The Zen of Dog

Oftentimes, I catch myself glancing at Katie looking over whatever it is I'm reading to check on her, and see what she's up to. She is a good dog so it's really just a quick look and then back to what I'm reading. Usually, she's lying around either on her part of the couch, her chair, the floor in the hallway or the middle of the living room floor. It's nothing particularly exciting to look at but really for me, it's soothing to see her peacefully, blissfully asleep. I envy her. I really do envy the fact that she can just lie there and dream without being disturbed for however long she wishes. Sometimes, I want to sleep too. Sometimes I want to really doze and not wake up startled or worried that I am late for something. Like this morning for example, I woke up thinking I had to run off and be somewhere, whether it is out to brunch at school or at my internship, I'm always feeling like I am panicky when I wake up. That's just such a disturbing feeling. So for me, just being able to look at Katie, to feel that calm as she breathes in and out, watching the rise and fall of her little furry body sleeping is somehow just enough to make me relax. 

Then, I came across this article in the NYT about the Hamptons and how these dogs have free run of the beach at certain hours of the day. How I would love to take Katie to a beach and see what she'd do but she was none too thrilled about the pool. Period, end of story, she really did not like the pool experience and that was a kiddie pool. She nosed up and walked away from that ASAP. I don't know if the ocean would be different but I've walked her around the water when we lived in Edgewater, NJ and it was just uneventful for her. Perhaps because it was the Hudson River and maybe she is way...smarter than me such that she knows not to wade into such filth. The other portion of the article mentions the Yappy Hours and mingling with other dog owners. Nice. I remember those days of wine and whine. Katie liked to mingle but she was good with just hanging out with maybe one or two other dogs and then it was, "I gotta go." I'm that way too so I guess dog owners are very much like their pets. The article is here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/14dogsli.html?_r=1&st=cse&oref=slogin

Plus, there is a pretty good article in Newsdays's magazine about antidepressants for dogs. I'm not really into that because I read, "Marley and Me" and I think that drugging up your dog with a low dose tranquilizer is not necessarily the best idea. I believe in behavior modification.  Just the idea of putting your dog in a situation that is stressful and then drugging them up just to be convenient for you for me seems like a big no no. Granted, there are exceptions and what if your dog cannot ever be left alone at home without tearing up the place? Well, then there is an issue there and sadly you really need to get down to basics about what the real problem is. Like does your dog have an area that makes them feel safe? Most dogs need an area that is all their own, their safe zone where they can feel totally safe and if it is enclosed, why not? Dogs used to have dog houses. Remember Tiger from The Brady Bunch and Dino from The Flintstones? These although fictional characters, had little homes all to their own that had their names on it and they could go in their little house and be safe. A cushion on the floor is not a den. It's a cushion on the floor. Katie has a few spots that she can hang out or sleep without being disturbed by the tv or by outside noises. Dogs have extremely sensitive hearing and even the subtle noise of your neighbor can be disturbing if there is nowhere else to go but listen to mindless prattle of your neighbor talking on the phone all day on Sunday. (Yeah, my neighbor used to talk ALL DAY on the phone on Sunday. Katie and I used to have to be out for most of the day to escape that. One of the reasons why I had to move out of that apartment.) I think getting down to the basics, making a den for your dog, figuring out if there are any noises that may be very disturbing for your dog while you are out and even keeping your dog in the car alone is just a bad idea. You really never know how long you are going to be gone. Seriously. If you have ever timed a "quick trip to the grocery store," you'd find out exactly how long you spend browsing at stuff that is not on your list, getting home to realize that the 5 items that you had on your list took an hour to get? Yeah, that's time being swallowed up into that black hole of browsing. 

I ramble. I've got stuff to do. Chilling out with Katie is number one on my list. Brioche is number two:) 

Don't forget to load up on Halloween treats this year. Dogs love pumpkin!

Catching up

I have a lot of paperwork to do. I don't want to do it but it is seriously piling up on the corner of my office desk. My desk has become this horrible forest of stuff. It's hideous. It's like the black forest in fairy tales, the one that little children get scared about. Yeah, I'm scared too. 

One corner has the gadzillions of dog-mags, those that are for the avid pet owner, the pet related business owner, or for those who are just curious enough to buy this and then show it to a friend exclaiming, "Isn't this CRAZY that people actually do this for their PETS?!" Meanwhile, this person has just PURCHASED a magazine to mock and laugh about. These magazines aren't cheap by far. In fact, many of them are published a few times a year only. Like some are published every two months or quarterly even. I've resigned myself to just being the recipient of complementary magazines and trade journals related to the dog/pet snack industry. I get everything you could imagine, including those journals related to pet grooming. I am stuck with this stuff so since it piles up, I took to reading through a few of those previously mentioned pieces of literature. I learned many things. Like for example, there are tons of shampoos out there for your dog. I actually don't wash Katie a lot because I brush her almost daily so this was just useless for me. The next thing I learned is that there are a lot of doggy bakeries out there. I myself am just a stay-at-home, easy bake dog treat baker. I do not consider myself as upscale as those that advertise in magazines, but my cakes are good. Dogs don't always eat everything and I think that my cakes are really pretty good. 

Pile 2 consists of miscellaneous "stuff." I do not say 'stuff' a lot. I DO say the four letter word that has the same letters as "carp." a lot when I refer to my desk. Sometimes I just want to torch everything on that desk because it freaks me out how much stuff accumulates if you don't pay attention. It's like sugar. I say this because we  are actually studying sugar shaping in class and well, sugar is great because you can do so...much with it but if you burn it, there is no going back. 

Moving centrally, I have a few non-doggy related magazines on my desk too. Like FOOD by Martha Stewart is good for really quick and easy recipes and some basic information about herbs or whatnot. 

My collection of decorative tools for Marzipan, brushes for painting on cakes, all types of colors for cake decorating, cookie cutters (billions), ribbon samples, paper samples, my huge bucket of pens that ranges from fine to big fat highlighters...ah, gotta love the smell of fresh ink:) Not really. 

I've got my favorite flowers, ranunculus in a glass vase in the middle of the desk. It isn't the most convenient spot for this decorative piece, but I love this fake plant because it is so bright and colorful. It's gorgeous. 

Much to do...