The Dog Blog: October 2016

Sunday, October 30, 2016

DIXIE AND I GOT CLOSE AT THE DOGPARK.

MY WIFE HOLLY WANTED to get Dixie a small bed so she could sleep near me when I'm working in the office. We went to Big Lots today and found just the right thing.

It's small and square, not as comfy as her regular bed, which we got originally for Lady. Still, she immediately laid down in the new bed, then got up and rotated a few times before laying down again. Then she went into the rotation thing again.

Then she laid down again.

Right now, she's lying peacefully in her new bed. She'll probably return to her old bed in her crate overnight, but for now she's just right. I have companionship, and she's comfortable.

Dixie had another new experience today as Holly took her off-leash in our backyard. She checked it all out, and I suspect I'll take her back there again Monday.

• Woof! (translation: Go away, kid; you bother me)

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com TWITTER: EDITORatWORK

More entries from The Dog Blog

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• ... said the spider to ...

, • The Dog Diary (2015)

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• OOH! OOH! The stereophonic huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

Blog entries by Tom Gillispie

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie

• Good Samaritan

• The PRESS cap and my friend Mike

• Watching TV

• No luck with Billy Sims

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer outta there!

EDITOR@WORK blog entries

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

Blog entries from The Auto Racing Journal

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing

Friday, October 28, 2016

DIXIE AND I OBVIOUSLY HAVE GOTTEN CLOSE.

IT'S 8:41 IN THE MORNING , and Dixie and I have already walked twice. When I awoke at 6, it was obvious that she wanted to walk, so we did. We walked a short distance down the lane.

When we got home, she got water and breakfast, and I worked on the computer. Then she wanted to walk again, going much farther this time.

It's amazing how hard Dixie pulls with three legs. The unusual part, I guess, is that she pulls her best almost every minute we're out there.

Lady had 10 times Dixie's pulling power, but she rarely used it. If she'd used full power as Dixie does, I wouldn't have been able to walk her. I've often said that it felt like I was being pulled by a little tractor.

But Dixie's a good girl, and she tries mightily. The funny thing is Dixie's pee dance. She can't use her back feet; she only has one back there. So she mostly uses her front legs.