Usually meant as a snide remark, the old saw about it being “a dog’s life” might also refer to the generous perks that come with full-standing in this country’s canine sector.
As we continue year after year to fashion Marx’s ideal welfare state for our dogs — free healthcare, social security from cradle to grave, live-in cleaning staff for as long as our pets shall last – envy sets in.
Let’s face it. One of the reasons we provide so lavishly for our pets is so we can live the good life vicariously through them. What is a dog’s life, really? Hanging out all day, watching others get the work done, eating good and often, sniffin’ a little tail any time you please without some fool alerting the media. Little wonder we enjoy living our fantasies through our dogs.
Some fantasize a ranch dog’s life — horses, barn dances, and a little hunting now and then. Some dream about an Afghan’s life, waltzing through Central Park with golden tresses dancing in the Hudson River breeze. Awhile back, I found a coffee table book in Sonoma that pretty much captures my fantasy dog’s life: Winery Dogs.
It’s mostly a picture book — Bugsy the Scotch Terrier amidst the wine barrels, Alex the Shepherd poised before a vintage jeep (this one is also rendered in bronze-hued ink on an actual wine label). As the book’s web page chirps, “You can meet the lucky dogs who work [yeah, right] and play in the stunning California vineyards… racing through the vines, snacking on ripe grapes, or greeting guests in the tasting rooms.” Sigh. I didn’t buy the book, but if they sold a bumper sticker that said “I’d rather be a Golden Retriever at Stag’s Leap” it would be on the bumper of my commuter car right now. Suffice it to say that my fantasy life will always include a good cab and a good Lab.
Now I would never dream of compromising my journalistic integrity by puffing one of our sponsors, like say, Mutt Lynch Winery (see their intriguing and irristible ad on page 24!), but their theme is so germane to the topic, how could I not throw them a bone? Every winery needs a theme, right? Dry Creek has racing sloops, Coppola has the movies, and Mutt Lynch has dogs. At this Sonoma County winery, they don’t just release a Chardonnay, they “unleash” it, and many of the wines feature dogs on the labels.
According to Modern Dog Magazine, Mutt Lynch is “North America’s most renowned dog winery.” You mean there are others? I think it’s about time Bay Woof sent me on a little road trip.
Before signing off on the topic of winery dogs, here’s an uplifting little tale. Recently, I attended a special event at Bella Winery in the Dry Creek Valley, known for its lovely reds, Tuscanesque views, and extensive wine cave. In the bowels of said cave, I met a scruffy but talented mutt named Jake. In a cavern about the size of a large living room, in which a seven-piece band and about a dozen dancers rocked out, Jake managed to catch a nylon Frisbee repeatedly, thrown a variety of ways. Without tripping up a single person or ever missing a beat, he was a nimble dancer in his own right.
I learned that he was once owned by a meth lab proprieter, before landing in an animal shelter, half-starved and vicious. This Jake was a poster dog for the rescue community, and a living testament to what a little love and attention can do.
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