Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog: The Final Cut: Reggie Goes to Hollywood on the Disney Private Jet! Who is this Larry David Guy and What Type of Breed of Dog is Snoop Dog? Chapter Twenty Four (24)

I know that Bob is a writer just like Anwar my late master was. Little did I know he was writing a book about me Reggie! Who would be interested in a book about a cur like me? Bob thinks it is a children’s book. Fay laughs saying it is yet a nowhere and nothing endeavour by Bob who has written three novels all published in serialized format without any commercial success but despite the constant lack of support and criticism of Fay he keeps writing for his own “creative satisfaction”. Well out of the blue someone at Disney has read about me in one of Bob’s posts about the Egyptian rescue dog. They would like him to come to California to discuss some projects with him about me! They would also like to have me do some screen tests for a possible movie or television series. The television network ABC would also like to meet with him about a possible television series featuring me. Not only that a large American publisher in New York wants to speak to Bob about publishing his book about me. We are on a roll!

Something important must be happening at Disney as they send a private jet to pick Bob and I up to fly to Los Angeles. Fay stays at home to take care of Dillie. This is so exciting!

A big black limousine arrives to take us to the private air terminal at Pearson Airport in Toronto. The plane is waiting for us and inside this small aircraft is an executive from Disney called Mr. Fixer and a flight attendant along with a pilot and a co-pilot. There is a big bed with a seatbelt for me with a bowl of Evian water and a big dinner of chopped steak, rice and green beans. My I gobbled that up quickly! The last time I was in an airplane I was in cargo but this time I am more than cargo. I could be a Hollywood star.

The plane takes off and Bob and Mr. Fixer have some champagne and talk about an animated or real live production. They have a wonderful smelling dinner they call Beef Wellington and a pistachio cream cake from one of Los Angeles’ top bakeries where all the movie stars buy their desserts. Mr. Fixer says the pistachio cream cake is Snoop Dog’s favourite? I will admit I never heard of that breed of dog.

We land in Los Angeles and another black limousine comes and picks us up whisking us to The Beverly Hills Luxe hotel. There is a bed for me, a bowl for water and some cans of wet food from Le Pooch an exclusive pet store in Beverly Hills. There are even some squeaky toys. I feel there is something special in the air. Mr. Fixer said he would pick us up at 11 a.m. to meet some Disney studio executives. Both Bob and I have a toss and turn type of night. Breakfast is down in the hotel’s dining room at 9:30. Bob enjoys his croissants and jasmine tea. I have a special breakfast of fingered toast and scrambled eggs. Larry David is having breakfast with Jason Alexander right beside us. Bob is thrilled although I am not sure why. He mumbled to me about “Palestinian Fried Chicken” and guffawed.

The limousine or “limo” as they call it arrives right on time with Mr. Fixer. He looks very nervous with dribbles of sweat on his forehead. He has learnt about the call Bob received from ABC and the New York publisher and starts a conversation with Bob about “exclusivity” whatever that means.

We meet Disney executives in a large boardroom. They all stare at me and photos are taken of me. Having a very good command of English I understand the gist of what the Disney executives are proposing. They are thinking of an animated children’s movie called “Reggie The Rescue Dog” and a spin-off television series of the same name. Imagine me in a Disney movie just like “Lady and the Tramp”. Disney has proposed Bob’s character in the television series will be played by Ryan Gosling and Fay’s by Jennifer Aniston. Bob will be a co-producer and co screenplay writer. If it is an animated production it is the same deal for Bob. The Disney executives do not want to talk about money but say it is a guaranteed multi-million-dollar deal plus 3% of the global gross whatever these terms mean.

I go to make-up with Bob and get a bath and fluff up and take my screen test and I understand exactly what the Disney people are telling me because my English is so strong. One of them remarks that this dog is so darn smart we won’t need an animal trainer. I just have a walk on a leash, growl and look friendly. This is easy!

We head back to the boardroom and a dinner is brought in. Bob has to excuse himself to take me for a walk outside the offices. Darn it we don’t have poop bags! I leave a little Canadian souvenir near the hedges outside the building. Bob has a big laugh.

We have a dinner of seafood from one of LA’s best seafood restaurants. Bob has asked for chicken kibble as he does not want me to get gout from all the rich food I have been eating. As far as I can understand it the screen test is successful and the Disney executives propose an animated feature and a television series but need to prepare the contracts. The money will be set forth in these contracts. Disney wants Bob to sign an exclusivity agreement and Bob says he needs time to review it and retain an agent. Bob has been a smart lawyer for 30 years before he retired but entertainment law is new to him.

Disney asks us to stay around for 3 days and gives us the use of a limousine and $5,000 in cash. Our first “day-off” is spent in finding an agent and Bob’s movie contacts in Philadelphia whom he has reviewed movies for in the past recommends Harvey Pilkington as an agent. Pilkington s a “Top L.A. Agent” handling some of the biggest names in Hollywood and as we enter his office we meet someone Bob loves called Larry David! That was the obnoxious bald guy having breakfast beside us the other day!  I think he is a big television star. Pilkington sems to know his stuff and Bob gets along with this easy-going man as he is also a lawyer. He says flatly to Bob that he is a gold mine and do not sign an exclusivity contract until “they sweeten the pot”.

On the second day it is off to Santa Monica and the third day off to Santa Barbara where we walk on a big beach and I get salt water and sand all over me as I run in and out of the waves. Bob does not want to leave me alone in the evening so he picks up some Thai food one night and some incredible Mexican street food the next night. I don’t like Los Angeles as much as Toronto as there is too much cement and too little green space. I miss Dillie and Fay. I miss our long walks.

On our last day it is back to meet the Disney executives whose legal team has produced a contract which they give to Bob but they also give an oral outline. There will be an animated movie produced by Disney with global distribution. Bob will be co-producer and co-screenplay writer. There will be a $14,000,000 up front payment. Bob will receive 3% cut of net revenues and 5% of net themed merchandise sales. For the television series Bob receives $8,000,000 up front cash. Bob is asked to sign an exclusivity agreement with Disney meaning he only gets paid if he lets Disney run with the Reggie character and no other media company can be involved with “Reggie”. Bob refuses to sign at this point as he has not yet had talks with the book publisher and ABC. The Disney executives look in disbelief at Bob and say, “No deal”. Bob, a very skilled lawyer, knows this game well and says, “Thank you gentleman and ladies.” We walk out of the boardroom. I remember seeing open mouths and with my super hearing I hear a few voices say they can’t lose this deal as the “Muslim angle” would have taken them to the stratosphere.

We have a relaxing first-class flight back Air Canada and as Disney had provided Bob with false service dog papers, I sit beside Bob instead in a mesh bag under the seat. I have seen another part of the world remembering I thought I would live and die a short life in Cairo.

Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog : The Final Cut: Reggie Visits the Psychiatrist: Chapter Twenty Three (23)

My enthusiasm and zest for life really has diminished in these past few weeks. My thoughts have changed since the death of my dog friend Karim and after the dog attack by that mean German Shepherd Layla. I am not very hungry. I sleep less and the quality is poor. I am not excited about our walks even to the golf course where Dillie and I can roam free without a leash. I am not certain what the future holds for me but I am frightened Bob and Fay will return me to the rescue society because I am not myself and am so unhappy. I am caught in a spiral of negativity.

Bob and Fay are worried about me as they know I am not acting normally. I hear them talking and they mention it is because my dog friend Karim died and the recent German Shepherd attack. Bob sits on a patient advisory board at a local hospital and another board member who is a psychiatrist at the hospital suggested that I be taken for a check-up to see if anything was physically wrong with me. If I am “fit as a fiddle” as my animal doctor likes to say then the psychiatrist knows of a colleague at a veterinary college outside of Toronto in a place called Guelph that is experimenting with dog psychiatry and he could contact that person to see if he would see me. Psychiatrists deal with people who are mentally ill according to a BBC documentary I saw dealing with post traumatic stress disorder of soldiers after their tour of duty in Ireland. I am Reggie a tough dog and no way my mind is unwell! How ridiculous!

Bob takes me to Dr. Murray at our local animal hospital who examines me and says I am “fit as a fiddle”. Bob explains my behaviour after Karim’s death and the Shepherd attack and Dr. Murray says he is not a psychiatrist but as with humans the death of a good friend can lead to depression and serious violent physical attacks like the Shepherd one can lead to post traumatic stress disorder. He advises Bob to keep a close eye on me over the next two weeks and if matters do not improve Bob should see the dog psychiatrist.

Well matters did not improve and we are off in the car to see Dr. Kureit at the University of Guelph Veterinarian School. Bob is asked to fill out a “Beck Depression Inventory” sheet about me and chats with Dr. Kureit and his team of students about Karim’s death and the Shepherd attack. Like a British soldier suffering from post traumatic stress disorder he thinks the Shepherd attack has brought about recurring memories of the Cairo dog attack that I am reliving and that the loss of Karim has caused my brain to get mixed up and chemically imbalanced. I like Dr. Kureit with a voice like a narrator on a BBC documentary and what he says makes sense to me. Dr. Kureit explains there is an experimental canine anti-depressant WoffLoft but Bob is reluctant to have me take drugs so he follows Dr. Kureit’s advice to show me repeatedly I am loved emphasizing that, I am safe and I will never be forced to leave Bob and Fay’s house. And give the little guy some belly rubs whether he wants them or not Dr. Kureit advises!

Bob and Fay speak to me often and give me more hugs than usual and at initially I don’t want the belly rubs but soon I am looking forward to them. We go for long walks at the golf course and there is more sun now and I feel like the gloom around me is disappearing. Dillie and I now have rice and ground beef with sweet potato dinners every Friday and that helps me with my appetite. I am eating and enjoying my chicken kibble and drinking cold and clean water that I love so much. I don’t think about the Shepherd attack much and finally find peace about Karim realizing neither I or anyone, except for Allah, could have changed that which makes me feel much better and I know that Karim is in The Land Beyond with Anwar my former master in Cairo that was executed as a traitor by the Egyptian government. And Dillie the West Highland Terrier has been so understanding as he could be jealous about the extra attention I am receiving but seems to understand I require it and if I have a bad night he asks me into his comfy bed and I feel safe and protected and sleep peacefully. Not only is Dillie brave but he is compassionate.

Then the season called spring arrives. There is more sun and warmth and there are new smells I have rather forgotten about after a cold winter. One day it strikes me like a ton of bricks how lucky I am. I have love, respect, affection, toys to play with, wonderful walks to go on. It has taken me weeks to think again how wonderful it is to be alive. Whatever robbed and damaged my spirit has been chased far away. I thank Bob, Fay and Dillie for being so patient and caring. Bring on more belly rubs please and I am looking forward to many things I ignored in my “sad period”. The smell of spring and the care of Dillie, Bob, Fay and animal doctors have shown me once and for all humans can be trusted….at least most of them! I know now I am safe and I will never be sent back to Cairo.

Travels to a Different Time: Travels of My Mother: 14June1970: New York/Athens: Where to Next?

Dear Mother and Mother S:

We left Montreal on June 9th in the afternoon and arrived in New York after taking the midnight bus from Montreal. We found it easy and fast.

Barb was not in New York as she was in Amsterdam. Her roommates took very good care of us. We left from Kennedy to Athens on June 11th. It was the first good trip across the Atlantic I have had. I slept most of the way over. The stewardess spoilt Rob giving him three dinners and two lunches.

We arrived in Athens at 4 a.m. and waited until 7 a.m. to call our friends. It was good to see them. We spent most of the day sleeping. The heat is very intense. We hope to get a free flight to Spain or Portugal and if not to Germany. We don’t really know what is what now.

June 15

We are seeing if we can take flight to Madrid failing which we will go to Yugoslavia on the Adriatic. I found a 4-day cruise we can take to Dubrovnik. They say Yugoslavia has the best beaches in the world.

Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog: The Final Cut: We Are Attacked by a Voracious and Demented German Shepherd; Chapter Twenty Two (22)

Dillie and I miss Karim. Dillie has seen his dog friends die and go to The Land Beyond but I have not seen many and Karim was a fellow street dog who went through suffering and trauma in Cairo with me and finally ended up in a happy home and then he just died. This is so unfair!

I have come to accept his death and not ruminate about it but deep in my soul there remains hurt. I don’t eat much. I sleep behind the sofa instead in my comfy bed. I am not that interested in walks or greeting my dog friends. A part of me has been torn out of me.

Bob asks me one miserable gloomy and damp winter day if I want to go for a walk with Dillie. Normally I would spring into action and wag up a storm with my tail but this time Bob just attaches my harness and leash and off we go. I am not in the mood but perhaps Bob wants some company and fresh air so I trot behind him and Dillie slightly in front but the damp weather caused the arthritis in his leg to flare up so he is limping.

We walk in a slightly different neighbourhood. As we pass by a house we hear some ferocious barking of a Shepherd behind a short fence. It is so vicious not even in Cairo have I heard such blood chilling snarling. That causes me to shiver because the last time I heard something close to such a hateful bark was when I was attacked in Cairo by that Rottenwhiler dog that ripped my leg up.

Bob tells me and Dillie to hurry up so we can get away from that crazy Shepherd so we pick up our pace and twenty steps later suddenly immediately behind us there is an enormous vicious Shepherd with its mouth open and foaming ready to bite Dillie’s rump. Bob pulls me away just before that salivating monster’s jaws would have sunk into poor Dylan’s flesh. Bob starts kicking the Shepherd screaming at him to get away. He kicks and kicks. Not realizing what I was doing I was on that monster’s neck sinking my teeth in his flesh. I am ready to defend Bob and Dillie to the death. I bite repeatedly until I taste blood in my mouth. The Shepherd squeals and runs off. Bob is furious but in a few minutes we are both shaking in shock.  Bob tells me he has always been afraid of German Shepherds. Bob knows of my attack in Cairo so strokes my head telling me everything is OK. We both have a shaky walk home and Fay is stunned and says a lot of angry words only adults can use. Bob takes the car and gets the address of the house where the Shepherd jumped the fence. Dillie and I want to go teach that bad Shepherd a lesson and if Karim was here he wouldn’t stand a chance against us three dogs. You don’t mess with Egyptian street dogs and a West Highland Terrier!

Bob phones animal control of Toronto and they promise to investigate. When Bob, Dillie and I go out for our walks we tell the attack story to other owners and we hear that this nasty dog has attacked 7 other dogs some of which had to go to the animal hospital to get well. We get the address and name of the dog by talking to these owners. We report to animal control about this dog called Layla and they say the owner denies anything ever happened. But animal control knows of the record of this dog so they order a muzzle be worn by the dog in public. But even with the muzzle on we hear he has attacked Wally our friend two doors down and taken a hunk out of his back. Bob says Layla should be “put down” and if he had a gun, he would kill her. He is very angry. But Bob is so brave conquering his fears and dealing out to Layla what she deserves. I say a prayer to Allah thanking him that none of us is physically hurt.

But sleeping is becoming harder for me as I keep reliving the attack. It was terrifying but at the same time I would do anything to protect Bob and Dillie. I am quick and a quick lunge at Layla’s throat might have silenced that very bad dog. I am small but a good fighter. Bob and I watched a documentary on a Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and he was a small but powerful champion fighter.  Shepherds may be big and mean but I think they are stupid and slow. I admire Bob for defending us and honoured that ageing Dillie said we should go and teach the Shepherd a lesson. West Highland Terriers may be cute but they are courageous Scottish dogs. I think both Dillie and I would fight to the end to protect Bob and Fay. Do you hear that Layla? I said Layla did you hear that!

RKS Literature: The Unattainable Woman (Gustave Flaubert)

“She seemed so virtuous and inaccessible to him that he lost all hope, even the faintest. But, by thus renouncing her, he made her ascend to extraordinary heights. She transcended, in his eyes, those sensuous attributes which were forever out of his reach; and in his heart she rose forever, soaring away from him like a winged apotheosis. It was one of those pure feelings that do not interfere with life, that are cultivated for their rarity, and whose loss would afflict more than their fulfillment rejoices.”

Gustave Flaubert, “Madame Bovary”, 1857.

Travels to a Different Time: Travels of My Mother: 17June1970: On The Mediterranean en Route To Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia

Dear Diane and Gerald:

We boarded a Russian cruise ship the Adsharia in Piraeus in Greece. There are 3 stops. It is the first cruise of the season so there only 35 people on a ship that can carry 330. The first stop is Corfu, then Venice and then Dubrovnik. I met a handsome German named Fritz tall and good looking. He is fun. We swim, eat and dance. We do everything but sleep together. Not sure about his wife who must be in Germany. He will leave the cruise in Venice. The Greek food is as grim as ever. Thery still poach eggs in olive oil. The Russian food aboard the ship is good. They do not use much seasoning. Meals are multi course some food I have never eaten before. Robert has a bad case of sunstroke after falling asleep in the sun. Has the chills and is throwing up. The ship physician saw him.

18June

Danced with Fritz until the band packed up. After dinner, leaving poor Robert confined to quarters, Fritz and I took a horse drawn carriage around Corfu. Came home and Robert refused to drink or eat anything preferring to “put the fire out” by having a cold shower. Today he is fine although the smells in the dining room make him a bit queasy.

Fritz and Rob are playing ping pong. Sure wish Germany was not so far away but I still have not found out of he has a wife. I assure you I am getting my fair share of attention. He is the best-looking man on the ship. So there! We met a charming family from Moscow. I will say they look very different than us dressed in very poor-quality clothes and shoes but their smiles and laughter are wonderful to hear and see. I would love to visit Russia. It must be so beautiful as other places in this world.

We will be in Venice tomorrow passing through The Grand Canal and then go by rapid transit on the water to Venice. We will be here until 5 p.m. Fritz will be returning to Germany later. Rob enjoyed his swim in the pool on the ship. The people at the pool are grotesquely fat.

When I do things like this it makes me realize how lonely my life is. If it wasn’t for you and my children I should wish to die. It is nearly time for lunch and as usual when I don’t have to prepare food I will eat like a horse.

Lots of love to all Marnee

RKS Literature: Initial Delusions of Emma Bovary (Gustave Flaubert)

“All the while, however, she was waiting in her heart for something to happen. Like shipwrecked sailors, she turned despairing eyes upon the solitude of her life, seeking afar some white sail in the mists of the horizon. She did not know what this act of fortune would be, what wind would bring it, toward what shore it would dive her, if it would be a rowboat or an ocean liner with three decks, carrying anguish or laden to the gunwales with bliss. But each morning, as she awoke, she hoped that it would come that day; she listened to every sound, sprang up with a start, wondered that it did not come; then at sunset more saddened, she longed for the next day.”

Gustave Flaubert, “Madame Bovary”, 1857

Travels to a Different Time: Travels of My Mother: 16July1970: Pag Island, Yugoslavia: The Man Who Had Not Had a Bath in Five Years!

Dear Barb and Andrew:

As you can see we are on Pag. We had left the beautiful Hvar then to the island of Muter which was packed with German tourists. A tiny place with no hotels. People are packed in like sardines. We stayed two days and three nights there. We met a man from Holland as we were trudging along the beach and he took us back to our lodgings but we stopped for a drink along the way. If I were his wife I would have killed him. He had been an interpreter for Canadian forces liberating Holland from the Germans. A very tall man like your father. You don’t see many tall men here. He said many times that it was the Canadians that liberated us. They love and appreciate Canadians in Holland. From Muter we took a bridge to the mainland. It was good we left at 6 a.m. as by 10 it was blazing hot and unbearable in the bus. The bus driver stopped for lunch and we had to wait until he finished it. How spectacular was the scenery. It was a five-hour trip to get to the ferry that would take us to Pag. We passed by islands with no greenery or any living souls on them. I have a feeling Pag Island is going to be a hot hell hole.

We stopped at the tourist office as usual. We got a room with the beach just outside. Perhaps the nicest beach so far in Yugoslavia. It is pebbled and very long. I wondered why the bathtub was full of water with a pail in it. I ran into an old man and he said he only has running water for half an hour every day. People get their water from wells in town and haul it home. The man said he had not had a bath in 5 years. Tell me about underdeveloped nations. So like the locals we have to lug water in a plastic jug. I am anxious to get to West Berlin and civilization soon.

I am not much fatter. My hair is like dirty straw and feels like it too.

We spent the day on the beach today. Robert shot a fish but it escaped. He was cheesed off. I am having a cold beer at an outdoor café and Rob has returned from the post office with no mail for us.

17th

Last two nights Rob and I went to a nightclub. Rob said the band was good. People will dance in a group here not just with a partner. I leave at 10 and Robert at 11.

I was up at 6:30 and had a tea and it was too sweet. The same thing happened with coffee yesterday. There was no bread left to buy this morning so I had to go to a restaurant to buy a loaf. These food shortages are so frustrating.

Love Mum

Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog: The Final Cut: Reggie Asks Why Did Karim Die? Chapter Twenty One (21)

On New Year’s morning Dillie and I howled after Karim’s death. It was Dillie that got me howling for two reasons. He thought if we were loud enough Karim could hear us and our howling would be a good-bye we never had the time to say. Secondly, we were so sad it was as if some instinct made us howl. It just overtook us.

New Year’s Day was interminably long. It was damp, overcast and freezing rain started in the afternoon. When a dog is sad and distressed such gloomy weather only makes your heart heavier with grief. You can’t escape grief. It has a terrible vice to your head.

One of the BBC documentaries I saw with Bob was an interview with Tara Brach a famous mind doctor for humans. Her theory was called “Radical Acceptance”. If you can accept what has happened and move on you will be healthier than if you refuse to accept it and constantly think about it in a negative and hurtful way. I used this philosophy to deal with the execution of Anwar my first master in Egypt and me being thrown out into the street. I could not change what had happened to me but it was a long process before I could accept it.

I can accept what happened to Karim but all of us in the house needed to know why Karim died. Dr. Murray at the animal hospital said he would see us on January 2cnd in the morning and that we were to bring Karim’s body with us.

Bob took Karim’s body in the garage to keep it cold until we went to the animal hospital. His complexion was almost green with sadness and loss. He said it was the heaviest load he had ever carried. When he left with Karim’s body to see Dr. Murray, Dillie and I barked furiously. I grabbed his Bob’s pant legs and I think he got the message that this was to be the last ride of the Rat Pack. Bob put us in the back seat of the car and put Karim’s body in the middle. This was to be a ride of honour and tribute.

We arrived at the animal hospital and we went into Dr. Murray’s examination room but when we saw Karim’s body so cold and lifeless, we started howling again. Dr. Murray knew he should do a private examination. He returned 30 minutes later saying they had done an MRI on Karim’s brain and determined it was an aneurism of his brain that killed him. I am not sure what aneurism means so I listened carefully to Dr. Murray speaking to Bob and he said it was a rogue blood clot and that no one could have predicted it. Well at least it was not caused by Dillie and I and the fact it was not preventable made all of us feel just a bit better.

But we left Karim behind for cremation and again that enormous feeling of loneliness swept over our hearts. Bob would pick up Karim’s ashes in a few days. Bob was unsteady as he walked back to the car and cried for many minutes before we went home. It was cold and miserable and that night without barking we went upstairs to sleep with Bob and Fay. I started shivering although I was not cold. Fay hugged me tightly and spoke to me softly saying she was so sorry…so sorry…so sorry and I fell asleep. Two days later we picked up Karim’s ashes and we all went to a golf course up the street as the snow fell. Karim had loved walking in this park with no one around so we went to a place where Karim knew there were squirrels and he loved barking at them thinking they were some type of Canadian rat. There are no squirrels in Cairo just rats. We scattered his ashes and had a long walk. It was a quiet ride back to a home that was missing one of its beloved dogs.