Carl's Page

Facts about Carl

He weighs 107 pounds.
He is six years old.
He is very fond of children, not only those in his own family, but other children as well. He visits hospitals to help cheer up children who need him.
He loves to play all kinds of ball games.

He likes to swim, especially in order to chase a ball or a stick.
His prefers sticks that are very large and long, but his family dislikes these sticks because he is apt to swing them, with painful results to human legs.

Carl's Favorite Animals

Carl's favorite animal is the elephant, though he has never seen one in person. He has seen them on television, and has heard many stories about them. He likes them because they are so big, so helpful to humans and are not mean. He does understand that they can be very fierce when angered. He admires them because they, like him, are vegetarian. He is awed by their bigness. He finds horses overwhelming in size and knows that elephants are much bigger than horses. He does not wish to mingle with elephants because of their massive size, but wants to see them from a distance -- perhaps at a zoo, a circus or in a parade. He was recently in a parade in Dallas, but unfortunately they didn't have any elephants. Carl is also drawn to squirrels. He sits and watches them play in the trees and wishes he could be up there with them. He thinks they are cute and he loves to hear them chatter. There is a squirrel house near his porch that has a family of baby squirrels every year. He tries to persuade the young ones to come over and play, but they just look at him and go on playing with each other. When any squirrels are down near the ground he tries to get games started, but all they do is run and he chases. He has never come near to catching up with any.

Carl's Favorite Foods (Carl Is a Vegetarian)

Baked potatoes, warm or cold; He likes these so much he doesn't require butter.
Asparagus (raw or cooked)
Scrambled eggs
Cheese pizza
Whipped-cream pudding (We don't know what this is exactly, but he always asks for it on his birthday. It may simply be melted ice cream, which he has had once or twice.)
Cake doughnuts (no powdered sugar)
Pretzels (large, soft, no salt)
Bean burritos

Carl's Favorite Songs and Music

"Whistle While You Work"
"The Teddy Bears' Picnic"
"The Whiffenpoof Song"
"Old Dog Tray"
"Beer Barrel Polka"
"The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night"
"On the Sunny Side of the Street"
"My Grandfather's Clock"
"Old Blue"
"Ground Hog"
"The Eensy, Weensy Spider"

Carl's Favorite Movies

The Rare Breed
Big Jake
Babe
Frosty the Snowman
Snoopy Specials
The Muppet Movie

Carl's Possessions

Carl has three leashes: one long brown one, one medium-long red one and one short blue one. He would rather walk without any of them. He has two collars: a black leather one for everyday, and a silver and brass one for parades, parties and other special occasions. He can't see them when they're on him, and he wears them because his family wants him to. Carl has a nice mattress to sleep on, and sometimes he lies on it but often the floor is cooler, and the rug is bigger and just as comfortable. Carl also has a dish.
Carl doesn't own anything else.

Some more facts about Carl

When Carl was three, his family moved to the Northwest, which he greatly prefers because, being a large black dog, he gets hot very easily, so he likes the cooler climate. He also loves to play in the snow and to swim in lakes, both of which he can do much more easily in the Northwest. His family has a cottage in Canada, in Georgian Bay, which is part of Lake Huron. The cottage is on an island. There are pictures of it, and of Carl enjoying his vacations there, in Carl Makes a Scrapbook. In fact, Carl Makes a Scrapbook is a good place to find out all kinds of things about Carl and his family and friends.

Carl can talk -- not with his mouth but by sending mental messages to human beings, who then say the words for him. The baby's father is the one who talks for Carl most often. Carl calls him "Big Master." He calls the baby's mother "Big Mistress." The baby's name, as you probably know, is Madeleine, and Carl calls her either "Madeleine" or "Little Mistress."

Carl's friend Paddy can talk, too. Paddy's grammar is better than Carl's (the Irish, after all, are great talkers), so it's a little easier to understand him (Carl has some rather peculiar word constructions), but Carl can sing, for which Paddy greatly envies him. If you look at "Carl's Message and Interview" below, you will see what I mean. However, one gets onto his speech pretty quickly, and you, like his family, will soon understand him perfectly.

Carl's friend Smoky, the weimaraner, can also talk. He tells great stories. Paddy and Carl and Madeleine are not sure whether they are all true.

Carl's Message and Interview

Carl was asked for a message to send to the children who read his books. This is what he said:

"Carl all time seeing human beings; he liking all nicing human beings; liking all kids. Carl don't liking bad people coming on family property. Carl liking all nicing dogs, all good-smelling dogs. He liking pigs, all cows, all elephants. Don't liking all cats, badding snakes, all fleas, badding rats."

This seemed rather brief and limited, so we asked him some questions:

Q. What do you do with Madeleine?

A. He playing on it, all time.

Q. Who is Madeleine?

A. Madeleine family kid. You knowing it! She Animal [Carl calls himself "Animal"] L'il Mistress. He loving it.

Q. Do you take care of your little mistress?

A. Madeleine falling down, Animal picking it. Bad man coming, Animal going on it! [that is, he will attack the intruder.) Madeleine doing bad thing, he how'ing [howling]. Rat coming on family house, Animal killing it! [There are rats in the woods next to his house, and Carl does not like them to come near.]

Q. Do you like having books written about you?

A. He don't talking on it. He don't knowing it. [The idea of being in books confuses him, and he doesn't want to talk about it.]

Q. Do you like going to bookstores and seeing children?

A. He don't knowing bookstores. He going on Big Mistress, he seeing kids, he loving it. Kids giving all treats.

Q. Well, lots of people like your books and think you're a good dog. What do you think about that?

A. He prouding on going "good dog."