By Guy Farmer
For the Appeal
With apologies to Ronald Reagan, it's morning in America again because a beagle named Uno won the prestigious Westminster Dog Show in New York City earlier this month. At long last, beagles rule and all is right with the world.
Although I'm not much of a dog person, I have a soft spot for beagles because Snoopy of the brilliant "Peanuts" comic strip is way up there on my Most Admired List, ranking above presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush. After all, it was fearless fighter pilot Snoopy at the controls of his vintage Sopwith Camel who shot down all of those German airplanes during World War I, thereby saving the entire Free World.
"Happiness is a warm puppy," said Snoopy's downtrodden owner, Charlie Brown, and he was right about that. Veteran CBS newsman Bob Schieffer (who should be anchoring the CBS Evening News) said much the same thing last Sunday when he applauded Uno's surprise victory at the annual New York dog show. "We always watch the telecast of the Westminster Dog Show," Schieffer said, "and when Uno the beagle took Best in Show, I cheered out loud (and) my wife cried tears of joy." Speaking for himself, Uno emitted a happy victory howl that must have warmed the hearts of beagle-lovers everywhere.
"As for dogs, I like them to look like dogs," Schieffer continued, "not some perfumed ball of fur that resembles a powder puff. You wouldn't paint a beagle's toenails or put ribbons in their hair." You tell 'em, Bob, who has owned three beagles, including "Old Ralph," who dug up his private beer stash when the correspondent was a kid.
From time to time I encounter a friendly beagle on my morning walks in Kings Canyon. He/she is a welcome contrast to the allegedly "friendly" dogs who look as if they'd like to bite my face off. "Don't worry, he/she doesn't bite," their owners assure me as the dog tenses for the kill. I give killer dogs a wide berth, especially the unleashed variety who prowl around looking for something to attack. Which raises a question: Doesn't Carson City have a leash law?
My favorite neighbor dogs are exceptions to the Farmer Killer Dog Rule. There's the next-door furball, Peggy, who loves me so much that she loses control of her bladder when she sees me. And then there's the more reserved Tyson, who lives down the street and chooses his friends carefully because he was trained by State Prison inmates. Good dog, Tyson. I'm on your side.
THE PEANUTS PHILOSOPHY
Perhaps Snoopy was best known for his unsuccessful efforts to write the Great American Novel. He never got past "It was a dark and stormy night," just another author with writer's block. Nevertheless, Charlie Brown was proud of his intellectual dog.
Shortly after "Peanuts" creator Charles Schultz died in 2000, I wrote a column in praise of the characters he had created, with special attention to Charlie and Snoopy. "In essence, Charlie was a great philosopher searching for order in a chaotic world," I wrote, recalling a strip in which Charlie asked his nemesis, the hateful Lucy, for advice about how to overcome feelings of depression. "Snap out of it!" she replied. "Five cents please," which was good, practical advice. In other words, most of our troubles are of our own making.
And when Charlie asked Lucy whether it bothered her to know that some people didn't like her, she replied, "Dislike me? How could anyone dislike me? There's nothing to dislike." Do you think that approach might work for a newspaper columnist who writes about controversial political issues? Maybe not.
"Peanuts touches something deeper than the funny bone," Newsweek observed when Schultz died. "It embodies a world where first innings last so long the outfield goes home for lunch (and) where 'the meaning of life' is to go back to sleep and hope that tomorrow will be a better day." As a lifelong baseball fan, that sounds good to me.
But let's end this little essay by going back to Snoopy, Uno and the rest of the lovable dogs. They may embarrass us on occasion, and some of them may even drink out of the toilet, but they also bring joy into our lives, and most of them are more loyal than people. At long last, beagles rule! ... and that's as it should be.
•••
THEATER IN CARSON CITY: We're fortunate that our little town has at least two active and successful amateur theater companies. I recently enjoyed the community college's lively presentation of "Annie Get Your Gun" at the Community Center, and the Proscenium Players' riveting version of a dark play, "When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?" (definitely not the Red Ryder of my misspent youth) is still on at the Brewery Arts Center. Don't miss it.
• Guy W. Farmer, of Carson City, has been a devoted "Peanuts" fan for more than 50 years and thinks that Snoopy the dog is a person. Go figure!