Top Dog: Thelwell’s Complete Canine Compendium
Things might be a little quiet on the DINOS Facebook page/Notes From A Dog Walker blog front for a bit. I’m not going anywhere, but I’m redirecting some of my energy to a couple of other projects this winter. Specifically:
1. I’m currently taking a graduate level course to help me decide if I want to go back to school and get my master’s degree. Homework is happening.
2. I’m working on a DINOS eBook! So far it’s shaping up to be the best of my blog, with a bunch of new essays and helpful tips thrown in for funsies. I’m writing it for the newbies who are living with DINOS for the first time. It can be overwhelming and they need a one-stop booklet to help boost their morale.
2a. The stuff I’d normally publish here about DINOS is getting saved for the book.
3. And I have to go to work. Those pesky jobs and their silly paychecks.
I find that the best way to deal with an impossibly long to-do list is to run away to the movies on a Sunday afternoon after doing a little thrift store shopping. Am I right?
Yes I am and here’s the proof. I scored this yesterday:
Cover of Top Dog by Norman Thelwell
Published in 1964, this gem of a book is a compilation of the British cartoonist Norman Thelwell’s Sunday Express illustrations.
In the book he covers everything a dog owner needs to know about caring for a dog. Such as “Choosing Your Dog”:
How to care for their health:
How to train dogs: “Some dogs bark and bark and bark…until the sound becomes unbearable…the only way to stop a dog from barking….”
…is to learn the violin.” That is, by far, the most sensible dog training advice I’ve ever gotten.
There is an entire section devoted to how to handle your dog outdoors (clearly Thelwell was an early member of Team DINOS).
“Meeting other dogs can be tricky. Restrain your own animal…and keep calm…above all…avoid a fight.”
The book also covers responsible dog owner laws:
And my favorite illustration spans two pages. “And he must be kept on a lead in public parks.”
It’s a wonderful book, filled with cheeky text and illustrations and more than a few surprisingly helpful and progressive tips for real life dog care. If you ever come across a copy, scoop it up.
And now, it’s back to work for me – see you guys soon!
notes from a dog walker 