The Reality Dog Show That Restored My Optimism
If you love dogs, you’ll love ‘Dog House: UK’ on HBO Max
Alan is a genial 82-year-old who recently lost his wife. His daughter is here with him, in the lobby of the nicest animal shelter I’ve ever seen, and they’re talking about his needs to an expert staffer holding a clipboard and taking notes. Alan and Brenda had been married for over 50 years, and for the last seven of those he had been caring for her as she suffered from arthritis and cancer. In her final weeks of life, his wife told him that after she died, he should go get himself “a little dog,” and now he’s taking her advice.
His daughter reassures the staff that “if anything happens to dad, I would be having the dog.” The family is interested in a smaller, older, gentle dog. No problem if they get on the furniture, but do remember that Alan walks with a cane. The worker heads back to the office to discuss options with their colleagues, and the staff quickly lands on Ruby.
Ruby is a 9-year-old Lhasa Apso mix. She had been raised since she was a puppy by a woman who just recently died of Alzheimer’s, and whose family brought Ruby to the shelter. Ruby had been a lap dog who got her hair cut every few weeks and sat on the dining table to eat her dinner. She “likes to have her ears stroked,” the staffers tell Alan and his…
