Boone is my resident wiemaraner. My "grey ghost." He would be the bass singer in a quartet. His bark is more of a deep gutteral rumble that rattles my eardrums, nay, my entire body with its base vibrations. I know this because Boone loves to announce to the entire dog park that he is on his way...and sits right behind me as he bellows his joyous arrival. I've found some relief from his barrage by opening the windows of the car so Boone can stick his head out to share his music with the world. But no amount of coaxing him to silence ever works! Boone is a born crooner, a lounge lizard who'd sing to an empty audience if no one showed!

The other dogs in the car have been inspired by Boone's brand of music. It sparks something deep inside of them...something ancient, something mystically connective. Once Boone begins the overture, they pipe in with their harmonizing voices. Ear splittingly high yaps from the sopranos of little Lizzies, tenor melodies from the midsize crew of goldens and labs and alto backups from the yodelers who fancy themselves coyotes instead of dogs. At first I almost lost my mind trying to drive with all this racket. It seemed chaotic and abrasive. But then the counselor in me began to really listen to them...and watch them as they got swept up in the frenzy. And I began to think, where can dogs ever express that deepest part of themselves? As soon as they so much as woof, we are on them like the gestapo, silencing their would-be voices for our convenience. Heaven forbid they disturb the neighbors, or wake the baby, or worse, drown out the dialogue on our favorite TV show.

So where is a dog to go to tap into his or her wild roots of self-expression? If you've ever heard the chorus of coyotes singing to their hearts' content in the dark of the night, you know what I mean. Dogs need a place to howl! So I've decided that my car is a safe zone for their vocal experimentation. I've also discovered that if I join in with them, my ears forget to hear noise and instead, connected to my own vocal chords, take delight in the amazing harmonies that together we create. The dogs look at me funny at first, then realize I am not only letting them sing, I am endorsing it with my participation! You should hear my rendition of a coyote in heat!