One of the newer items on Roo's list of demands
/What can I tell you, Roo loves to be blowdried with a leaf blower, even when she’s not wet.
The Dog in the Clouds
Your Home for Yellow Dog Journalism
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The ongoing story of Roo, the Golden Retriever puppy in the series Notes from a Rescue in Progress, and updates about The Dog in the Clouds, and Brian Beker's author blog.
The Dog in the Clouds
Frequent updates about Roo, the brave puppy in Notes from a Dog Rescue in Progress, and info about The Dog in the Clouds. Brian Beker's dog blog and author web site.
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Three years in the top ten of all dog categories on Amazon and a #1 best seller. Click on the picture to order from Amazon. Available in paperback or ebook. Audiobook coming soon.
If you think a Rolls Royce would be a more appropriate ride for Roo, here's your chance to do something about it.
BLOG INDEX
Today's Stray: Campground Kitten
In which I sit there and listen to Cat Stevens scream about killing Jews
Roo caught in flagrante delicto
How the Ming Dynasty was killed off
Roo and I get into a terrible fight. The worst we ever had. I won.
This photo is titled "Thank God for barbed wire"
How one overcomes the struggle to emerge in three easy steps
Dispatch from snake country, or how I survived a 10,000,000-volt electrocution
One of the duties assigned to me by Roo
Sort of a before and after pair of shots of puppy Roo
This is how Roo rode home from the vet the other day
The Good, the Bad and the Rooki
The light at the end of the culvert
VIDEO: Roo tables a motion to take her for a walk
Rock, Scissors, Paper — Roo Style
Note to readers of The Dog in the Clouds
Classic Roo: The Struggle to Wake Roo Up
How Roo and I became filthy rich today
Master Dog Training Tips and Tricks: Getting your dog to stand still in the middle of a shake
Eleven-Dimensional Checkers Played on the Biggest Cracker Barrel of Them All
HRVC Presents Roo's first time
On the occasion of Roo K. Beker's sixth birthday
The Historic Roo Video Collection - Roo's favorite dog in the history of dogs
The Historic Roo Video Collection - Roo's first time at a dog park. Also a squirrel update.
Notes From a Squirrel Rescue in Progress, Part Two
The Historic Roo Video Collection: Roo watches video of herself for the first time
Notes from a Squirrel Rescue in Progress
It was a bad mistake, and a nightmare
At Your Home for Yellow Journalism, if it bleeds, it leads.
The Historic Roo Video Collection: Roo sees herself in a mirror for the first time
A cheap substitute for DNA testing
Do not mistake that for the nose of an old dog
The Historic Roo Video Collection: Brave new rescue puppy Roo learns to get in the car
Do NOT tell me this is a picture of an old dog
The most ferocious tiger of all the jungles is one hell of a good girl
Roo, The Oldest Dog Who Ever Lived
How to lose a dog and make sure no one calls you when she's found
In which I rub salt in Roo's latest wound. Literally rub salt.
Roo begins training to swim the Channel
Roo committed what might be her greatest act of perfidy yet.
Multiple choice: Which photo doesn't belong?
Roo crosses the bridge, just because.
Another PSA from The Dog in the Clouds as Brian's case of TMDS advances
Something everyone needs to know
Roo's Threefold Path to High Consciousness
From Tadpoles to Pterodactyls: Roo's Delicate Interactions with Nature
Pro tips for mouse hunters: Proper body position is essential
Ticks Declare Intention to visit Switzerland
Today's Strays: More dog trouble, and it could be bad this time
In which my pilot Tony calls my Jimmy Breslin story and raises me a Cary Grant
PHOTOS: Chicken Creek, Utah, last spring
The night I got the nod from Jimmy Breslin
How do those tail hairs know when to stop growing?
From Tadpoles to Pterodactyls: Roo's Delicate Interactions with Nature
The first good thunderstorm in five years
BREAKING: NORTH KOREA ATTACKS ROO
How about that Patreon campaign?
If you know what's good for you, you'll knock on wood
Mad dog in the middle of the night
Negative test results. But now what?
Midnight Reruns: The New Rooki Kahoo
Another day, another test for Rooki
Handbasket #3: Mad Dog Cow Patty
Handbasket #2 - Roo update and a convenient one-stop analysis of the apocalypse
Roo is really not feeling good
Bearface can run, but she can't hide
What you've been waiting for: Your chance to become a major philanthropist
And a good time was had by one
Today's stray: Never a "Little Shit" Again
Today is Roo K. Beker's Fifth Birthday
Apologies and yes, Roo is okay
Roo, The Queen of Roughing It, seen here dealing with an emergency snow stop
You know that whole "Road Less Traveled" thing?
You need to be limber for this line of work
Roo models for Abercrombie & Fitch
Roo's a little shaky these days
My unbelievably brilliant and informative newspaper column is out
Since many of you didn't believe HOW ginormous the snake was
Look at this ginormous snake we just tangled with
Update from the Traveling Comedy of Errors Road Show
My newspaper column is out at the Citizen-Times
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Roo's one-dog crime wave heats up
To Benadryl or not to Benadryl
Foiled again: Researchers rob us blind
Roo has a cut in webbing between toes — need vet advice
Commerce Scores Another One Over Art
Tonight will be for Roo like today (and every day) is for the rat of her dreams
When it gets too wet for Roo, it's wet
Petco? PETCO?! I don't need no stinking Petco!
My new column is out at the Citizen-Times
They ain't kidding when they call it Roaring River
Someone called it a self-satisfied smirk
A smart little girl who knows better than to get too close to a wet Kahoo
Here's what I meant by driving 600 miles so Roo can get a good night's sleep
BREAKING: Roo develops terrible thirst, resorts to extreme measures to slake it
The shot that could have made me a millionaire - and it's out of focus!
Roo Goes Viral, Advises Everyone to Go Jump in a Lake
How to deal with dirt that isn't ground in deeply enough
North Carolina vs. Pennsylvania
This is the blanket we spread upon the ground
BREAKING: Roo makes two front pages in one paper in one day, still not satisfied.
No, this is not Roo at a Confederate flag rally
Where's Isis when you need them?
A toast to all the dogs suffering in hot shelters tonight
BREAKING: Roo Rattles Braincase, Head No Longer Fits
BREAKING: Roo Rattles Braincase, Head No Longer Fits
Throw out your Colorado Pet Treats Jerky from Petco
Look – up in the sky! Is it a bird?! Is it a plane?! It's... The Duck in the Clouds!
Please note how freshly brushed and groomed Roo is in the beginning of this video
This will come in handy when Roo and I hit the road again
Why I can't share a computer with Roo any more
Not An Easy Dog™ picks up a few burrs
If you use that beak to bite the bee, the bee will bite you back
Back to our regularly scheduled programming
ALMOST AT A HUNDRED GRAND FOR NEPAL QUAKE VICTIMS
At least one good thing happened today: A little bird just crashed into a window
Roo Presents Mouse Detection and Hunting Techniques for the Advanced Afficionado of the Outdoors
Roo still deals with her issues every day
Is this Golden Retriever doomed?
This little bird flew into the house
Today's Stray - and why my blood is still boiling
Fleas and snakes and ticks, Oh, my.
This little bird flew into the house
Is this Golden Retriever doomed?
International film festival to fête Mademoiselle Junior
Roo's first time off leash in two weeks
VIDEO: Roo greets me after I get out of the hospital
They don't build 'em like they used to
Warming a nose; Pre-operative instructions
Roo: Freezing, neglected "Outside Dog"
The best way to set your watch
Where does Roo get her crystal meth?
And now for my next trick, I will be sawed in half
Roo and the Grave Markers and the All Hat No Horse Hippie
The Squirrel Who Knew Too Much
Little Bear provides hint to age-old mystery concerning regular bears
Not An Easy Dog™: Dog Shaming Roo
Not An Easy Dog™ Considers a New Hobby
Not An Easy Dog™: Why I rarely need to wash my hat
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog
Today's Edition of Not An Easy Dog: Roo Wanders into Chemical Munitions Dump, Enjoys Herself
Fond Memories of the Civil War
Why, a long time ago, I gave up on trying to keep the car clean
VIDEO: Mug Shot of Roo, AKA The Kahoo
Today's pretty picture of What's-Her-Name
BREAKING: Roo Shatters Personal Record, Smashes Ice Barrier
Future inmate of the Home for the Mildly Touched
Quick! In the water before it boils!
Roo's birthday present picks her out
Roo reaches the age of reckless abandon
Surgery Day: Good News and Bad News
Science Experiments You Can Conduct On Your Dog
At least it's not Roo going to the hospital this time
VIDEO: How delighted Roo is when I play the piano
VIDEO: Roo, though seeing double on benadryl, refuses to neglect responsibilities
Roo wants to know: Which one is it legal to kill?
Quickie Snakebite Patient Update
Roo right before and after the snakebite
Snakebite sends Roo to the ICU
Roo comes to the fork in the road, meets devil
Roo comes out to check how the world is doing
VIDEO: Miss Roo's Deep South Watermelon Eating Etiquette class
VIDEO: Roo challenges a raging river to a duel - twice
VIDEO: Mud Puppy strikes again
VIDEO: The struggle to wake Roo up
VIDEO: Extreme Guard Dog: Roo Edition
Roo's Great Grand Uncle Orville
Shaky start in a new house: Roo's bad nights
What happened with today's stray
A picture of Roo's last time digging in the desert
The truth is I'm a big, fat liar
VIDEO: You scratch my back and I'll scratch mine
Roo's contribution to the moving effort
BREAKING: MAJOR HOTEL CHAIN TO BE RENAMED FOR ROO
Update and Contest Announcement
RESCUE: Seagull saved from horrible death in Venice
The Most Honorable Dog in Los Angeles
Roo improoves her housekeeping skills
What some guy in Tennessee just said about Roo
Roo is ferocious - in her dreams
Today Svengali, Tomorrow the World
Los Angeles Times runs hatchet job on Karma Rescue
BAD NEWS: Roo picks up a monkey on her back in Mexico
This wasn't even what nailed Rooki
Roo's paw sliced open by one of the world's many morons
Running scared? PETA Deletes their Tweets to TDITC
Thank you for my pool, Daddy. Not that you're invited in.
How about a moment of silence every day for PETA's dead?
BREAKING: ROO PASSES OUT FROM WORK-RELATED STRAIN
BREAKING: ROO GLUES CHIN TO CAR
Maybe Kahooki thinks that pillow is PETA
Face in the rocks, and Roo's imitation thereof
Roo dreams of revenge on groomer
World Bear contemplates her highest jump yet
I'm afraid this is it: financial ruin strikes the Kahoo
VIDEO: Roo jumps off another cliff
Roo Enters Her Juvie Phase, Breaks and Enters a Tree
Roo's List Logo Art by Larime Taylor
Roo's List - a little controversy and a moment of terror for Roo
Maybe this is why Roo has been acting embarrassed
A few pictures of Roo from the last few days
Roo's Day of Reckoning - Part Two
VIDEO: Roo's Day of Reckoning - Part One
Resting in Peace: Orville, Born This Day
Goodbye, Little Miss Rastafarian Hippie Wood Nymph
Dogs and biplanes, then and now
Pot of Golden under the rainbow
Roo and me nail us some varmints at the OK Corral
The last thing Linus the Lab did was learn to swim
PHOTO: Roo dreaming with her tongue out
A Million Bucks and a Bottle of Morphine
VIDEO: A sneak, her dinner and her birthday
Really? I had to introduce Roo to ice cream?
VIDEO: Roo versus a snake much bigger and more dangerous than that turtle
Wishing you were here in sunny Cabo!
VIDEO: Roo ferrets out the info
Rooki has it up to here with Einstein
Roo and the Parrot - Part Two (with video)
How Roo got a parrot named after her
Travel newsletter for dogs from Tony Bill
One-Year Anniversary of the day I met Roo
TDITC Wins Petties Award for Funniest Blog
Let's throw some money to the dogs!
VIDEO: For all the dogs who don't like having their nails clipped
Would you buy a used car from this dog?
VIDEO: Poor, Poor, Weary Little Roo
VIDEO: Before the Blog: Waking Roo
Roo Meets Another Roo with a Hairdo
VIDEO: Rolling in the Sweet Arms of the Snow
Pawprinted copies of book available
Roo determined to go over Niagara Falls in a Barrel
Roo, Guardian of bunnies and Squirrels
Roo runs away (with cliff-jumping VIDEO)
Roo is not delighted by being left alone in the car
Traversing the Oregon Territory
Happy as a pig in - well, let's just say a poke
Roo picks out something to wear
Advice to Writers? OK - but from me?
VIDEO: Roo addresses the crow and vulture problem
VIDEO: Roo's first time at the groomers
Update: Skunks, Kindles and Mexico
Brief Update - Getting ready to leave AZ
Another dog appears in the clouds - for Kordy
VIDEO: Roo's encounter with a UFO
Rooki's nose is rapidly changing color
VIDEO: Roo dominates colossal prehistoric reptile
VIDEO: Orville and The Oldest Person Ever
VIDEO: Roo's Last Mission Late One Night
VIDEO: Roo turns into a mule, brings in drugs from Mexico
VIDEO: Roo's first time in the snow
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
I'll post books here that I love.
One of the most beautiful, but wrenching stories of courage and cruelty and what integrity means. Stunningly written by a great master, The Crossing.
All the Pretty Horses is the book preceding The Crossing in the trilogy. If you're going to read all of them, start with All the Pretty Horses. If you might not, read The Crossing. All the Pretty Horses is a magnificent story (made into one of the worst, most botched, poorly directed movies ever committed to celluloid, so don't let that stop you) of young courage, integrity and learning how the world really works. It is a top-flight masterpiece. Your life can not be complete without reading these two books.
An inventive, funny, romantic, well-written page turner about a 1920s magician. His love and respect for animals is central to the wonderful story of how Carter Beats the Devil.
Perhaps the greatest work of literature of all time, The Gulag Archipelago is a lengthy, detailed history in which the extent of human cruelty and absurdity is painstakingly recounted. As difficult as it is, this should be read by everyone in the world.
I loved Mondo Canine so much that it was the only book that, as many others came and went, remained on the coffee table in my hangar for over ten years. I never got tired of this compendium of dog stories, excerpts, quotes and images. One day, I met the author, Jon Winokur, and we've been friends ever since. Not a plug - I love this book, and every dog lover will, too.
W. Somerset Maugham's story of a young man who finds his way to a simple life in complicated times had a large effect on my whole life. If you haven't read The Razor's Edge, you're in for a treat.
Alan Furst has a magical talent for recreating Europe in the days before and into World War Two. This is probably my favorite of his books, as the story of a young NKVD agent who long journey though war and the violent and clandestine life of a Soviet spy, is close to my heart. A rich and absorbing novel that places you everywhere from Bulgaria to Moscow to the Spanish Civil War, then Paris and New York in the 30s and 40s: Night Soldiers.
Reading this The Glass Castle made me consider giving up writing.
The word 'masterpiece' may appear often in these blurbs, but it's because I'm putting favorite books up here. Robert Littell wrote intelligent espionage potboilers. In his 70s, he wrote a novel based on the life of a Russian Poet. This book is brilliant. In a heart-wrenching historical novel, Littell evokes the Stalin-era Moscow intellectual scene, the terror of the Communist gulag, the injustice, the absurdity. The writing and story are superb. Read this book.
