Video game pet

Grand Theft Auto V is an open world ( ie: video game level design.  What? ) action-adventure video game played in the third-person and combines driving and action game play in an open world environment, allowing the players to interact with the game world at their leisure. The game is set within the fictional state of San Andreas, which is based on Southern California, affording the player free roam over the world's countryside and the fictional city of Los Santos, which is based on Los Angeles. The single-player story is told through three player-controlled protagonists whom the players switch between—Michael, Trevor and Franklin—and the story follows their efforts to plan and execute six large heists to accrue wealth for themselves.

Chop is Michael’s friendly pet.

Cool new editor

Jill Abramson is the newly appointed executive editor of the New York Times, a powerful journalist and investigative reporter both revered and feared by her colleagues and her peers.  She is the first woman ever to run the Times.

She has received a publicity blitz in the last few weeks with a profile in the latest issue of The New Yorker, an interview on CBS News and the release of “Puppy Diaries: Raising a Dog Named Scout”, her new book based on a popular online column which she wrote for The Times from July 2009 to May 2010.  It is her account of the first year with a beautiful but demanding golden retriever, called Scout.  Abramson wrote the book after two major events in her life, the death of her dog Buddy, a West Highland Terrier and a near-fatal accident when she was run over by a lorry near Times Square.  The latter incident required months of rehabilitation.  Also, although she has a high-powered career, she confesses the emptiness after the leaving home of her grown children.  All goods reason to acquire a puppy.

I like what I have read about her especially since she is the person who has the last say as to what is printed on the front page of The New York Times and for being such a pushover where dogs are concerned.

Book at bedtime Part 2

In an article on training domestic dogs about feeding:
"In the old days, before war altered the lives of dog owners, feeding was a fairly simple business.  Lean meat, lightly cooked, but not boiled, at the rate of half a pound for twelve pounds weight of dog, is a fair allowance, but war rations make any meat possible, except horseflesh, and so until easier times return, the best that can  be done is with biscuits, fish scraps and whatever bones can be provided from household joints.  A point to remember is that salt in any form should be avoided.  But a fresh supply of water, supplied daily in a clean bowl, constantly refilled, is a prime necessity.  Dogs are always wantig to drink, so keep the bowl in the shade.
A reminder:  See that food intended for the household table is kept in the larder, or when needed for a meal is placed out of the dog's reach.  And if the dog should somehow find and make away with food intended for the table, do not be angry with him.  It will have been your fault."
Remember this was written at the end of the 1940s. 

Book at bedtime

I found this book on a car boot sale in Cornwall.  It was published in 1950 and has a variety of articles and interesting facts.  I have started reading "Dogs belonging to authors - Part I".
Watch this space.  I'll report back.

Wine dogs

Wine Dogs is the definitive guide to dogs living and working in the vineyard, winery and tasting rooms of wineries around the globe.
Established in 1997, Wine Dogs is the original encyclopaedia of the winemaker’s best friend – their faithful hound, the winery dog. The first Australian Wine Dogs book was published in 2003 and quickly became a best seller. There are eight volumes of Wine Dogs editions including the latest Wine Dogs Australia 2, Wine Dogs USA 2 and Wine Dogs Italy editions and a host of other products such as our very popular Wine Dogs Calendars.
Here is the address: www.winedogs.com