Random Licks: The Morning Tide


By Glenn Close

This morning, Bill, Jake and I had our usual walk in Central park. We try to get out there before 9 a.m. so they can be off-leash. We enter near the Great Lawn and join the waves of dogs and their people that ebb and flow over the landscape early in the morning. High tide is from around 7 to 7:30. We got out at around 8 o'clock, so the tide was already on its way out of the park, receding back to apartments and offices.

In the flow, is an infinite variety of all shapes and sizes; both human and canine. This morning, we saw two, beautifully matched black and white pointers; fluidly trotting by, flinging their paws out with each springy step. A magnificent Irish wolfhound sat begging for a treat, quivering with expectation; so huge and yet so docile and obedient. There was the usual compliment of eclectic mutts---almost always rescues---that are particularly thrilled to have a human of their own.  Bill and Jake like the little white ones the best.

And I always hear some amusing names being shouted. This morning it was, "Marshmallow! Here Marshmallow!" I never saw Marshmallow, but suspect he (or she) is fluffy, round and white or possibly a grimy, light gray, like the way our marshmallows used to look when we were little and mushed them into "Ghost Cheese". One morning I heard an insistent, slightly desperate, "STELLA! STELLA-A-A-A!" I looked around for a gorgeous guy in a wife-beater, kneeling on the sidewalk, his arms outstretched, sobbing. But instead of a sweaty, muscle-bound Marlon Brando, Stella's man was wearing a buttoned-down shirt and clutching a Blackberry, his gray suit jacket thrown over one shoulder. And instead of a barefooted, sexy, nightgown-clad young woman, Stella-of-the-Park was a bouncing black poodle-cross with bright eyes and curly white hair on her chest. She bounded up to her Stanley and was snapped onto her leash. Then she dutifully trotted beside him, as they headed towards the eastside and into their day.

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Welcome to LIVELY LICKS: Profiles of Dogs and their People.
I hope that you will be entertained, comforted and inspired by the people and dogs that I have the privilege of featuring on this blog. Since starting it over a year and a half ago, it has pulled me into an incredible journey. Besides being able to celebrate some of my wonderful friends and the profound bond they have with their dogs, LIVELY LICKS has introduced me to the world of avalanche dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs, service dogs for our wounded warriors and dogs in need of rescue and adoption. I have been inspired by the selfless dedication of the people who run grassroots shelters as well as urban care and control centers. I have been deeply moved by their stories in which dogs heal and empower their humans. Those of us who have dogs, know how much they enhance our quality of life with their unquestioning loyalty and unconditional love. There are an infinite number of stories to tell, so I hope you will stay with me as I continue to explore and discover and delight in the journey.

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