Dominance in dogs, what we don't know

A lot of people think dogs are all about dominance, who is the leader of the pack. This idea fits in pretty nicely with the (imho) hooey about survival of the fittest and the exploitation of the many by the few in human populations.

But if you really watch the dogs in your local dog park, I think you'll find the story much more complicated. Big dogs are not necessariy dominant, nor even the strongest dogs. But more importantly, the relationship between dogs is not really about dominance at all. I don't know what it's about. It mystifies me why my dog will almost instantly play with a certain dog and run, tail between legs, from another, growl at one puppy and frolic with another.

I do think it has something to do with smell, dogs size each other up damn quickly with a sniff, usually at both ends. People could do as well.

I had some list-serv interaction with someone about this and they totally cleaved to the dogs and dominance orthodoxy, as if they tell us more about us than we know... ha ha, I said, other way around... we try to understand dogs by imposing clicheed ideas about human interaction and come not even close.

Pet cemetary

Dealing with the death of a pet can be difficult and people have developed a variety of ways of dealing with it practically, and also for coping and ritualizing the experience. The Globe and Mail in Toronto has a story in today's paper about it, but they don't post anything online for free anymore, which pretty well means nobody reads it ha ha.
The links, compiled by Kimberly Noble, might be useful though:
www.petsatpeace.ca
www.torontopetheaven.com
www.petcem.com
www.laopc.com

behavior - Dog-like T-rex in "Night in the Museum" - movie review

We love the dinosaur that acts like a dog in "Night in the Museum". Ben Stilller does a great transition in this movie, from panicked newbie night security guard to seasoned dog proprietor as soon as he realizes the manic dinosaur is less interested in eating than fetching. Everybody knows how to play fetch, including, apparently, dinosaurs.

Does anyone out there have an idea about whether (when) fetch-compulsive dogs will actually forgo eating to keep fetching? What is the exhaustion point for fetch compulsive dogs?

Also, if you have other examples of movies in which animate or inaminate objects have been given the character of dogs, please comment...

OK, about movie reviews: have you noticed how badly the online reviews suck?

e.g. Night at the Museum (comments on prevailing movie criticisms)

First, let's get our priorities straight:
This movie is based on the genius of author Milan Trenc, his whimsically illustrated children's book "The Night at the Museum,". Support this genius by buying his book in the Amazon.

Some things critics have wrongly said about the movie:

"kids may like it but parents not" - Are you kidding? Kids movies are for, um, kids. like, duh!

"too loud" - what?!? I can't hear you! all movies are (too) loud! you need to be talking to the projector technician not the friggin' audience!!! hello!!!!!

"related to Jumanji" - Juman-what?

"Stiller runs around an awful lot" - And your point is? Please notice that kids run around alot.

"unlikely to go down in any kind of history" - Like a parent hoping to entertain a child for an hour over the holidays cares...

"employment challenged dad" - OK, this is the first inkling of insight in the reviews generally; this movie is actually about something, and that something is fairly important, how, as a parent, you sustain your kids confidence in you despite difficulties... now, on this point, I'd like to think that you don't need to "experience the impossible" to be a credible force in your child's life,,, unlike the bond-trader that Night in the Museum ex-mom hooks up with (What is that about? like bond traders are "real" people?)

"director Levy struggles to find a uniform pitch that would agreeably blend together the gags, the visual effects and the obligatory heart moments" - you know what? there is nothing "obligatory" about heart moments - have we become so cynical?. I liked the "heart moments". Stiller makes a credible commited dad trying to reconcile the realities of his not-fitting-into-the-capitalist-nightmare and his need-to-be-a-provider, the most powerful tool of capitalist oppression. Am I overstating? I think not.

"The cast are never really given the chance to strut their humorous stuff.": - Oh please, Mr. Critic, do you have nothing to say? Dick Van Dyke is brilliant, as are Mickey Rooney and Robin Williams.

"Night at the Museum runs 108 minutes and is rated PG." - well, you got that much right.