On this date

In 1977, on this date, comedian Groucho Marx died at the age of 86.

One of his funniest lines, to me, was the following:

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

It rhymes with 'slosh'

Today, we have a mish mash of items, ranging from an ugly kitty to why don't the caged birds sing.

From WBZ-TV in Boston comes a report about a cat that only a mother could love.

See the story and video here.

Ugly Bat Boy, nicknamed "Uggs," has a mane but is otherwise bald. He is owned by a veterinarian in Stratham, N.H., and is not a rare breed but a genetic mystery.

Ugly in a cute way? Or ugly in a cute way?

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From Newsday.com, pet expert Marc Morrone answers readers questions about a cat that seems to have forgotten about its litter box (eeewww), a West Highland terrier that likes to move its food bowls around (annoying) and two canaries who won't sing when they are in the same cage (a mystery).

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On the WashingtonPost.com Web site, veterinarian Dr. Michael Fox tries to lick a licking problem that an English springer spaniel has. It seems the dog will lick anything and everything in sight for hours on end, driving its owner ka-razy.

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And finally, a dog in Olathe, Kansas, caused a $105,000 worth of damage to its owners' home and almost killed the family cat.

An article in the Kansas City Star said the unnamed pooch chewed a laptop computer cord causing an electrical short that made the couch burst into flames. A woman and her son were home at the time. They escaped, along with the dog, leaving the cat — named Tater — to fend for itself.

Firefighters found the cat, who was soot-covered but otherwise OK, and returned it to the family.

So, the dog was too embarrassed to give its name?

Celebrity birthday

Groucho Marx was born on this day in 1890.

He uttered one of my favorite dog-related sayings: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it is too dark to read."

Reading dogs

The East Fishkill (N.Y.) Community Library has a program Monday, June 4, about a reading education assistance dog named Kizzy.

Adopted from a Bichon rescue, Kizzy found a loving home and now helps children and adults learn to read or improve exiting reading skills.

He has his own book, called One Incredible Dog: Kizzy.

The free event, which starts at 7 p.m., will feature a book reading, interaction with Kizzy and a Q&A period.

For more information, visit the library's Web site or call 845-221-9943.

Maybe Groucho was right.

A while back, I interviewed a couple of kids who worked with reading therapy dogs. They both said that the pooch would respond to certain words that they read — particularly, the word "cookie."

Good dog.

The East Fishkill Community Library is located at 348 Route 376 in Hopewell Junction.

Dog quote

One of my favorite dog-related quotations comes from Grouch Marx:

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

Anybody care to share their favorite quote — animal-related or otherwise?