Living with a dog

Talos's blog post, intended to be cute and amusing, does touch on a more serious matter - living with a dog.

I don't mean what the kids promise to mom and dad when begging for a puppy - picking up poop, taking for walks, feeding. I mean the rest of the time - playing with your dog, working around the house, just being home.

Many dogs are outside dogs, living in the yard most of the time, happily going about their business there. But many dogs would benefit from being included in the family's every day activities a bit more. I've found that, since we don't have a secure yard, either I work with the pug, or she gets in the way.

So, I'd just like to encourage people to remember you have a dog. Teach them to hand you clothes pegs at the washing line, in stead of chasing them off. Get them to pick up a dropped cloth, or to carry your broom (size taken into account - a little yorkie may do better with your duster). Get them to fetch the plunger. Sure, it's not glamorous, but it makes the dog part of every day life, in stead of an outsider to it.