THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 3, 1995 TAG: 9504010036
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Maddry
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
I CAN'T WAIT to reach Lisa Dee, the marketing specialist with ``Wheel of Fortune.''
You remember it was Lisa who said the folks at ``Wheel'' had never heard of a dog that barked when Vanna White turns the letters on the puzzle board during the game show.
I suspect there are thousands of dogs across America who bark at the binging sound Vanna triggers when she turns those letters.
Betcha they all think the doorbell is binging just the way my dog Mabel does. IS THIS ONE OF THE GREAT SOCIAL ISSUES OF OUR TIMES OR WHAT?
I just got off the phone with Dick Johnson, a reader who lives in Corolla, N.C.
Dick owns a 105-pound yellow Lab named Traveler who was rescued from the pound. ``When `Wheel' is on, Traveler comes out of a dead sleep, and the noise she makes sounds like the carpet coming off,'' Dick reported.
``We haven't watched that show in about five years because of the racket she makes,'' he continued. ``We'd like to watch, but it's too much aggravation. I thought Traveler was the only one that mistook the sound for a doorbell until I read your column. When I read it, I said, `Oh my God, there's another dog as crazy as mine.''
He added that the only other sound that sets Traveler off is the sound of a bag of cookies being opened. ``I've tried to disguise the sound of the bag being torn open by coughing, sneezing or turning up the music on the radio,'' Dick said. ``Doesn't do any good. She can hear it even when she's sleeping. And the next second she's right there beside me looking up with her big eyes.''
Shirley Romain in Elizabeth City also reported the same reaction to those bings on ``Wheel'' from her dog. ``You need to do what I do,'' she said, ``just turn off the sound and watch the show that way. You don't miss too much.''
Morris Fine of Virginia Beach said his yellow Lab named Brandy doesn't bark at ``Wheel,'' but ``Brandy likes to sit on the couch with me and watch television,'' Morris said.
``Her favorite channel is the Discovery Channel,'' he said. ``And she becomes very interested when animals come on the screen and make noises. Bison or whatever. When that happens, she walks over to the screen and touches it with her nose. She often walks slowly around to the back of the set - to see if she can see them from the other side, I guess.''
Roni Lacher of Chesapeake says her cocker spaniel Mazie is an SPCA dog just like mine. ``She watches the show with our children. Whenever a letter is turned, she runs to the door and barks,'' Roni said. ``There are only two things that get her going. The doorbell and `Wheel of Fortune.' ''
Lee Odum of Currituck County in North Carolina said his dog, Rebo, a dachshund, not only barks whenever Vanna turns a letter but also goes through a hole in the back door and walks around the house to see who is on the front porch ringing the bell.
Maybe ``Wheel'' should invite all those dogs to the show for a bark-off when it comes to Norfolk in late April.
Well, I guess that pretty much closes my case about dogs reacting to ``Wheel.'' As you may have guessed, tracking responses to television is a large part of what my job's about.
But there's plenty more to do. Mixed in with the phone calls from dog owners was one from Tom Johnson of Virginia Beach.
``My wife and I were just sitting here talking, and we thought maybe you could find out something for us,'' Tom said.
What's that, Tom?
``Well, you know how you drive along in your car and will see a shoe in the middle of the road? It's always just one shoe.''
Right.
``Well how did the shoe get there? And where did the other shoe go?''
I tell you a columnist's job is never done. by CNB