1998, Hello from Hallie, Hallie S. Bobo, Nov. 12, No.1

From column "A Dog's Life"

Hello, hello, oh hello. I am so excited about having all of you new readers in Northport. Oh, that doesn’t mean that I am not still just excited as I ever was about you readers in the whole West Alabama area, but you know how it is when you suddenly meet a whole bunch of new readers.

Well, actually, I haven’t me each and every one of you yet, but I feel like I know you already.

You know how it is when you first visit some place, and you like it kind of instinctively, one might say. Well, that is the way it was for me with Northport. Oh, I have been over there many times in the last few months, and have gotten to know the town well. I have even met a few dogs from there, and a whole host of humans.

I might as well admit right now that I don’t remember all of their names. I am so poor with the names of humans. I remember the names of dogs and even cats and other animals, too, but I just never seem to remember the names of humans. That is something I am going to have to work on.

For those of you who read The West Alabama Gazette and don’t know already, we - my humans and I - have started a new newspaper: The Northport Gazette. And I am so excited about it.

Oh, forgive me, I have just been babbling on and not introduced myself. I am Hallie Bobo, a canine who lives in Millport with my humans, the Bobos - Peyton and Barbara - and our nephew Conrad.

They pressed me into writing a column in the newspaper a long time ago. I didn’t want to at first, but since I have been doing it, I have come to kind of like it. It gives me a chance to communicate with a lot of animals, and I enjoy that. Several humans read the column each week. I know because when I am out on the street in Millport or even in Vernon or Fayette, they com up, and the usually say to Peyton: “Is this the dog in the newspaper?”

They always ask him, as if I weren’t even there. It used to upset me, but I have gotten used to it and don’t think a thing about it now. Humans are like that, they talk to each other about you as if you weren’t even there. I am sure you, dogs and cats have noticed it, and a horse told me one time that it is even worse for them. They ride on their backs and talk to each other about how pretty other horses are. Can you imagine? They wouldn’t do me that way. The first word about another dog and -

Oh, do excuse me, I am trying not to write negatively anymore. I do have a tendency to tell it just like it is when it comes to humans. They can be so perplexing at times, especially my male, Peyton. He can irritate the stew out of me. but I am working on doing better. We must all strive to improve ourselves, mustn’t we, fellow canines and other animals?

Let me tell all of you new reader just a little about myself. You WAG readers - that is what we can them, WAG, West Alabama Gazette - readers, you are just going to have to be patient for a minute. Of course, you know all about me, but it is not polite to talk to new people without telling them something about yourself.

I am a lady of around 30 (human calculation), and I live in Millport with my humans - the Bobos, Peyton and Barbara and our nephew, Conrad.

I am of mixed parentage. That used to embarrass me so, but in today’s society I don’t give it a second thought. My mother was an almost full-blooded cocker spaniel, and so beautiful. She was proud of her heritage and blood line. But my father was… well, he was pretty well-mixed.

He didn’t stay at home much. He roamed. But we siblings were always glad to see him when he came around.

My disgust with humans began early. Our human, a male, when I was just a pup abandoned me, and I feel sure my brothers and sisters, too. He just carried us off a long, long way from home and put us out in a ditch. At least, that is what he did with me and I guess he did my brothers and sisters the same way.

Well, I finally found my way to a big house on a hill just before you get to Millport and I went in the garage and fell asleep, exhausted.

The next morning, Peyton came out and found me, as he says. I say I found him, but anyway we have stayed together every since.

He insisted that I start writing in our family newspaper. I know it was just because he was out of ideas and pushed his work off on me, but I never let on as though I knew. It would hurt his feelings.

You have to be carefull with them. You all know how sensitive they can be.

Oh, I have to stop now. He fusses real bad when I write too much. He just doesn’t want me to write more than he does, and it hurts his feelings when people compliment me and don’t mention anything he has written. I try to be careful, I don’t want to hurt his feelings and I am given to such verbosity that it’s just hard for me to stop sometimes.

I have just got to stop now. I will see all of you next week, you old time WAG readers and all of you new animals and humans, too, in Northport.

Bye till next week. Write me. I will answer. Oh, by the way, I am single…

A Dog’s Life is the only column written by a dog that we know of in Alabama. We appreciate all comments and questions and will publish letters and photos of pets and their people and try to answer.