A blog chain is a pretty cool thing that allows other people to wander into your blog, comment on your post and then wander back out to write something relatively relating to what you posted, hence the “chain” effect. Also, as I’ve already said, it’s done in your blog, hence “blog.” Put the two together and we have a “blog chain.” One person starts by writing a post. The next person writes a post based on that and so on and so forth until the chain ends. It’s also a shameless means of self-promotion and an ego-boost to see your blog stats jump for a couple weeks.
DTKelly wrote about how, in reality, your dog owns you, not the other way around. Of course, as any dog owner knows, that couldn’t be more true. What parent would allow their kid to gnaw the hell out of their comforter while simultaneously disemboweling it or constantly pee on the floor (he is house trained, I swear, he’s just a bastard) without shipping them off to a boarding school? Or a psychologist? While he doesn’t get away with it, I’m not going to string him up from the rafters either but don’t get me wrong, sometimes the urge creeps it’s way up. I fight it back and I just end up with a popped capillary.
It’s equally counter-productive to have your poochy pal flogging you about the arms with his favorite spiked chew toy while you’re writing because he’s desperately vying for your attention. I should say this, I always write pen to paper first, and this is when he tends to do this. Even more grating on the story I’m trying to tell is when he attempts to gnaw on the pen that I’m using to write. My handwriting is hardly legible to begin with when I’m pumping out text. A dog adding in his piece of the plot need not apply.
Not having a proper desk in my bedroom (yeah, I live at home and don’t have the space, like an office, I so desire), I keep most of my writing on the floor since I don’t have any other place to put it. Seeing as my dog tends to piddle in the middle of the night and the wood floors aren’t level, I’ve had some envelopes that have drowned in the wastes of doggy, not to mention research books and DVDs. Methinks some kind of office furniture and media holder is in order. To date (*knock on wood*), my writing remains safe.
I think I should also say that I’m convinced I have the ADHD posterdog of Miniature Pinschers. “Write? What is this ‘write’ you speak of? I want you to play with me now! No? Ok. You don’t need this stuffing in your quilt then or, really, the quilt itself. What’s that you say? You don’t like that you can fit your head through the holes in it and fear strangling yourself in the night? Well perhaps you should have tossed me my Frisbee when I asked you nicely. But nooooooooooo. You were too busy worldbuilding. Now what was our lesson for today? While you’re contemplating that, I’m going to go gnaw on the banister.”
Yeah, I’ve already tried sedatives. He laughs at the recommended 3 drops once daily into his food. He also laughs at the superseded 6 drops once daily into his food. Anyone got any Haldol because this natural shit just isn’t doing it. Dammit . . . he’s eating the couch . . .
Check out the other blog chain gang as the fiesta soldiers on–
Secret Government EGGO Project
Fantastical Imagination
For the First Time
Virtual Wordsmith
Polyspace
My Life, You’re Welcome to It
Polenth’s Quill
Food History
Spontaneous Derivation
Spittin’ (out words) Like a Llama
Fresh Hell
SLAKE
Forbidden Snowflake
Virginia Lee’s Vagaries
AW Chain
Wow… you have the complete polar opposite of my dog, except for the chewing bit. My dog collects shiny things, I swear. He hides them in his bed. I once caught him methodically chewing all of the buttons off of a sweater of mine. *sigh*
I’ve never had a pet that likes eating the furniture, so that’s a plus point at least.
dogs can be a frustrating lot. We got lucky when I was grown up and had a very good, kid tolerant one. Heck, my little sister used to carry the dog upside down (it was the only way she could pick her up) and put a clothes hamper over the dog and pretend to be a zoo keeper with a caged lion.
I know lots of other people who had major problems with their dogs, similar to what you describe.
It’s all piss and vinegar. Or vinegar on piss. Had a cat once who managed to spray, one by one, on every pair of shoes I owned. They all had to be thrown away. I kept the cat, for reasons I still am unable to explain. he was just so gosh darn cute!
Kathleen, I feel your pain a little bit on that one. My dog just collects chew toys. When I put him in his crate, the pile is ridiculous. But I guess that’s my fault. But he’ll just tear apart the sweaters and probably snort the buttons.
Polenth, you’re lucky! Well, before him, neither did I. Eh, first time for everything.
DT, I don’t look at it as being a problem but just a personality flaw. It’s the breed to act the way he does. My dog before him was also a MinPin but I guess she was an anomoly and one of the rare couch potatoes of the breed. This guy, he’s the epitome of it. He makes a Jack Russel look tame at times but he knows his commands and I have him pretty well trained.
Fresh, my dog’s is kind of like that. If he could, he’d eat through ever pair of my shoes, one by one. My mom knows that pain all too well. I tell her, put your shoes in the closet! But she doesn’t so no right to complain there.
[...] Chain! This month, DTKelly began the discussion by talking about how we are slaves to our animals. Donna continued by talking about her minpin and trying to write on the floor. She is seeking Haldol [...]
If you find some Haldol, we’ll need some for my friend’s dog! The big problem is that he’s a 103 pound puppy so we’ll need a lot!
I had a diabetic cat who peed in a box of my papers once. Needless to say, it was a thrilling experience.
Mada, I can only imagine the destruction!
Colby, I feel that pain!
My kids are more destructive than my dogs, but to be fair they have done their share too.
It sounds to me as if your dog has determined to keep you sane. This is hard where writers are concerned and takes much effort and chewing and apparent random destruction.
No pets, no kids. Apparently I lead a charmed life here.
Still and really not sure if I really want to get that dog. You people scare me off.
My cat wants to lay in the middle of whatever papers I happen to be working on. Or she sleeps on the printer, and I have to blow cat hair out of it when I want to use it.
So really — how many sweaters does your minpin have? That short hair and delicate body must need protection from cool weather, huh?
Maybe you can find minpin Poise pads . . .
He doesn’t, actually. He hates them. I’ve tried putting him into one but that just failed miserably.