Barking Blondes: Macy Gray, rock ‘n’ roll dogs and resucing Adam Ant

• By Joanne Good and Anna Webb
• Sunday, 18 November 2012 at 4:00 am

Macy Gray was a guest on our show this week to enthuse over her two young bull breeds Trigga and Weezy, both of which were left behind in America. Proving yet again the way to obtain a celebrity interview is to invite them in to talk about their pet.
She’d just done a one-off guest performance in the West End’s production of Thriller Live and called in on her way back to the hotel. Apparently, Macy is apprehensive about returning back home to the states as the dogs have so far destroyed the garden and are now eyeing up the house.
We were left wondering what its like for a dog living a rock ‘n’ roll existence? Is it all late nights and feeding bowls by the side of the jukebox? Do they know when their owners are famous? Is being in the back of a limo or surrounded by adoring fans just a way of life?
No, living in a mansion means no more to them than living in a bedsit as long as they are loved and walked. And Macy Gray will go through the same scenario as the rest of us. Weeping at the vets and agonizing over the latest dog toy. But her dogs undoubtedly get a lot of attention.
Attending various celebrity bashes we have been amused by eager fans who use the dog as a means of getting to the star. Pat the celebrity’s dog and you may get an autograph or a picture after all, the mutt may be the way to your idol’s heart. Do these animals instinctively recognize the truly genuine dog lover from the opportunist?
Dog ownership is a great leveller. The famous may be able to employ dog walkers and sitters but it’s a safe bet that at least once a day, they are bending over a pile of poo, plastic bag at the ready, just like the rest of us. It gave us great pleasure to come to the rescue of Adam Ant in Regents Park by offering a poo bag, whilst he was searching in his pockets about to deal with his gorgeous dog de bordeaux’s bowel movement! By the way, Macy Gray told us her dad had trained his dog to bury his own poo. Now that’s impressive.
The American presidential dog Beaux must lead a privileged, if somewhat overprotected life, in The White House. But how ‘normal’ to see Obama in the press this week, popping into the pet shop for a new toy. Suppose they had to celebrate somehow.
By the way, good news for all of us wishing to live long and healthy lives. A survey started in 1940 studying the lifestyle of 200 case histories, released its findings on how to live longer this week. Unsurprisingly, one of the three main recommendations, is dog ownership.
We already knew that dogs more than cats, improve our physical health as well as mental well being. They can actually prevent us from getting ill by boosting the immune system and help us to recover quicker when we do fall sick. The average dog owner has been found to have lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol and there is also the added benefits of getting more exercise.
However, this latest bit of research says that a happy life is a longer life. They tell us the main contributors to achieve a happy life are friends, marriage and a dog. Well two out of three ain’t bad.
Woof! Woof!
‘Barking at the Moon’ is on every Thursday from 10pm to midnight on BBC London 94.9FM