Why a pet column – I am not a vet

For years now, I have been an advocate of journaling, and now with technology, I have been a believer in blogging.I have blogged about everything. For a long time, I tried to stick to a plan – I had quite a following as a book reviewer, and then I wrote devotionals. The moods of those blogs ranged from cheery to melancholy to defensive to anger to sadness.

I tried blogging fiction work. I tried writing editorials – you know, like political stuff all the time.   I thought I had to box myself in to one specific thing to write about. That probably came from years of being a journalist. Newspaper writers are given beats. Beats are certain areas that we cover specifically.  I have covered probably every beat but one in newspapers. I never wrote obituaries. (Funeral homes did that for us.)

A few days ago, my dog, Toby, taught me that I shouldn’t box myself in. Toby is a mix of a few breeds. We figured out that the primary breeds are Pug and probably Chihuahua. I think there is a Terrier in there as well. Mixed breeds tend to be more healthy, and less susceptible to disease.

As a mixed breed, Toby has a plethora of unique characteristics – the under bite, the curly tail, the big eyes, the long legs and the ability to run and jump from each breed. He has fun.

Toby is not boxed in by just one breed’s characteristics or habits. Hence, writing stories about my mutt, and  as a writer, I am not boxed in by just one topic. Pets cover a zillion topic. They do, really.

I write about my dog not because I am passionate or dog crazy – I write about the dog because he is what is in my life right now that takes away from the norm.

(Becky Holland/The Piney Woods News/2016)

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