Karma's Kling

Snow!

2008-12-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

December 6, 2008

Time on their paws

2008-10-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

Daisy: "I dunno, Karma. What do you want to do?"

Love me?

2008-10-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

2008-10-03T22:46:00.001-07:00

"You want this toy? I don't think so."

So hard to watch

2008-09-27T23:07:00.001-07:00

Ooohhh, that presidential debate gave me a headache...

Back end

2008-09-24T23:06:00.001-07:00

Persist

2008-09-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ivan, let's play!!!

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

2008-09-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

Post microchip disorder

2008-09-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

I got "chipped" today. It was a totally bumming experience. Mom took a pic of me moping on the kitchen floor after we got home. But I feel much better now. I do a good mope, though, don't I?

Jerry Lewis siting

2008-09-15T22:32:00.000-07:00

Hey, LAAADDYYY!!!!

Sherbet!

2008-09-10T11:13:00.001-07:00

Me & Ivan LOVE watermelon sherbet

So does Daisy Sage.

Nirvana

2008-09-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

I just love the Great Outdoors...

Stone walled

2008-09-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

Should I? OK, be brave! Wow, the view from up here is great! Allright, that's enough Mom! There's lots more to see in these here woods!

Attention deficit

2008-08-30T23:01:00.001-07:00

Stop staring at my tongue, and throw the ball...

Only 8 weeks till Election Day...

2008-08-30T10:02:00.001-07:00

Should I 'Nader' again this year?

Eau de Slipper

2008-08-27T10:04:00.001-07:00

Mmmmmm...fuzzy goodness....

My pal Kayla

2008-08-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Kayla and her Mom went to Big Bear Mountain in California for a weekend of running, hiking, swimming, 4WDing, and crashing in the hotel. Boy I wish my Mom would take me there!

Yoga in the morning

2008-08-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

Sphinx (salamba bhujangasana). An easy one in the a.m. ...

Ommmmmm...

The B word

2008-08-16T23:15:00.000-07:00

Why must I take a bath?? Why?? Why??????

Young Park!

2008-08-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Me and Daisy run over rocks!

Me: The woods are so mysterious...

Ivan: Do I see a fairy?

Daisy: These leaves are soft to sit on.

Queen Anne's Lace

Me and Ivan: Bridge over not-so-troubled waters.

Daisy and Kasey play!

Kasey, my new friend!

Wheee doggie! Mom took us to Young Park today for some fun in the sun! We met new friends (my new best friend is Kasey), and took a turn through the woods (lots of mosquitos). Plenty of running, lunging, playing and barking. I'm pooped...

Nosenstein

2008-08-11T21:53:00.001-07:00

Queen of the rawhide

2008-08-10T20:14:00.001-07:00

What? Mom got me a new rawhide????

Thanks, Mom!!!

What, you want a piece of this???????????

Me and my rawhide is friends.

Me and my rawhide takes a nap.

Pondering...

2008-08-09T22:59:00.001-07:00

I wonder how much trouble I'd catch if I peed on the herb patch...

My new favorite prayer...

2008-08-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

Prayer for Liberation for Our Brother & Sister Animals

May all sentient beings in the animal realm

subject to unbearable pain in labs throughout the world

be free from suffering.

May alternatives to animal experimentation and testing

be used immediately.

May Bodhicitta fill the hearts of those who imprison them.

May all sentient beings from the animal realm

who suffer endless days, months, years locked in tiny cages

unable to move, be filled with peace and calm.

May the many billions waiting in slaughterhouse lines be free of fear.

May the hearts of those who work in abattoirs

be filled with Bodhicitta so the very thought of harm is purified.

May they never kill again and may the slaughterhouse lines become immediately empty.

May no animal be afraid or depressed.

May their bodies be free of injuries, disease and illness.

May those who need homes, or who have been driven from them

find shelter, plentiful food & water. May there be liberation for those

tortured for fur, entertainment or who are hunted.

May those who believe they are superior to our brother & sister animals

develop perfect equanimity.

And may they realise in their hearts that all sentient beings possess Buddha nature.

And they are not ours to kill or exploit.

May the many billions of land and sea dwelling sentient beings

who are abused, exploited and killed due to greed, hatred and ignorance

be free of suffering.

May they experience complete and perfect enlightenment,

through the virtue of my efforts and prayers.

May I be a voice for the voiceless.

In short, may all human and non-human sentient beings live together

in harmony, peace and equanimity

and achieve perfect Enlightenment quickly.

Composed Feb 14, 2007 by Liberation for Our Brother & Sister Animals

Decision

2008-08-07T23:17:00.001-07:00

Oh, my. Should I go in?

Paw

2008-08-05T22:50:00.001-07:00

Mom is getting artistic now. A study of my paw. Patience....

Bug!

2008-08-03T22:33:00.001-07:00

So small...

Day at the dog park!

2008-07-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

New friends!

Daisy can't stop running

Daisy: It's HOT, Mom!

Ivan: It's REALLY hot , Mom!

Daisy: It's really, really hot, Mom!

Karma: Admire my tongue...

Karma: The world is a big place!

Over the river and through the woods...

Run in the park

Daisy: Oh dear, the ball is in the water...

Should I go for it?

Got it!

I'm coming back!

Success!!!

Hot dog! Mom took us all to the dog park in Stony Creek today. It was HOT, but we had a great time! Met some new friends, swam in the pond, rolled in assorted smelly things, ate grass, ran madcap through the woods, AND, Daisy fetched her first ball from deep water (had to swim out to get it). Mom was so proud! A great time was had by all! Afterwards, we went home for long drinks of water and a nap on the bed with mom. Life is good.

I'm ready!

2008-07-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

We are going for a ride, aren't we???

The blues

2008-07-27T21:59:00.001-07:00

Baron Bruno von Barker

Mom is sad today. She got to thinking about Bruno and I could see that she needed some dog love, so I let her kiss me on the face, something I hate. But sometimes, you've got to give a little. We miss you lots, Bruno!

Oh no not I, I will survive...

2008-07-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

Ivan and me

Daisy in the back seat

Ivan and me again

Yay! We're going home!!!

Ack! A day at the groomers! 5 hours in the third circle of hell! Sure was glad when Mom picked us all up. I couldn't get home fast enough. Still, I think I look pretty good...Here's us heading home.

Chillin' in my Harley hat

2008-07-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

I just love this article I found in a recent issue of Bark magazine. Mom loves it too:

http://www.lisawogan.com/pdfs/unmusherscan2.pdf

Peanut butter Nirvana

2008-07-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

Nom...nom...nom...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2008-07-09T09:06:00.001-07:00

What a pawty! Today marks the first year anniversary Mom and I hooked up at the shelter. We decided to make it my birthday/anniversary day, since neither of my former LAME guardians knew when I was actually born (lost the paperwork...riiight...). Anyway, July 9 is my NEW birthday and we paw-tied down! Homemade bacon/chicken jerky, presents, song, and even a card from grandma! Daisy stole some of my new toys. Still, life is good....

Must...kill...the...iRobot...

2008-07-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

In Memory

2008-07-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

Baron Bruno von Barker

April 23, 1998 - July 5, 2007

We miss you, baby.
(here with Lumpkin the rabbit)

Persnickety

2008-06-30T22:18:00.001-07:00

You want me to eat this?

Butt out!

2008-06-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

My brother Ivan has a cute butt, don't you think? Look at that tail go!

Hand holding

2008-06-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Me and Daisy are best buds...

Innocent...

2008-06-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

How do you know I did it?

Libertad!

2008-06-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

What fun! The air conditioning repairman came over yesterday to work on our home system, but he didn't know that whenever someone opens the front door, I make a run for it! Long story short, I had a ball! After I darted out, grandma started yelling for mom, who promptly dropped what she was doing (gardening) and took off after me. Then the air conditioning man joined in the chase! I covered most of the neighborhood; whenever mom called me, I ran to her at top speed, then veered off at the last minute! Mom fell once; the repairman worked up a heavy sweat! I got some much-needed exercise. Then suddenly, mom drove by in her car, opened the door, and asked me if I wanted to go for a RIDE! A RIDE, MY FAVORITE THING! So I hopped in, and the next thing I knew, I was back in the house. Grandma was mad, the repairman was panting and drinking lemonade, and mom was scolding and hugging me. But it was all worth it. Real excitement!!!

Victim of brontophobia

2008-06-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

And I'm not coming out from under the kitchen table until the thunderstorm is over...

Short ribs

2008-06-14T22:54:00.001-07:00

Me and Ivan got down on some raw short ribs this morning. Very tasty.

I am Neckbone

2008-06-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Nom...nom...nom...

Goose poop!

2008-05-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

Go figure. Here I take the time to go rolling in the lovely, fresh poop that the Canada geese left at our pond this afternoon, then rush into the house to show Mom what a good girl I am. Instead of affirmation/adoration, I'm hurled into the tub! Mom DOUBLE shampooed me. I've never heard her use that kind of language before...

Goes to show, humans will forever be a mystery, wrapped in an enigma.

Gaaa!!!!

2008-05-20T16:22:00.001-07:00

OK. Take a deep breath and relax. Mom just brought home a new iRobot, a vacuum cleaner with a computerized brain. This morning, she walked over to the little round, yellow thing, pressed a button on its back and, gaaa!!! It took off around the upstairs rooms, bandoliers roaring like some kind of above level ground, futuristic ogre. I quickly took refuge on the bed; Daisy followed it around intently as it sucked up the dust bunnies, and Ivan (pictured) launched a full-out C&C attack on the bugger. As if I didn’t hate the Dyson enough. Now, this. Damage assessment: Code Red.

Got a thirst

2008-05-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

My pal Kayla moved to Palm Springs, California with her Mom recently and I miss her! Her Mom sent us a pic of Kayla getting a drink at a water fountain. It's HOT in Palm Springs!

Strange beauty

2008-05-06T23:10:00.000-07:00

Mom took this blur of a photo of me running with one of my many, many toys. But look at the weird coloration & effects! I AM a bit of an ethereal beauty...

Sunset at Hammo beach

2008-04-21T17:22:00.001-07:00

Me with mom, Daisy and Ivan

Emmett

Daisy

Daisy and Otto

What fun! Me, mom, Ivan and Daisy met our pug buddies Otto and Emmet (along with Otto's mom, Linnea) at Hammonasset Beach at sunset tonight for a playdate! There was much butt sniffing, mock fighting, growling, leash tangling, and rolling in the sand. Life is good.

My pug buds

2008-04-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

Otto and Emett. I love you! Play date soon!

I'm trying to sleep here...

2008-04-17T00:05:00.001-07:00

Here, under the covers, is where I get all my serious thinking done.

Close shave

2008-04-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

Before

After, with tongue.

In the woods

2008-04-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

Please. I have a shy bladder.

It's getting crowded around here...

2008-04-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

Blue is my color

2008-04-04T23:03:00.000-07:00

2008-03-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

Teddy, Ivan and I do as we please. Don't we, guys?

Carpe carne

2008-03-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

Chicken thighs!

I snatched Mom's Greatful Dead bear

2008-03-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

I miss you, Jerry...

Spring gardening

2008-03-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

Well, Mom turned the compost pile this morning, and I came along (with Ivan and Daisy) to oversee the operation. Believe me you, the smells were heavenly! I just love a compost pile in spring. I played in the woods a bit afterward. Smell that spring air!

Balanced diet

2008-03-21T22:59:00.000-07:00

Spinach is good.

Cheese is better.

Food-wise, Mom makes sure I get a little of everything (within reason). I love cheese! And I even eat spinach off a fork. But I like cheese better. This afternoon, we had both. Yums!

Derision

2008-03-19T09:29:00.001-07:00

I loathe these infantile, jejune blogsites...

Do you smell that?

2008-03-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air...

More beach photos

2008-03-10T21:28:00.001-07:00

Day at the beach

2008-03-10T21:19:00.001-07:00

What a day! Mom took all of us to Guilford beach for an afternoon of romping, swimming, sniffing, eating, rolling, barking, growling, playing, lurching, peeing, stalking, lunging, fighting, posing for pictures, etc. It was cold but sunny and I caught a whiff of spring! I get very contemplative at the water; but this doesn't deter from having a good time. Still, I get to thinking about the big questions...like, where does beef jerky come from? Why does Mom smell like cream soda? Should I have eaten those purple Mardis Gras beads?

Birthday Paw-ty

2008-03-09T23:41:00.000-07:00

OK so Mom wants to celebrate EVERYONE'S birthday. We like! Sister Daisy turned 4 last week! We got together with some like-minded people (plus grandma) and dogs and got jiggy with it.

Daisy with grandma

Card from Grandma

I just wanted to look at some of Daisy's presents!

I love pink cake

So does Ivan

Mad Hatter

2008-03-01T18:01:00.001-08:00

This blog is about me, but I can't resist posting this pic of my big sister Daisy Sage in her Stetson. Yee-haww!!!

Fun for dogs!!!

2008-02-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Origami-Cat-Face

R.I.P. William F. Buckley, Jr.

2008-02-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

Karma Innen

Often imitated, never duplicated: William F. Buckley, conservative icon

Julia Keller CULTURAL CRITIC
February 28, 2008

So dapper with that noblesse oblige, so jaunty with that je ne sais quoi, he was that rare thing: an intellectual who morphed into a celebrity, so much so that he was the subject of good-natured parodies on TV shows such as "The Smothers Brothers" and the movie "Aladdin."
Yet William F. Buckley Jr., 82, who died Wednesday, was the guiding spirit of a conservative movement that stuck a stick in the spokes of post-New Deal liberalism and pushed Ronald Reagan into the White House.
"Conservatism in the 1950s was in disarray. He cleaned it up," said his son, author Christopher Buckley. "He not only made it intellectually sound -- but because of his personal style, he made it cool."
Buckley came across a bit like Thurston Howell III in "Gilligan's Island" -- declaiming his well-chosen words in a patrician, faintly British-sounding accent, accompanied by a rakishly arched eyebrow. In the program he hosted on public television for 33 years, "Firing Line," and in his role as an engaged chronicler of the second half of the 20th Century, Buckley somehow kept an expensively shod foot in the worlds of elite intellectuals and regular folks amused by his elegant demeanor and elephantine vocabulary.
"In the 1960s and '70s," Christopher Buckley said, "any stand-up comic worth his salt had a William F. Buckley impression." And his father never minded. "He got a kick out of them. He was immensely secure that way."
But it was as an essayist and author that Buckley made his first and firmest mark. He wrote more than 55 books and more than 5,000 newspaper columns, and in 1955 founded the National Review, a bedrock conservative journal."
"Before that, there was no conservative movement."Old-world civilityAnd after that, there was Buckley: the bon vivant with intellectual chops, the high-living aristocrat with the high IQ. On "Firing Line," he brought grace, charm and an old-world civility to television, debating the likes of economist John Kenneth Galbraith and novelist Norman Mailer.
"Back in the days when the options in the TV universe were smaller," said Rich Heldenfels, a columnist with the Akron Beacon-Journal who has written several books on television history, "it was possible for viewers to encounter those sorts of people, whereas today they're elbowed aside."
It is difficult to imagine the politely erudite aura of "Firing Line" in today's world of political coverage on cable TV, a world in which the yelp and the snarl have replaced the thoughtful pause.
Off the air, Buckley still kept busy. He was a wide-minded and perennially curious generalist, a renaissance man in an era that increasingly tended to produce only careful, plodding specialists.
He wrote fetching books about his passion for sailing and spy novels featuring a CIA agent named Blackford Oakes. His book on Barry Goldwater is scheduled to be published in April; he was working on another book at the time of his death, Christopher Buckley said.
He was found at his writing desk in his Stamford, Conn., home about 9:30 a.m.
That is what Christopher Buckley told President Bush when the latter called Wednesday morning to express his condolences.
"I said, 'Mr. President, you're a Texan, and you'll understand this -- he died with his boots on.'" Later in the day, a call came from Nancy Reagan, Christopher Buckley said. Then he called former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to tell him the news. "He wept."
Buckley also was a canny talent scout, giving a crucial boost to writers who went on to illustrious careers, such as Garry Wills, Joan Didion, George Will and David Brooks.
"It's a stupendous pool of proteges," said Christopher Buckley.And that smileEven to people who never picked up the National Review, Buckley was a familiar figure, thanks to the quirky, endearing mannerisms on display in "Firing Line" that made him catnip to impressionists.
Comedian David Frye did his Buckley imitation on "The Smothers Brothers," a television show that aired on CBS from 1967 to 1969, and also on comedy albums."
It was that voice, that silken voice" that made Buckley a gift to comics, mused Heldenfels. "And that smile. There was something serpentine about it. It was like Eve approaching the apple. He was enjoying himself immensely -- even if you weren't always sure he was going to do right by whomever he was talking to."
Indeed, while Buckley's political legacy may be intact -- the conservative movement is now a powerful presence in American culture -- the sophistication he demonstrated on television, the easy charm and graciousness, the cordiality he displayed even to guests whose ideas he despised, have largely disappeared from the screen, replaced by raucous insults.
Christopher Buckley, author of best-selling novels such as "Thank You for Smoking" (1994) and "No Way to Treat a First Lady" (2002), said, "It was great to have a father with whom one could talk shop. He was a wonderful dad. He didn't teach me how to write -- you have to learn that on your own -- but as an influence and a gold standard, he was invaluable."
But the old man was no pushover: "He hated my last five books, for reasons that escape me," Christopher Buckley said with a rueful chuckle."
At the peak of his fame, he received more than 600 letters a week. He would personally respond to at least 200 of them," his son said. "It was quite something to go through an airport with him. He would be stopped, literally, every 5 feet, and someone would say, 'I don't agree with a thing you say, but I love the way you say it!'"

Oh, horse feathers!

2008-02-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

Robot as good as real dog at easing lonely hours
By Julie Steenhuysen
Wed Feb 27, 12:36 PM ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A friendly dog can make older people feel less isolated -- and it appears to make little difference if that wagging tail belongs to a robot doggie or the real thing.

Researchers at Saint Louis University in Missouri compared a 35-pound (16 kg), floppy-eared mutt named Sparky with AIBO, a far-from-lifelike robot dog, to see how residents of three U.S. nursing homes would respond.

"The most surprising thing is they worked almost equally well in terms of alleviating loneliness and causing residents to form attachments," said Dr. William Banks, a professor of geriatric medicine who worked on the study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.

Banks said pets have been shown to help older people feel less isolated. "It really improves loneliness considerably," he said in a telephone interview.

But many senior citizens are too frail to care for a pet or have had to give up their own animals when they went to the nursing home. "They really miss that bond," he said.

Banks and colleagues decided to see if a faux fido might offer some comfort.
The researchers studied 38 nursing home residents who were divided into three groups. One got regular visits from Banks' pet Sparky, another got visits from the AIBO Entertainment Robot, a shiny robot dog formerly made by Sony Corp that used artificial intelligence to interact with its environment and express emotion.

The third group got no visits from either dog.

Banks said he had been sure Sparky would have the edge, but to his surprise, both dogs provided virtually equal comfort after seven weeks of visits.

While AIBO has been discontinued, Banks thinks similar robots could offer companionship for older people and might even be programmed to keep tabs on their owners, alerting emergency workers of a sudden fall.

"Loneliness is common in nursing homes. Robots may be very useful for people who cannot for whatever reason have access to a living dog," Banks said.

Daydreaming

2008-02-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

If I could be anyone's lap dog, I'd like to be Johnny Depp's.

A dog's lament

2008-02-23T16:53:00.000-08:00

The Song of Quoodle

G.K. Chesterton

They haven't got no noses,

The fallen sons of Eve;

Even the smell of rosesIs

not what they supposes;

But more than mind discloses

And more than men believe.

They haven't got no noses,

They cannot even tell

When door and darkness closes

The park a Jew encloses,

Where even the law of Moses

Will let you steal a smell.

The brilliant smell of water,

The brave smell of a stone,

The smell of dew and thunder,

The old bones buried under,

Are things in which they blunder

And err, if left alone.

The wind from winter forests,

The scent of scentless flowers,

The breath of brides' adorning,

The smell of snare and warning,

The smell of Sunday morning,

God gave to us for ours

****

And Quoodle here discloses

All things that Quoodle can,

They haven't got no noses,

And goodness only knowses

The Noselessness of Man.

'Yippie in the ~snow~ it's Friday'

2008-02-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

Sister Daisy poses for a photo, but I'm too into the snow to be bothered!

Brother Ivan and myself explore the woods!

Sister Daisy is thrilled!

Nosenstein

2008-02-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

I loathe the paparazzi.

Vittles

2008-02-20T09:15:00.001-08:00

Mom rustled up some tofu garam masala for dinner. It doesn't look like much now, but soon it will be great. Will I get some? A taste, most likely. I love tofu. But Indian food gives me gas.

Useless but intriguing trivia

2008-02-19T18:36:00.000-08:00

Based on an average life span of 11 years,

the cost of raising a dog is $13,350.
The cost of raising a child to the age of 18 – on a lower-income budget and if he or she attends a low-cost public college – is $266,698.
***Dogs rule!***

Monday is bath day...

2008-02-18T15:23:00.001-08:00

...and this is my "Death to You" look.

Geocaching with Mom

2008-02-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

Is that poison oak near my ear?

Meditation sutra

2008-02-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

om mani...om mani...om mani...om mani...om mani...om mani...om mani...om mani...

Pardon?

2008-02-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

What? Do I look like I left a turd in your shoe?

Rest in Peace

2008-02-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

Well. We came across this dead crow at the Guilford beach this afternoon. Poor guy. Here's me and Ivan taking a whiff. Mom couldn't pull us away. That's the thing about being a dog. What smells like raw sewage to you is eau de cologne for us. Good huffin'.

Binks!

2008-02-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

I just love my binky ball.

My bedtime prayer

2008-02-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

Hear our humble prayer, O God,

for our friends the animals,

especially for animals who are suffering;

for any that are hunted or lost or

deserted or frightened or hungry;

for all that must be put to death.

We entreat for them all

Thy mercy and pity,

and for those who deal with them

we ask aheart of compassion

and gentle hands and

kindly words. Make us, ourselves,

to be true friends to animals

and so to share the blessings of the merciful.

~ Albert Schweitzer

Praline Pecan

2008-02-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

This ice cream goes right to my butt.

My favorite treat!

2008-02-15T20:59:00.000-08:00

Good eatin'!

Doggie Garlic Cookies

1 c. uncooked oatmeal
3 c. whole wheat flour
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. bouillon granules
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c. cornmeal
3/4 c. powdered milk
1/2 c. butter
1-1/2 c. meat broth
Preheat oven to 325 F. Dissolve bouillon in meat broth, while still hot put some of the broth into a blender with the garlic and blend on high. Pour all broth into large bowl, add margarine & oatmeal and stir. Let sit 5 minutes to cool. Stir in powdered milk, cornmeal, and egg. Add flour, 1/2 c. at a time, mixing well after each addition. Knead by hand, adding more flour if needed. Roll on floured surface to 1/2" thick, cut into shapes. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, allow to cool and dry out until hard. Variations: plain flour, shredded cheese, hamburger/bacon grease instead of margarine, or add 1 pkg. dry yeast and 1/4 c. honey to make biscuits instead of cookies. Yields 75 small cookies.

"The Guilty Dogs"

2008-02-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite bedtime story.

Mom reads it to me every night after she sobers up:

(The following tale is one of the Jatakas,

stories of the Buddha's former lives.)

One evening, after the king had spent the day traveling in his magnificent carriage, the three pairs of horses were led back to the stables to be fed and watered, but through some oversight the vehicle was left untended in the courtyard.
During the night it rained, and the fine leather harnesses were softened and began to exude a spicy, powdery odour that proved irresistible to the palace dogs.

They tugged and gnawed, and scrabbled and chewed, and when just a faint glow appeared on the eastern horizon, they tip-toed away to curl up in their usual places.
In the morning, the syces and stablemen could not believe their eyes. With cold feet and trembling hands, they went to tell the king.
The king was furious.
We do not know how the people responsible were punished, but we do know that he called for the death of every single dog in the vicinity.
All the dogs in the city, pets and pye dogs alike, knew what would be the consequence of the actions of the royal hounds (all but the very youngest ones) and so they fled to the outskirts to join the packs that lurked in the woods.

At any moment, they expected the king's enforcers to come and exterminate every one of them for something they had had no paw in.
The lead dog who, it is believed, was the Buddha in a previous lifetime, put his own fear aside, and calmly and with great dignity, went to talk to the king. He was so imposing that the guards made no move against him.
As he approached, the king asked, "How is it that you are still alive?
The great dog prostrated his head on the carpet between his paws, rose again and replied, " I have come on a mission of mercy, your Highness. "Why are you determined to put to death every dog in the kingdom? It is not possible that they all had a bite of the royal livery. There is certainly not enough leather on six bridles and harnesses for every single dog here."
The king replied, "Dogs chew royal property; dogs die."
"Highness, you have always been a most just ruler. The guilty ones deserve a punishment, that is true. Which dogs did the chewing?"

The noble hound continued, "Maharaj, is it right for all to suffer for the wrongs of only a few? Your response to this question will surely cause deep reflection by those in your own household, not to mention your ministers and even your many loyal subjects of high and low degree."

After a brief hesitation, the king said, "If you can show me the guilty parties, I will spare the other animals."

The skillful dog responded, "It is known that dogs will eat grass to scour their stomachs, therefore, let all the dogs eat kula grass. This will make them cough up what is in their bodies, and then we will find the guilty parties."
"It seems that most of the dogs have fled," said the king. "Only the royal hounds remain. How can royal dogs be compared to common curs? But let us see if the kula grass is effective. We will try it on them first, then."

The royal dogs were fed kula grass and lo, and behold, they coughed it up along with little bits of gilded leather.
The king was amazed, and he reflected on his spontaneous angry response.

He put an immediate stop to the dog hunt. He even halted the destruction of wild dogs.
As their penance, every year the royal dogs had to serve all the others -- pets, pye dogs and even those that lived in the forest -- at a great feast in the city centre.

So it happened that a great king learned the virtue of restraint, justice, courage and compassion from the Tathagata, who in that lifetime was living in the Animal Realm as a lead dog.

Hiya

2008-02-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

We're off! Just so we understand each other, I want to make it clear that kayaking the Connecticut waterways with Mom and attaining enlightenment are the only things I live for. That and broiled liverwurst.