Events continue today and through Sunday at the Rhode Island Convention Center as the Bay Colony Cluster Dog Show takes over downtown Providence. ‘Best of Breed’ judging culminates in the final ‘Best of Show’ event. We all know the drill by now — groups include sporting, working, terrier, toy (seen here; Pomeranian, aerial view). Go cheer on your fave and see what a groomed specimen looks like.

Rhode Island Convention Center, 1 Sabin Street, 8am to 5pm, $12 adults, $7 for children 12 and under

Acclaimed poet and National Book Award winner Mark Doty is reading at Rhode Island College tonight. Doty is scheduled to read from Dog Years, the bestselling 2007 memoir which centers around the companionship of his two retrievers. The event is part of Vet Week, a celebration of animals and their health organized which is by the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association and which, oddly, includes a poetry reading every year.

7pm, Tuesday, Rhode Island College, Alger Hall 110

Echo’s a good dog. . . yes he is . . . yes he is. . .

A Rhode Island terrier won best of breed yesterday at the Westminster Dog Show in Madison Square Garden. According to the ProJo,

The winner, a Kerry blue, is known formally as Ch. Echo of Aran Cross the Rubicon, but answers to Echo, said Diane Beaulieu, who co-owns the dog with her husband, Ray, and Dr. Natalia Glover.

“Oh my God, I’m so thrilled,” Diane Beaulieu said from her home after Echo’s handler called her from the Garden to report the news. “It’s such an honor,” she added.

This win allowed Echo to compete against other terrier breeds in the Best of Group division which was judged last night. Terriers were first bred to ‘go to ground’ and chase down vermin.  Almost all these breeds originated in the United Kingdom. What does this tell us about life back in the old country? Jane Austen never wrote about the rats (except Bingley of course). Sad to report, Echo lost out to some Scottish terrier. Ugh, scotties are so Bush league.

Tuesday closing night, Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, 8pm to 11pm, USA network

Get ready to OD on cuteness !

The Providence Animal Rescue League just put up a flickr page where people who adopted from the shelter can post success stories and pictures of animals they’ve adopted.  The totally freaking adorable fellow to the right is Cappy, who’s currently living it up with a new owner in Hartford.

If you’ve adopted a pet from the Rescue League in the past and have some pictures to share, send them on over to adopt@parl.org with a story about how your pet’s doing.

… just bad owners. That got repeated so often during last night’s Westminster Dog Show I almost started believing it. But then I remembered Manny (may he rest in peace). At any rate, it is easy to start falling in love with all these breeds, and certainly the announcer and commentators are completely smitten. But if you listen carefully, they are trying to tell you something with certain code words and phrases. Here’s a simple glossary of terms.

• “loves to join in family fun” — will drive you nuts
• “talkative” — will drive your neighbor nuts
• “not a city dog” — you have to pick up the poop, your call
• “has a mind of its own” — untrainable
• “bred to be gamekeepers’ watchdogs, needs socialization” — they’ve tasted human flesh, and they like it
• “full of life” — will knock Nana on her ass
• “natural herding instincts” — will knock Nana on her face
• “loyal and dignified companion” — dumber than a bag of hammers
• “very territorial” — close the door when having sex with your boyfriend

To be welcomed for the inexplicable RI filming of the movie Hachiko: A Dog’s Story. It’ll star and be produced by Gere, and is based on the story of Hachiko, a renowned canine owned by a Japanese professor. Hachiko used to meet his owner at the train station every evening. When the owner died, the dog kept going to the station at the time his train used to arrive, every day, for more than ten years.

I assume Gere will not be done-up into a Japanese man for the filming.

So there you have it. Dogs are great, and a preemptive congrats if they can make it neither a bore nor a sap-fest. (No gerbil jokes, please.)