he figured why not Oogly, which was close, settling on Oogy.
Oogy was similar to dogs that chewed on everything in sight, but the family loved and protected him. They replaced the old dilapidated electric fence with a new one and Larry got him accustomed to it. Because of his missing ear, the teacher figured Oogy might be confused as to where the buzz was coming from and would run past the fence. He consulted with a company representative and soon Larry sight-trained Oogy, solving the problem.
After seeing pictures of Bud the famous pit bull, I wasn’t convinced that Oogy was of the same breed. Larry was told that those dogs didn’t get bigger than 50 pounds, but Oogy surpassed that very fast. When the puppy was taken to Ardmore for his six-month checkup, technician Karen saw the dog and said, That’s a Dogo. At the end of the session, Levin took out his credit card but was told that Oogy was a no-pay dog – the dog’s owners wouldn’t ever have to pay for any surgery at Ardmore. What Diane, Doctor Bianco, the staff at Ardmore and the Levin family had done for Oogy just showed how unselfish and kind they really were.
Larry did some research and found that from the pictures Oogy wasn’t a pit ball at all. Dogos are also called Argentine mastiffs and they’re hunting dogs, but not like retrievers. They hunt puma and boar and can kill their prey. Dogos are lively, gentle, fearless, smell detectors and they are huge dogs – having the traits of Great Danes.
The Levin dog had four more surgeries, including one for his face since he was still in pain. It helped. He was limping around due to a tear in his anterior cruciate ligament and had surgery for it. The same thing happened to the other leg and there was more surgery. Oogy wasn’t thrilled about water therapy so an alternative was found. All in all he accepted everything well, buoyed by the love showered on him.
The Levin family loved Oogy and he returned that love. Any friends or relatives of the family loved and were loved by the Dogo. When people saw the dog, they stayed away, not because he was a pit bull, since he wasn’t, but because of his face, all thanks to what happened to him as a puppy. Eventually those in the neighborhood petted him and asked for his history, which Larry, Jennifer, Noah or Dan related. Walking down the street with his master, Oogy looked like a senator running for office. Oogy barked at other dogs and people, but only because he wanted them to play or slobber them with kisses. Maybe Larry should have named him Lickity Spit. One of the Dogo’s most joyful moments was frolicking with other canines.
People were inspired by the dog, especially individuals who had gone through tough times. After knowing what he had suffered and miraculously survived, they were convinced that they could conquer any adversity. He set a great example and his love helped the others immensely.
Larry Levin wrote about Oogy and his family in his book, Oogy: The Dog Only A Family Could Love, which begins with the horror of dog fights and ends in the two-way love between family, Oogy and the Ardmore staff. I think the title should have been Oogy: The Dog That So Many Loved.