The Gossip Column: March 3, 2023

The AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION has reported that 1.6 million households in the United States own a horse. What might come as no surprise is that horses are the most expensive pets to keep, with a lifetime expense ranging from $71,682 to $586,825. That’s a lot of hay, whether you are feeding an old nag or Secretariat. Dogs, which can lay claim to living in 66 million households in the United States, came in second when it comes to lifelong expenses. Their cost ranges from $5,490 to $58,950. And for us cat lovers, they reside in 31 million households in the United States. Amid all these statistics was the median annual personal income in America: $37,552. ...

I don’t know if it’s beating a dead horse or not, but once again the idea of moving MADISON SQUARE GARDEN from atop the PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD STATION has surfaced. The owners of MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, the DOLAN FAMILY, have a 10-year permit to hold large events at the site that expires in July. Hence the talk about the move, but the DOLANS are now pursuing a permit in perpetuity to hold events. On the other side of that is Manhattan City Council member ERIK BOTTCHER, who is working hard to have the Garden move and be rebuilt at HUDSON YARDS (located between 30th and 34th streets between 11th and 12th avenues). HUDSON YARDS is a newly developed 28-acre area that was built over a railyard. His argument is that there is a 40-year-old tax benefit in place that saves the Garden $43 million a year that could be used by the city and clear the way for a new, larger modern PENNSYLVANIA TRAIN STATION that is used by an estimated 650,000 commuters daily. ...

The AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB has hooked up with WURL in order to broaden its reach to streaming platforms. Starting this month, AKC.TV will be available on PLEX TV, a free global streaming media platform. ...

Very sad news from Florida about Cavalier King Charles Spaniels fanciers KAREN & RONNIE GALIPEAULT. It is alleged that their neighbor set fire to his own barn, and when the GALIPEAULTS went over to help, the neighbor shot them. When rescuers arrived, it took two hours to get them out of the house that the neighbor had barricaded. KAREN was not badly injured, with only a bullet grazing her leg. Unfortunately, RONNIE was shot in the face and back. He sustained a severely injured voice box and facial damage that required him to have a rod put in his jaw. ...

Celebrating Birthdays … the wonderfully comic MARJORIE DOANE, TARA MARTIN ROWELL, DON DAVIS, MATTHEW PERCHICK, ALEX WHEELER, TOM DIGIACOMO, JANET YORK, DIEGO GARCIA, DAVID BOLUS, TAYLOR JOHNSON, LEONARDO GARCINI, LUKE BAGGENSTOS, PETER KUBACZ, TUNI (Love Those Yankees) CONTI, LOIS DEMERS, LETISHA DE LA TORRE, LESLEY POTTS and MARIA ARECHAEDERRA.