Topic Open House: My dog

[sasha_feather]

wild_irises asked: What's the best thing about Sorcha?

There are so many good things about Sorcha! She is a very loving and affectionate dog, and when I am around her, I think that I am a more loving and patient person. (Not that she doesn't try my patience sometimes! But her challenges are pretty minor ones.) She brings a lot of simple happiness to my life. She is a good cuddler, sometimes lying on the couch with me and putting her chin on my wrist or leg. She makes cute sounds like clacking her jaw when excited (a Greyhound trait), huffing air through her cheeks, or little growls and yips when she is dreaming.

I've been around animals most of my life, so all this isn't unexpected; but, it is a surprise how easily she fit into my life when I got her. It's like she's always been here.

There are some ancillary benefits to dog ownership: A pet is a neutral topic of conversation to bring up with co-workers, family members, and strangers, unlike a lot of my other interests (which most people think are weird, or which at least require some explanation).

Walking at the dog park once or twice a day has been very good for me and Sorcha, it's a nice routine, it's social, it gets us out in the fresh air, and I've met some very nice people there. The kind of small talk that happens at the dog park is very non-demanding and seldom stresses me out, unlike small talk almost anywhere else-- often we talk about dogs, sometimes about work or the weather.

Having an unusual, recognizable dog means that people will approach you in the neighborhood when you are out walking. This could be good or bad, depending on your circumstances, but for us it's fine since Sorcha is generally very calm. So, I've had some nice interactions with my neighbors and gotten to know more of them.

Oh, and she takes a good photo. :)

Comments

[wild_irises]

Thanks for this!

You should send some of those pix to Shakesville for their daily dose of cute!

[sasha_feather]

I didn't know Shakesville had such a thing! Cool! :D Thanks for the prompt.

[holyoutlaw]

Long dog is long! And pretty.

Is the spottedness something that shows up only occasionally, or is it something that's more on one side than the other, or have I been completely unobservant to not have noticed it until now?

[sasha_feather]

Her skin spots, much like freckles, got much darker and more pronounced in the summer. It was weird and cool. They have faded down now. Also, she had some lichenification on her belly when I first got her, but that has almost completely disappeared!

[owlectomy]

I love the pictures where her mouth is wide open and grinning. Long-faced dogs have a way of looking so HAPPY.

[sasha_feather]

She has some pretty funny expressions. :D

[amadi]

Sorcha is so gorgeous. I love the photo where she's being petted in the mix of all the greyhounds at the park, the look on her face is pure bliss.

[sasha_feather]

That was a pretty neat day! We just happened to run into all those hounds at the park!

[livrelibre]

Eeee she is adorable!

[sasha_feather]

Thanks! :D

[toft]

this was nice to read! I never thought about the small-talk benefits of having a dog.

[jesse_the_k]

Guide dog users of my acquaintance have described their dogs — for better or ill — as "social prosthetics."

[sasha_feather]

I was thinking about this too-- some of the conflict around "don't talk about/focus on the dog" is that in other situations, dogs serve to ease social functions. For some of us this rule switch is easy, for others, not so much.

[sasha_feather]

SO much easier to talk about my dog than my other interests, which are things like feminism, disability studies, WisCon, SF/F, critical engagement of media, bad TV, the internet, fan vids, fan fic, etc.... people are like, what??

[thingswithwings]

this post made me happy! I'm just so happy for you and Sorcha. <3

[sasha_feather]

Thanks!! <3 :D

[trouble]

Sorcha is my favourite. :D

[sasha_feather]

Thesis is *my* favorite! :D

I bought some of those Muttluks but when Sorcha runs she kicks them off, because she runs with such force. We'll keep experimenting I guess.