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| The kid and the pooch |
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| "Can I get some of that (doggie) birthday pizza?" |
The kid (and our dachshund Angel) got in the society pages, too.
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
doggie birthday party
Only in Palm Beach. Last month we attended a very exclusive birthday party ... for one of our neighbor's dogs.
The kid (and our dachshund Angel) got in the society pages, too.
The kid (and our dachshund Angel) got in the society pages, too.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Monday, February 11, 2013
another fun little film find: darling companion
You don't have to be a pet owner or dog lover to appreciate Darling Companion, but it would probably help. The film, by director Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill, Grand Canyon, Wyatt Earp, French Kiss) stars Diane Keaton and Kevin Kline as a couple with a newly empty nest who may not have much common ground left to stand upon.
The dog is at the center of the story, and although the animal spends much of the movie offscreen, he has an enormous impact on everyone he comes across. Beth (Keaton) and her daughter Grace (Elisabeth Moss) rescue a stray dog from the side of the road. They take him to a local vet, Dr. Sam (Jay Ali), who confirms that the pooch is OK. Sam takes an immediate shine to Grace, but also warns them that the dog's prospects for being adopted are slim. They take the dog home with them for the night, and Beth's husband Joseph (Kline) insists that the dog's stay there is just temporary. But Beth has already named the dog Freeway — it is clear that Freeway is a keeper.
Joseph is a busy surgeon and Beth clearly is able to pour a lot of her love and loneliness into her new pet. A year later finds the couple hosting Grace and Sam's wedding at their Denver vacation home, with Freeway so comfortably ensconced in the family that he is an important part of the ceremony. After most of the guests and the newlyweds have left, Joseph takes Freeway for a walk in the surrounding woods. Absorbed with a work-related call on his cell phone, when he looks up Freeway has taken off on the trail. After some half-hearted searching, he heads back home without him.
The rest of the film is concerned with Beth's reaction to Freeway being missing, her relationship with Joseph, and how everyone responds to Beth's cry for help to find her dog. Joseph's sister Penny (Dianne Wiest), her boyfriend Russell (Richard Jenkins), and her son and Joseph's colleague Bryan (Mark Duplass), are still on hand to help in the search, as is Beth and Joseph's beautiful and mysterious housekeeper Carmen (Ayelet Zurer), who claims to have Gypsy blood and "the sight." Adding a bit of humor to the proceedings is Sam Shepard as the local sheriff.
Darling Companion is a very gentle comedy with a leisurely pace. Viewers used to CGI and thrillers might find it a bit flat. But I really liked the subtle interactions between the characters and the underlying truth — that the love a human has for his or her pet is unconditional. But humans and other humans? Not always. It's something to strive for, certainly. It was nice to see such high-calibre actors bouncing off one another. Not a typical Hollywood film, for sure. But worth a look on cable or demand, if you get a chance.
The dog is at the center of the story, and although the animal spends much of the movie offscreen, he has an enormous impact on everyone he comes across. Beth (Keaton) and her daughter Grace (Elisabeth Moss) rescue a stray dog from the side of the road. They take him to a local vet, Dr. Sam (Jay Ali), who confirms that the pooch is OK. Sam takes an immediate shine to Grace, but also warns them that the dog's prospects for being adopted are slim. They take the dog home with them for the night, and Beth's husband Joseph (Kline) insists that the dog's stay there is just temporary. But Beth has already named the dog Freeway — it is clear that Freeway is a keeper.
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| Woman's best friend |
The rest of the film is concerned with Beth's reaction to Freeway being missing, her relationship with Joseph, and how everyone responds to Beth's cry for help to find her dog. Joseph's sister Penny (Dianne Wiest), her boyfriend Russell (Richard Jenkins), and her son and Joseph's colleague Bryan (Mark Duplass), are still on hand to help in the search, as is Beth and Joseph's beautiful and mysterious housekeeper Carmen (Ayelet Zurer), who claims to have Gypsy blood and "the sight." Adding a bit of humor to the proceedings is Sam Shepard as the local sheriff.
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| Beth and Joseph, armed with special whistles, search the woods for Freeway |
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
the kid's favorite new show is ...
... Pit Bulls and Parolees?
I shouldn't be so surprised, as she loves watching any show that features dogs, cats — all animals, really. She may actually end up a vegetarian/veterinarian someday.
The show is pretty compelling stuff. I'm still not sure how Tia Torres makes ends meet at her Villalobos Rescue Center, as she seems willing to take in any dog, no matter their breed. Obviously having the television show is helping, but it's only been airing since 2009, so how about before that? Maybe the adoptions help fund her efforts. The parolee part of the show is less prominent than the animal part. It may have been the gimmick to get the show on the air, and it is an interesting factor in Torres' work and efforts to help people who have had a few strikes against them in their life get a new start, and to help dogs that have gained a bad reputation in the world find forever homes. Not every dog or human story ends happily. Some of the dogs get ill and Torres must make a hard decision. Some of the parolees just can't get it together and Tia has to fire them. In the four shows that we have seen so far, two workers had to be let go because they were either lying and not showing up for work, or worse, mistreating one of her canine charges.
Pit Bulls and Parolees may not have been my first instinct to turn on, but I have to admit that I am interested in Torres and so respect what she is trying to accomplish. I'm more of a cat person, and have thought off and on in the past that if I hit the jackpot I might want to set up a similar place to rescue abandoned cats, or to finance a spay and release program for some of the local feral kitties.
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When we adopted our dachshund Angel from the local animal shelter I was amazed at the large number of pit bulls in the pens. Torres started out in California and then relocated to New Orleans, where the show is now filmed. They also have a second location in New Mexico, where the older or "un-adoptable" dogs can live out their days. I wonder if Pit Bulls and Parolees will inspire some similar efforts here in Florida and elsewhere in the country.
I shouldn't be so surprised, as she loves watching any show that features dogs, cats — all animals, really. She may actually end up a vegetarian/veterinarian someday.
The show is pretty compelling stuff. I'm still not sure how Tia Torres makes ends meet at her Villalobos Rescue Center, as she seems willing to take in any dog, no matter their breed. Obviously having the television show is helping, but it's only been airing since 2009, so how about before that? Maybe the adoptions help fund her efforts. The parolee part of the show is less prominent than the animal part. It may have been the gimmick to get the show on the air, and it is an interesting factor in Torres' work and efforts to help people who have had a few strikes against them in their life get a new start, and to help dogs that have gained a bad reputation in the world find forever homes. Not every dog or human story ends happily. Some of the dogs get ill and Torres must make a hard decision. Some of the parolees just can't get it together and Tia has to fire them. In the four shows that we have seen so far, two workers had to be let go because they were either lying and not showing up for work, or worse, mistreating one of her canine charges.
Pit Bulls and Parolees may not have been my first instinct to turn on, but I have to admit that I am interested in Torres and so respect what she is trying to accomplish. I'm more of a cat person, and have thought off and on in the past that if I hit the jackpot I might want to set up a similar place to rescue abandoned cats, or to finance a spay and release program for some of the local feral kitties.
When we adopted our dachshund Angel from the local animal shelter I was amazed at the large number of pit bulls in the pens. Torres started out in California and then relocated to New Orleans, where the show is now filmed. They also have a second location in New Mexico, where the older or "un-adoptable" dogs can live out their days. I wonder if Pit Bulls and Parolees will inspire some similar efforts here in Florida and elsewhere in the country.
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