ohmidog!

    Karma Dogs, the therapy dog group with which Ace and I volunteer, is looking for a few good dogs — particularly in the Harford County area.
   The new reading program will be held at the library in Aberdeen — meaning Karma Dogs founder Kelly Gould either has to talk her volunteers, most of whom are in Baltimore, into doing some traveling, or line up some new Karma Dogs in Harford County.

   The Karma Dogs reading program — one of several the organization is involved in – is pretty light lifting, at least for us volunteers. Ace and I have taken part in several sessions — and I think we both find it more relaxing than laborious. Basically, we sit and have kids read to us.

   The thinking behind the program is that, through reading to dogs, children who have difficulty can gain new self-confidence, not to mention some practice, and new dog friends.

   To see more about what’s involved in joining Karma Dogs, you can view the video I did for the Baltimore Sun about Ace becoming a therapy dog.

   Most of the Karma Dogs, like Ace, are former shelter or rescue dogs, who, in accordance with the philosophy behind the organization, are giving back to the community.

   If you’re interested, and think your pooch is Karma Dog material, sign up for the next evaluation session, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at the St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church at 1834 East Joppa Road in Towson. To register, send an email to goodkarma@karmadogs.org.

   For details on the evaluation process and becoming a volunteer, please visit the volunteer section of the Karma Dogs website.

   What do Joe Biden, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani — to name just a few — have in common?
   They’ve all been called “attack dogs” this week, so often that the phrase — in addition to reinforcing notions of dogs as vicious — has become a fairly major political reporting cliche, if it wasn’t one already
   Then again, to me (and maybe it’s just the attack dog in me) political reporting is about 50 percent cliches anwyay — though, granted, that’s because politics is about 80 percent cliches.

    You’d think the media, often portrayed as an attack dog itself, would better monitor its use of the term:

    NPR: “Biden Plays Second Fiddle (And Attack Dog)”

    Washington Post: “…Romney, a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain who was trying on the attack dog role.” 

    New York Daily News: “Attack-dog Rudy Giuliani takes a bite out of Hillary Clinton’s speech”

    And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I think it’s time for a wake-up call. That dog don’t hunt.

    Cliches are bad enough, but ones that needlessly denigrate the canine reputation are particularly disturbing. At least we can be glad the media is not calling the vice presidential candidates pit bulls.

    Woops:

    Associated Press: “Mitt Romney, a potential John McCain running mate playing Republican pit bull on the periphery of the Democratic National Convention…”

    Daily Kos: (on Biden) “… it should be fun having a real pit bull in the number two position to do some of the necessary dirty work…”

    Huffington Post: “Picking Biden is a solid choice that adds political savvy, national security experience and a pit bull campaigner to Obama’s ticket.”

    Clearly, I have no complaint with comparing politicians to dogs, but I think it should least be done in an informative and entertaining way — not just stereotyping for stereotyping’s sake.