This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a dog lover.

My wife and I have had two dogs – Hogan and Callaway.  One was part of our family.  One now is part of our family.

Hogan went to heaven about five years ago and he is looking down on us as he romps in the fields free from the cancer that took him.  Then, we got Callaway, not to replace Hogan, but to occupy another important place in our family.

Hogan and Callaway came from the same poodle breeder near Amity, Oregon, a place that came highly recommended as something other than a “dog breeding factory.”

It was a great place to find a dog(s).

Actually, Callaway came from the same pure-bred poodle line as Hogan, so, without knowing all about their lineage, we consider Hogan to be Callaway’s uncle.

Why do I report all this?

Because I came across two stories about dogs lately in national media, one very positive, and one very negative.  Here is a summary of both.

• MO MOUNTAIN MUTTS, a dog-walking business in Skagway, Alaska, takes different groups of dogs on walks multiple times a day.  Plus, it uses a bus to transport all the dogs to the areas for walks.

Dubbed the “puppy bus” by the business’s owners, it is equipped with special safety harnesses for the dogs, who each have their own assigned seat.

Guess what?  When the bus comes by the homes of the dogs, the animals are waiting patiently – or perhaps not so patiently — in their front yards.  And, then, when the bus doors open, the dogs run to get on and go immediately to their assigned seats.

To their assigned seats?  Yes, they have “assigned seats” and they know where they are.

On the walks, the dogs are trained to be off-leash, so, at least based on the photos, it appears the dogs love the exercise and the freedom.

In words, this story arouses the senses, at least mine.  But, if you saw the photos carried in the Washington Post, which ran a story on Mo Mountain Mutts, you’d laugh out loud – laugh with appreciation.

The owners said this:  “We can’t believe we can do this for a living.”

·      “DOG-NAPPING” IS ON RISE:  In the second story, the facts caught me by surprise – and they are very negative.

Here is the way the Washington Post reported the issue:

“Dog thefts — some violent — appear to be on the rise nationwide, but the owner of a Yorkshire terrier and a veteran who hunted al-Qaeda militants in Iraq teamed up to save a dog held for ransom.

“Raquel Witherspoon had spent a frantic 24-hours searching for her daughter’s Yorkshire terrier, after making a shocking discovery.  Footage from her doorbell camera showed a young woman with dyed-red hair creep onto her front porch, throw treats to Avery, and then make off with the tiny dog.

“Witherspoon’s 12-year-old daughter was distraught.  Semaj (the daughter’s name) relied on Avery for emotional support and could barely eat or sleep since the dog vanished.”

But, then, suddenly, Witherspoon’s iPhone buzzed to life in her Maryland home that day after the pup disappeared in June.

What happened was that a military veteran of serving in Iraq learned about the plight of the 12-year-old and offered to help.

Using skills he developed in his military service, he worked on-line and in other ways to find the culprit and he got the kidnapped dog back — safe and sound.

Great result!

So, two stories here. 

I intend to dwell on the good news of the first, remembering all the photos of dogs set for a great walk in Alaska.  As for the second, I’ll work hard to protect Callaway.