Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

The ABC's of a Dog-a-holic….Day One Hundred, Sixty One

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My name is Jodi; I am a Dog-a-holic.  If you have been wondering what the symptoms of a Dog-a-holic are, wonder no more.  I have written down the ABC’s for Dog-a-holics everywhere!

Admit (if only to yourself) that your dog has a permanent lock on your heart.

Believe that your dog is the cutest, smartest dog you have ever seen.

Choose your dog over most people.

Devote your time to finding activities based upon what your dog will enjoy.

Envy dog people who don’t work and have all the time they want with their dogs.

Find excuses to avoid doing things that don’t include your dog.

Gaze lovingly at your dog every chance you get.

Hesitate to accept a social invitation because it might interfere with time for your dog.

Indulge your dog with special treats.

Jabber incessantly to anyone who will listen about how cute and smart your dog is.

Kiss your dog before you kiss your spouse/significant other.

Laugh at simple tricks performed by your dog; even though every other dog in the world knows how to roll over.

Measure all other dogs looks and personality against your own; (naturally you will find the other dog to be inferior to yours.)

Never miss an opportunity to pose for a picture with your dog.

Organize your activities around your dog.

Plan a birthday party for your dog.

Question invitations by responding “Can I bring my dog?”

Recognize that you are powerless over the hold your dog has on you.

Sacrifice your social life in favor of your dog.

Tattoo your body with the name and/or picture of your pooch.

Unwind in the evening with your dog snuggled up against you.

Vacation only in areas where your dog is welcome.

Wistfully stare into space and think about your dog.

Xerox photos of your pet and make them into a notepad, so your pet is constantly with you.

Yip when you pinch your finger, instead of cussing.

Zealously defend your dog no matter what the circumstance.

 


If you found yourself nodding and smiling while reading the ABC’s of a Dog-a-holic and saying to yourself…”I do that.”

Then you might be a Dog-a-holic.

Welcome!

Follow That Dream…Day One Hundred, Sixty

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“Oh mom.” The kids would roll their eyes and I know that they snickered about me behind my back.

Little whispered, “I swear she likes the dog better than she does us.”

“Can you believe she’s having a cookout to celebrate the dog’s birthday?”

“I think the dog (s) have more toys than we ever did.”

“Is she really leaving the party early because she wants to get home to the dog (s)?”

When I first became a dog-a-holic I admit I was consumed with my dog; ok truth be told I still am.  Since being in love with a dog was so new to me, I had no idea where to find other fellow dog-a-holics to chat with.  I seriously thought I was the only one who was crazy about my dog(s), who took nutty pictures of them and who thought there were no other dogs on the face of the earth who were as cute as mine.  Boy was I wrong.

Oh I still think my dogs are the cutest/smartest things going, but now I know that there are other people out there who feel the same way about their dog(s); and there are a lot of them!

It’s a big pop to my ego balloon and my hopes of ever getting published to realize the magnitude of pet related websites, blogs and books which are all focused on and related only to dogs and dog lovers. So how exactly does one make their mark in a market so saturated?  What do you need to write about to keep yourself from receiving one of these?

“While it’s a fun book for friends and family, there are just so many dog stories out there I didn’t feel this one was quite unique enough to break out in the crowded market. So I’m going to pass.”

I am a firm believer in things working out the way they are supposed to, the trouble is that I’m not good at waiting for things to happen.  I second guess myself all the time, I wonder am I just spinning my wheels, wasting time, when I should be pursuing other ventures?

Statues….Day One Hundred, Fifty Nine

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When I was a kid we played this game, I can’t remember what it was called, but for now I will call it “Statues.”  We would play it at dusk or just after dark and when a car came down the street and its headlights shown on us, we would have to freeze our position and stay that way until the car had passed.

Sometimes now I wish things would “freeze” for a moment; especially when we are walking with the dogs and we see another dog; I would like to be able to “freeze” either my dog (Delilah) or the other dog; until we had passed each other.

Today when we walked the dogs Chet said, “Let’s follow this trail and go on the rail trail.”  I cringed inside.  There are a lot of people on the rail trail, they are walking, running, riding their bikes, and walking their dogs…on leashes.  Delilah doesn’t do well with other dogs when she is on leash.

It took about 12 minutes for us to get to the rail trail, almost immediately I saw some people in the distance with a dog. I clipped Delilah to her leash and I asked Chet to scope it out with Sampson and let me know if the dog was leashed; it was.  Thankfully, the owner and dog headed off the rail trail;  and we continued on with Delilah on her leash.

Within another minute or two we were approached by a couple with a little dachshund, I saw them before Delilah did and I urged her off the trail onto a slight incline with a rock.  I had her sit and then from our vantage point we watched the couple and their dog pass.  I kept my hand on Delilah’s head, stroking her head and telling her “Good girl.” “It’s ok.”  “Good girl.”  I had a loose leash but I was prepared to correct her if I needed to, but I didn’t.  I rewarded her with some meat.  Then I saw a jogger with a dog approaching, so we stayed on the rock, and I used the same technique; again I was rewarded with a dog sitting patiently with me as the other dog passed.

I’m not sure what was more effective; the fact that Delilah and I were above the trail and therefore above the other dog, if we were far enough away from the other dog so it was not perceived as a threat, or that I had Delilah sit and I was calm and in control.  What I can tell you is how pleasurable it was to not have a dog growling , snarling and lunging.

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