Heart Like a Dog

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

Be The Dog

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Back in April, Pamela over at Something Wagging had a post titled, You Can’t Do That! Oh yeah? Watch Me.

In the post Pamela made the observation that there are so many people who tell us what we cannot do.  Pamela stated “Well I like surprises—people and animals that do awesome things because they don’t know they’re not expected to do them well.”

Then she posted a video of a St. Bernard doing agility.

I know.  Not normally a dog you would associate with that sport.

But here’s the kicker, the St. Bernard has no idea that the agility ring isn’t designed for large dogs, he just knows that it’s something he enjoys doing.  And he does it quite well I might add.

In the comments I noted in response to another blogger’s comment, “it’s much harder trying to do something others tell you, you can’t, then doing something when you just don’t know better.”

I ended the post with, “Be the St. Bernard.”

Pamela said it was a lovely mantra.

A couple of weeks ago Pamela had another post, Don’t Worry About Messing Up Your Hair, in which she noted dog’s aren’t self-conscious like humans are.

A dog doesn’t care what it looks like after rolling in that mud puddle, the dog just knows that the mud puddle looks fun.  After this post I noted perhaps the mantra should change from Be The St. Bernard to Be The Dog.

Dogs have a way of living in the moment, it doesn’t matter how their day went, if you come home and say want to go for a walk, the dog seizes the opportunity.

The dog has no idea of what it can’t do.  Can’t isn’t a word dogs understand.

After listening to today’s keynote speaker, Lena West via the live stream from BlogPaws 2012 Conference I’ve decided I need to take can’t out of my vocabulary.

There are a number of things I need to do if I want to take this blog to the next level.

If I want this blog to live up to its full potential, I need to seize opportunities.

I need to be the dog.

Follow-Up Friday

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For those new to the blog, my follow-up Friday provides me with an opportunity to update or revise a post from the previous week.

You know sometimes you post about something and you need an update but it doesn’t warrant a whole blog.  Or sometimes someone made a comment that really resonated with you.  Yup, Follow-Up Friday baby!

Happy Gotcha Day Delilah! – Author’s Note:

Like just about everything else I write, somehow that post didn’t quite come out the way it ran in my head.

She has come a very long way and I sometimes forget to focus on that. Instead I look at where I would like her to be.

Truthfully if she had a reliable off-leash recall the rest would be fluff. 🙂  She really is an amazing dog.

Ouch THAT Bit Me! – Update:

Last year I wrote a post about how the bugs love me and how as soon as I step foot in the park they send out the call, “Dinner is here, come and get her.”

Well let me tell you, since I started bringing that racket the call now goes, “Oh my God, she’s hear.  Stay clear, she’s got the stick of death again.  Please take a moment to remember our fallen comrades.”

I’ve walked with that racket every day since I wrote that post, keeping a mental note is my head of all my kills. 🙂 Currently the house points bug kills stand as follows:

Monday – 5 (Although I do think one of those zaps might have been a dandelion fluff.) No points for indiscriminately swinging. 🙂

Tuesday – 1 (What a disappointing day.  This has got to be the day they sent out the warning call.)

Wednesday – 7 (My best day yet, but I’ve still not gotten a deer fly.)

Thursday – 4 (Not my best day, but definitely more satisfying than Tuesday.)

Friday – 6 (I was so close to getting 7 and tying the record, but alas it was not to be.)

Even though I’m walking and swinging the death stick, it is still somewhat startling when you hear that SNAP!  Oh and guess what?  Bugs smell when they’ve been fried. 🙁

I’m disappointed that I did not smote more bugs and have to say the death stick is certainly not even close to being in the same league as the Elder Wand, but it has afforded me some satisfaction against those bugs AND it is another weapon I have at my disposal to aid in my protection from ne’er do wells and the Zombie Apocalypse.

Exercising Challenges – Update

The weather broke!  YAY!  While we all still get hot as we are walking, it is not as humid so the exercise is way more enjoyable. 🙂

WTF/Whoo Hoo Wednesday – Author’s Thought

This week’s post while sad, was not nearly as horrific as last weeks.  I think what I learned from this post is my next Blog the Change post will be directed at education for law enforcement as to how to handle canine interactions.  Siriusly, this shit has got to stop.

The Post Where I Whine And Cry And Basically Feel Sorry For Myself – Update

I have the absolute best readers in the entire world and yes, I’m talking to you.   You all had such really nice things to say about me and my writing and I really, really appreciate it.  I intend to respond to every single comment, I promise!

I said I felt like shutting the computer off and never writing another word, I didn’t say I would actually do it.  Sheesh, you should know me well enough by now that when I have a captive audience (yes you are, go ahead and deny it all you want) I’m going to keep sharing my opinion.

Siriusly, I was/am disappointed but there is a reason and some time when the time is right, I’ll figure out what that reason was.  Rejection is part of a writer’s life and I need to toughen my skin.  I was so taken off guard by the e-mails and I took it personally.  As many of you pointed out, they were not saying I am not a good writer they are just choosing another, easier path for them.

I think I also need to have a bit of confidence in my writing, it’s just that so many of you are SO good and I read your posts and think, why can’t I write a post like that?  Sometimes I think my writing it too simple.

What I want to be clear on is I volunteered for about 8 different things and have only been contacted on three.  One I had to decline because of personal stuff going on with me.  One I actually did work and the others are administrative opportunities that take place during the day when I am working.  Oh and I was asked to put up flyers.

I haven’t decided if I will blog about their organization (I am very spiteful it seems) or if I will just say thank you, I hope it all works out for you and look for something else.

I think sometimes I just feel like all I am doing is treading water and making no progress.  I’ve been posting every day for a year and a half and I think somehow I thought I’d be a little further along than I am.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am truly grateful for your friendship and support, and the fact that people other than my family and friends actually read this blog.  I guess I just hoped I would have attracted a sponsor by now, or be at least doing product reviews.

As they say, “All in good time, my little pretty – all in good time.”

Oh wait, that was a witch wasn’t it? Well….if the Ruby shoes fit. 🙂

The Post Where I Whine And Cry And Basically Feel Sorry For Myself

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This is a post where I whine and cry and  basically feel sorry for myself.  I am apologizing in advance for those of you who care to read it and am perfectly fine about those of you who don’t.

A while back I went to a volunteer orientation for an animal rescue.  I was super excited to be joining the group because they are in the process of doing really amazing things.  I was so impressed with all of the programs they had in place and so many ways they were helping animals and helping people keep their animals.

We were asked to check off areas of interest to us and turn the papers in, we also went around the room introducing ourselves and giving a brief synopsis of who/what we were.

Somewhere in my introduction I mentioned I write a blog about my dogs.  The person in charge said she was interested in me because they were redesigning their website and the new website had a blog and they had no idea how to write a blog.

If I say I was excited for the opportunity to get my name out there a bit more and blog in a professional fashion, that would be an understatement.  I was literally over the moon.

The CEO of the organization occasionally sends out e-mails and a couple of months ago during one of our correspondences I mentioned how excited I was for the new website to be completed so I could help them with their blog.  The response was, “I am too.”

Imagine my surprise when I got an e-mail from the Office Manager on Tuesday saying “I’d like to suggest that everyone have a look at our Sanctuary construction news blog on the website: you won’t believe it.”

This is an uncomfortable situation for me.  I’m not very big on confrontation but there are so many times when I feel hurt and upset and I don’t say anything.  It is hard (for me) to be assertive about a situation without coming across as bitchy.

Naturally I was shocked and unsure what to do,  I sent an e-mail to the CEO congratulating them on the progress and then I asked, “I did have a question, I notice that you have a blog on the new website and I kind of thought I was going to be helping with that, did you change your mind?”

I knew I was uncomfortable so I was pretty sure she was as well, and I thought I bet I never get a response.  But I got one this morning.

I have no problem posting the entire e-mail but it is quite long.  Basically she said that there are two blogs on the website one is for adoptions and the other is for the sanctuary.  It is easier for the woman directly involved in the adoptions to handle the adoptions blog because it involves less work than forwarding everything to me.

The same goes for the sanctuary blog as there is a woman right in the same town who is taking video etc.  Once the project is complete she’s not sure if it won’t still be easier for the people who are on site to just continue to maintain their blogs.

She ended with “Would it be okay to wait and see how it all turns out? This is all new for us and  I apologize if we dropped the ball with you. We’ve got so much activity going on that if blogging doesn’t seem to work out there are LOTS of other ways for you to get involved.”

Then she thanked me for following up.

I haven’t stopped crying since I got the e-mail.

I know it’s petty and stupid, I know there are people who have far worse problems than this, I know everything happens for a reason.

It doesn’t make it hurt any less.

I only live about 20 minutes from the project, I was expecting I would be up there every weekend checking on the progress and blogging about it; adding their website to my blog and helping promote their cause as well as raising money to help them save more animals.

I feel like I’ve been slapped in the face.

I know many of you have your own blogs and have your own reasons for blogging.  Some of you do it for fun, just to have the experience of meeting other people through words.

Some of you do it for education, to have a place for people to learn and share the incredible experience and joy one gets from loving a fur baby.

Some of you are like me and want something more for your blog.

On days like today, I want nothing more than to shut the computer off and never write another word again.

Maybe I’m just not a writer.

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