Tribute With a Smile w/ Peter Bogyo

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Paying Tribute With A Smile To Dogs That We Shared Our Lives With

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About The Episode

Peter Bogyo grew up with a series of Scottish Terriers, all of whom were named Toby. He grew a strong connection to the breed that has lasted throughout his life, even to the degree of collecting different objects and memorabilia around Scottie’s. His late dog, Bilbo, proved to be one of his closest companions.

It was tough for Peter to cope with that loss. As a way to heal, he decided to write an obituary for Bilbo. It turned out to be a combination of a tribute that was funny, but heartwarming. He shared it with friends on Facebook and had such a great response that he decided to start trying to write them for other dogs he didn’t know. That turned into his new book, A Dog’s Life: A Collection of Humorous Tributes Celebrating Man’s Best Friend.

While they are technically obituaries, each passage is filled with joy, humor, and beauty. Peter aimed to make each unique – such as, for instance, a dog having a Bark Mitzvah and his family sitting shiva afterward. To get these stories, he talked with many people about their relationships with their dogs and how special they were. He saw not only in his own experience about that connection, but how much it resonated with the human and dog race overall.

It was three and a half years ago when Bilbo had passed. Six months later, another Scottie named Dickens ended up coming into his life. It was not the intention of Peter and his wife to adopt a dog right at the moment, but they couldn’t resist when they saw Dickens. Even though it was winter, which meant ice-cold morning walks, there were no regrets.

About The Guest - Peter Bogyo

Peter Bogyo is a veteran general manager of Broadway and other theatre shows, a Tony Award voter, as well as a Producer of special events at locations such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Symphony Space in New York City. He wrote the book Broadway General Manager: Demystifying the Most Important and Least Understood Role in Show Business before writing his latest book, A Dog’s Life: A Collection of Humorous Tributes Celebrating Man’s Best Friend. The latter is a testament to the amazing and full lives of dogs, while at the same time inevitably showcasing the impact those dogs made on their human companions.

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