Drooling and Slobbering

Emotive forces play a large part in our lives, often trumping the "sensible." We eat too much or the wrong foods, date the wrong people, choose careers with dim prospects, buy things we don't need. New York City has its own brand of impractical indulgences - driving in SUVs and living with huge dogs in small apartments.

Seeing a New Yorker with a Great Dane, Mastiff, Great Pyrenees or Irish Wolfhound is not as rare an occurrence as one might expect. New Yorkers like to think big, and dogs are no exception. However, everything about these critters is big - size, weight, smell, hair, food consumed, excretions and slobbering. Many weigh more than their owners, as I imagine is the case in today's photo. A large dog dominates an apartment space. Many describe the experience as living with a roommate.


In 2004, the New York Times ran a story, Rooming With the Big Dogs; 140-Pound City Pets and the People Who Love Them. Parts of the story were incredible, others bordering on the hysterical. The Times story tells of a married couple, Barry Kellman, his wife Shane, and their English mastiff, Brutus. During her pregnancy, Shane threw the dog out. Determined to keep him, Barry began boarding him. As costs mounted, he rented an apartment for Brutus at $1800 per month. From the article:

To meet Brutus is to appreciate the challenge of living with him. He slurps water from his bowl like a horse at a trough. He urinates with considerable force and stamina. ''This goes for about 15 minutes,'' said Paul D'Amato, the doorman of his building. ''He's a tank.''

Brutus also drools constantly: when he walks, saliva swings like a pendulum. When he shakes his head, it flies onto the walls, the front door, Mr. Kellman's clothes (the dry cleaning bill is about $400 a month), and in places not to be believed.

''Every now and then you'll see something hanging from the ceiling,'' said Mr. Kellman. He once found it in his shoes. But Brutus's charm is undeniable. His trusting eyes and massive head bring to mind E.T., the extra-terrestrial.

When his marriage ended, Kellman moved into Brutus's apartment. It must be a case of love and marriage, because I just could not deal with all that Drooling and Slobbering :)

Related Posts: That Should Cover It, Blessing of the Animals, Water 4 Dogs, Pet Pride Parade, à la Chien, Zoomies, Robin Kovary Run for Small Dogs, Dachshund Octoberfest, Wolfdog, Dog Dating, Dog Run