(E.B.W.) Critter Corner: Nov. 13/2019

Feature:

Living Long & Prospering

“The new picture book Crusoe The Worldly Wiener Dog contains the following dedication:

‘This book is dedicated to, well, me. Because my awesomeness is inconceivable, & because I’m probably the only wiener that looks good in a Speedo.’

…As for the dashing dachshund’s bravado, it’s no wonder really. As one of the world’s top animal influencers…he has more than 3 million online followers & his first book (written by his human, Ryan Beauchesne & titled Crusoe, the Celebrity Dachshund: Adventures of the Wiener Dog Extraordinaire) landed on the New York Times bestsellers list just a week after being released in 2015…

‘Our fans have really grown over the past couple of years, so it is looking pretty good.’ Said Beauchesne…’I would have never guessed it would be like this. It’s quite remarkable.’

‘When I first started, I didn’t have any intention of making him famous or making it my job or anything like that. I’ve just always needed a little creative outlet,’ added Beauchesne, who shares his Gatineau home with his girlfriend Lauren Dionne, Crusoe, & Crusoe’s younger & also popular half brother Oakley…

‘My girlfriend bugged me for about a year to get a wiener dog. I finally gave in,’ said Beauchesne. ‘At first I was embarrassed to walk down the street as a guy with this little wiener dog, but now it has come full circle where she’s the one that is embarrassed as I am dressing him up & taking pictures & all that stuff.’

Those pictures are what made this dog a social media superstar, so it’s those pictures that Beauchesne has returned to with the new book. This time Crusoe is travelling around the globe in many bespoke outfits carefully created & curated for each outing by Beauchesne.

…For his trip to Switzerland, he is high in the Alps…posing hard as a wee avalanche dog. In California, he laps up the L.A. movie star lifestyle…He eats hot dogs in Chicago, wails on a sax in New Orleans, &, of course, sports some lederhosen for a visit to his ancestral homeland of Germany.

As for Canada, Crusoe carries the flag proudly. He gets bundled up in Quebec City & digs the dinosaurs in Drumheller. For his trip to Banff he…has a howl of a time in a wolf costume. In Vancouver, it’s the classic tourist shot by the totem polls in Stanley Park then a trip over to North Vancouver & the Capilano Suspension Bridge…

Crusoe is small, so he fits comfortably in a soft-sided carrier that can be slipped under an airplane seat. Beauchesne says the tiny traveller is always game for a getaway.

‘He travels very well,’ said Beauchesne. ‘He loves to come with us when we go places. You should see his little face when we arrive at a new hotel room. He’s excited. He loves it…’

…’Everything we do is based on how he actually is in real life, of course a little bit exaggerated,’ added Beauchesne. ‘I think people relate & see humor in what Crusoe sees as a dog, & they relate that to their own dog & how their own dog might see the world…’

…Right now Crusoe is getting ready for a North American book tour…”