It's Only Nine...

I am so tired. My dog kept me awake last night, probably until about 12, with her howling and barking. I had to get out of bed three times to shut her up. I finally managed to get to sleep, but was woken up again at 1 in the morning. normally this wouldn't be too much of a problem, but I had to wake up at 5 to get to work, so I was pretty pissed.

My dog is an idiot.

Time for sleep now.

My Dog is Part Chicken

Oh man, I nearly forgot about my blog today, sorry 'bout that. I'm just going to do another quick list.

Things My Dog is Afraid Of

1) My dad (Or men in general)
This one is actually quite sad. My dog is a rescue dog, and she was abused when she was a puppy. For the first year we had her, she would barely ever get close to my dad. Even now, when he stands up she runs from the room... Maybe because she's expecting him to give her a treat or something. But she's pretty shy around any guests that she doesn't recognize, especially if they're men.

2) Drains
We found this one out a couple years ago, then it just went away for a few months. It seems to have come back a couple months ago though. For some reason my dog is afraid of drains. We suspect that one time when she escaped from the house she might have gotten her paw stuck in the grating, but that doesn't explain why she was suddenly fine with them for a while.

3) Heights
It's adorable and sad at the same time. There is a foot bring on a trail not far from my house. If we want to go over it, we literally need to pull my dog across. When we go across the car bridge, she's a little better, probably because she can cower against the barrier between the road and the side walk.

4) Ice
I just found out about this one today. While on a walk with her and my parents, my dad tried to pull her down to the lagoon, which was frozen over. She wouldn't come within five metres of it. When it's not frozen, she will be more than happy to come down, but she was freaked out by the ice.

5) The dark
This one isn't confirmed yet, but she will rarely be in a room with no lights. She's almost eleven now, and we think he eyesight is beginning to go, so she probably can't see very will in the dark anymore.

And I'm sure there are plenty more, but I can't remember any at the moment. My dog is basically scared of half the things in the world, but the top five are the biggest for her.

Canine Companion

Since I've started school again, this semester with three creative writing courses, I'm going to have a lot more writing-based posts, the first one of which is going to be today! Now I have to add that it's not finished, and it's far from being revised. It's something for my Advanced Poetry class, called a Prose Poem. Basically it's a very pretty paragraph. I also want to ask that no one gives me advice or suggestions on how to finish or revise this poem. I want to do the first draft all by myself, without any help. After I've had it workshopped in class, then go ahead, tell me everything that's on your mind. If you want, you can tell me if you loved or hated it, but that's all.

The best way to take a walk is with a strong-willed dog. She tugs me in the direction she wishes to go, and I freely follow, past the houses of old friend and new strangers. Up the shallow hill, along the lengthy road and across the broken sidewalk to the dank, dark forest, where the dog daringly proceeds without delay, and I delightedly tail after. Under the canopy of evergreen branches and dead winter trees, fat drops of rain worm their way through green needles and brown leaves to hit the target of my head. My dog pulls onward, stopping here and there to sniff a fern or a bush, and with a sudden sharp tug on the leash, we’re off again. I want to run, to watch the old dog playfully prance like a young puppy, to let her dance in a mud puddle as if it were a hot summer day. However, near the end she grows too tired, and trots slowly along by my side, acting like the obedient dog we never trained her to be. But although her flame has faded, it fans up again at the sight of a fellow dog. As she snaps and growls, I smile politely at the owner, say a hello and apologize for her jealous fury. They smile back in understanding and we part ways as slightly more than new strangers.

And of course, this is my work, so don't take it and claim it as your own. Actually, I would appreciate it if you didn't take it at all, even if you do give me credit.


Oh! I also want to say happy 1,000 views to my blog! Thanks to everyone who reads my tales and rants. It really encourages me to continue writing.