Why Every Writer Needs a Dog

I saw the film Up last night, and the character Dug the dog “You are my master and I love you” reminded me so much of my own dog Domino – he has the same insatiable willingness to please.  I should point out that he also has an insatiable need to be with one of us which verges on the obsessive, and a never-ending appetite for bread, fish, chicken, banana and cheese (he’s quite the cheese connoisseur).

Anyway, I felt it was time to give Domino some credit for the writing successes I’ve had over the past five years.  No, he hasn’t secretly been putting paw to paper…!  Having a dog forces me to get out and about in the fresh air every day, and gives me valuable thinking time.  Many an article has been worked through and finished in my head while walking along the canal.  Plus if I’m having a bad day and just can’t focus on the task in hand, he’ll happily cheer me up with a wet kiss and a friendly greyhound ‘lean’.

Of course, life with a dog is not without its trials and tribulations - vets’ bills, muddy carpets and scrounging to name but a few, but for now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.