“And they called it puppy love…”

by carol

He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. - Unknown

Gratuitous photo of my cat!

As a pet owner myself, I am well aware of the emotional rewards of having a companion animal. When I learned that my favorite actor Alex O’Loughlin went and got himself a dog, I was quite pleased for him.

“I’m a homeowner here (in Hawaii). I have a dog. I think that’s even more significant than a wife or a child. Once you get a dog, where I come from, you know, ‘Well I’ve got a dog, I’m not going anywhere.’  I’ll always have a place here no matter what happens.” - Alex O’Loughlin

I wondered what kind of owner he would be. For some reason, I thought most Australian dogs were probably working dogs in the country. So would Alex put his little puppy in the backyard to fend off marauding pigs after the veggies in his garden?
 

Dusty walking Al.

In an interview I heard Alex mention his “bub” Dusty, the sad little face she gave him when he left his house, and feeling guilty for leaving her while he attended an event. Yeah, no worries for this pup. She’s already got him wrapped around her little paw.

Thanks to a few wonderful Australian surveys*, there are some assumptions we can safely make about Alex’s relationship with Dusty.

Over three-quarters of Australian pet owners surveyed claimed they are able to understand the sounds made by their animals. The survey also found that 95% of dog owners talked to their pets, while over 89% spoke to their cats.

1.3 million Australian dog owners would rather confide in their pet than their partner. Over half of Aussies with a partner think their dog is a better listener than their significant other. One in five Aussies sees their dog as a companion for life and one in ten perceives their pet as a child.

There’s an old Aussie saying: “If you insult the other half I won’t be happy, but if you insult the dog we’ll be out the back to sort it out.”

Post-doggie spa treatment

Companionship is the strongest motivation for people to own pets, two thirds exercise with them and more than half admit to sharing their bed with their pet. Other findings revealed that half of Australians buy their dogs presents for special occasions such as birthdays and Christmas, a quarter takes their dogs to a professional groomer. It’s also not uncommon to take their pets on holiday with them or put their pets in their will.

It seems nothing is out of reach for Australian pets and they now have a presence on social networking sites, with 4% of respondents having set up an online page for their pet and 36% featuring their pet on their PC screensaver or wallpaper.

Ok, Alex, if you don’t want to be on Facebook, can Dusty have her own page?

 

*Statistics from Coles Pet Survey; Pure Animal Wellbeing Poll; Purina Pet Study

LOUIE Named Rodent of the Year by RQ

 

                      From Squirrel Alone to Tree for 2
                                                Pictorial inside.
(Disclaimer: This is a pictorial layout only. Louie did not get married, nor does he have a girlfriend. There are no parallels between Louie and Al's lives. Louie has his own personal life).

 

A squirrel shouldn't be alone. (Sweater, by Cottontail Cashmere)

Find the right one and whisper sweet nuttings in her ear. 

Shower her with gifts. (Strawberry Blue, Eau de Parfum by, Marmot Me)

Pick the right moment to pop the question. (Tux, by Mr. Vole/glasses, by Optimouse/dress, by Rodentical/pearls, by Seeds of Style)

YOU DO! (Top hat and tie, by The Fine Porcupine/Veil, by Hare Cover/flowers from nature)

 

It's a tree for 2 and 2 in a tree.
















All Photoshop work done by Pam. No copyright infringement intended.

Alex's Process Adjustment

by Carol 

“I think it is important for an actor to do as much homework about their character and their surroundings as they can.”  “I’m not the kind of actor who feels like he has to become his character, 24/7. It’s just helpful to understand what makes your character tick.”  - Alex O’Loughlin - Global TV (Canada), November 2011

 I always enjoy hearing Alex talk about the acting profession. However, there seems to have been a change in his philosophy over the past 2-1/2 years.

  “I’m big on living like the character, so I went up to the river and I actually stayed up here for a week with a swag and not many new pairs of undies, and a fishing rod.” - Alex O’Loughlin - Filmink, June 2005

“I walk in the shoes of the character 24 hours a day.” - Alex O’Loughlin - TV Guide Magazine, April 15, 2009

So what’s going on with this 180 degree turn in Alex’s approach to playing a character?   With no rhyme, reason or priority, here are my speculations.

 This is how he feels today. Deal with it. He changed his mind.

 As his experience has grown, Alex is better at getting into his character when he’s at work and can just be Alex when he’s not working.

 Living the life of his character left no time for his own life and he decided that was not how he wanted to live his own life and consciously changed.

 This is the longest period of time Alex has played the same role. Maybe he’s comfortable with his character’s persona as it is. He doesn’t have to figure out how Steve McGarrett thinks and behaves. Alex knows.

 Or just maybe Alex has been reading Harold Macmillan:

“When the curtain falls, the best thing an actor can do is to go away.”

Life with Louie and Al

What Louie talks about when Al's not around. 

click on pic to enlarge