ohmidog!

Presley, the full-time boxer, earned the title of “Greatest American Dog,” winning $250,000 for his master, Travis Brorsen, the part-time bartender.

“We accomplished what we came to do and that was to develop a bond and friendship between owner and dog,” Brorsen said at the end of the CBS “reality” show’s final episode of the season. “We came here as a guy with a dog. Ten weeks later, we are leaving with the ‘Greatest American Dog’ title.”

Brorsen’s family and friends in Perry, Okla., were thrilled with the outcome, which Brorsen had kept secret in the weeks since the final episode was taped, his hometown newspaper, the Oklahoman, reported.

Brorsen and Presley — not yet two years old — were the underdogs heading into the finals, where they went up against a professional dog trainer and his 9-year-old English pointer border collie (J.D. and Galaxy) and a doggy day care owner and her 5-year-old Maltese (Laurie and Andrew).

“They’re newlyweds and in the honeymoon stage,” Laurie was quoted as saying of Brorsen and Presley. “They have done a fantastic job, but they should give the award to those who have been through more things together.”

I don’t think too much of life should be spent in contemplating, replaying and second-guessing the results of television reality shows — let alone watching them in the first place. So I’ll just say congratulations Travis and Presley, and may the honeymoon last forever.

(CBS photo)

A wife who has seen two dogs take her place in bed, relegating her to the couch, complained to Dear Abby this week that dogs are ruining her marriage.

As Abby points out, when dogs come between a husband and wife, it’s probably because the space between husband and wife has become so massive that it needs to be filled with something.

And, to my way of thinking, a wagging tail of the canine variety is probably one of the healthiest and least harmful options.

Here’s what the advice-seeker wrote:

DEAR ABBY: I love dogs, but they’re ruining my marriage. “Ivan” and I have been together 12 years, married for five. Six years ago he had to put his aged, sickly pointer, “Sergeant,” to sleep.

Two years ago I began suggesting that we get another dog. I thought Ivan had mourned Sergeant long enough, and it was time for another. We found a lovely King Charles spaniel that we named Lili. We spent a lot of fun time with her that spring and summer, then thought a playmate might be good company for her during the day while we were at work. We found Branford, another spaniel.

Ivan began bringing the two dogs into our bedroom.

Guess where they’re sleeping today? IN the bed. Guess where I’m sleeping? On the couch.

We haven’t been out on a date since the dogs arrived. We don’t go out with friends because we must be back by 10 p.m. — the dogs’ bedtime, and Ivan’s, too, of course. He is oblivious to me from the time he goes to bed with the dogs. We haven’t had sex in a year.

Help! — Only His Wife

“..The dogs aren’t your problem,” Abby (or whoever now writes the column now) responded. “When a man would rather sleep with his dogs than his wife and ‘forgets’ about sex for a year, something is wrong with the marriage.

“So start looking for a licensed marriage counselor. If your husband won’t go with you, go alone. Something tells me you’re going to need all the emotional support you can get, because your marriage has gone to the bowwows.”

Finally, the pressing matter of peace between cats and dogs is getting some much needed study.

New research at Tel Aviv University, called the first of its kind, suggests a cat and dog are more likely to get along well if the cat is introduced to the family first, and if both cat and dog are still young.

Ideally,  the cat should be less than six months old, and the dog less than a year, the research concludes.

Two-thirds of the homes surveyed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog. About a fourth said indifference best described the relationship, and 10 percent experienced fighting and aggression.

The study found that cats and dogs are getting better at communicating with each other.

“We found that cats and dogs are learning how to talk each other’s language. It was a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘dog’ and vice versa,” observed Joseph Terkel of TAU of the university’s department of zoology.

After interviewing almost 200 pet owners who own both a cat and a dog, then videotaping and analyzing these animals’ behavior, TAU researchers concluded that cats and dogs can cohabit happily if certain conditions are met.

Cats and dogs traditionally may not have been able to read each other’s body cues. Cats tend to lash their tails about when mad, while dogs growl and arch their backs. A cat purrs when happy, while a dog wags its tail. A cat’s averted head signals aggression, while in a dog the same head position signals submission.

What’s especially interesting, in Terkel’s view, is that both cats and dogs have appeared to grow beyond their instincts. They can learn to read each other’s body signals. Once familiar with each others’ presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose-to-nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the couch. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom each other.

“”If cats and dogs can learn to get along,” concluded Terkel, “surely people have a good chance.”