Oscar, It's raining cats and dogs out there. Where does that phrase come from? -- Pheryperbol

Raining cats and dogs... what an image! What do they think is going to happen, we're going to get swept up in the wind and come pouring down? Ridiculous. Those humans sure have some imagination.

The phrase does come up twice in literature. The playwright Richard Brome wrote this line in his 1653 comedy The City Wit or the Woman Wears the Breeches: "It shall raine... dogs and polecats." My main question about Brome's line is this: what the heck is a "polecat"?

In 1738, Jonathan Swift (of Gulliver fame) wrote a long essay with a long title: A Compleat Collection of Polite and Ingenious Conversation. "I know St. John will go," Swift writes, "though he was sure it would rain cats and dogs." A few comments about Swift's line: One, learn how to spell "Complete", will you Jonny? Two, St. John was right not to alter his plans; no one ever knows what the weather's going to do. Regardless of the weather predictions, just go ahead (unless you're talking about climbing tall mountains and there is a threat of lightning). For example, members of the Run With Jan group ran anywhere from 4 to 18 miles this past Sunday on the Burlington Bike Path. It rained the whole way, and after the recent heat and humidity it felt great.

Lastly, Swift was no meteorologist. Let me set the record straight: despite the popularity of the phrase, cats and dogs simply don't fall from the sky.

Guest in the House

Thanks Michelle for coming to visit, run, and play while my owners were away! And thanks for the excellent report card; you can dogsit anytime! O

Oscar, Why do you like porcupines so much? And where do you prefer to be quilled, nose, leg, or tail? -- Ali

I am an "Equal Opportunity" dog, who really believes in the best of all people and things. I don't care who you are; I just assume that you want to play with me! Porcupines, squirrels, deer, grown-ups, kids, grand-parents -- it doesn't matter who they are. I just want to walk up to all of them, wag my tail, put my feet on their chest, and give them a big sloppy lick right on the nose.

As for being quilled, I don't want to be quilled anywhere. I just want to play!

Oscar, what's your favorite place to swim?

I generally prefer anyplace where it's wet. We could be talking about a pond, lake, river, swamp, bog, mud-puddle, ocean, or bathtub. Actually, scratch the bathtub; tubs are bad news.

Oscar, Pavement hurts my pads. Where do you prefer to run, on pavement or dirt? -- Boulder

Boulder, Dirt is better for lots of reasons. One, it's simply more scenic and interesting. Two, dirt often implies fewer cars. Three, dirt is a softer surface, and I know my owner's knees can't handle too much pounding on pavement. Personally, I'll run anywhere -- in fact, I usually prefer to run than walk. Really, my only two speeds are "fast" and "sleeping."

One nice thing about the occasional stint on pavement is that the asphalt rounds off my toenails. That's helpful, because I don't really like using a file.

I was wondering how you keep yourself so clean? -- Rob

One word for you, Rob: "swimming."

Oscar, Love your blog! You seem so wise for your years. Any tips for how to stay cool during these "dog days" of summer? -- Ruth

Thanks Ruth! Ah, the dog days of summer... I love 'em! Many dogs find that digging a hole in the middle of the driveway, then laying in it, works well. Take my advice: this is a short-term solution. Next thing you know, your owner, carrying six bags of groceries, steps in the hole and twists an ankle. Not a good scene.

Outside, I recommend shade trees and tall grass. Indoors, pull the curtains and blinds over your windows to keep the house cool. Also, fans. For example, in the photo above, Scout the cat stays quite cool in a shady corner of the house. While I also enjoy a cool dip in the river during a summer day, Scout likes the shower. What can I say? Cats are just weird.

Regarding the comment about my wisdom and intellect at such a young age, I will point out that the old adage that dogs age 7 years for each human year may not be entirely on target. Ted Kerasote, author of Merle's Door (great read!), speaks of more recent studies that indicate that the first 2 years of a dog's life are more like 12 human years, with subsequent dog years equating to 4 human years. So this makes me about 17 or 18 years old -- a very wise age, if I do say so myself.