Woof Woofington

Artist's Muse

Now, I know what you're thinking...how crap have I been about keeping the blog up to date? Not only am I not in London (and therefore so OUT of touch with what's going on) but I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere, in the countryside...with NO snacks!

BUT, actually, being this remote does not mean you can write me off. Oh no! In fact, I have been busy working with an artist, no less. And not any old artist, either!

Joseph Harrington is a young, up and coming...inventor and creator of incredible things. He's a student at Goldsmiths College in London (you know, alumni include...imagine a big drum roll

Visual arts
Lucian Freud, Damien Hirst, Michael Landy, Mary Quant, Bridget Riley, Sam Taylor-Wood, Gillian Wearing,Vivienne Westwood!

So Joseph is in good company. And just in case you thought other famous people went to Goldsmiths College, you'd be right...here's some more:

Music
Those Blur boys - Damon Albarn (I used to see him ALL the time as he lived around the corner),Graham Coxon (the Mistress's other half loves his music...I don't!), Alex James (now a farmer - hello?!) and then
Linton Kwesi Johnson, poet, musician, Malcolm McLaren and Brian Molko, singer with Placebo.

Performers
Emily Booth, actress and TV presenter and Julian Clary, comedian

Politicians
The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP - I wonder if she, as Minister of Culture and Arts, is going to come along to the exhibition? She should support her old college, don't you think?

Journalism
Sarah Sands, sometime editor of the Sunday Telegraph.
Keir Simmons, reporter, ITV News.

Anyway, it's press night tonight - Thursday May 31 - but the Mistress is going on Saturday (friends and family). Personally, I don't think it's right; I hope I am starring in a film that Joseph has made but do I get an invitation? Do I heck?! I think the Mistress has done it deliberately; she doesn't want me to upstage all the other students and their work. And I would, of course; I really would be the talking point of the show!

So, even though I won't be there, if you want to see for yourselves how a dog has managed to sneak its way into a final degree show, you can find Joseph's work here:

http://www.goldsmithsdesign.net/show2007/

Venue: Boiler House, Old Truman Brewery, 152 Brick Lane, London E1

Dates: Open Daily to the Public
From 1st - 3rd June 10 am - 7 pm and 4th June 10 am - 5 pm

Nearest Tube: Liverpool Street, Aldgate East, Whitechapel

Buses: 8 / 26 / 35 / 47 / 48 / 55 / 57 / 78 / 149 / 242 / 243 / 388

More Info: press@gold.ac.uk

AND if you can't get there, you can see everything on Second Life - these guys know what they are doing!

I am going to do a FULL write up on my artistic adventures with Joseph and his amazing inventions in the next few days.

Just remember, artists such as Picasso knew the true value of the dog so, why not come and be amazed in Brick Lane?

Woof Woof

Dobermans Deserve Better

Now, I admit, that's not a sentence I ever thought I would write. Not because I think Dobermans are bad but..well, the Mistress is a teeny tiny bit afraid of them and whenever I come across one in the park, she makes us walk the other way. And if the Mistress is genuinely afraid, well, then I don't really question her judgement.

But, it's all change, apparently. The Mistress is at home, I'm here and now she's got a Doberman in her life! Can you believe it? She's helping out a friend, again, by looking after dogs in need. Well, not in need of new homes - just in need of somewhere to stay. He is, apparently, a complete pussycat - sweet natured, very affectionate, very intelligent and...quite dominant. Now there's a surprise!

The funny thing is that the Mistress told her best friend she was nervous about Dobermans but that this dog was lovely, to which her friend replied, "I'll never get over seeing a Doberman tearing a Maltese terrier to bits in front of me. I was seven years old." And I think this is how it's all got out of hand; dogs in the wrong hands get bad reputations. And if you don't know a breed, it's easy to generalise. The Mistress says she feels very safe with this dog and people actively avoid her on the street. Now she understands, although it's obviously wrong, why young men get the fiercest dogs (probably lovely dogs made fierce through bad breeding and even worse ownership) - it gives you the psychological edge.

Anyway, all this chat about Dobermans has made the story about a Crufts champion a bit more poignant. According to the Mail on Sunday, http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=453737&in_page_id=1770, this is what happened:

"A Crufts-winning Doberman dog has been beaten to death in an attempted burglary, police have said.

The 12-year-old bitch Emma was hit over the head when the burglar entered the garage she was kept in with other dogs last Wednesday in New Milton, Hampshire.

The dog, which had a full show name of Bohemeann Groovy Little Em, won the puppy class for the breed in 1996 and was shown a the event in 1997 and 1998."

"Mrs Mayhew said the burglar had broken into the garage but nothing was taken. Emma's daughter Winnie was sitting by her mother when the animal was found.

The owner said the thief could have been confronted by the dogs when he or she entered the garage.

"Emma was the sweetest and kindest dog. She would have just stood there and wagged her tail."

If the Mistress hadn't told me of her new found interest (and fondness) for Dobermans, I think we might not have believed that final sentence.

But we are all quick to judge and maybe we shouldn't be so hasty. That poor dog didn't deserve to be killed and I hope, next time, the burglar breaks in somewhere else, he gets a taste of his own medicine. Now I am sounding like the Daily Mail so I shall sign off with one final thought.

Dobermans Deserve Better.

Woof Woof

Would you eat dog stew? Cooking in the Danger Zone BBC 2

Sorry, sorry, sorry that I haven't updated my blog. What can I say? The Mistress abandoned me in the countryside - which is SO boring - and, well, to be honest I just haven't been up to it!

Anyway, nothing like a bit of controversy to get me going again so prompted by a programme tonight on BBC 2, I thought I'd get blogging.

At 7pm you can watch Cooking in the Danger Zone (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/cooking_in_the_danger_zone/6473973.stm). You can even watch a trailer to whet your appetite! Basically, from what I can see, this is shock TV with a food theme...

"food writer Stefan Gates explores some of the most controversial food issues and dangerous places in the world. This week he visits the Arctic Circle where he goes seal hunting with the Inuit. He then travels to South Korea to find out if there is anything wrong with eating dog."

I love the warning...Some people may find these scenes disturbing. Yes, I think so and some dogs will too if they're curled up with their owners on the sofa.

Apparently, Stefan visits a farm where over 2,000 dogs are raised for their meat and he gets the lowdown from "Dr Dogmeat" - recipes, allegations of torture and...well, I can imagine the rest. The website offers a little teaser:

But when it comes to the crunch, will he tuck in?

My money's on yes he will, of course he will, but what about afterwards? Can he look man's best friend in the eye and say...tasty?!

Woof Woof